I've been checking in on Sonic Robo Blast 2 since the early 2000s. It's one of those "computer lab games" that I always tried to stealthily play during class instead of actually learning anything, and the negative trajectory my life took thanks to Sonic the Hedgehog is due in part to fighting with Robo Blast 2's squirrely controls when I should've been preparing for the future. It's fine. If I get an F on this paper I'll speed thok my teacher directly in the nose.

I'm all growed up now, a fully formed man of 30-something years, and yet Sonic Robo Blast 2, which has been in development since 1998 and is recognized as the first 3D Sonic fan game, is still getting updates. The game isn't even complete yet, but it's practically an institution in itself within the fangame community. There are whole mods that build on top of Robo Blast 2 which could be considered games in their own right, like the more recent SRB2Kart. Somehow, after all these years, Sonic Robo Blast 2 is more accomplished than I am, and I'm a wholeass real human being. Incredible stuff.

Robo Blast 2 is constantly evolving and changing shape, and version 2.2 (which released back in 2019) is one of the most extensive overhauls the game has ever received. Whole zones have been rebuilt, new acts and enemies have been added, slopes have been introduced, and new menus give the game a sharper looker. This all results in a far more polished and cohesive experience than previous versions, though some zones feel a little too indulgent and as a result, they drag on a bit too long. Castle Eggman has a lot of interesting gimmicks, but both acts feel like running a marathon, and Egg Rock's challenging platform sequences start to wear thin given how much zone there is.

However, none of these zones are difficult to navigate, and jumps over bottomless pits are generally easy to negotiate thanks to Robo Blast 2's tight controls, which at times feel better than some of Sonic Team's own titles. Even the special stages, which are modeled after NiGHTS into Dreams, feel better to play than the games they're aping.

These motherfuckers must've taken all their online courses at Westwood College, because the controls aren't the only thing that have been tightened up between versions. Graphically, 2.2 is Robo Blast 2 at its peak. It reminds me somewhat of the ill-fated Sonic X-Treme with its clash of 2D sprites against 3D environments, and mechanically it very much feels like a sort of bridge between what would have been had Chris Senn not been driven to the brink of death and the Adventure games, which did not drive Yuji "three hots and a cot" Naka to the brink of death. Anyway, listen to Deep Sea Zone's theme, which is a real jam. Love a good water level track, and this one is up there! Game looks good, sounds good, feels good too.

Robo Blast 2 is surprisingly lengthy, with huge zones, tons of secrets, unlockable levels, and alternate routes that provide a hefty amount of replay value. That's not even getting into all the add-ons and mods that fans have been pumping out over the years. Despite its robustness, it is still an incomplete game, and I'm not in the habit of rating stuff that's in development. I have no idea what version 2.3 will look like, or version 2.5, 2.8, or 3.0. Robo Blast 2 has been kicking around for over twenty years, and in that time there's been a number of constants and an even greater number of variables. This current version is a must play for anyone who enjoys Sonic the Hedgehog and indulges in fan content, and even if you don't, then I think it's still worth checking out to appreciate the effort put in by an incredibly dedicated and hard-working community.

One of my 3 favorite games of all time, and easily the best Sonic game of all time in my opinion.

I've been playing this since i was like, 10 or something, back when Vista was the current Windows OS... so I admit, I'm ridiculously biased:

The game perfectly translates 2D sonic into a 3D space, the bright colorful world with simpler 3D graphics makes everything look beautiful and charming. The music isn't the best I've ever heard, but it's fine and works well!

Controls feel great. Your characters move fast, but are also easy to steer, so turning corners and rounding obstacles won't be difficult. On top of that, since it's in 3D, you can see hazards coming from a mile away and adjust. But at the same time, exploration and free movement around the level is possible and incentivized, to find items, medals, and access to special stages.

The mods and fan made characters/levels are insaneeeeee. Especially if you're open to older versions of the game: You have an insane backlog to try. But if you don't care, the main campaign is a fun level-based romp with plenty of platforming and running to do.

The way vertical camera movement works is odd and not the best, but you don't really need it to be. Left-Right camera movement is perfect and will get you through the levels just fine.

