The game follows traditional structure: the goal in each stage is to reach the exit within the 10 minute time limit (which, incidentally, can be turned off). Sonic is the only playable character, armed with all his moves and animations from Sonic 2:

	walk -- Sonic's basic movement. Push left or right on the control lever to initiate Sonic's movement in either direction. As you hold the button down, Sonic gains speed.
	run -- Begin walking and hold down the button to make Sonic gain speed. After a few seconds, he'll break into a run.
	screech -- While running, quickly press and hold the opposite direction on the control lever to make Sonic screech to a halt. He'll skid for a short distance, based on how fast he was moving.
	look up -- While standing still, press up on the control lever to make Sonic gaze to the heavens. As you hold up, the camera pans upward, giving you a view of Sonic's overhead surroundings.
	crouch -- While standing still, press down on the control lever to make Sonic duck. As you hold down, the camera pans downward, giving you a view of the stage beneath where Sonic stands.
	spin (回転) -- While moving, press down on the control lever to make Sonic curl into a rolling attack. He'll remain in this position until you jump or slow down. The speed of Sonic's movement while in spin form is based on how fast you're moving when you launch it, and also on the terrain Sonic rolls along.
	spin jump (回転ジャンプ) -- Press A or B at any time to make Sonic leap into the air with a spin attack. The height of the jump is proportional to how long you hold the button down.
	push -- There is actually nothing to push in Sonic Pocket Adventure. However, that won't stop Sonic from trying everytime he runs up against a solid object.
	Spin Dash (スピンダッシュ) -- While crouching, tap A or B to have Sonic rev up with a stationary spin. Keep tapping the buttons to build up momentum, then let go of the control lever to dash off with a max speed rolling attack.

   In-stage items have also been culled straight out of Sonic's second Mega Drive adventure, though they've lost some color in the transition.

	Ring (リング) -- As long as Sonic has some of these, he won't lose a life if he takes damage. Sustain a hit and all your collected Rings will scatter, giving you a brief opportunity to grab a few back before they disappear. (Note that Rings will not protect Sonic from getting smashed or falling off the screen, both of which result in instant death.) A 1up is awarded for every 100 Rings collected, and each Ring is worth 100 points at the end-of-Act score tally.
	Item Box (アイテムボックス) -- In each stage, you'll find a number of these power-up bearing monitors. Pop them open with a spin to procure one of five power-ups: Big 10 Ring (ビッグ10リング) - Worth 10 Rings Barrier (バリア) - Absorbs one hit High Speed (ハイスピード) - Temporary speed increase Muteki (無敵) - Temporary invincibility 1up - Gives Sonic an extra chance
	Point Marker (ポイントマーカー) -- These hold your place in a stage: should you lose a life, you'll start back at the last Point Marker you tagged.
	Bobbin (ボビン) -- Round bumpers found only in Cosmic Casino.
	spring -- Leap onto the broad side to catapult Sonic into the air. The yellow ones send him flying a short distance, and the more powerful red ones send him farther.
	spikes -- NO TOUCHIE.
	bonus plate -- These signs fall from the sky at the end of each first Act. They mark the end of the stage.
	capsule -- These are found at the end of each second act, after defeating the boss. Push the button on top to destroy the machine and free the helpless animals within.
	Special Stage ring -- These giant Rings appear above bonus plates when you cross with at least 50 Rings on-hand. Jump in to warp to the Special Stage.
	Photo Piece (フォトピース) -- There are 96 Photo Pieces hidden throughout the game. Search the nooks and crannies of every stage to find them. Once you've acquired a Photo or two, finish the stage to have the acquired pieces added to the Puzzle Room.

   Like all the rest of the graphics, enemies are plucked straight out of Sonic 2. There is nary an original contraption to be found on these low-color shores, but the usual 100 point bonus is awarded for each popped pest.

