5/5 - Amazing

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, back on the Sega Genesis, had perfected the Classic Sonic formula. And after it, we didn't see another proper Classic Sonic game (Advance and Generations were close but not quite) until 2017's Mania. Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit, however, attempts to imagine a reality when Sonic 3 got another sequel on the Genesis. While it's based on a Game Gear game, those games were contempt just about replicating Genesis Sonic, never trying to innovate much, so the developer didn't have too much to go off of. So how does Triple Trouble succeed 3? Well... It kinda doesn't. But that just might be to it's favor.

The game's core mechanics are a complete reflection of Sonic 3. The physics are still the same refined Classic Sonic physics you've grown to expect (or at least a very accurate recreation of them), and you're equipped with all of your usual moves. Sonic's momentum based, dynamic design shines here as well as you'd expect, requiring you to skillfully roll around and use the environment to do well. The game does try to innovate in this area, but doesn't go all too far - the addition of the drop dash is the biggest win, still my favorite move for Classic Sonic making the game flow even better, but weirdly it comes at the cost of the insta shield - but you can thankfully permanently re-enable it with a cheat code, which is appreciated. The biggest mechanical addition is a switch button between Sonic and Tails - but I actually find this rather unnecessary. It just makes it a bit more convenient to fly, which you could already do, but at the cost of the game needing a second button, even more annoying on Android, which makes me wonder what the point was. It's also worth noting it's more replayable than ever, with 2 new playable characters, Fang and Metal Sonic, which don't have full stories like Knuckles but are fun to play as.

We come to the game's levels. This is where the game gets it's namesake as a recreation of Triple Trouble, as every Zone is directly interpreted from the original. The Zone names are pretty creative for themes that are admittedly generic, but the remake breates new life into them, giving every Zone some real identity. And the level design itself - feels straight out of Sonic 3. It feels like the developer took every lesson Sonic Team learned as they made the Classic Sonic series reaching 3 and simply applied it in the same exact way, with the same design principles. Levels are still very much full of gimmicks and crazy setpieces, and still have the same structure with the same balance between platforming and speed. In fact, he sometimes goes a tad too far, burrowing many specific gimmicks directly from Sonic 3. And... It all works. These levels are fast, engaging, and challenging - they have great platforming, memorable setpieces, and lots of alternate paths, and improve as you get better at the game. They're great for the same exact reason Sonic 3 is.

And the game has the same feel and scope as Sonic 3 too. The sprites and general art design even looks the same. Every Zone's 2 acts have unique music, 2 bosses and transitions between them. Special stages, while new themseleves, are accessed the same way. The elemental shield power ups are here and great as ever, although the addition of the homing shield from Sonic 3D Blast is a fun one. And all of these features were great before, so they're great here too. The game even had plenty of memorable moments, with the struggle against and metal Sonic feeling like it would have too broken boundaries for a 90s platformer (if it were one), and many setpieces using mechanics like hover shoes or snowboards leave quite an impact. The soundtrack deserves a special mention - it breathes new life into the original 8 Bit tunes to make some of the finest 16 Bit music I've ever seen, actually beating Sonic 3's legendary soundtrack, truly a joy to my ears.

By the time Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit ends, I feel I've had a great Classic Sonic experience. It offers the same fast and intricate platforming gameplay I grew to love this series for, and it feels just as unique, impressive, and special as Sonic 3 was. When I started writing this review, I couldn't think of anything unique to really say, because it's just so similar to Sonic 3 - but I feel that's the one thing I CAN say about it. It just works, because that game worked. And it works well. It's as if Sonic 3 had a 3rd cartridge for an even bigger lock on stack. And that's great!

I never played the Game Gear original, but I thought this was pretty cute.

My only major gripe is that the final level is kind of weak compared to the other 2D Sonic games, but that seems less like a failing of this remake and more of the original Triple Trouble. Hit detection can also be wonky at times.

The ridiculous and over-the-top final battle that you get when you gather all the emeralds makes up for those shortcomings, though. There are lots of extras and unlockables for beating the game as well. Definitely worth checking out for 2-D Sonic heads.

My favourite 2D Sonic.

I have some minor annoyances (nitpicks really, I don't even think they're worth mentioning), but nothing that kept me from enjoying the game.
Everything felt intuitive, the special stages are playable, the setpieces are memorable, and the game doesn't punish you for going fast.

