History YMMV / SonicRoboBlast2

** Castle Eggman's boss in 2.2 - There's now an audience of EggRobos that will boot the player back into the arena if they get too close, along with gradually-growing pits of brambles in the arena itself. Compounding this, the player is forced to be more mobile, as raising the Eggman cage now requires the press of multiple buttons scattered around the arena. Even Tails, arguably the game's easiest character, has a difficult time with this boss.

** Not everyone will agree with some of the major changes 2.1 brought into the table, with the more relevant victims being the level revamps (especially Techno Hill Zone 2 for being a massive shift from the original design) and the new ''[[VideoGame/NiGHTSIntoDreams NiGHTS]]''-styled Special Stages, though these changes can be agreed to have been for the better. [[spoiler:Both returned to 2.2 in some fashion.]]
** The removal of Circuit maps has left a sour taste in the mouths of some. While there are some that enjoyed them, others feel like they needed to be removed as Sonic players who thok forwards repeatedly [[spoiler:and Metal Sonic players that can charge up to travel even faster than any other character]] gave them more of an advantage compared to Tails, Knuckles, [[spoiler:Amy, and Fang]] players.

** The Thok being changed from going in the direction that Sonic is facing to going in the direction the camera is facing, with some preferring the easier keyboard-and-mouse controls while others are disliking the more difficult gamepad controls. 2.2 later addressed this with alternate control schemes, including one for gamepads that makes the Thok go in the direction Sonic's facing.
** Some players are not happy with the fact that by default, the only players who are given Super Forms for collecting all the Chaos Emeralds are Sonic and [[spoiler:Metal Sonic]]. You'll typically see most co-op servers running some form of the All Characters Super wad for this reason. In V2.2.5, Knuckles was given the ability to transform as well, potentially alleviating this a bit.

** The Thok Debate. Sonic's Thok had garnered controversy, as it was deemed "not accessible" to beginners and conflicts with the physics changes set to be added in 2.3. Plans now exist where the Thok would be removed in 2.3 albeit it's replacement is still unknown. Of course, this would have alienated veterans.
** 2.2 introduced a notable upgrade to the game's visual style, redoing most of the game's spritework from the ground up, alongside the addition of slopes, better skyboxes, remixed music, and redone/more detailed level layouts for stages like Greenflower, Deep Sea, and Castle Eggman. Many fans praise the graphical overhaul, as the old graphics looked very dated to many (with some, such as Tails' flight sprites, having clear artifacting), and stages like Deep Sea and Castle Eggman Act 1 looked very visually repetitive. There is a lot of praise for the new graphical style as it makes for a beautiful experience, pushing the boundaries of such an old engine. Detractors criticize the changes, citing that the change in visual style caused the game to lose some of its' aged amateur charm, and that the game's style lost its identity in favor of a more sanitized, professional, ''[[VideoGame/SonicMania Mania]]''-esque artstyle (with the same going for the game's music, as the newly-remixed tracks take on very clear inspiration from the work of Tee Lopes, including his signature trumpet).

** Castle Eggman's boss 2.2-onward - There's now an audience of EggRobos that will boot the player back into the arena if they get too close, along with gradually-growing pits of brambles in the arena itself. Compounding this, the player is forced to be more mobile, as raising the Eggman cage now requires the press of multiple buttons scattered around the arena. Even Tails, arguably the game's easiest character, has a difficult time with this boss.

** Castle Eggman's boss is a remake and remix of the ''Biolizard'' boss from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. Of course it'd be hard.

** 2.2 introduced a notable upgrade to the game's visual style, redoing most of the game's spritework from the ground up, alongside the addition of slopes, better skyboxes, remixed music, and redone/more detailed level layouts for stages like Greenflower, Deep Sea, and Castle Eggman. Many fans praise the graphical overhaul, as the old graphics looked very dated to many (with some, such as Tails' flight sprites, having clear artifacting), and stages like Deep Sea and Castle Eggman Act 1 looked very visually repetitive, and that the new graphical style makes for a beautiful experience, pushing the boundaries of such an old engine. Detractors criticize the changes, citing that the change in visual style caused the game to lose some of its' aged amateur charm, and that the game's style lost its identity in favor of a more sanitized, professional, ''[[VideoGame/SonicMania Mania]]''-esque artstyle (with the same going for the game's music, as the newly-remixed tracks take on very clear inspiration from the work of Tee Lopes, including his signature trumpet).