	Ai-ai (アイアイ) -- Monkey bots that hang around in palm trees and very inconsiderately toss coconuts at Sonic as he passes by.
	Gabuccho (ガブッチョ) -- Piranha bots based on Sonic 1's Bata-bata. They hop up and down over waterfalls. ("Gabu-gabu" is Japanese for gulp or guzzle.)
	Stinger (スティンガー) -- Wasp bots that fly around overhead, pausing occasionally to fire a poorly-aimed flashing projectile downward.
	Lander (ランダー) -- Slow-moving bots that crawl along the ground, wall, or ceiling and periodically spout flashing projectiles.
	Handrill (ハンドリル) -- Mole bots that burrow through walls in the background and roll along the ground.
	Bun-bun (ブンブン) -- Annoying horsefly bots that buzz around in Sonic's face. ("Bun-bun" is Japanese for buzz.)
	Piranha (ピラーナ) -- Piranha bots that swim in place and lunge mindlessly at Sonic as soon as he approaches.
	Potosu (ポトス) -- Well-armored bots that hover in midair, then rise and poop spiked balls when Sonic and Tails approach. ("Poto-poto" means to trickle down in thick drops.)
	Valkyn (バルキーン) -- Sleek fighter plane bots that dash across the screen from right to left and dive-bomb unsuspecting airborne mascots.
	Kokekko (コケッコー) -- Chicken bots that dutifully man the Aerobase's artillery and fire flashing projectiles. ("Kokekko" is the Japanese equivalent of cluck.)
	Kani Punch (カニパンチ) -- Fiddler crab bots that crawl slowly along the ground and attack with spring-loaded pincers. ("Kani" is Japanese for crab.)
	Telstar (テルスター) -- Kamikaze star bots that hover in place until Sonic approaches, then explode into a shower of spikes.
	Kamakiller (カマキラー) -- Mantis bots that waddle along the ground and pause to fling their sickle-like arms. The attack is difficult to avoid, but once it's out of the way, the bots are immobile and completely defenseless. ("Kamakiri" is Japanese for mantis while "kiraa" is the Japanese pronunciation of killer.)

   There are a total of 7 Zones each with 2 Acts a piece. A boss guards the exit of every second round: the usual 8 hits will send the mad Doc Egg running for the hills (or at least the next stage). Bonus points are awarded at the end of each Act for time and Rings remaining. Bosses are worth the usual 1,000 points a piece. A Continue feature allows you to return to any previously accessed Zone from the title menu.

Neo South Island Zone -- The requisite tropical paradise borrows graphics from Green Hill and level structure from Emerald Hill. It even features Palmtree Panic's vertical ramps. Act 1 BGM is based on Sonic Jam's Sonic World while Act 2 BGM is based on Angel Island Act 1. Boss: Eggman rolls along the ground, pounding the earth with a crushing mallet. After taking 4 hits, the Doc will pause when he reaches the middle of the arena to slam the ground with a powerful thwack from the hammer: the shockwave will inflict damage regardless of where you stand, so be sure to jump when you see him raise the gavel.

Secret Plant Zone -- The flooded factory borrows graphics and level structure from Chemical Plant. Act 1 BGM is based on Angel Island Act 2 while Act 2 BGM is based on Hydrocity Act 2 (without the sublime second movement, sadly). Boss: Eggman floats around in the middle of the arena and fires showers of slow-moving bullets in Sonic's general direction. Stand on one of the two hovering platforms on either side of the machine to reach Eggman's vulnerable noggin. The platforms sway with your weight, so leap with caution.

Cosmic Casino Zone -- The city of sin borrows graphics and structure from Casino Night. Act 1 BGM is based on Sonic 3's gumball bonus while Act 2 BGM is an upbeat remix of the Slot Machine bonus from Sonic & Knuckles. There are no enemies in the entire Zone. Boss: Eggman bounds around the pinball arena and occasionally pauses to home in on Sonic. He can't be damaged from below, so watch your trajectory.

Aquatic Relix Zone -- The submerged ruins borrow graphics and structure from Aquatic Ruin. Act 1 BGM is based on Mushroom Hill Act 1 while Act 2 BGM is based on Hydrocity Act 1. Boss: Knuckles fights with all of his trademark maneuvers: he'll guard with a flurry of punches, glide through the air, and Spin Dash. Try to attack while he's guarding and Sonic will get knocked backwards. BGM is based on Flying Battery Act 1.

Sky Chase Zone -- Sonic hops on the Tornado while Tails pilots in this rendition of the Sonic 2 stage of the same name. There's only 1 Act and no boss. BGM is based on Azure Lake.

