History VideoGame / SonicTheHedgehog28Bit

** Gimmick Mountain Zone Act 1 stands out as the only level in ''Sonic'' history where the player travels ''left'' to reach the exit.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:If you didn't get all the Chaos Emeralds, :Tails is missing in the ending. Even worse, Sonic is shown looking up to the sky, in which Tails' image is visible, leading many to interpret it as the young fox having been ''killed'' by Eggman. Granted, this interpretation is contradicted by the good ending, which shows both Sonic ''and'' Tails' images in the sky. Even then, [[AWinnerIsYou all you get]] is the GameOver screen regardless of the ending.]]

* EvilKnockoff: Silver Sonic.[[note]]Both this and Robo Sonic in the 16-bit ''Sonic 2'' were simply known as "Mecha Sonic" in Japanese material, but they are decidedly different and were given differing names in other sources — "Silver Sonic" comes from the original instruction booklet while "Robo Sonic" comes from the ''Sonic Dimensions'' [[DownloadableContent DLC]] of ''[[VideoGame/LegoDimensions LEGO Dimensions]]'', differentiating it from the robot ''also'' called "Mecha Sonic" from ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]''.[[/note]]

** Much of the first boss's extreme difficulty in the Game Gear version comes from the gear's small resolution. Antlion is significantly easier on the Master System.

* NonIndicativeName: Scrambled Egg Zone sounds like it should be a [[LevelAte food-themed level.]] Instead, it's a cave level with a bunch of TransportTubes.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:If you didn't get all the Chaos Emeralds, :Tails is missing in the ending. Even worse, Sonic is shown looking up to the sky, in which Tails' image is visible, leading many to interpret it as the young fox having been ''killed'' by Eggman]]. Granted, this interpretation is contradicted by the good ending, which shows both Sonic ''and'' Tails' images in the sky. Even then, [[AWinnerIsYou all you get]] is the GameOver screen regardless of the ending.]]

* DownerEnding: [[spoilerIf you didn't get all the Chaos Emeralds, :Tails is missing in the ending. Even worse, Sonic is shown looking up to the sky, in which Tails' image is visible, leading many to interpret it as the young fox having been ''killed'' by Eggman]]. Granted, this interpretation is contradicted by the good ending, which shows both Sonic ''and'' Tails' images in the sky. Even then, [[AWinnerIsYou all you get]] is the GameOver screen regardless of the ending.]]

* DownerEnding: If you didn't get all the Chaos Emeralds, [[spoiler:Tails is missing in the ending. Even worse, Sonic is shown looking up to the sky, in which Tails' image is visible, leading many to interpret it as the young fox having been ''killed'' by Eggman]]. Granted, this interpretation is contradicted by the good ending, which shows [[spoiler:both Sonic ''and'' Tails' images in the sky]]. Even then, [[AWinnerIsYou All you get]] is the GameOver screen regardless of the ending.

** This is just about the only classic ''Sonic'' game ever with no bonus stages. It also doesn't have any checkpoints and shield monitors. Since this came before the Genesis version, there is no Spin Dash either.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is just about the only classic ''Sonic'' game ever with no bonus stages. It also doesn't have any checkpoints and shield monitors. Since this came before the Genesis version, there is no Spin Dash either.

->Sonic's back for another 2 fast, 2 cool adventure!

* CheckpointStarvation: There are no checkpoints in this game, unlike the first 8-bit game and the 16-bit version, which is a big problem with several acts like Aqua Lake Zone Act 2 (long act that's entirely underwater), Green Hills Zone Act 3 (bouncing on hills with spikes on the bottom to get to a boss fight), and Scrambled Egg Zone Acts 1 & 2 (two decently-sized levels with spike-pipe puzzles that can be fatal toward the end).

* DarkerAndEdgier: Unlike ''Sonic 1'', where Sonic is simply saving the island and its inhabitants from Eggman, here he's in a presumed life-or-death rescue mission of his friend. Also, a majority of zones have a bleak tone in both their environment and music theme.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is just about the only ''Sonic'' game ever with no bonus stages. It also doesn't have any checkpoints and shield monitors. Since this came before the Genesis version, there is no Spin Dash either.

** The Emerald in Sky High Zone requires you to bounce off clouds that look exactly the same as normal clouds with nothing to distinguish them as being bouncy.

* FanRemake: Has one in the form of the ''VideoGame/SonicSMSRemake'', [[https://sonic-sms-remake.blogspot.com/p/two.html?m=1 which remakes this game along with its predecessor]]. Unlike ''Sonic 1'', however, the remake of ''Sonic 2'' has far more differences from the original, the most notable being a change in the story: instead of Eggman kidnapping Tails with Sonic in pursuit, Eggman steals the Master Emerald with both Sonic and Tails (or Knuckles and Amy, or Shadow and Metal Sonic, or Mighty and Ray) in pursuit.

** Adding insult to injury, the Game Gear release is considered significantly harder than the Master System version due to a [[EventObscuringCamera smaller resolution]] inhibiting players from being able to see what's ahead, resulting in cheap hits/deaths (this generally existed in the handheld ports, but it is particularly egregious here). In addition to this, some bosses were made harder[[note]]Aqua Lake Zone's boss now always moves towards Sonic in between attacks (in the Master System version, he would simply stay in place as long as you didn't jump), and the Green Hills Zone boss will occasionally do two attacks in a row to throw off your timing[[/note]], most notably the ''first'' one, where the boulders now bounce at random heights instead of all of them bouncing at a predictable fixed height.

** This is one of the only classic ''Sonic'' games where Eggman is not the boss of every zone; in fact, after carrying Sonic to the boss of Under Ground Zone, the first zone in the game, he doesn't appear again at all until the final battle.
** This is one of the only ''Sonic'' games that does not begin in a GreenHillZone equivalent.
** Unlike every other ''Sonic'' game in existence, there are no bonus stages.
** There are no checkpoints or shields, and the only speed shoe power-up is in Aqua Lake Zone Act 2 (and even then, only in the Master System version).

%%* UnderwaterRuins: Aqua Lake Zone.

** Adding insult to injury, the Game Gear release is considered significantly harder than the Master System version due to a [[CameraScrew smaller resolution]] inhibiting players from being able to see what's ahead, resulting in cheap hits/deaths (this generally existed in the handheld ports, but it is particularly egregious here). In addition to this, some bosses were made harder[[note]]Aqua Lake Zone's boss now always moves towards Sonic in between attacks (in the Master System version, he would simply stay in place as long as you didn't jump), and the Green Hills Zone boss will occasionally do two attacks in a row to throw off your timing[[/note]], most notably the ''first'' one, where the boulders now bounce at random heights instead of all of them bouncing at a predictable fixed height.