** The actual Metal Sonic boss has manageable enough attacks, but the problem is hitting him. Metal will FlashStep out of the way if jumped on, and that's when he becomes vulnerable. Naturally, he will [[GoddamnedBoss avoid the player as much as possible]] and trying to corner him next to the electric edges of the platform is a dangerous manuever. He may even pick the opposite side of the arena to get dizzy on, making it difficult to hit him in time.

* ThatOneSidequest: Getting A-ranks on all the NiGHTS stages is likely to be the largest hurdle for completionists, since you have to complete multiple laps on a strict time limit and ideally never drop your link to reach the requisite score.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: The three secret characters introduced in Version 2.2 were one of its biggest surprises, since the base game had only Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as playable characters for most of its lifetime. By now though, their presence is so widely-known that they're featured in promo materials.

* ItWasHisSled: The three secret characters introduced in Version 2.2 were one of its biggest surprises, since the base game had only Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as playable characters for most of its lifetime. By now though, their presence is so widely-known that they're featured in promo materials.

* SequelDisplacement: So much to the point that the original ''Sonic Robo Blast'' doesn't have its own page on TV Tropes.

** The [[https://mb.srb2.org/showthread.php?t=47082&highlight=Thok&page=18 Sonic/Metal Ability Debates]]. Sonic's Thok had garnered controversy, as it was deemed "not accessible" to beginners. Plans now exist where the Thok is planned to be moved to Metal and Sonic's ability would be replaced with a Double Jump. Of course, this would have alienated veterans.

** The "Buzz" enemy. That annoying insect that appeared in Techno Hill Zone [[https://wiki.srb2.org/wiki/File:BUZZA1.png shows a somewhat scary face]] when it stares at you and as a form to show when it is close to you, it [[HellIsThatNoise makes a sound]].[[note]]Non-included in early versions[[/note]] It also feels very creepy to see it [[NothingIsScarier far away from you]] and slowly flying close to you. Fans like to create stages with a lot of those "buzzes" (most probably) to invoke ParanoiaFuel.

** One earlier version of the opening prior to 2.2 was Eggman destroying all of Greenflower City, which Sonic and friends arrive at only to find [[SurpriseCreepy charred corpses of the animals that used to live there]]. It's so dark and bleak that not many people complained when later releases removed that part altogether, and ultimately 2.2 changed it to Eggman harmlessly defacing a mountain in his own image before his world domination attempt, which falls much more in line with the classic doctor's hubris.

** The final boss is [[spoiler:Black Eggman/Metal Robotnik, from ''Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie''.]] It can either be awesome or hard or both.

** The absolute absurdity of [[spoiler:the Disco Room easter egg in [=ERZ2=], which even has Eggman hanging out in it with Greenflower Zone's Eggmobile for some reason]]. And to make it even funnier, if a character mod has dialogue, chances are your character will comment on it - [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike Samus and Susie]] both respond with a FlatWhat if you enter the room while playing as them.

** Tails can easily fly through irritating bottomless pit sections... But even he has trouble in [[NintendoHard Egg Rock Zone]].

** The annoying crab Badniks from Metropolis Zone return in Deep Sea Zone, and they are just as annoying as you would expect to be in a 3D environment. The best way to kill them is to attack them while their claw is out, which requires careful timing

* HarsherInHindsight: Remember the bad ending of ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix''? The one where [[OneWingedAngel Metal Sonic Kai]] [[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment burned down an entire city?]] That very scene became this prior to 2.2, where in the pre-2.2 intro, Eggman does the exact same thing to Greenflower City. Later [[AvertedTrope averted]] in the [[LighterAndSofter 2.2 intro]], where Eggman just [[DefaceOfTheMoon carves his face onto Greenflower Mountain.]]

