Holy shit, i was not expecting this much of an improvement. I was never able to get into the Sonic games, but i did enjoy the Spark series. Spark 1 was fun but not my thing, Spark 2 was super janky but i had a lot more fun with it than with 1.
Spark 3 is amazing and i consider myself a fan now instead of a curious tourist trying something outside of my confort zone.
The controls feel SOOO much better, the levels are long and fun, the combat is way better and the parry actually requires timing now, it polished every problem Spark 2 had.
I need to mention the story, i never cared about it in the previous games (and i still kinda don't care) but it becomes really crazy and entretaining near the end and it was so fun to watch, i need to see what happens next.
I'm definetly playing Spark 4 when it comes out, in the meantime maybe i'll see if i can find a Sonic game that "clicks" with me like this one did.
Spark 3 is amazing and i consider myself a fan now instead of a curious tourist trying something outside of my confort zone.
The controls feel SOOO much better, the levels are long and fun, the combat is way better and the parry actually requires timing now, it polished every problem Spark 2 had.
I need to mention the story, i never cared about it in the previous games (and i still kinda don't care) but it becomes really crazy and entretaining near the end and it was so fun to watch, i need to see what happens next.
I'm definetly playing Spark 4 when it comes out, in the meantime maybe i'll see if i can find a Sonic game that "clicks" with me like this one did.
A good "3D Sonic" game. Only the last level to the ending that is not well made.
Finally, Sonic Adventure 3.
Fun fast paced platformer that puts every 3D sonic game to shame. You have a lot of control in movement and the levels have a LOT of variety in design and aesthetics. The combat is okay but it could have been more varied. The game has a bit of padding in the type of having to collect medals to proceed from area to area but the side stages are all very varied and unique as well so it never feels too repetitive. Combat and its usage in boss battles will probably turn people away (and the character designs too) but if it doesn’t then you’ll have a lot of fun. Kirby powers are gone, unfortunately.
The story is SO edgy and absolutely fucking batshit insane, and the ending is fucking wild. It’s so edgy and dumb that I can’t take it seriously. Skip Spark 2 if you want to get into this after 1, you won’t miss anything.
has some post launch content that is really fun like every single level from Spark 2.
Fun fast paced platformer that puts every 3D sonic game to shame. You have a lot of control in movement and the levels have a LOT of variety in design and aesthetics. The combat is okay but it could have been more varied. The game has a bit of padding in the type of having to collect medals to proceed from area to area but the side stages are all very varied and unique as well so it never feels too repetitive. Combat and its usage in boss battles will probably turn people away (and the character designs too) but if it doesn’t then you’ll have a lot of fun. Kirby powers are gone, unfortunately.
The story is SO edgy and absolutely fucking batshit insane, and the ending is fucking wild. It’s so edgy and dumb that I can’t take it seriously. Skip Spark 2 if you want to get into this after 1, you won’t miss anything.
has some post launch content that is really fun like every single level from Spark 2.
Main game cleared on December 8th, 2023
Post game cleared on December 11th, 2023
Well, they weren't lying. Spark the Electric Jester 3 is the pinnacle of great high speed platforming that easily surpasses all Sonic games. The second game was great and all, but it felt more like a beta test since you can get the full game cleared in under 3 hours, but if that can somehow feel better to play than any 3D Sonic game out there, then imagine what a more refined and rebalanced game of this style can do.
The general gameplay remains the same as you move fast at high speeds, you can jump and homing attack, you can use the Jester Dash, and really, despite playing as Spark now, not much has changed beyond controller refinements... at first, anyway.
As you progress in the game, you'll be met with new tools in your arsenal. The kirby-esque power-ups no longer really apply and is now replaced with equipables and alternate playstyles which are pretty much just what you'd expect the power-ups can do. So in a way it's still there, but it's different in its approach. That said, I think the approach works so much better. You have skills like Wind which allows you to float in the air which is made even better when you are going fast to really close the gap, Snap Portal which lets you teleport to your foes, and a means of healing among others. And with alternate playstyles, there are 4 in addition to your standard form each of which having their own tricks and aspects they can offer.
