[center]General Mechanics[/center] Spin Dash: When you are standing still, press and hold the D-pad down, then tap A once. Release the D-pad to blast off in a burst of speed. Adding more revs than one tap don't add speed so feel free to just hold down, press A, then release down immediately.
Ball Mode: All characters can enter "ball mode" by tapping down while moving on ground, or spindashing. You have less control over your character in ball mode, especially if you jump out of it. Balled-up characters will always decelerate unless going downhill. You can break un-boosted grounded running speed cap by rolling.
Slope Jump: When floors are not level, the incline affects the angle and speed of your jumps. When jumping off an uphill incline, the character will go much higher but not as horizontally far. When jumping off a downhill incline, the character will not gain much height, but will gain much distance (and sometimes horizontal speed).
Loop Jump: A variation on the Slope Jump, which takes place inside a loop. If you enter a loop from the left and jump from its top left, you catch the next corner of the loop and are propelled off, gathering more momentum than usual. You get the same effect if you jump from the top right of a loop after entering it from the right.
Aerial Speed: Generally, your character's horizontal speed will decrease whenever the vertical speed is upward, but it will increase when the vertical speed is downward. This means your character will slow down when ascending in jumps, and speed up upon descending. This is also why downhill slope jumps are important for gaining speed, since your character gains no height (thus no speed loss) but will gain speed thanks to jumping downward. Understanding this mechanic is important in gaining speed or losing minimal speed.
Rings: Rings play an important part in this game. They have two effects: let you enter boost state more quickly (more detail below), and increase your aerial mobility. Whether you're in boost mode or not, the more rings you have, the more you accelerate horizontally in the air. So it's important to keep an eye on your ring count and adjust for more sensitive jumps appropriately.
[center]Boost Mode[/center] Boost Mode is a mechanic introduced in this game, and is central to going fast. It's indicated by extra after-images behind your character as they move. All characters have a slow grounded running speed cap. Boost mode lets you break this speed cap, increases your acceleration (both ground and in air), and gives you much more air control. It's very important to understand how to obtain boost state, and how to maintain it as much as possible, as not only does it make you go fast, but many routes are only possible with boost mode active.
You obtain boost mode via the following methods:
-Hitting a boost pad. -Some horizontal springs. There is no actual cue which horizontal springs give you boost state and which don't, you just have to memorize them. Note that these springs will only give you boost state if you hit them while grounded (so, hitting one from above won't give you boost state) -Running uninterrupted for some time. The time it takes to get boost state decreases the more rings you have. Also the amount of time you spend running faster lets you get boost state earlier.
You will loose boost state if:
-Your Ground speed is too low -You take damage -You use an aerial ability. The only aerial ability that doesn't end boost state is Sonic's Air Dash.
Important tips on maintaining boost state:
-You can't lose boost state in the air unless you get hit or use an aerial action. Your speed can be any value in the air and you will not lose boost state. As long as you have enough horizontal speed upon landing on ground, you'll keep it. -All tricks will not end boost state (the exceptions are some down tricks). -Using air hoops, ramps, springs, rails, and spinners will not kill boost state. -If you press attack while running on ground in boost mode, the character will use a "speed attack", and keep boost state while still moving. Generally, this slows you down, so this should be avoided, but you won't lose boost state.
[center]Tricks[/center] This game introduces a new trick system which is vital in taking certain routes and maintaining boost state. After hitting certain stage objects, you can trick in one of four directions:
Forward: R+forward Backward: R without a direction Up: R+up Down: R+down
What the tricks do are different between characters, and will be discussed in the character-specific sections.
The following objects will let you perform a trick after you use them:
-Vertical and Diagonal springs -Jump ramps -Air hoops -Grinding off the end of a rail
[center]Sonic[/center] Sonic is the fastest character in the game. His air dash is the only air action that does not break boost state, and is actually very helpful in going faster and maintaining boost state.
Air Dash: Double tap right or left after jumping in the air to do an air dash. Alternatively, press a direction while running, jump, then press the same direction again to do an air dash. As long as the second tap is in the air, and not too long after the first tap, the jump can be before or in between the taps. This ability is what sets sonic apart from the other characters and helps him move very quickly, since it gives him more forward momentum each time he does an air dash. You want to do air dashes as much as possible, especially from downhill slope jumps (and not uphill) since you'll gain more speed that way. It's also useful for adjusting your jumps or if you need a little bit of extra distance from a jump.
