Time has not been kind to old Sonic the Hedgehog, but luckily we can ignore Sega’s more recent blunders and live forever in the past thanks to frequent re-releases of classic Sonic games. The original Sonic the Hedgehog has been available to Android users for some time already, and now has Sega is keeping the nostalgia train chugging along by releasing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Google Play Store. This is particularly great, as some (meaning me) consider Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to be the Blue Blur’s greatest Genesis outing.
Children of the ’90s should take note, however, because this isn’t exactly the same game you grew up playing. Sega has packed in a few extra features with this re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, including a new level called Hidden Palace Zone. Sonic aficionados will remember that Hidden Palace Zone was meant to be in the original release of the game, but was scrapped in the early stages of development. The lost zone has popped up in a number of ROMs throughout the years, but now players finally have the opportunity to enjoy it in its entirety.
Aside from Hidden Palace Zone, the Android version of Sonic 2 also includes a new Boss Attack mode. Boss Attack is fairly self-explanatory, pitting the player against Dr. Robotnik’s various death machines, one right after the other. Just like in 1992, players have the option of leading both Sonic and Tails through the game, or tackling the game’s eleven zones with either character solo. In a nice little throwback to Sonic and Knuckles’ radical “lock-on technology,” Knuckles the Echidna is also playable in this re-release.
The game is available now on the Google Play Store. Players in the US can expect to pay $2.99, while those living in the UK are looking at a £2.18 price tag. It was only in May that Sega launched the original Sonic the Hedgehog on Android, so hopefully this quick release schedule means we’ll eventually see Sonic the Hedgehog 3 grace our favorite mobile OS. If Sega keeps up with these mobile releases, we’ll have Sonic and Knuckles to look forward to after that, and then the original Genesis saga will be complete on Android (unless you want to count Sonic 3D Blast, but we’d rather not). Would you like to see the rest of the original Sonic the Hedgehog series come to Android?