Spark himself has the advantage of having the most combos to work with which unlocks as you progress throughout the game, and he can shoot laser bullets which doesn't do much damage, but when the foes are clumped up, it can rack up energy points from a safe distance, allowing you to use your power-ups.
Float is the 2nd character you unlock, and she has the advantage of allowing you to mark your foes and upon dealing enough damage, it will unleash a burst of damage on them. She doesn't need to be active to trigger this bonus which part of me isn't sure if it was intentional, but she still has value as she can float in the air which acts as a built-in Wind.
Fark you unlock after clearing the game. He has high attack speed, he can dash twice in the air, his dash gives him invulnerability, and upon reaching full energy, he can heal and give himself increased damage output, and since the energy drains, you can choose to sacrifice the damage output to combo into the Temporary Shield for a two-for one. Heck, under the right conditions, you may still keep the damage output and the shield at the same time. As you can tell, he's probably the best character in the game.
Reaper is technically the last remnant of the Spark 1 power-ups and it's really good. It has an invulnerable dash although it's frames aren't as good as Fark's, the combos are probably just as strong as Spark's, and if you channel RB long enough, you can heal for one point which makes it absolutely crucial for tough fights that bank on your survival. You'll especially need it for post game content.
There is one more you unlock post-game, but it's best that I don't say what it is since it feels really spoilery, but it increases damage output of your physical attacks at full energy as well as fire a slower but harder hitting laser bullet.
The level design has seen a significant improvement and play off the mechanics of the game very well. One of my complaints in the previous game was that there was little reason to engage in combat beyond getting good scores which to be fair is needed if you want to nab those score medals, but here, there are not only opportunities through barriers that obstruct you, there are dedicated levels designed for combat and it's really fun.
That said, it does reveal a problem that didn't seem like a big deal due to the lack of combat incentive in Spark 2, but I do not like how there's no means of locking on the targets you want to lock on. It's there, but you don't control what gets locked in and it may work against you otherwise. It also has to make compromises for the sake of balance as being able to block while move allows you to ignore the level mechanics. This isn't exactly a problem on its own merits, but because the post game consists of levels from Spark 2 which is required to get through to the post game bosses, it gets really rough around the final two levels as they seem more built with being able to move and block. Sure, you do have Fark and the Reaper with their invulnerability dash, but it never really crossed my mind, and I didn't have them on hand.
Oh yeah, the levels from Spark 2 all carry over to this game which is more or less there for content filler and you can knock them all out in roughly an hour if you know what you're doing, but it does highlight the mechanical refinements which include the stability of steering and now it's not as easy to overshoot yourself when making a large jump which does make shortcuts that once worked in the 2nd game harder to pull off. The bosses don't carry over, though. We don't want to obsolete Spark 2 that badly now, don't we?
On the note of bosses, they are rather enjoyable and some of them now have multi-phases although there is one boss that you have to fight multiple times which for the record is designed to be so hard that if you lose to it once, you have to play through the entire stage all over again just for another chance. You can still progress without defeating it, but beating it is the only way to get that Reaper power. They aren't too difficult, but I did think the final boss was... not that great. Like when you compare the legendary hype that both Spark 1 and 2 are capable of, having a boss with such an underwhelming final boss theme just made me wish it could've been so much more... well, there is, actually. In the post game.
Other than the Spark 2 levels, there is a gauntlet that requires you to clear at least 100 floors to get to the harder version of the final boss which is... actually kinda fucked up with how fast and aggressive it's attacks are to the point that some attacks can cancel out each other. Like seriously, even if you can somehow win with Spark alone, it takes a lot of patience. You are going to need Fark and the Reaper for this one. But guess what? It's not even the true final boss which isn't as hard on its own merits, but I will say that the Reaper is absolutely necessary on higher difficulties. At least it felt like a final boss, though.