Air Dashing is especially useful in this game because it does not lose boost state. This ability alone makes Sonic the fastest character in the game by far. It lets Sonic accelerate on ground (both with and without boost state) quickly without having to come to a complete stop, it lets him reach farther distances, and it lets him break out of ball mode at almost any time he wants. It's also gives Sonic more options for landing with boost state, since he can have almost no horizontal speed before landing, then air dash then land and still keep boost state. Finally, this is amazingly useful for bosses as Sonic is the only character in the game who can increase his speed against bosses without having to spindash.
Slide Attack: Press B the ground to slide forward a short distance instantly. This is useful if you want to quickly move a short distance if you're currently at a slow speed, for example, landing near a spring then slide attack into it. Doing
Slide Attack (Boost): Press B while running in boost state to do a far slide attack. Sonic does not lose boost state, and he destroys anything he goes through, but he does slow down. There isn't any practical use for this since you can always just roll to kill enemies then do a grounded air dash to maintain speed.
Insta-Shield: After jumping in the air, press A again to perform insta-shield. This gives you a very brief moment of invincibility and a slightly larger hitbox, which is very useful for damaging bosses. It also gives you an extra bounce if you bounce off of an enemy or item box. Unlike in Sonic Advance 1, you do NOT regain air control if you insta-shield after jumping out of ball mode.
Bounce Attack: Press B in the air to completely stop Sonic in the air then slam into the ground. This completely kills boost state, and also has a very long bounce animation, so its applications are very limited to breaking vulnerable floors below him.
Forward Trick: Sonic's forward trick is one of the best in the game. He completely halts his vertical speed then shoots forward quickly while spinning. He descends a little bit while doing this. He also destroys any enemies he sees.
Back Trick: Sonic does a quick backflip. He gains a little bit of height and moves horizontally backwards quickly. This isn't as effective as his forward trick for horizontal speed, but it's useful if you need a bit of extra height while still prioritizing horizontal speed.
Up Trick: Sonic jumps up slowly while reaching into the air. His horizontal speed is completely reset, though you have immediate control over him so it's still easy to retain boost state while using this. This is primarily for reaching routes that are vertically out of reach.
Down Trick: Sonic does his bounce attack. This is effectively the same as his standard bounce attack, so it's near useless.
[center]Cream[/center] Cream can fly with her ears, which can be useful for some shortcuts. She is popular for the sole reason that she has cheese, which is the most reliable and easiest way to kill the bosses in this game. Otherwise she is the slowest character in the game with Tails, thanks to having very slow tricks and a flight that is very limited in utility. She is one of two characters that cannot break floors since Cheese doesn't target them (the other is Tails)
Cheese: Press B both on ground or in air to fire Cheese. Cheese will then automatically target anything nearby and kill it. This is very useful for bosses, as it allows her to damage them without getting anywhere nearby.
Cheese Spin (Boost): Press B while running on ground in boost state to have Cheese spin around Cream. This is the best "boost attack" in the game, as Cheese completely covers Cream's hitbox, and she barely slows down while performing this attack.
Flight: Press A after jumping to start flying. Press B at any time to cancel it and drop down instantly. This kills boost state. Cream's vertical velocity carries into her flight initiation, so she can ascend pretty quickly if done while jumping. However, she doesn't maintain horizontal speed as well as Tail's flight, she will almost always lose horizontal speed while flying whether you ascend or descend.
TODO: Tricks
[center]Tails[/center] Tails can fly with his tails, which can be useful for some shortcuts. He is the only character with no aerial attacks, and one of two characters that cannot break floors (the other is Cream). He is one of the two slowest characters in the game because his flight is very limited in use, and his tricks are overall the slowest in the game.
Tail Swipe: Press B the ground to perform a tail swipe. He doesn't come to a complete stop so it's not useful for that purpose. It's only useful for fighting bosses.