Aerobase Zone -- Eggman's flying battleship borrows graphics and structure from Wing Fortress. There's only 1 Act, but it's roughly double the size of a normal stage. BGM is based on Death Egg Act 1 (Sonic & Knuckles version). Boss: Mecha Sonic is armed with all of his attacks from Sonic 2: he'll spin along the ground, jump in the air, dash upright, or jump and unleash a shower of shrapnel.

Gigantic Angel Zone -- The industrial city borrows graphics from Scrap Brain and structure from Metropolis. Act 1 BGM is based on Desert Palace while Act 2 BGM is based on Chrome Gadget. Boss: Eggman hovers around just out of reach, periodically unleashing scatter shots. Every once in a while he'll dip down, which is the safest opportunity to attack. If you don't feel like waiting, you can (counterintuitively) land on top of the explosions caused by the missiles he occasionally drops.

Last Utopia Zone -- Eggman's big-armed hovercraft is powered by a Chaos Emerald. Step too close and the Doc will grab Sonic and brutally slam him into the ground like a rag doll. When you're at an otherwise safe distance, he'll fire off the machine's arms like missiles. To acquire that last Emerald, you've got to physically knock it out of the machine then grab it before finishing the fight. If you're missing any of the 7 gems, the game ends here and you get the bad ending. (BGM is based on The Doomsday Zone.)

Chaotic Space Zone -- This final battle only opens up if you collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds and clear Last Utopia. As usual, Super Sonic begins with 50 Rings that continually deplete: if the count hits 0, he reverts to normal blue Sonic and loses a life. Eggman escapes through space, firing homing missiles at his golden pursuer: smack the broad side of the missiles to send them flying back toward their progenitor, but dodge the tip or you'll be momentarily stunned. Press A or B to perform a midair dash. (BGM is based on Sky Sanctuary.)

   Cross a bonus plate with at least 50 Rings on hand to summon that big, purdy special Ring. Hop inside to be warped to the Special Stage for your chance at a Chaos Emerald. Special Stages are based on the Sonic 2 mold: Sonic runs through a 3D half-pipe littered with Rings and bombs. Collect the requisite amount of Rings to cross each checkpoint: fail to amass the quota and you'll be booted back to the game sans Emerald. There are 3 checkpoints per round and Ring requirements become increasingly stringent as the game progresses. (Note that there are only 6 Special Stages: Eggman has the 7th Emerald and uses it to power his boss contraption in Last Utopia.) Collect all 7 gems to access the hidden final stage and view the good ending.

	Ring -- You need to collect the requisite amount of Rings to pass each checkpoint.
	bomb -- Smack into one of these and 10 Rings are subtracted from your total.
	Continue -- A lone flashing flower can be found sitting in the center of each Special Stage. Tag it to earn a continue, worth a full set of 3 lives.
	Chaos Emerald (カオスエメラルド) -- There are a total of 6 Emeralds to collect, one in each Special Stage.

   In addition to the game proper, there are 3 extra modes accessible through the options menu:

• Trial Room -- A time attack through any stage accessed in the main game. Time Trial is the basic mode while Advanced requires you to reach the goal with at least 50 Rings on hand for your score to be recorded. Best times are inscribed onto a high score screen with overall performance graded with medals: bronze, silver, gold, or platinum. Players with a link cable may exchange score data.
• Duel Room -- If you've got a link cable along with a spare Neo-Geo and an extra copy of Sonic Pocket, you might cajole a friend into one of 2 versus games: Sonic Rush is a simple race to the goal while Get the Rings has both players competing to amass a quota of Rings. In either mode, player 1 controls Sonic while player 2 handles Tails.
• Puzzle Room -- Photo Pieces gathered in the main game are dropped into a pool: assemble the pieces into 6 complete character images to unlock the Special Stage mode, an endurance game through all 6 Special Stages in succession. The puzzles can be initialized at any time, returning all your collected pieces back into the game in case you derive some twisted masochistic joy out of finding them all over again.

   Other options include the ability to toggle between Easy and Normal mode (there are fewer obstacles in Easy mode), deactivate the timer, or set the the number of lives Sonic begins with from 3-5. Clear the game once to unlock the Sound Test.