Oh also, switching between controlling Sonic and Tails at anytime during the stage is fantastic.
Missed a jump? Just switch and fly back up (because there's not gonna be a bottomless pit! Unless it's one of like two instances where you're hanging onto the side of a moving vehicle.)

Despite having rated the other Game Gear Sonics pretty low, it's not so much that I dislike those games as it is they just so happened to have some bullshit that really turned me off ever wanting to touch them again. There's some merit to these more compact experiences; fun-sized levels, weird powerups and overall a different vibe.

For as much as Triple Trouble 16-bit is discussed as if it were a remake, it's actually more of a reimagining that pretty much throws out both the good and the bad of the original and instead gives you Sonic 3.5.
On it's own right, it does so well; a lot of Sonic fangames try accomplishing the same thing but fumble the bag either on terms of level design or general game feel. It's super close! I'd even say it's legit better than some of the official, well-regarded Sonic games.

Unfortunately, for something that's based on the Game Gear games, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed at how safe and close to the Genesis games (well, moreso Mania to be honest) it plays. I'm on the minority on this; I'm sure any mentally adjusted human being would be perfectly content in playing a new...ish Genesis styled Sonic game that plays close to a real big boy game. If you do like the Game Gear games, you might feel similar to how I did. Either way, play this and you'll probably have a good time. Fuck,even I might play it again since there's other characters (which should have been unlocked from the beginning, to be perfectly real).

Every Game Gear kid grew up convincing themselves that their Sonics would be just as good as the Mega Drive ones if they just had those Yuji Naka physics. Nope. They'd still be full of shite.

Triple Trouble 16-Bit is an impressive fangame that's hindered by the design sensibilities of the game it's based on, and the gameplay it's trying to incorporate. The levels are often full of blocky geometry with rudimentary enemies and lame gimmicks. Many aspects of Sonic 2, and 3 & Knuckles are attempted here, but they're tamer, crapper versions. You get Sky Chase Zone, except instead of the Tornado, Sonic's got flying shoes and he can spin into enemies, but there's no familiar jumping arc, and it feels crap. There's an attempt to expand on Ice Cap Zone's popular snowboarding sequence, but that takes the form of regular Sonic platforming with fewer abilities. Ice Cap Zone and Death Egg Zone are both quite liberally pulled from, actually, and reproduced in crapper, boxier, more repetitive designs here. There has been a lot of effort put into reworking the Game Gear's assets to bring them in line with the Mega Drive games, but the colour palettes and designs are just too limited and ugly to compare with some of the best-looking console games of the early 90s. It also takes away some of the scruffy appeal of the Game Gear original, in the process. The old art had a hell of a lot more charm than the edited Sonic 3 sprites you get here.

It seems somewhat harsh to compare an amateur hobby project to premier titles from one of the biggest developers in the industry, but that's how a lot of people have responded to it in their shortsighted praise. There's also game-breaking bugs and collision issues. You took a hit near a low ceiling? Say goodbye to those rings.

What has been achieved here is admirable, and there's some ambitious touches to elevate it above its implied intentions. Boss fights are often extended, each level is connected by a transitionary cutscene, and recreating the general geometry of the Game Gear title with the Mega Drive's sprite sizes and gameplay requires a lot of complex considerations, and they typically land on good compromises. There's also alternate characters, post-game unlocks and a competition mode that showcases a few ideas of how to make competitive Sonic better than anything Sega's come up with. It's an impressive project, and the people who created it should feel proud of what they've accomplished.

Just don't kid me on that anyone who isn't immediately sold by the concept ought to play it. Folk are treating it like it's the Sonic 4 that Mega Drive kids always wanted, and it quite candidly isn't that. If Triple Trouble was ever an important game to you, go for it. I really don't think you should be mentioning it to anyone else though.

Amazing improvement on the Game-Gear game, it more fully realizes the aspects of the original that tried to do ambitious things for its 8-bit hardware. This remake keeps much of the original's level design, but smooths over the rough edges of the original with some Sonic 3 & Knuckles influence. Speaking of the Sonic 3 influence, all levels seamlessly transition to the next via a nice cutscene. The special stages are found in the same way as in Sonic 3 where there are big rings hidden in the levels, and the special levels themselves are unique and really fun. I love how if you fail a special level you can spend a life to retry them, the special stages are also not too difficult overall which I appreciate. I love the ability to swap between Sonic and Tails at any time, this makes exploration really fun, as you can swap to Tails and fly around to look for things like special stages. Overall, this remake blows the original out of the water and you should honestly just skip the original and play this instead, it's a joy to play.