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!
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!