#66: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega, Mega Drive, 1992)

The other most notable addition from the original is the character of Miles “Tails” Prower, Sonic’s ever faithful sidekick, and the multiplayer functionality that he brings with him. What’s really interesting about this is that Tails is definitely not the Luigi to Sonic’s Mario. While Nintendo would eventually draw on the particular weirdness of Super Mario Bros. 2 to give Luigi an identity beyond ‘green Mario’, outside of the aforementioned exception, that’s all in the future. Multiplayer in Mario to this point has always involved two people taking turns at the exact same experience, with the only difference being the colour of their overalls. There is a fundamental equality to the process. But when Sonic the Hedgehog goes multiplayer, it does not, in any way, put its players on equal footing. No, there is a star of this show, and it is abundantly clear that Miles Prower is not that star.

Unlike the Mario games, both players play simultaneously, but the screen remains centered at all times on Sonic, and given his ability to go to warp speed at a moment’s notice, it is very easy for Tails to get left behind, and if that happens, the game says, well that’s just too bad. Player 2 just has to sit out for a while until he decides to show up again. There’s no individual score or ring counters; both players contribute to the same collective total, which could be a socialist utopia, except that there is also no individual lives counter, because Sonic is the only one who matters. If Sonic dies, it is a minor catastrophe, causing a level restart, and if he dies too any times, that’s it. Game over. But if Tails dies, it is barely worth a shrug; just as when Sonic speeds off without him, Player 2 must simply sit out until he shows up again. And if Tails dies too many times… well, he can’t. Tails can just keep coming back over and over. Hmm.

This certainly has some interesting applications; most notably, it makes boss fights that would be tricky into an absolute breeze, because Sonic can simply stay out of the way and leave Tails to confront the danger head on, safe in the knowledge that he can never truly be harmed by it. Ultimately, playing as Tails in a game of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is one of the more unique experiences available in gaming, because it really does put you in the role of a supporting player in someone else’s story. Your experience is entirely shaped by the way your lead player chooses to play; if they want to blunder ahead with reckless abandon, leaving you as little more than a glorified spectator, then they can. But whenever they need your support, when times get tough, you will always be there to lend a hand. You will carry them (literally, sometimes) through whatever hardships they encounter. That’s true friendship.