Sonic Robo Blast 2

Sonic Robo Blast 2 (or SRB2 for short) is a fan made, free Sonic-themed game using a modified version of the Doom engine, based on Doom Legacy. The game focuses on recreating the feel of the classic games, as opposed to the newer Sonic that Sega has been making games for now. So far, the current release version is version 2.1.10. It is not yet complete, as some acts of zones are missing, and Dark City is only at the conceptual stage.

Gameplay

In SRB2, players run at high speeds through generally light-hearted, happy levels (though some exceptions do exist, such as the Castle Eggman Zone, Acid Canyon Zone, Red Volcano Zone, Egg Rock Zone.), in comparison to the usually dark and dim battlefields of Doom levels. Players jump heights unprecedented in Doom, achieving heights of 124 fracunits. Players are additionally equipped with a spindash, which can be charged up using a spin button. Also, players encounter badniks in the field, that can be destroyed by jumping on them once, as opposed to the hellspawn of Doom which require several shots to be slaughtered. After two acts of gameplay, players encounter a third act of gameplay in which they find a boss, who must be completed to finish the level. In boss acts, an egg capsule rises out of the ground for the player to jump on, and finish the act. However, not all boss acts feature an egg capsule, and end the level shortly after defeated. The most current version of Sonic Robo Blast 2 has seven different zones, some still not yet complete.

At the character select screen, players choose between one of three characters: Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles. While Tails and Knuckles have mid-air abilities that resemble their previous appearances (Flying and Climbing, respectively), Sonic has an ability not seen in previous Sonic games: the thok. When Sonic thoks, he shoots forward at high enough speeds to pass through one-sided linedefs. (Map designers have reacted by inventing the Thok Barrier, a dummy sector of height 0 which completely surrounds a level, permitting the boundary walls to be two-sided.) This gives Sonic a massive advantage in multiplayer modes such as race, and also in the single-player time attack.

Another feature of SRB2, special stages are included for the player to collect chaos emeralds. When the player finds an emerald token in the field, they will be taken to a special stage. Inside a special stage, the player must go through NiGHTS levels. There is a specified amount of blue orbs to collect. The player must collect the orbs and make it to the Egg Capsule, when the player breaks the capsule; they carry with them the Chaos Emerald. With the Emerald, the player must make it back to the starting position to beat the stage.

After collecting all the chaos emeralds, Sonic obtains the ability to turn into Super Sonic. Players turn into their super form by doing their mid-air action with 50 rings and no shield. When the player is in his Super form, he can jump higher than before, as well as run faster, and on water. Sonic has the ability to float in mid-air when the player presses and holds the spin button in air. While in Super Form, the player is constantly drained of rings. After the player loses all of their rings, the player turns back into their normal state, with normal jump height, speed, and loses the ability to run on water and float.

Levels

Here are the levels current as of v2.1

Single-Player

Greenflower Zone - A grassy area filled with rivers, small trees, and flowers. Act 1 is a rather short level which introduces the player to the basics of the game. Act 2 takes place at the bottom of large canyons, and also features large rivers, waterfalls, and caves. The boss of Greenflower Zone simply fires regularly-timed projectiles and charges at the player after hit five times.

Techno Hill Zone - Eggman's presence in this area has altered the landscape. Most noticeably, he's filled low lying areas with dangerous slime, which the player must take care not to fall into. Act 1 takes place outside and in the entrance to one of Eggman's factories. Act 2 takes place in the heart of the factory and has lasers, conveyor belts, crushers and turrents. The boss flies in a circular pattern while spewing small puddles of slime. After 5 hits, the boss bounces at the player and spews slime into a circular pattern with each bounce.

Deep Sea Zone - As the name would imply, this zone is set largely underwater. Remain there for 15 seconds, and the player will drown. However, the countdown can be reset by grabbing large air bubbles as they emerge from the ground. Other hazards include collasping ruins, waterslides, and underwater currents. In addition, there are puzzles involving pushable stone gargoyles, which often led to rewards. The boss here emerges from one of five chutes and tries to shoot the player. If the player falls into the water below, they'll be electrified a short time later. After five hits, the boss makes clones of itself that also shoots at the player.

Castle Eggman Zone - Takes place in the rather gloomy mideval fortress under Eggman's care. Swings will propel you ahead and above, but watch out for swirling maces, cannonballs, and flamethrowers. Act 1 takes place in the forests and gardens on the property, while Act 2 covers the chambers and grounds of the titular castle. The Boss of Castle Eggman Zone swings around three arms of spikeballs around itself constantly, It is protected by a cage (which is built into the map itself). After five hits, the cage is destroyed and the boss then flies up high above the ground continuing to spin the arms, revealing a hidden sling underneath itself, which the player can use to reach the outer parts of the arena (taking care to avoid the spikeball arms being swung around), where the player must then use the spinning chain to reach the boss to hit. Each time the boss is hit in this phase, the spikeball arms will swing faster.

Arid Canyon Zone - This rather scenic and rugged canyon is accented with cacti, tumbleweeds and the occasional oasis. Moving cables will give you a lift over precarious ground. Jump quickly to escape quicksand and pools of oil. Watch out for rockslides, open fissures, and slippery oil slicks. Arid Canyon Zone has one act and no boss.

Red Volcano Zone - The lava in this expansive subterrian cavern is prone to rising without warning, so watch out. Other things to be wary of include series of collapsing platforms and jumping fireballs. Red Volcano Zone has one act and no boss.

