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[Challenges | Codes | Cheats | Bugs | Tricks | Game Modifiers]
  

Challenges
  • Complete the game without using any continues
  • Beat Mecha Sonic in less than 20 seconds
  • Complete the game with all 7 Emeralds as Sonic, but don't turn Super (trickier than it sounds)
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    Codes
    Level Select
    At the options screen, scroll down to the sound test section. Select the following in this order: 19, 65, 09, 17. You’ll hear a ring chime indicating the cheat worked. Press start to return to the title screen, then A + Start on the 1p game to enter the level select.
    Special Controls - Escape, Slow Motion, Frame Advance
    After the Level Select / Sound Test Code has been entered, pause in any level. Press A to reset the game and escape to the game’s title screen, B to advance several frames ahead in time (repeatedly for slow motion), or C to move forward one frame.
    Construction/Debug Mode
    To enter Debug Mode, play these sounds from the level select screen: 1, 9, 9, 2, 1, 1, 2, 4. (1992/11/24 was Sonic 2’s American release date) Press Start and hold A. To start debugging, press B mid-game, then you can select any sprite in that level and put it on the screen. To select a different sprite, press A, and to place it on the screen, press C. Note that sprite selection is different from Zone to Zone. Also, instead of displaying the time elapsed, it displays a grid reference for where you are in code.
    Super Sonic
    To become Super Sonic without getting all the Chaos Emeralds, first enable the level select. At the level select menu, go to the sound test item, and play sounds in this order: 4, 1, 2, 6. Now select any level, get 50 rings, and jump. You also get the ‘good’ ending.
    Night-time Play
    Enter the Level Select code, then press C + Start to choose your starting level.
    The 14 Continue Code
    First enable the level select. Then, at the options screen, play these sounds in this order: 1, 1, 2, 4 (11/24, again, was Sonic 2’s US release date). Now move the highlight to the "Player Select" field of the options screen and press Start.
    Miles Mode
    At the title screen press Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Up or Up, Up, Down, Down, Up, Up, Up, Up. A chime will sound and Tails will be called Miles or vice versa.
    Level Select/Sound Test (Knuckles in Sonic 2)
    At the title screen, press Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right. Hold A and press Start.
    Construction/Debug Mode (Knuckles in Sonic 2)
    To enter Debug Mode, play these sounds from the level select screen: 1, 9, 9, 4, 1, 0, 1, 8 (1994/10/18 was Sonic & Knuckles’ US release date). From there, just continue as you would for Sonic 2’s regular debug mode.
      

    Cheats
    Chaos Emeralds - The Easy Way
    Start the game as you normally would. Get a Chaos Emerald, reset the game, and start the game from the options menu. You will keep the emeralds you have gained so far each time you start from the options menu.
    Extra Rings For Tails
    Enter Debug Mode then select a stage. Next press B, A (you must have Sonic and Tails on-screen.) When your cursor changes into a ring, paste it on Tails.
      

    Bugs
    Ashura the Hedgehog
    The Ashura Code is probably the most famous code next to Super Sonic - the nick "Ashura" has stuck to Sonic even to this day. ‘Ashura’ is simply a palette change for Sonic, turning him a rather fetching green colour. To do this, you must enter the level select and debug code. Then you must choose one of the Emerald Hill Zone levels because the code only works in Emerald Hill Zone (1 or 2.) When you start the level press B, you will be a ring, then press a four times, you will be four rings in a row going up or down. Now hold C and right for about 5 seconds, then you go back to the beginning. Keep pressing a until your the top of a waterfall. You may not see yourself but you are there - Now do the same thing as before, hold C and right for about five seconds. Then press B and you’ll be green.
    'Super' Tails
    While in Debug Mode, create and position a ‘Transfer Box’ monitor. When you hit it as Super Sonic, you lose all your powers but stay yellow. Tails looks the same but has invincibility (little stars flashing around him).
    Shielded Tails
    To give Tails a shield, enter debug mode and hit a shield. Then place a teleport box down and hit that. Now Tails has a permanent shield.
    Double Tails
    Enter the level select and debug codes, then go to the Sky Chase level. Using debug mode, create a transfer box and break it open. When you hear Sonic die press B to enter debug mode again. Move the cursor up until you see Tails and exit debug mode. To finish, jump and you’ll have two Tails.
      