The music is really good with some new songs once again in the style of Sonic Adventure, but I don't know why there wasn't any new vocal themes. It's not like they're that embarrassed with the three songs they had since they are in the game... well, two of them, anyway.
But now what I want to address is the story which... ok, so when I was playing both Spark 1 and 2, I didn't really think much of the story. It's there with Spark 1 being humorous enough to keep me entertained as I go along with the game and Spark 2 trying to take itself seriously but felt rather melodramatic. There was some potential as the villain's goals and philosophy seem interesting enough, so you'd think that Spark 3's story would be good in that case, right? Well, it's not bad. It does actually have backstories to offer which go on for a good bit and are there to explain the mercenaries of Freom as well as Freom himself, but other than that, I didn't really think of it as anything more or less than what Spark 1 and 2 are capable of... until the final act. I cannot even talk about it, it is some serious mind-fuckery you need to see to believe. Though, I guess that's just something extra to make an already amazing game that much more memorable.
Post game cleared on December 11th, 2023
Well, they weren't lying. Spark the Electric Jester 3 is the pinnacle of great high speed platforming that easily surpasses all Sonic games. The second game was great and all, but it felt more like a beta test since you can get the full game cleared in under 3 hours, but if that can somehow feel better to play than any 3D Sonic game out there, then imagine what a more refined and rebalanced game of this style can do.
The general gameplay remains the same as you move fast at high speeds, you can jump and homing attack, you can use the Jester Dash, and really, despite playing as Spark now, not much has changed beyond controller refinements... at first, anyway.
As you progress in the game, you'll be met with new tools in your arsenal. The kirby-esque power-ups no longer really apply and is now replaced with equipables and alternate playstyles which are pretty much just what you'd expect the power-ups can do. So in a way it's still there, but it's different in its approach. That said, I think the approach works so much better. You have skills like Wind which allows you to float in the air which is made even better when you are going fast to really close the gap, Snap Portal which lets you teleport to your foes, and a means of healing among others. And with alternate playstyles, there are 4 in addition to your standard form each of which having their own tricks and aspects they can offer.
Spark himself has the advantage of having the most combos to work with which unlocks as you progress throughout the game, and he can shoot laser bullets which doesn't do much damage, but when the foes are clumped up, it can rack up energy points from a safe distance, allowing you to use your power-ups.
Float is the 2nd character you unlock, and she has the advantage of allowing you to mark your foes and upon dealing enough damage, it will unleash a burst of damage on them. She doesn't need to be active to trigger this bonus which part of me isn't sure if it was intentional, but she still has value as she can float in the air which acts as a built-in Wind.
Fark you unlock after clearing the game. He has high attack speed, he can dash twice in the air, his dash gives him invulnerability, and upon reaching full energy, he can heal and give himself increased damage output, and since the energy drains, you can choose to sacrifice the damage output to combo into the Temporary Shield for a two-for one. Heck, under the right conditions, you may still keep the damage output and the shield at the same time. As you can tell, he's probably the best character in the game.
Reaper is technically the last remnant of the Spark 1 power-ups and it's really good. It has an invulnerable dash although it's frames aren't as good as Fark's, the combos are probably just as strong as Spark's, and if you channel RB long enough, you can heal for one point which makes it absolutely crucial for tough fights that bank on your survival. You'll especially need it for post game content.
There is one more you unlock post-game, but it's best that I don't say what it is since it feels really spoilery, but it increases damage output of your physical attacks at full energy as well as fire a slower but harder hitting laser bullet.
The level design has seen a significant improvement and play off the mechanics of the game very well. One of my complaints in the previous game was that there was little reason to engage in combat beyond getting good scores which to be fair is needed if you want to nab those score medals, but here, there are not only opportunities through barriers that obstruct you, there are dedicated levels designed for combat and it's really fun.