* ObviousBeta: Acts 2 and 3 of Red Volcano Zone are still missing, and the increase in difficulty from Red Volcano to Egg Rock is at least partly due to the absence of [[CityNoir Dark City Zone]] Acts 1-3 & the [[LevelsTakeFlight Grand]] [[ShipLevel Eggship Zone]]. Earlier releases were even more blatant about this trope.

** Even by the standards of challenge levels and the game's high difficulty, [[spoiler:Aerial Garden Zone]] is an utter nightmare of hopping platforms over massive bottomless pits, solving puzzles, running along slippery conveyor belts, being chased forever by [[GoddamnedBats bee Badniks]], and even struggling most of the time to find out where to go next. And this goes on for an average of [[MarathonLevel ''9-10 minutes'']].

** The absolutel absurdity of [[spoiler:the Disco Room easter egg in [=ERZ2=], which even has Eggman hanging out in it with Greenflower Zone's Eggmobile for some reason]]. And to make it even funnier, if a character mod has dialogue, chances are your character will comment on it - [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike Samus and Susie]] both respond with a FlatWhat if you enter the room while playing as them.

** The absolutely absurdity of [[spoiler:the Disco Room easter egg in [=ERZ2=], which even has Eggman hanging out in it with Greenflower Zone's Eggmobile for some reason]]. And to make it even funnier, if a character mod has dialogue, chances are your character will comment on it - [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike Samus and Susie]] both respond with a FlatWhat if you enter the room while playing as them.

** The absolutely absurdity of [[spoiler:the Disco Room easter egg in [=ERZ2=], which even has Eggman hanging out in it with Greenflower Zone's Eggmobile for some reason]]. And to make it even funnier, if a character mod has dialogue, chances are your character will comment on it - [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike both Samus and Susie]] both respond with a FlatWhat if you enter the room while playing as them.

** The change of the [[spoiler:Black Eggman/Metal Robotnik battle may also be this depending on who you ask. Some prefer the new battle feeling more climatic over the older version while others preferred the original for being more fast-paced.]]

** With the release of the [[https://mb.srb2.org/showthread.php?t=46517 SRB2 Battle Mod]] which changes the game's Match game mode to play more like a traditional Sonic game with characters using their respective abilities to fight each other, there have been some debates as to whether or not it is a superior form of PVP gameplay to Ringslinger.
** The [[https://mb.srb2.org/showthread.php?t=47082&highlight=Thok&page=18 Sonic/Metal Ability Debates]]. Sonic's Thok had garnered controversy, as it was deemed "not accessible" to beginners. Plans now exist where the Thok is planned to be moved to Metal and Sonic's ability would be replaced with a Double Jump. Of course, this would have ailenated Veterans.

** Meadow Match Zone is easily the most-played of all the multiplayer maps for it's simplicity, wide-open areas and lack of hazards, especially in free-for-all games with no time or score limit.
** The Rail Ring is most players' preferred tool of destruction, for reasons described under GameBreaker below. It's also great for Meadow Match as it's a very open map with many opportunities for sniping.

** Both Acts of Egg Rock Zone were left basically untouched in 2.2, outside of the removal of one short section in the second Act. As such they are noticeably outdated compared to the previous zones which had all been revamped in some fashion. Luckily, the Zone is planned to receive a proper remake come 2.3.
** The last bonus level, unlocked by collecting 100 emblems, is Techno Legacy Zone, which is essentially a port of Techno Hill's original 2.0 incarnation. Not only does it have almost no differences from its original release unlike Forest Fortress (which means that it is thus rather short and has embarrassingly bad level design) but they also changed the toxic waste color from purple to green, which although done to establish consistency with liquid properties, has led some to accuse it of not even being a faithful port.

** Blink and you’ll miss it, but [[spoiler:when Fang tail-bounces out of the arena after being defeated in Arid Canyon 3, he crashes into a sign and falls off screen in his death animation sprite.]]
** At the end of the credits there is the little nugget displaying the publisher, [[spoiler:a 28k dial up modem]].

** Tails can easily fly through irritating bottomless pit sections... But even he has trouble in [[NintendoHard Egg Rock Zone.]]