I could write an essay on this game, I genuinely love the hell out of it.

It can run on a potato. it's a game that's been available since like, almost 20 years ago . You have nooooo excuse. Try it!

After seeing that this game was on Backloggd, I booted it up and ran through it again without any mods since it's been FOREVER since I've played SRB2 vanilla.
Honestly, it still holds up quite a bit!
This is exactly what I'd expect out of a 3D Sonic game if it were made in the era before Adventure came out.
Each level is wonderfully huge and varied with an extreme amount of freedom in how you traverse them.
I only played as Sonic in my most recent playthrough, but with the added verticality of Tails or Knuckles, I'm sure finding all the hidden secrets and emblems is as rewarding as speedrunning is with Sonic.

It's extremely refreshing to play a tight, curated campaign with little to no annoying ass gimmicks to contend with.
Just a really solid video game ass video game.
Apparently they're not even done with it, too? I recall there's still a few extra zones and a retooled final boss the devs wanted to implement, so I'm sure it'll only get better from here.

I'll applaud the graphics, the technical achievement of getting a Sonic game running on the Doom engine. the fun Nights inspired special stages as well as it's application of modding tools.

But holy shit the level design is such a confusing mess I couldn't make it through. The controls and physics are wack too just making obvious spring jumps impossible. It's way too open making you lose track of your position in the level and a long time wandering in circles. What a shame because i really wanted to like it

[This is a review of Version 2.2.8, though I also played... I believe Version 2.0...? around 14-15 years ago]

Depending on how you define the term, my favorite Sonic fangames are Sonic Mania and Sonic 2: Special Edition. But assuming you don't count those (and, like, fair), then my favorite is Sonic Robo Blast 2. Without question, one of the greatest games to feature Sonic, over much of the official series.

Honestly, a lot of my appreciation for this game comes from how unlikely it all sounds on a high level. Even knowing how high-octane DOOM can be, I neeeever would've guessed at a well-realized, non-gimmicky Sonic game making sense in that engine. And yet...

I love 3D Sonic, but I'll be quick to point out that the post-Adventure games have pretty different design philosophies from the classic series. Yes, Sonic's always been a spectacle platformer series, but the means by which you get there changes. 2D Sonic places more focus on methodical exploration, with speed being a reward for good play; 3D Sonic encourages speed as often as it can, with speed built into its strongest set pieces. Exploration is traditionally presented as being divorced from speed in 3D Sonic...

(I haven't played Sonic Frontier yet, so no idea how the open world design addresses that)

...which is what makes Sonic Robo Blast 2 so striking. The game very cleanly blends 2D game design into 3D space. Levels are HUGE and expansive to accommodate the player's innate desire to explore, with a huge emphasis on naturalistic or logical environments. Sure, you still have plenty of video gamey obstacles like spinning spike bars and death lasers and such, but there's usually some sort of logical continuity to how the player explores the Zones, which in turn informs the cadence of challenges.

And it's not a complete rejection of 3D Sonic's design, either! A lot of the environmental storytelling you see in some of the Adventure titles and especially Sonic Unleashed, where the progression through biomes and buildings communicates its own adventure, gets teased out in SRB2. "Castle Eggman" isn't just a string of castle-themed rooms. It's a long trek through a forest leading up to the castle, followed by a trip through several rooms and libraries, followed by a run across danger-riddled castle ramparts. "Egg Rock" isn't just a generic space zone, but rather a slow infiltration of a meteor base as the player dives into the heart of Robotnik's stronghold. "Arid Canyon" is more than a generic desert level, it features a race through an abandoned mine and down to a train robbery.

Now, it isn't uniformly this - Greenflower and Red Volcano in particular are largely just biomes without any sort of adventure progression. But then, the game's still under development (even after twenty-five years of continuous work), and plans exist to embellish these levels and add more to boot. So, maybe some day! Even so, even with the game as it is, it's a very easy, very strong recommendation from me. Great stuff.

