|
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II(JP) (originally titled Project Needlemouse) is an cancelled episodic WiiWare game starring Sonic the Hedgehog. It is meant to be a direct sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, and incorporates motion controls.
Episodes[]
Dr. Eggman revives Metal Sonic, forming a powerful duo. Sonic teams up with Tails to stop them from completing the space fortress Death Egg mk.II. With tag-team mechanics, they battle across diverse new zones.
Story[]
Following the events of Episode I, Dr. Eggman has rebuilt his forces and formed a new alliance with Metal Sonic, who has been revived after his defeat in Sonic CD. Together, they plan to construct a new Death Egg — the Death Egg mk.II — and conquer the world.
Sonic teams up with his longtime friend Tails (Miles "Tails" Prower) to stop the duo's new plan. The game takes them through several new zones, including snowy mountains, underwater ruins, and an amusement park set in space.
As they fight their way through Eggman's new machines and Metal Sonic's attacks, Sonic and Tails work together using tag-team mechanics to defeat the villains and destroy the Death Egg mk.II before it's completed.
Gameplay[]
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a side-scrolling platformer reminiscent of the original Sonic games for the Sega Genesis, and plays similarly to its predecessor, however levels are rendered in full 3D. Sonic and Tails are the playable characters across the game, although Tails can only be controlled in multiplayer, as he otherwise follows Sonic's movements. Both characters are able to move left or right to gain speed, jump, and roll into a ball to either gain speed down slopes or attack enemies. Pressing jump in mid-air allows Sonic to use the "homing attack" from the 3D games, which moves Sonic to the highlighted object (usually enemies or objects). New to Episode II are tag-team actions, such as Tails being able to fly up Sonic to areas Sonic cannot reach, or both rolling into a singular ball to perform a fast spin attack.
Episode II takes place across four levels ("zones"), each divided into three acts and a special fourth act dedicated to the boss. Each level contains several set pieces including slopes, loops, springs, boost pads, and bottomless pits. Like many Sonic games, rings act as a form of health and protect them from a hit, but are scattered before disappearing; if a player is hit without any, gets crushed, or falls into a pit, they will lose a life, and losing all lives will result in a game over. Most of the stages take inspiration from locations Sonic 2 or Sonic & Knuckles (1994).
Finishing an act with at least 50 rings will give the player an option to access a Special Stage, in a similar vein to Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Special Stages in Episode II are based on the half-pipe format introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), in which the game switches to a front-facing perspective as they move left and right on the board, collecting rings and avoiding hazards. Getting enough rings will reward the player with a Chaos Emerald. The game features Red Star Rings, reappearing from Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, with one Red Ring hidden per act, although they only unlock an achievement and have no effect on gameplay. Owners of both Episode I and II on the same system can unlock free "Episode Metal" content in Episode II. "Episode Metal" explains how Metal Sonic was revived after being defeated in Sonic CD. Players can control Metal Sonic through four acts, all of which are reworked from the first act of each zone in Episode I.
Zones[]
There are 5 zones in the game, with 3 acts each, with a boss fight at the third. The zones are:
- Sylvania Castle Zone
- White Park Zone
- Oil Desert Zone
- Sky Fortress Zone
- Death Egg mk.II Zone
External links[]
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II at GameFAQs
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Fandom wiki on Sonic.