Forgotten Sonic 2 HD Fan Project Springs Back Into Action

Way back in 2011, a small indie team known as Team S2HD set out to recreate one of their favorite games in full HD – Sonic the Hedgehog 2. On January 15, 2011, they released their first trailer showing off the new engine and artwork, and the Sonic fanbase was blown away.

When they said full HD, they really meant it! For the first time ever we saw Emerald Hill Zone recreated in beautiful hand drawn artwork. Sonic himself and the badniks also had gorgeous sprites because everything was redrawn from the ground up. While Sonic Mania went for the traditional classic sprite look – and that looked amazing, don’t get us wrong – there’s just something awesome about seeing Sonic and friends this sharp looking.

Following a playable alpha build, the future was looking bright for Team S2HD, and fans were excited to see the full product. Unfortunately, due to some internal struggles with some of the team members not getting along and having different outlooks on the project, the project went silent for years and many thought it was cancelled.

Around February 2015, the Team S2HD YouTube channel began uploading videos again, and it was looking bright. The first video showed the process of detailing Sonic’s end level pose, so the community thought the game was back in development. But, again, after a short string of videos the channel went silent again. It was during this time where the team had reformed with new members, and things were about to spring back into action.

November 2016 saw another video that showed off the Hill Top Zone boss’ new sprites and artwork. And now, fast forward today, the team has fully revved up and they’re ready to bring the project back into full production. Officially titled Sonic 2 HD Demo 2.0, this is the result of six years of work. The team has seemingly been inspired by the recent success of Sonic Mania, and we’re rooting for them! Buckle up, because the demo is coming at us September 30!

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Comment