    Tricks
    Defeat Mecha Sonic Fast
    When Mecha Sonic flies down from the top of the screen, stand under him, face to the left, and charge a spin dash. As long as you aren’t touching his spines, you won’t get hit and you can hit him 4 times. Dash off just before he rolls into a ball. The standing dash is a great time to attack too. If you do a spin dash, Mecha Sonic will go right though you and take damage, while you will be unharmed. Do this in the middle of the screen and facing him to hit him twice, then you can dash and jump slightly right before you hit him to hit his face and bounce off.
    The Emerald Hill Shortcut (Knuckles in Sonic 2)
    To breeze through Emerald Hill 1 and 2, climb as high as you can and glide to the right. You’ll reach the end of the level in seconds.
    Extra Lives In the Chemical Plant (Knuckles in Sonic 2)
    Play until Chemical Plant Act 1. When you get to the wall with the Spiny enemy and the warp tube on the floor. Break open the tube and go through it. When you come out you will see a Ring Box next to a tower. Climb up the tower and on the top you will find one 1-up. Glide left and you will find another 1-up. Glide to the left one more time and you will find yet one more 1-up. Since you won’t want to go through the level again just glide to the right until you get to the tower you started from. Get on that first tower and glide to the right. The Act will be over and you will have 3 lives more than how much you started with.
    The Wing Fortress Shortcut (Knuckles in Sonic 2)
    In The Wing Fortress Zone, go as far as you can to the right without climbing. Make sure you have some rings. When you see blades blocking your way, go ahead and hit them. As soon as you are invincible, walk through them. Jump on the platforms to the right and half the level will be finished.
      

    Game Modifiers
    Game Genie
    N.B: There are two sets of codes because two versions of the games were released. Codes 1 to 16 also work for Tails in a one-player game. There is only one total for Sonic’s rings in a one-player game. Normally, you have to grab all seven chaos emeralds, get at least 50 rings, and jump to turn into Super Sonic (and be invincible). But by choosing from among Codes 58 to 64 and 65 to 69, you can reduce the number of emeralds and rings you have to get. With Code 70, you won’t lose your rings with time and drop back down to regular Sonic.
    To help you become Super Sonic on the last level, where there are normally no rings, Codes 58, 65 and 72 will do the trick--just jump. Finally, access the level select menu with Code 71.
    SAST-DJ1A / SATA-DJTJ - Rings worth 2--player 1
    SAST-DN1A / SATA-DNTJ - Rings worth 3--player 1
    SAST-DT1A / SATA-DTTJ - Rings worth 4--player 1
    SAST-DY1A / SATA-DYTJ - Rings worth 5--player 1
    SAST-D21A / SATA-D2TJ - Rings worth 6--player 1
    SAST-D61A / SATA-D6TJ - Rings worth 7--player 1
    SAST-DA1A / SATA-DATJ - Rings worth 8--player 1
    AE8A-AAD2 / AE8A-AADN - Start with 1 life instead of 3--player 1
    AY8A-AAD2 / AY8A-AADN - Start with 5 lives--player 1
    A68A-AAD2 / A68A-AADN - Start with 7 lives--player 1
    BE8A-AAD2 / BE8A-AADN - Start with 9 lives--player 1
    DE8A-AAD2 / DE8A-AADN - Start with 25 lives--player 1
    GJ8A-AAD2 / GJ8A-AADN - Start with 50 lives--player 1
    KN8A-AAD2 / KN8A-AADN - Start with 75 lives--player 1
    NN8A-AAD2 / NN8A-AADN - Start with 99 lives--player 1
    JW3A-CA4J / JW3A-CA4Y - Infinite lives--player 1
    SATA-DJVW / SATA-DJW8 - Rings worth 2--player 2
    SATA-DNVW / SATA-DNW8 - Rings worth 3--player 2
    SATA-DTVW / SATA-DTW8 - Rings worth 4--player 2
    SATA-DYVW / SATA-DYW8 - Rings worth 5--player 2
    SATA-D2VW / SATA-D2W8 - Rings worth 6--player 2
    SATA-D6VW / SATA-D6W8 - Rings worth 7--player 2
    SATA-DAVW / SATA-DAW8 - Rings worth 8--player 2
    AE8A-AAD8 / AE8A-AADW - Start with 1 life instead of 3--player 2
    AY8A-AAD8 / AY8A-AADW - Start with 5 lives--player 2
    A68A-AAD8 / A68A-AADW - Start with 7 lives--player 2
    BE8A-AAD8 / BE8A-AADW - Start with 9 lives--player 2
    DE8A-AAD8 / DE8A-AADW - Start with 25 lives--player 2
    GJ8A-AAD8 / GJ8A-AADW - Start with 50 lives--player 2
    KN8A-AAD8 / KN8A-AADW - Start with 75 lives--player 2
    NN8A-AAD8 / NN8A-AADW - Start with 99 lives--player 2
    JXGA-CA7G / JXGA-CA7W - Infinite lives--player 2
    KBVT-CAE2 / KBVT-CAE2 - Jump lower
    FVVT-CAE2 / FVVT-CAE2 - Jump a little higher