That said, it does reveal a problem that didn't seem like a big deal due to the lack of combat incentive in Spark 2, but I do not like how there's no means of locking on the targets you want to lock on. It's there, but you don't control what gets locked in and it may work against you otherwise. It also has to make compromises for the sake of balance as being able to block while move allows you to ignore the level mechanics. This isn't exactly a problem on its own merits, but because the post game consists of levels from Spark 2 which is required to get through to the post game bosses, it gets really rough around the final two levels as they seem more built with being able to move and block. Sure, you do have Fark and the Reaper with their invulnerability dash, but it never really crossed my mind, and I didn't have them on hand.
Oh yeah, the levels from Spark 2 all carry over to this game which is more or less there for content filler and you can knock them all out in roughly an hour if you know what you're doing, but it does highlight the mechanical refinements which include the stability of steering and now it's not as easy to overshoot yourself when making a large jump which does make shortcuts that once worked in the 2nd game harder to pull off. The bosses don't carry over, though. We don't want to obsolete Spark 2 that badly now, don't we?
On the note of bosses, they are rather enjoyable and some of them now have multi-phases although there is one boss that you have to fight multiple times which for the record is designed to be so hard that if you lose to it once, you have to play through the entire stage all over again just for another chance. You can still progress without defeating it, but beating it is the only way to get that Reaper power. They aren't too difficult, but I did think the final boss was... not that great. Like when you compare the legendary hype that both Spark 1 and 2 are capable of, having a boss with such an underwhelming final boss theme just made me wish it could've been so much more... well, there is, actually. In the post game.
Other than the Spark 2 levels, there is a gauntlet that requires you to clear at least 100 floors to get to the harder version of the final boss which is... actually kinda fucked up with how fast and aggressive it's attacks are to the point that some attacks can cancel out each other. Like seriously, even if you can somehow win with Spark alone, it takes a lot of patience. You are going to need Fark and the Reaper for this one. But guess what? It's not even the true final boss which isn't as hard on its own merits, but I will say that the Reaper is absolutely necessary on higher difficulties. At least it felt like a final boss, though.
The music is really good with some new songs once again in the style of Sonic Adventure, but I don't know why there wasn't any new vocal themes. It's not like they're that embarrassed with the three songs they had since they are in the game... well, two of them, anyway.
But now what I want to address is the story which... ok, so when I was playing both Spark 1 and 2, I didn't really think much of the story. It's there with Spark 1 being humorous enough to keep me entertained as I go along with the game and Spark 2 trying to take itself seriously but felt rather melodramatic. There was some potential as the villain's goals and philosophy seem interesting enough, so you'd think that Spark 3's story would be good in that case, right? Well, it's not bad. It does actually have backstories to offer which go on for a good bit and are there to explain the mercenaries of Freom as well as Freom himself, but other than that, I didn't really think of it as anything more or less than what Spark 1 and 2 are capable of... until the final act. I cannot even talk about it, it is some serious mind-fuckery you need to see to believe. Though, I guess that's just something extra to make an already amazing game that much more memorable.
Okay, there has to be a way for these games to have good final levels, right?
Holy shit
I came away from Spark 3 feeling like I had just played a standout release from the mid-2000s that I somehow missed. Which might be some of the highest praise I can give out.
It's also a FAST game. Provided you're not grinding Highscore Medals that is. You're able to pick up some serious speed after chain dashing through rin- I mean lines of "bit"s.
Unless you're trying to clear the par-times the levels are quite easy to complete, but the movement is satisfying regardless. The levels also tend to be quite physically large, with multiple paths to run through. They also look pretty nice imo. Sadly the combat is rather mindless. I found it to be easy to rip through encounters with slightly varied button mashing.
The soundtrack's also excellent, being well suited to the high speed platforming at hand. Protest City is a standout imo.
Spark shines brightest while pursuing the aforementioned par-time medals. Learning the routes, gradually pulling off cleaner and cleaner series of optimized boosts, dashes, and jumps, to soar through the levels feels great.
- - -
I'm happy to report that the Secret Boss makes excellent use of the combat system. I think the campaign's encounters could be improved with increased aggression and mildly reduced HP.
It's also a FAST game. Provided you're not grinding Highscore Medals that is. You're able to pick up some serious speed after chain dashing through rin- I mean lines of "bit"s.
