Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Knuckles Tips
13 September 2001
(insert copyright and legal info here)
Aster Azul
[email protected]
21 September 2002 - Just added the correct email address and deleted my Sonic
CD request. I finally got and played it. Sonic CD is a fantastic game. I highly
recommend it. The only way you will ever get a working version with music is by
finding an actual CD somewhere. You can not get a version with music on the
internet. Trust me, I've tried.
11 October 2002 - Guest strategy by BlackMephitis7 on how to beat the final
boss has been added. It's a speed strategy for winning in under 2 minutes. I'm
not too fond of it because attempting to use it always kills me! Slow and
steady wins the battle in my strategy, but if you think you're made of sterner
stuff you can give it a shot.
Oh, and someone mentioned that you can possibly emulate Sonic CD using a Sega
CD emulator. I believe it, but I think you still have to get the songs from
somewhere. Sounds complicated.
This guide is meant ONLY for people who have beaten Sonic 2 already and
want to beat it with Knuckles. It looks best in 12-point or less Courier New.
If you only need help with the last boss (oh, the horror!), just skip to
the end of the FAQ.
Intro
A few days ago, as a sort of celebration for the next Sonic games coming
out for Gamecube and GBA, I decided to beat all the Sonic game with every
character and playing variation. I noticed, though, that the most difficult and
interesting variation had to be beating Sonic 2 as Knuckles. It doesn't follow
any known story-line or make sense, but playing through is a lot of fun. In
places, it is also notably difficult, and I have even heard rumors that it is
impossible. Not so! If you would like to try and you become discouraged or get
stuck (I gave up last time I tried it, a few years ago) look here.
Differences between 'Sonic 2 & Knuckles' and 'Sonic 2'
When you start up Sonic 2, Knuckles will be sitting there in the giant
ring and have his monicker written above. You won't be able to choose any
character besides Knuckles as their are no menus. Playing as Knuckles, certain
cute animals will be red colored instead of blue or orange, sign posts,
computers, extra lives, etc. will bear Knuckle's grit-toothed visage. Shields
will be light gray rather than blue. Knuckles seems a bit more purple while
playing in Sonic 2 as well. Also, beating the bonus stages is not nearly as
difficult as normal, the ring totals have all been decreased for Knuckles. When
you hit a bonus post, your time AND your rings will be saved. If you want, you
can get about 500 rings in some levels by using the bonus posts. There are some
1-ups and secret passages that seem impossible to obtain without Knuckles. On
the other hand, some passages and especially bosses are much more difficult to
reach and defeat with Knuckles, due to his lower jumps. Hit detection while
Knuckles glides is also slightly off. The ending is slightly different, too.
Stage Tips:
Emerald Hill Zone:
This game and some of its bosses will be easy for you if you get the
emeralds early on. You can actually get six out of seven in Emerald Hill Zone
if you're really good! Be careful when gliding with Knuckles here and other
places. It's easy to lose your rings attacking with the fists move here,
especially when attacking monkeys. Look out for secret passages in the walls
here, and keep getting shields so you don't lose your rings between bonus
posts. You can find a high p
Car Boss: This boss is no more difficult than usual. Jump on him twice
every time he runs past and you win with no sweat.
Chemical Plant Zone:
It's difficult to find bonus posts in the first act here unless you take
the correct route. Take the highest path you can find and you'll run past a
couple posts. There are a lot of Knuckles-only 1-ups you can find by climbing
around here, especially in Act 2. It's possible and likely to have all the
emeralds at this point. Super Knuckles helps out a lot during later boss
fights, when your low jumps start to create difficulty.
Goo Machine Boss: Very easy. Just don't fall into the Mega Mack on either
side. You can win before he even attacks you if you bounce on his head while
his filling his tank. Remember that the blue bits that bounce from the floor
when he drops his goo also hurts you.
Aquatic Ruin Zone:
You can practically glide through the entire stage if you find a high
point. In act one, get all the rings you can if you don't have all the
emeralds. When you reach the first bonus post, jump over it and get some rings
until you have 50, then come back. There are TONS of bonus posts in this Zone,
plenty to get all the chaos emeralds. Just take the high path. Don't worry if
you don't get them yet, though. Plenty more posts in the game. Watch out for
the annoying bugs when you jump out of the water here.
Totem Pole & Hammer Boss: This is where you might start to get annoyed by
your low jumps. Arrows that hit the lowest segment of the pole are utterly
useless. Only the arrows that hit the two middle segments can be jumped on, and
only ones that hit second segment from the top allow you to jump to the top of
the pole. To make it easier, jump on the poles the second the begin to rise
from the ground. Now that you're on top, you can simply glide from one pole to
the other continually, doing one damage to Robotnik each time. Don't worry, you
won't get hurt or bounce off him. Good luck.
