Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2
From Sonic Retro
| Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 |
|---|
| System(s): Sega Mega Drive/Genesis |
| Publisher: Sega |
| Developer: Sonic Team |
| Genre: 2D Platform |
Knuckles in Sonic 2 is the resulting game when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is locked onto Sonic & Knuckles with its passthrough port. Sonic is replaced by Knuckles and Tails is not playable whatsoever. The title screen features Knuckles also but removes the two player mode and options selections from it. This game is identical to Sonic 2 (aside from a few changes to make it more playable with Knuckles) but with Knuckles now playable instead of Sonic or Tails.
With the difference in jump height for Knuckles Sega created a workaround to make the demos function correctly. Knuckles' jump was modified so it had the same height as Sonic's (but didn't move as fast in the air). This fixed around half the demos. However, the mid-air speed cap wasn't fixed so the Emerald Hill and Aquatic Ruin demos still screw up.
Six prototypes were found by drx and were released (0524, 0606, 0608, 0610, 0612, and 0618).
Gameplay
Knuckles plays the same way he does in Sonic & Knuckles and has the same moves and lower jump height. Using his special moves, Knuckles can explore once inaccessible areas (where secrets such as 1-ups have been added). However, some areas are harder because Knuckles cannot jump very high and accelerates slowly. Some bosses are also harder, such as the boss in Metropolis Zone Act 3, as well as the final boss in Death Egg Zone. The palettes for the title cards were changed to green and red, and Knuckles retains his rings after a Special Stage, making it much easier to obtain Chaos Emeralds. Getting the Emeralds is easier too as the Special Stages have reduced Ring quotas for Knuckles to achieve.
Game Secrets
When using a Pro Action Replay or Game Genie code to access Hidden Palace Zone, the level resets after passing the life, which in this game is ironically a Knuckles icon instead of a Tails one. Wood Zone is also much different and glitchy to go through, as parts stay stationary as the the rest of the level goes by.
Functioning
When Sonic & Knuckles detects that Sonic 2 is locked on (it checks for Revisions 00, 01 and 02), it transfers control to a special hidden 256kb cartridge, often referred to as the UPMEM. This contains the code for the entire game, as well as some data (e.g. Knuckles' mappings and pattern load cues). The only code run from the locked-on Sonic 2 ROM is the sound driver, although much of the game's data is accessed from the Sonic 2 ROM instead of being duplicated in the UPMEM.
Also Released for
- Sonic & Knuckles Collection for PC (1997)
- Sonic Jam for Sega Saturn (1997)
- Sonic Mega Collection for Nintendo Gamecube (2002)
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus for Sony Playstation 2 and Microsoft X-Box (2004)