Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II

Dimps built Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II with Sonic Team for SEGA, and the Android version arrived on May 16, 2012, a day after the PC and PlayStation 3 releases. At first the Android build was tied to phones and tablets running NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chip, which annoyed plenty of buyers, until SEGA opened it up to all Android devices that summer at $6.99. Years later the game was moved into the SEGA Forever range as a free download supported by ads, with a $1.99 purchase to remove them.

What Is Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II

It is the second and final part of an episodic 2D sequel meant to continue the Mega Drive story. Metal Sonic, last seen damaged after Sonic CD, has been repaired by Dr. Eggman, and the two are building a new Death Egg above Little Planet. Sonic travels through Sylvania Castle, White Park, Oil Desert and Sky Fortress before the finale aboard the Death Egg mk.II, so there are five zones in all and seven boss fights spread across them. A third episode was planned, though SEGA cancelled it after Episode II sold below the first part.

How Tails Changes The Way Episode II Plays

Tails is the big addition. He follows Sonic through every act, and pressing the action button with him nearby triggers combined moves. The Copter lets Tails carry Sonic upward to reach ledges and secret routes, while the Rolling Combo fuses both into one spinning ball that tears through enemies and breakable walls. In single player he is controlled by the game, so the moves are there to open shortcuts and help with platforming rather than to give you a second character to steer.

Physics were reworked after complaints about Episode I, where Sonic could stop dead in mid-air and stick to slopes. Momentum here behaves more like the original games, though running up steep curves still feels a little heavier than in Sonic 2 or Sonic 3.

Zones, Bosses And The Metal Sonic Rivalry

Each main zone has three acts and a boss act, and Metal Sonic returns more than once as a rival who races and fights Sonic. The zones each lean on one big idea:

• Sylvania Castle, a ruined jungle castle with water sections and rotating platforms
• White Park, a snowy theme park with bobsleigh runs and ice slides
• Oil Desert, sand dunes and oil refineries full of pipes and lifts
• Sky Fortress, a run across Eggman’s airship fleet high above the clouds
• Death Egg mk.II, the short final zone where the story wraps up

Owners of both episodes on consoles could unlock Episode Metal, a short side story where you play as Metal Sonic through reworked first acts of four Episode I zones. On the free mobile build, Episode Metal was available from the start.

How Critics And Sonic Fans Judged It

Reviews were mixed. Metacritic averages sat in the low to mid 60s on consoles and at 66 for iOS. Critics liked the physics changes, the hand-drawn look of the backgrounds and the tag-team ideas, but the soundtrack, which leans on synthesized sounds meant to imitate the Mega Drive, and some long boss fights were common complaints. Among Sonic fans, Episode II is often described as the better half of Sonic 4, mostly because it feels faster and less sticky than Episode I.

Is Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II Still On Google Play?

No. SEGA removed Sonic 4 Episode II from Google Play in mid-2025, after in-game notices in June 2025 announced the end of support for its remaining SEGA Forever titles. Online features such as leaderboards were switched off, and the ad removal purchase disappeared. If you installed it earlier, it still runs offline, and you can redownload it from your Play library as long as it remains compatible with your phone.

The last update came in May 2025, so phones running newer Android versions may eventually stop launching it. Sonic 4 itself is not sold on any mobile store now, so new players looking for SEGA’s hedgehog on Android are left with the free Sonic Dash runner and its spin-offs.

Who Will Get The Most Out Of It

Players who already own it and liked the Mega Drive era will enjoy the Tails moves and the Metal Sonic fights. It runs best with a Bluetooth controller, because touch buttons make the narrow platforms in Sky Fortress harder than they need to be.