** If you master it, the [[SniperRifle Rail Ring]] effectively becomes one in multiplayer, since it can be fired from any distance while standing still, running, or jumping- making instant contact with any unfortunate soul that's on the receiving end. The amount of {{Knockback}} one character can take from being damaged by a Rail Ring is also extreme compared to those of the other ring types.

*** The first, [[spoiler: Amy Rose]], unlocked by clearing Frozen Hillside Zone (which itself is unlocked by acquiring five emblems). at first seems like playing hard mode, given how they don't spin while jumping and require manually attacking. However, every time you [[spoiler: use her hammer attack on the ground]], it will send out a small shockwave. Allies who get hit by that shockwave will gain a Pity Shield for free, making [[spoiler: her]] very valuable in Multiplayer, as, as long as they are kept alive, they can provide infinite shielding for their teammates.
*** The other SecretCharacter who can be considered as such is [[spoiler: Metal Sonic]], who you unlock by completing the game. They play much like Sonic does, but trade off the Speed Thok for two abilities. The first allows them to enter Boost Mode after accelerating for a long enough time, which further boosts their top speed beyond even Sonic's and lets them blow clean through spikes. The second is the ability to hover in Mid-air while moving, an ability previously exclusive to Super Sonic. [[spoiler: Metal Sonic also has his own Super Form, too]].

** Green Snappers in Arid Canyon can be obnoxious to deal with as their spiky exteriors mean that it is difficult to destroy them without using an Elemental Shield or abusing invincibility frames. [[spoiler:The only characters who can deal with them safely are the unlockable Amy and Fang.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: Remember the bad ending of VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix? The one where [[OneWingedAngel Metal Sonic Kai]] [[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment burned down an entire city?]] That very scene became this prior to 2.2, where in the pre-2.2 intro, Eggman does the exact same thing to Greenflower City. Later [[AvertedTrope averted]] in the [[LighterAndSofter 2.2 intro]], where Eggman just [[DefaceOfTheMoon carves his face onto Greenflower Mountain.]]

** TUNES EF from before 2.2, a creepy remix of Greenflower apparently intended for "Evilflower Zone". Whether it's a simple [[EasterEgg Easter Egg]] or upcoming content is yet to be seen.

** While this example is from a mod, it's from one of the most notable mods and caused a bit of controversy on the game's forums, requiring content warnings and with a console command to optionally hide it. [[https://mb.srb2.org/addons/metroid-vanguard-samus-aran-in-srb2-v1-1.2666/ Metroid Vanguard]] has a unique version of Arid Canyon Zone 3 that is an incredibly creepy atmosphere in the lead-up to the boss fight with [[spoiler:Dark Samus]], and right before the boss room you will likely encounter [[spoiler:the corpse of Fang the Sniper, body still twitching but his face mostly melted from Phazon exposure, [[CouldntFindAPen having spent his last moments writing a message of warning to "beware the blue"]]]]. ''Yikes.''

** The game's old, outdated, and noticeably flawed network system. In net games, there is noticeable input lag which can get worse if a server's ping is high enough, alongside the pauses and lags that occur when the netcode is pushed to it's limits and forced to keep track of many players/objects in a level (mostly notably in {{Marathon Level}}s like Castle Eggman Zone) that lead to attempted resyncs.
** The in-game file downloader. When joining a server, the game will attempt to download files the player does not have in their game files. The problem arises in that the downloads- if exceeding several hundred kilobytes in data- will frequently pause and stop mid-download, forcing the player to press Esc and return to the main menu in order to restart the sever join process and try again. If the player already happens to have one of the files a server uses but is not the exact version, the downloader will delete it in order to download the version the server uses, which is a problem if said file is massive in size. And if the file is not present on the message boards or another file hosting site? Good luck locating the exact file yourself.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: The original ''[[https://wiki.srb2.org/wiki/Sonic_Robo_Blast Sonic Robo Blast]]'' was among the first ''Sonic'' fangames created, and a very ambitious one at that. It was also very primitive (the graphics were all made in MS Paint) and glitchy (it was made in Clickteam's "Klik & Play" and "The Games Factory" engines, both of which were early game engines and very primitive compared to the later "Multimedia Fusion" line of engines).[[note]]The Sonic fangaming scene has overall evolved ''significantly'' since its infancy, effectively being one of the biggest fangaming scenes out there, partly out of a desire to prove that good Sonic games are still doable in the wake of Sonic's questionable quality track record, and also Sega being quite friendly towards fangame makers, to the point where VideoGame/SonicMania was made by several fangaming alumini, and some fangames have gone on to become original projects, such as VideoGame/FreedomPlanet. One of the biggest breakthroughs was the Sonic Worlds engine for Multimedia Fusion, which successfully recreated the gameplay and physics of classic Sonic games significantly more competently than even Sega has themselves before the aforementioned Sonic Mania. These days, decent physics are the prerequisite for any Sonic fangame being taken seriously nowadays, whether it be in 2D or 3D, but [=SRB2=] has mostly been given a pass due to the grandfather clause and how it was designed to play well even without them due to the engine's inability to use slopes until 2.2.[[/note]]