Tail Swipe (Boost): Press B on the ground while in boost state to perform a tail swipe. He still maintains boost state if he's still moving fast enough, but he loses some speed. Usually, you're better off just rolling through enemies instead.
Flight: Press A after jumping to start flying. Tails cannot directly cancel his flight unlike Cream. This kills boost state. Each tap of A will increase his height. His flight is slower than Cream's for vertical movement, but his horizontal speed carries into the flight. It's primarily useful for crossing larger gaps without losing much horizontal speed, though if it allows for shortcuts, it's also useful for that. Note that Tails loses speed when flying if he's ascending, and gains speed when descending. In Sonic Advance 2, most of Tails speed is killed with each tap of A, so the applications for his flight are limited and you don't want to stagger out his ascends out since you'll lose a lot of speed. It's primarily useful only for crossing large gaps where you don't need to ascend at all.
TODO: Tricks
[center]Knuckles[/center] Knuckles can glide, which help him a lot with horizontal distance and controlling his speed. He can climb walls too. Knuckles is generally the third fastest character, since his forward and backward tricks are good, his gliding/landing can be useful in a few situations, and he has a great downward attack.
Double Punch: Press B while on ground to perform a double punch. This doesn't bring Knuckles to a complete stop so its uses are limited to boss fights.
Spiral Dash (Boost): Press B while on ground in boost state and Knuckles will dash forward in a spiral, killing enemies in the way. This maintains boost state if he's still moving quickly enough, but he slows down a lot. You're usually better off just rolling through enemies instead.
Downward Spiral: Press B in the air. Knuckles will stop in the air then spiral downward. This destroys breakable floors, and he has very little cooldown upon landing, so it has its uses for both routes and movement options. This kills boost state.
Gliding: Press A after jumping to start gliding, and hold A to continue gliding. This is useful for gaining extra horizontal distance. This will also always set your horizontal speed to a set amount, so it's useful for controlling your speed, especially if you want to abruptly change directions in the air while jumping. Another nice use is that Knuckles will always be at a complete stop upon landing from gliding, allowing you to spindash immediately. So if Knuckles needs to spindash immediately from a jump, glide just before landing so he doesn't have to adjust his speed. Unfortunately this kills boost state so its uses are limited.
Climbing:Glide into a wall to have Knuckles cling to it. Press up or down to climb. Climbing should be avoided since it's very slow, though it has its situational uses.
TODO: Tricks
[center]Amy[/center] Amy has the best tricks in the game after Sonic, making her the second fastest character in the game. Unlike in Advance 1 and 3, her hammer doesn't give her an extra boost off of springs, so it's near useless for stages (but still useful for bosses!). Also unlike in Advance 1, Amy can spindash and ball at any time like the other 4 characters.
Hammer: Press B to make Amy hammer whatever is in front of her. This is useful for bosses but that's about it.
Faceplant (Boost): Press B while running on ground in boost state, then Amy will do a faceplant. She slows down dramatically with this, so you're always better off just rolling.
Hammer Twirl: Press B in the air to have Amy stop then fall down, twirling her hammer. This kills boost state. This ability is very limited because she bounces off of whatever she lands on, so it has massive cooldown. She can destroy breakable floors with this move. The one mobility use it has is, if you hammer twirl the frame she leaves the ground, she will land instantly at a complete stop without any cooldown, so this is useful to rev a fast spindash, but also unreliable.
Forward Trick: Amy stops all vertical velocity then immediately spins forward with a burst of speed, descending a bit. This has the same application as Sonic's forward trick, and is among the best in the game as it moves very quickly and enhances boost state.
Back Trick: Amy does a small backflip and rapidly gains horizontal speed. This is similar to Sonic's back trick, except she doesn't gain nearly as much vertical height as he does. This also doesn't give as much horizontal speed as Amy's forward trick, so its applications are limited.
Up Trick: Amy jumps high and reaches upward. Her horizontal speed is completely set to zero, but you regain air control almost immediately so it's still easy to maintain boost state with this. This is primarily used to reach shortcuts that are out of reach vertically.
Down Trick: Amy stops in the hair then falls straight down, using her hammer twirl. This is basically the same as her hammer twirl, and is near useless thanks to its massive cooldown.