Miscellany:

- It is insane to me that this Sonic fangame off the DOOM engine spawned a Kart-Racer, which itself spawned a Persona dungeon-crawler. To parse this: a first-person shooter was modded into a third-person 3D platformer, which was modded into a racing game, which was modded into a turn-based RPG. It's hard for me to even wrap my head around that.
- I LOVE THE BOSS OF ARID CANYON. GREAT PULL HOLY CRAP
- Since I played different versions, it was kinda funny watching the plot go from "Eggman blew up a mountain, ANGST" to "Eggman Roboticized a mountain, oh but don't worry, people are okay (or at least will be once you beat the video game)"
- Theming the bonus rounds after NiGHTS into dreams... is a cute touch. Doesn't feel too far off from the realm of possibility, given the inexplicable NiGHTS cameos across some official titles and the Chemical Plant boss from Sonic Mania
- I haven't even played a Dark Souls game, but I love what that little sword-and-fire communicates in Castle Eggman.
- I think I tried the multiplayer once? Got dissed in text-chat for not knowing what I was doing, and decided I was good.
- Sonic's Speed Thok sure is a weirdly-named move, but it's a good compromise for the Homing Attack, itself a compromise for Sonic's speed in 3D. I like how much utility the move gives you, offset by just how much of a commitment it is. Good solution for something to give Sonic, to give him a movement counterpart to Tails' flight and Knux's gliding.

Over 25 years in development and it still has potential.

If you're looking for the traditional Sonic experience you won't find it here. SRB2 brings a unique precision platforming spin on Sonic gameplay, bred from the limitations of the Doom engine. While a fun experience, I feel like it has potential that hasn't yet been realised. It's still rough around the edges in terms of polish and accessibility, and many players still find it exceedingly difficult. Nonetheless, it's a fun experience and I'm glad to have spent so many years playing and making mods for it.

I respect this game for what is trying to do, and I really enjoy exploring these levels while also trying to progress as fast as I can.

I feel like this game's biggest flaw is that some of these levels can get really confusing and without a clear route, which really fucks up the pacing that an ideal Sonic game should have. As a consequence of this, some of these levels can drag on for way longer than they should, making clearing them feel more of a chore when you have been stuck for like 5 to 8 minutes still without being able to see the goal.

I stopped playing because I didn't know how to get past that desert/cowboy level full of botomless pits I think. I've been playing other stuff and I simply haven't sat down to finish it.

Quite probably my favorite fan-game of all time. It's grown so much compared to its earlier versions and right now it truly feels like a fully fledged amazing Sonic game.
Please if you have ever wanted to play a well made 3D sonic game, this is it.

If you want to play on gamepad use the Simple control scheme because standart controls are for playing on m+kb which makes it play like a FPS game instead.

Sonic Robo Blast 2 holds the top spot as my favorite Sonic game on both counts. While many may not consider fan games in discussions about their favorite titles, it's a pity because this game offers the most satisfying Sonic experience ever.

I enjoy narratives similar to SA2, Black Knight, or even Heroes. However, simplicity has its merits – fewer plot holes and more focus on refining the gameplay.

I believe the only drawback of the game lies in its current length, though I refrain from attributing this as a flaw since it is still in development. I appreciate the robust level design, the Sonic OVA-inspired music, as well as the polished animations and conceptual elements.

I believe one of the key elements is the fusion of gameplay elements from Sonic Adventure and Super Mario 64. It incorporates the objective of completing levels akin to Sonic Adventure while adopting the collecting aspect, reminiscent of Mario 64. Momentum has consistently posed challenges in Sonic games since Sonic Heroes. Sonic Frontiers boasts a compelling narrative and stunning visuals, the absence of rewarded speed deems it a 6/10 game in my opinion. This game excels in maintaining momentum, aligning seamlessly with the level design. The stakes are elevated, with each player progressively raising them until Sonic '06 where they dropped it. It feels like a more significant advancement in stakes compared to 3D Blast.

This game is a delightful treat, especially for those who appreciate Classic Sonic or are fans of high-quality platformers. I highly recommend it for both Sonic enthusiasts and lovers of excellent platforming experiences.

The mod scene is REALLY good too.