** Metal Sonic appears as the penultimate battle before the FinalBoss, and just like [[ThatOneLevel Egg Rock Zone]] before him, he's utter hell. You have to race him to the end of the stage, but unlike ''VideoGame/SonicCD'' where the course was mostly just filled with obstacles and ramps intended to slow you down, this race is a full-on death course with pits below precision jumps, obstacles and conveyor belts intended to knock you into said pits, a gravity-switch gimmick which makes it extremely easy to fly into yet another pit, and other such issues. This can easily be the most life-expending part of the game, and if you get a game over here, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck you have to start the entire zone all over.]] Thankfully, in v2.2, the game now saves per act, and the race and battle against Metal Sonic have been split into the first two acts of Black Core Zone. The fight itself is as brutally difficult as before, though.

** [[spoiler:Black Eggman in earlier versions was this incarnate. Not only was he massive and forced the player to constantly avoid aggressive attacks between four platforms over a bottomless pit, but the way to damage him after the halfway point was a GuideDangIt of ''riding one of his projectiles right back at him.'' The more finalized version of the fight is less ridiculous, but you still have to deal with fast attacks that can hit you on a moment's notice and his [[ArtificialStupidity basic Doom engine enemy pathfinding]] occasionally refusing to walk into the green slime that make him vulnerable.]]

** Castle Eggman's boss is a remake and remix of the ''Biolizard's'' boss. [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2]] Of course it'd be hard.

** Castle Eggman Zone in version 2.2 is where many players will end up spending their first continue, and the crumbling bridge in Act 1 is even preceded by a ''Dark Souls'' bonfire [[ThisIsGonnaSuck to set the mood]]. The second act, however, is That One Level for a different reason -- it is [[MarathonLevel so expansive]] and detailed it is likely to lag to unplayable proportions to less fortunate players, who'll end up cheating the level with Tails' flight to advance to Arid Canyon Zone.

* BetterThanCanon: Some fans regard the fan game as better than most of the actual 3D Sonic games.

** Even when you finish the level mentioned above, [[spoiler:Azure Temple]] isn't much better. It's essentially [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 Labyrinth Zone]] brought into 3D with only a few changes to make it more fair. It's entirely underwater and you basically have to stop to grab every bubble you see. There are large bottomless pits that are difficult to traverse, the lighting is dim, and tight turns through narrow passageways only slow you down. Don't even get started on the [[ArtisticLiscensePhysics fire-shooting statues]].

* HarsherInHindsight: Remember the bad ending of VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix? The one where [[OneWingedAngel Metal Sonic Kai]] [[SurpriseCreepy burned down an entire city?]] That very scene became this prior to 2.2, where in the pre-2.2 intro, Eggman does the exact same thing to Greenflower City. Later [[AvertedTrope averted]] in the [[LighterAndSofter 2.2 intro]], where Eggman just [[DefaceOfTheMoon carves his face onto Greenflower Mountain.]]

* BestBossEver:
** The final boss is [[spoiler:Black Eggman/Metal Robotnik, from ''Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie''.]] It can either be awesome or hard or both. The face-off against [[spoiler:[[GetBackHereBoss Metal Sonic]]]] in [=Black Core=] can also count.
* BestLevelEver: The massive MarathonLevel that is Castle Eggman Zone 2.