Unless you're trying to clear the par-times the levels are quite easy to complete, but the movement is satisfying regardless. The levels also tend to be quite physically large, with multiple paths to run through. They also look pretty nice imo. Sadly the combat is rather mindless. I found it to be easy to rip through encounters with slightly varied button mashing.
The soundtrack's also excellent, being well suited to the high speed platforming at hand. Protest City is a standout imo.
Spark shines brightest while pursuing the aforementioned par-time medals. Learning the routes, gradually pulling off cleaner and cleaner series of optimized boosts, dashes, and jumps, to soar through the levels feels great.
- - -
I'm happy to report that the Secret Boss makes excellent use of the combat system. I think the campaign's encounters could be improved with increased aggression and mildly reduced HP.
A very fun sonic adventure like game held back by an intrusive combat system.
mmmm
It's baffling to me that one guy was able to top Sonic Team when it comes to making a high-speed platformer. This is the level I expect new Sonic games to stand on. I don't think it's a particularly unrealistic standard. An absolutely fantastic game. And runs like a dream on the Deck.
This game is really cool. I might suck cuz I got stuck on one boss for a while and it sucked out my motivation to continue. Cool while it lasted tho.
WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK
esqueci de adicionar aqui mas joguei ano passado e eh mt poggers foda pkrl boraaaaaa spark boraaa brasil
É injusto com Spark 3 que eu tenha o zerado em abril e só esteja escrevendo sobre agora. É injusto que em abril eu o tenha jogado direto na primeira semana e tenha deixado o final pra dois dias no final do mês. Nada que eu diga será à altura de Spark 3, pois esse jogo maravilhoso é muito do que eu sempre quis.
Eu sei que as comparações são milhares, mas não tem jeito. Aqui tem quase tudo do que eu quero num jogo do Sonic. Pra mim essa deveria ser a base dos próximos jogos, e isso vir de um jogo independente brasileiro me deixa ainda mais feliz. Até o diretor do Sonic Frontiers zerou e disse que estudou o design dele e aprendeu muito. Isso daqui é uma obra absurda.
Mesmo assim, sinto que faltou alguma coisa. Eu voltei nele pra coletar as medalhas, descobrir mais caminhos, fazer mais combos e rejogar o 2 inteiro dentro dele, mas não consegui descobrir o que é. Talvez seja relacionado a história, que eu gostei bem pouco, ou a maneira que eu joguei, não podendo o saborear da maneira que merecia.
Esse é um dos meus jogos favoritos, pois o jogando, sentia que ele tinha sido feito especificamente pra mim, como se o Feperd estivesse lendo minha mente, e ainda superou as minhas expectativas.
Mas essa não foi, nem de longe, uma das minhas experiências favoritas. E pra mim isso vale muito mais.
PS: Obrigado pelo jogo sogrinha!
Eu sei que as comparações são milhares, mas não tem jeito. Aqui tem quase tudo do que eu quero num jogo do Sonic. Pra mim essa deveria ser a base dos próximos jogos, e isso vir de um jogo independente brasileiro me deixa ainda mais feliz. Até o diretor do Sonic Frontiers zerou e disse que estudou o design dele e aprendeu muito. Isso daqui é uma obra absurda.
Mesmo assim, sinto que faltou alguma coisa. Eu voltei nele pra coletar as medalhas, descobrir mais caminhos, fazer mais combos e rejogar o 2 inteiro dentro dele, mas não consegui descobrir o que é. Talvez seja relacionado a história, que eu gostei bem pouco, ou a maneira que eu joguei, não podendo o saborear da maneira que merecia.
Esse é um dos meus jogos favoritos, pois o jogando, sentia que ele tinha sido feito especificamente pra mim, como se o Feperd estivesse lendo minha mente, e ainda superou as minhas expectativas.
Mas essa não foi, nem de longe, uma das minhas experiências favoritas. E pra mim isso vale muito mais.
PS: Obrigado pelo jogo sogrinha!
