Cheats – Sonic the Hedgehog 2
When I was a child, I remember pretending to turn the Mega Drive off only to return to my paused game of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 once my parents had gone to sleep. From this point I went on one of the greatest nights of my childhood, grabbing all of the Chaos Emeralds whilst traversing legendary zones such as the Oil Ocean, Casino Night, Mystic Cave, and finally the Death Egg. However, despite everything seemingly going to plan, fate would have something else in mind.
You see, sadly I would lose over and over again to Dr. Robotnik, until finally that Game Over screen appeared. This is also a fate that recently befell my Rings & Coins own Stuart Drake. As such, despite being hardened retro gamers, it’s clear that for many Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is not what you would call an easy game, especially when it comes to the latter stages.
As such, sometimes it’s necessary to gain a little help here and there. And this is where Rings & Coins’ Cheats section comes in. So, if you’re also struggling to defeat Dr. Robotnik, then read on as we reveal all of the Sonic 2 cheats you’ll ever need finally stop Dr. Robotnik’s evil machinations.
Level Select – To activate level select you’ll first need to head over to the Sound Test in the Options screen. From here play the following songs: 19, 65, 09, 17. If done correctly you should hear a ring chime. Following this press start to return to the main menu, and then hold A & press Start when Sonic & Tails appear on the main screen in order to gain access to all stages.
Level Select (Sonic & Knuckles Lock-On) – Alternatively, things play out a little differently when locked on to Sonic & Knuckles. Here you’ll want to press Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A (Hold), Start at the title screen.
14 Continues: To begin the game with 14 continues, once again head over to the Sound Test in the Options screen and play the following songs: 01, 01, 02, 04. Once done simply press start to return to the start screen and once you begin you should have 14 continues.
All Chaos Emeralds / Super Sonic: This time you’ll want to play 04, 01, 02, 06 in the sound test. If done correctly an emerald sound should play. After this simply start the game, and as always collect 50 rings before jumping to transform into Super Sonic. What’s more, finish the game and you’ll also see the true ending.
Debug mode & Slow-Motion/Restart: As always head over to the sound test and this time play: 01, 09, 09, 02, 01, 01, 02, 04. If done correctly you should hear a ring sound. Following this simply select the stage you want to, and then hold down A until the stage starts. This will activate the game’s debug mode.
Debug controls are as follows:
A-Switch Object / Reset the game if pressed whilst paused.
B-Turn Debug on/off
C-Put down object selected
Super Sonic & Debug: Head over to the sound test and play: 01, 09, 09, 02, 01, 01, 02, 04, 01, 02, 06. As with before, a Ring sound will confirm the debug aspect has been entered correctly, and an emerald sound will confirm the Super Sonic code has also been correctly put in.
Change Tails’ in-game name to Miles: You can pay homage to the Tails’ original name in Sonic 2 by pressing Up Down Down Down Up at the title screen. Conversely, in the Japanese version this will change Miles to Tails.
Shadow/Highlight (aka “night mode”): To enable the Sonic 2’s VDP Shadow/Highlight feature, (something otherwise known as “night mode”), then you’ll need to enter the Level Select screen, then the Debug Mode code, before finally pressing C & Start after selecting a level.