Casino Night Zone:
Only a few useful star posts here. You should only need a few emeralds by
now. This zone is pretty close to normal, Knuckles's new abilities don't do
much. You'll notice that instead of Sonic, Knuckles's face graces the slot
machines! A few fun secret passages here that are easy to get with Knuckles.
Zapping Casino Machine: This boss can be tough, so it's useful to be super
here if you can. The easiest way to beat him is to grab the side of the arena
and glide back and forth hitting him. Otherwise, you can beat him as if you
were Sonic or Tails. (Spin dash up the side, bounce of the wall and hit him.)
Make sure not to get hit be the little red bits that fly out of the spikes,
especially when landing or coming back from a spin dash. Don't try to hit him
from underneath either!
Hill Top:
There are a few bonus posts to get here. This level is nearly the same as
with Sonic. You can glide instead of using the carts, though. The high path has
more rings and bonus posts.
Lava Boss: Same old. Just bump him when he comes out of the lava and avoid
the fire. A cinch if you're super.
Mystic Cave Zone:
One of the most annoying in the game because of the crushers. Just be
careful around floating boxes and you'll be okay. In the second act there is
one particularly annoying and deep spike pit that is impossible to escape with
Sonic, but Knuckles can climb right out.
Digger Boss: This guy is harder than normal to beat because Knuckles can't
hit him as many times as Sonic due to low jumps. Hit him as much as possible
when he gets low enough and try to stand in the spot where the last spike fell
during the earthquake. Lightning never strikes the same place twice, right?
Oil Ocean Zone:
There are quite a few Knuckles only 1-ups and ring boxes. Climb around
whenever you see a shooting machine instead of jumping in, they're usually
nearby so that they can taunt you as you fly helplessly by.
Sub Boss: This is just like the Lava Boss. Jump on the sub about four
times when he comes out the first time, dodge the tip of the flying spike,
avoid the laser, and then get him again.
Metropolis Zone:
If you STILL don't have all the emeralds here, you're in trouble and
you're on your own. It's nearly impossible to keep your rings until you find a
star post here. This level is the hardest yet. Don't even bother trying to jump
on the crabs, you'll almost always lose your rings. Be careful of the terrible
mantises as well, dodging their blades is quite a skill in some levels. Become
super as soon as you can. It's a lot easier in this level to simply climb the
walls than to bother with the screws. You'll go much faster (especially if your
super) and may find secret passages (there are a few that contain bonus posts.)
Just watch out for those darned stars!
Balloon & Laser Boss: I highly recommend arriving here with a load of
rings and becoming super. You can't hit Robotnik when his balloons stop
circling because he'll be too high in the air, so you have to attack when the
balloons are flying wildly around him. This means either being invincible, or
having rings to spare. One of the FAQs here says that this boss is impossible
to beat with Knuckles, but it's not true if do it right.
Sky Chase Zone: Pretty easy. It's hard to lose unless you actually spin
dash off the plane. Don't worry too much about rings, there are no more ring
bonuses. It's fun and ironic to see Tails riding Knuckles around in a plane
that says 'Sonic' on it!
Wing Fortress Zone:
This Zone is thankfully easier with Knuckles. His poor jump keeps him from
overshooting the platforms early in the level, even if he's super! If you want
to skip all that platform jumping, there's a secret passage. After you see the
first Clucker, defeat it and grab the wall to the right. There will be a
platform with a shield, so grab it and the jump up straight into the fan. It
will suck you right through to a later part of the level. Be careful, it's
sometimes possible to get stuck in the fan doing this. If you do, wait until
the timer runs out rather than start the game over. There is ONE MORE bonus
post here! This is the last in the game, so if you need one more emerald it's
your last chance. It's right before the boss room inside the plane.
Laser Boss: Jump on the spiked platform and hit the laser, but get out of
the way when it blinks pink. It's harder than normal because, again, of
Knuckles's low jump. As Super Knuckles, this is a cinch as long as you don't
get crushed by one of the spiked platforms. After beating the boss there's an
extra life for you if you jump through the wall past the barrier. Watch the
cool cutscene and reflect again on the irony of Knuckles riding in Sonic's
plane and being chauffeured by Tails.