Egg Rock Zone - The player finally makes it to Eggman's extraterrestrial headquarters planted firmly on the energy-filled Black Rock. This zone features many of the previous levels' hazards and gimmicks, and adds inverted gravity (which can be triggered by the player sometimes, and sometimes not), air locks, and short romps through airless vacuums. Remain oxygen-free for too long, and you'll suffocate. Act 2 is also features brief 2D sections. Act 3 is a race against Metal Sonic and battle against him (after you complete the race). In the battle, you fight against Metal Sonic and he has four different usual attacks such as the small orbs, large orb, three large orbs, and dash attack. After 5 hits, he gets on his pinch phrase and uses a dash attack on the player.

Egg Rock Core Zone - The player is in the final showdown against the very final boss somewhere in the core of Egg Rock Zone. The boss here is the towering robotic monstrosity that has been revamped and acts similar to the Cyberdemon along with also using a flamethrower. This boss is covered by electrical barriers and in order to stop the barriers, the player must lure the boss into the lava fall and after that, the player will be able to hit the boss. After 9 hits, the walls of the arena will crumble, rendering his missile attack potent. After the boss is defeated, the level is completed and you then go to the credits.

Aerial Garden Zone - A hidden level set on a picturesque floating temple. The name of the game here is risky platforming over an unforgiveable and vast bottomless pit. Activate panels (some of which must be warped to) to open doors and progress further. Aerial Garden Zone has one long act and no boss.

Azure Temple Zone - A hidden level unlocked after Aerial Garden Zone is beaten. Azure Temple Zone features bottomless pits along with tight platforming. The player is constantly underwater, which means they have to be mindful of the air bubbles scattered about.

Pipe Towers Zone - A tribute to the original Super Mario Brothers, with 16-bit Goombas, Koopa shells, coins, and item-filled boxes. Act 1 takes place (mostly) in the overworld and through systems of pipes. Act 2 is a rough recreation of World 1-2. Act 3 is a dangerous excursion through Bowser's Castle, with no coins (rings) and slamming Thromps. Mario Koopa Blast Zone has no boss.

Spring Hill Zone - A delightfully abstact landscape with reduced gravity. The main attraction here is Super Sonic. Touch him and you'll be set along a 2D-oriented flight path a la NiGHTS into Dreams..., with the ability to paraloop objects, rings and enemies, and drill dash to boost ahead. Spring Hill Zone has one act and no boss.

SRB1 Remake - A remake of the original Sonic Robo Blast using new graphics, but orginal enemy sprites and music. Bosses are not yet playable, and not all of the levels have been remade.

Multiplayer - SRB2 supports numerous multiplayer modes, some of them sporting first-person gameplay, while others featuring more Sonic-like gameplay.

Co-op

SRB2 supports a Cooperative mode, in which many players can complete a level together. The levels proceed normally, and after one player completes the level, the stage ends (unless you set the netgame to wait for all players at the exit).

Race

(Circuit levels have been removed from the game as of version 2.1.X, the gametype still exist however.) There are two types of race mode: Competition, and Race. Classic Race mode gives the winner based upon who has the most points at the end of the level, alike Sonic 2's multiplayer feature. Time only race is just that: the winner is based upon who finishes first, or Time is the only factor counted for the winner, as opposed to the points system installed in Race. 60 seconds after the first player finishes, all players that have not finished run out of time and die. As for completing the levels, two systems exist: normal and circuit. The normal racing method simply consists of racing through Co-Op levels that have an exit. The circuit racing method gears toward completing multiple laps of a track, the number of which is defined by the server.

Match

Players chuck rings at each other. Rings draw ammo from the player's ring count, and thus the player must conserve ammunition. Also, an interesting twist is that a player loses all of his rings (which are also ammo) after being hit. The player is given invincible time to collect spilled rings, or just plain rings. When the match ends, the player with the most points wins. As of version 2.0, a new Match system has been coded, along with Tails and Knuckles' super form, only available in Match or CTF.

Tag / Hide and Seek

These two similar game modes both feature tagging other players, wether it be firing rings at the untagged players, or even touching another player, should Touch Tag be turned on. While untagged, players will be awarded score at a constant rate per second as a reward for remaining untagged, but will no longer gain this upon being tagged. Tagged players will gain 100 points for tagging another player, as well. The main difference between Tag and Hide and Seek is that in Tag, players will become IT once they get tagged, with the round ending once every player is tagged, while in Hide and Seek, players are not given the IT status, and cannot move once being found, with the game ending once all players are found. The game may also end if the time limit or point limit is reached first.

Capture the flag

In Capture the Flag, players attempt to capture the opponent team's flag. Players choose teams by selecting a team in the menu screen, or by entering Changeteam "Red", "Blue" or "Spectator" in the console. The both flags must be at base to score a point. Also notable, the player loses use of his mid-air ability when carrying the flag.

How to load add-ons

New characters and levels can be added by entering the console (by pressing the key ¬ or `) and typing the following without the quotes: "ADDFILE NAME.WAD". Then simply press enter to execute the command, or add the WADs via the Launcher by going to the WAD files section and adding them there.

External links

• SRB2 homepage
• The SRB2 Master server
• The SRB2 Wiki
• The SRB2 forum
• SRB2Net Launcher (Direct Download)