Ultimate Flash Sonic is an Adobe Flash game by Dennis Gid released in 2004. It is a fan game platformer based on Sonic the Hedgehog, specifically the first two games in the Sonic Advance Trilogy. You have to control Sonic or one of the other playable characters and reach the goal of each stage. While the game does not deviate from the work it's inspired by that much, it was a rather impressive and authentic passion project for the time (which is why Dennis put the word Ultimate in the title), even if there are only two zones playable.
This game provides examples of:
- Author Appeal: Dennis seems to be a huge fan of Sonic Advance 2, judging by how he tells you to buy it and calls it the best game ever two times, plus most of the assets are taken from it.
- Cycle of Hurting: Since there's no invincibility, any enemy can kill the playable character by just double-hitting them quickly, like that penguin in Ice Paradise Act 1 or spikes in general.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Since Shadow was not a playable character in the Sonic Advance Trilogy, the game resorts to using his Sonic Battle sprites. While it's downplayed as both games share the same artstyle for the character sprites, this still results in his movements generally looking different than the rest of the cast, as well as lacking a sprite for character selection and dying.
- Password Save: The things you've unlocked are saved on 15-number passwords.
- Screen Crunch: The screen is relatively cramped, making it hard to see things as the playable character is aligned to the right when running. Luckily, it's not as bad as Sonic Advance 2 and Flash can be made widescreen which lets you see parts of the stage from a longer distance.
- Secret Character: Amy and Shadow have to be unlocked by inputting certain passwords.
- Turns Red: Both fights with Eggman get harder as you deal damage. The first one has him spin the ball around him rapidly rather than in a slow pendulum motion, while the second one has him start dropping bombs nearly instantaneously after the previous one's explosion.