THE FINAL STAGE:
This is the hardest part in the entire game and what made me give up the
first few times I tried. This boss is NOT meant for Knuckles, and it's
extremely difficult and tedious. You should get a ton of lives for this part of
the game to practice with. The Robo-Sonic should not be difficult for those who
have already played this game, just jump on his head twice every time he stops.
Remember that he will jump high on his fourth attack, so simply duck.
And now... Robotnik! If you remembering beating him as Sonic or Tails, it
was relatively easy to just attack him whenever he took a step, even though it
took precise timing and nerve. Well, Knuckles has a bit of a problem. He can't
jump high enough to attack normally. Try it, and you'll simply die every time.
So how do you win? YOU CAN ONLY ATTACK HIM WHEN HE LANDS. When he lands, he
ducks very close to the ground and is vulnerable. But when he lands, he
sometimes shoots his arms at you to defeat you, so you can only attack him when
he doesn't use his arms. It's possible to attack him when he shoots his arms,
but I do not recommend it. I've never pulled it off and survived. So what you
have to do is run to the far right of the screen and charge your spin dash.
Wait until the cursor locks on to you (a little target inside appears) and
release your spin. He will shoot his arms at you, but you'll be so far away
that he can't hurt you. Wait until both arms fire and run to the right again.
Wait until the cursor locks on, and then step far enough away so that you're
not crushed. When he lands, jump up and hit him. At this point, timing is
critical. You must hit him in such a way so that you bounce off rather than
pass through him, which happens sometimes. It may take a few lives to get the
hang of this pattern and get used to the attack. I recommend only hitting him
once each time. After you hit him, run to the other side of the screen and wait
for him to fly away again. Then run to the right again, and repeat the dodging
procedure for the spiky arms part. He will go in a simple pattern of arm
attack, then walk, then arm attack, then walk again. Only attack him when he
walks and keep the pattern in mind. One mistake, and you have to start from the
beginning. Robotnik takes twelve hits and about 7:00 minutes to defeat,
assuming you defeat Robo-Sonic quickly and use my strategy. Good luck, you need
it! Just remember that it's possible and keep trying.
Congratulations if you win! This, in my opinion, is the most difficult,
tedious, and ruthless boss in Sonic history. Enjoy the ending. Knuckles will
flash as he plummets to earth if you collected the emeralds and you'll see him
fly into the screen. Good job!
Speed strategy by BlackMephitis7:
**
From: BlackMephitis7 | Posted: 10/9/2002 2:12:39 AM | Message Detail
EASY EASY EASY!! That was easier than I remembered. I just read your FAQ on how
to beat him, but that's not that good of a strategy, you said 7:00, I beat it
in under 2, 1:58 to be exact (including the time it takes to beat robo sonic
and run off the ship).
Here's what I did, when robo sonic was coming down I stood just to his left
while still touching space he would land in, but just his front, not his
spikes, and I started a spin dash to the left, and waited till I got four hits
off to let the dash go. The I jumped over him as he went to the left side of
the screen and jumped on him three times landed just after he took off and did
a spindash into him.
Then for robotnik. Run past his robot while it's rising then hit him in the
rear twice while he's standing before he walks. True you can hit his his rear
while he walks, but that's way dangerous. Wait till he stops walking then hit
him twice again in his rear. He'll take off, run to the right and wait for him
to lock on, when he does, walk to the left enough to avoid him, but jump on him
when he leans over, then run as fast as you can to the left to avoid his arms.
He'll take off again. Stand somewhere in the middle right side of the screen,
enough to that when he locks on, you walk to the right and be behind him. He'll
shoot off two mines, while he's doing that go hit his rear twice, the mines
won't touch you and he starts walking, when he stops walking right before he
takes off, hit him twice. Then run to the way right of the screen, he locks on,
you walk left, him him when he leans over and you run away, and then when he
takes off be behind him again, when he shoots the mines, hit his rear twice,
and he's dead.
I pulled 1:58 with this strategy. Now you try.
You have to be close enough to his foot that your knuckle goes through it a
little bit, but not so close that you die.
*Aster Azul's note: This strategy works if you're a good shot, I suppose, but
it always gets me killed. And yes, I slightly censored this by changing one of
the words he was using to 'rear.' I'm needlessly picky, I know. I hope this
strategy helps you.*
**
Thank the Sonic Team for making the fantastic Sonic game, and whoever
designed the Lock-On Sonic & Knuckles Cartridge, you're a genius!!!
Thanks to my little brother Ben for figuring out the gliding trick for
beating some bosses.
Also thanks to Black Mephitis 7 of the GameFAQs message boards who gave me
his speed strategy.
*Aster Azul*
This document Copyright 2002 Aster Azul
