Retro gaming is alive and well today thanks to services like the Wii Virtual Console and emulators on the PC. Due to the general hackery of emulation, it has become a sort of enthusiast hobby to hack and modify game ROMs. With hacks from crossing over different characters to adding new levels and even creating music, there are few realms that ROM hacking hasn’t crossed into. Sometimes, the best ROM hacks only require very minor adjustments rather than retooling the entire game. For that reason alone, I can guarantee that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 XL is unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Sonic 2 XL is a brilliant ROM hack from the minds of Captain Bozo and Ranger from Sonic Retro. In the game, players revisit the wonderfully nostalgic world of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Everything is exactly as it was back in 1992 with only one “large” difference. The iconic gold rings—the object of collection in all Sonic games—have been turned into fattening onion rings. With every ring collected, Sonic gains weight.
Sonic ate too many onion rings
All of Sonic’s sprites have been updated to reflect the different stages of weight gain. There are many wonderful little details packed into his new sprites. Hit a spring board while fat, and Sonic’s eyes will betray concern as his little legs struggle to carry his massive body. When Sonic becomes very fat, he can no longer duck or look up towards the sky. Rather, sonic simply moves his eyeballs up or down, unable to strain himself under the weight. Tails just stands and stares as Sonic pats on his belly and begins sweating. Every bit of it is fantastic.
The humorous addition of fattening up Sonic as he plays the game goes far deeper than just a cosmetic adjustment. Sonic’s weight affects the gameplay so greatly that it transforms it into an entirely different game. The more sonic eats, the fatter he becomes, which also slows him down and reduces the height of his jumps. Eat too much (around 30 rings), and Sonic becomes too fat to move. This ultimately results in death.
It was a coronary done him in
There are ways to cut the fat in Sonic 2 XL. Monitors adorned with a question mark will instantly remove all of the weight and restore Sonic to his original form. These monitors are strategically placed all over the zones. Most speed portions where the player cannot stop themselves from collecting rings typically end with a question mark monitor. Conversely, the player can also lose weight by exercising. As Sonic runs or walks (depending on how fat he’s gotten), the pounds are slowly removed. In some situations, Sonic becomes too fat to run up a wall and becomes stuck in that location. The player must pace sonic back and forth for a little while until he’s thin enough to make it up the wall.
The brilliance of this game is that a real conflict is thrust upon the player: Sonic needs rings to survive attacks from the many badniks in each zone. The player must strike a balance between collecting enough rings to survive, but not enough rings to kill Sonic. Trying to avoid rings as a result creates a strange new dynamic to the core gameplay. It is doubly difficult as Tails blindly follows you around and manages to collect rings himself, which contribute to your weight. Separating yourself from the old habits of collecting everything you see is a very difficult task. Oh, and good luck grabbing the required 50 rings to get each chaos emerald with the fat factor.
Run over to Sonic Retro and download the ROM and a Genesis emulator. You won’t regret it.
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