This is a pretty significant improvement from Spark 2 in terms of controls. Spark feels a lot more responsive than his robot frenemy Fark ever did.
You're getting a good amount of game here, since Spark 3 also includes all the Spark 2 stages, in addition to a lot of optional challenge stages and collectables to find in each level. It's a good capper to this trilogy of off-brand Sonic games.
You're getting a good amount of game here, since Spark 3 also includes all the Spark 2 stages, in addition to a lot of optional challenge stages and collectables to find in each level. It's a good capper to this trilogy of off-brand Sonic games.
If you like 3D Sonic at all, or just 3D platformers in general, I can't recommend this game enough. It's got great movement, fantastic level design, a phenomenal soundtrack, and a pretty good story to boot.
Also, the ending is something that has to be seen to be believed.
Also, the ending is something that has to be seen to be believed.
a full improvement on the 2nd game. the controls feel way better, the game is less janky, the levels are expansive and there is a decent bit of side content so that the game doesn't end in like an hour. just speeding through some of these levels is a joy and this game really gets what made the speed levels in the sonic adventure games click with so many players. if they do a spark 4 i will be there day 1
Sonic Unleashed but 100,000x better.
Peak
Best 3D platformer I've ever played.
better than sonic adventure
"the best 3d sonic game" for people who have never played a sonic game. still fun
Com certeza o melhor da franquia, level design impecável! Sonic sente até inveja.
This games really good I haven't finished it yet. I think I like Spark 2 better though.
Easily one of the best high-speed platformers I've ever played and a notable step above the second game. Cool looking levels with a lot of variety in both look and how they play, tight controls that make moving around feel great, going fast just feels good, and the story was actually pretty interesting which was my biggest surprise. Only real complaint is that boss fights feel pretty samey /if/ you're good at parrying, but the amount of freedom in the combat system still kept things fun especially when it came to juggling enemies. This game is well beyond the "it's just like Sonic" status. LakeFeperd continues to really nail it.
I went in to this game after completing all the trophies in 2 and idk it just didn’t stick to me like 2’s gameplay did I do like the story direction for this game along with the level design it is the best I’ve seen in a game I was amazed but it just doesn’t hold a candle to what I feel when playing 2 still great 3 is something different but familiar.
Ok so maybe the reason I didn't like Sonic Frontiers is cause I played this first
minus 1 star cause i wish it was all platforming and no combat
minus 1 star cause i wish it was all platforming and no combat
I played through this crafting my opinion I was going to write here about how like the level design is where I want it to be this time and it controls great but I think the scoring system is messed up because they decoupled the score and time elements but it's still fun.
Anyway then I beat the game and got legitimately emotionally invested in a character named Fark the Electric Jester and all the other stuff feels less important. Worthy successor to Sonic Adventure 2
Anyway then I beat the game and got legitimately emotionally invested in a character named Fark the Electric Jester and all the other stuff feels less important. Worthy successor to Sonic Adventure 2
this game was fun😎the movement felt super good and i really liked the feeling of speed and momentum you can get as you get more familiar with it.. it makes it really satisfying to go for skips and to streamline your times or even just explore once you get used to all the tools you have, doing stuff like dashing across walls and ceilings and using your momentum to fly across the stage and skip whole sections 😮💨 it feels so awesome.... the levels were really great too the layouts were engaging and pretty long and they look great and the aesthetic was cool and unique and make for some super fire and memorable set pieces.. and really good music 😏the combat is not very involved or satisfying imo there are boss fight levels that are solely combat and they are a bit overbearing and annoying -_- you can usually beat them on your first try but they are not that fun i think it wouldve been cool if you had some bosses that challenged your speed and platforming rather than just combat because the pure combat begins to feel a bit monotonous... the story was also not very good imo !!!! it started off very standard but it gets pretentious feeling near the end 😭 feels like a major dissonance between the story and the game youre playing....... and pretty much everything else is good and fun and i liked it 😎
you can make a lot of arguments for why this is the best game in the trilogy, but none of them will hit as hard as the fact that you can play as a cute girl