“A BLAST PROCESSING SHOCKWAVE, THREE DECADES OUT”
Starting to reach a Genesis-era Sonic homeostasis.
As much as I appreciate what the original Sonic games represent, the nostalgia has long since worn off. I firmly believe Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the first really good one, although fans nowadays will take care to remind you: it’s only one half of the complete package.
My first exposure to Sonic 3 was through Sonic Mega Collection Plus on PS2 and, believe it or not, you actually had to unlock Sonic 3 & Knuckles! There were a few more unlockable games, but in hindsight it’s a little strange they did this.
Anyways, considering Sonic 3 as a standalone title… this one has the sauce.
Aesthetically, I think Sonic CD will always be my favorite looking and sounding 2D Sonic game (EU/JP soundtrack is an all-timer), but Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) is the peak of the Genesis era titles for me. There’s a level of spectacle and polish in this one that makes the whole thing pop. Consider those Genesis commercials where they’d have Super Mario World on one screen and Sonic the Hedgehog on the other. Yeah, Sonic 1 was flexing the hardware, but Sonic 3 is straight up overclocked. The sprite work, pseudo-3D depth of the stages, scripted sequences, everything here is cooked to perfection.
Each zone retains its two-act structure, but this time with an additional mini-boss between stages, and extra music arrangements for Acts 1 and 2 respectively.
The original soundtrack is so good that its substitution in the latest Sonic Origins collection actively hampers my enjoyment of that version. If you want to play Sonic 3 the way God intended, mod the original soundtrack into Origins, or use an emulator, or play it on any of the numerous Sonic/Genesis-era collections Sega has released over the years.
Mechanically, this is still Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic 3 introduces the insta-shield, an attack which I didn’t fully grasp when I was younger; now that I’m older, however, I think the insta-shield is one of the series’ many understated strokes of genius, and it’s surprising this mechanic wasn’t carried over into future titles (save for a select few).
Sonic 3 also introduces the elemental shields which may be the most important gimmick in the series’ history, which also wasn’t carried over into future titles (except for the electric shield, which also appears in a few 2D and 3D titles). I genuinely believe the elemental shields are the lynchpin holding Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) together. Each one alters Sonic’s insta-shield ability, and each one is fun to play with. The bubble shield – which also allows players to breathe underwater – adds an extra oomph to levels like Hydrocity.
Despite being the shortest Sonic game on the original Genesis (with only six zones, two acts each), Sonic 3 also introduces a save system. This is appreciated! Quitting the game and reloading a save file, however, resets a player’s score and extra lives. Again, it’s appreciated, but Sonic 3 is so short and the handicap for loading a game is so severe that a save system feels unnecessary.
One thing I prefer to the other Genesis titles by a country mile are the special stages. Instead of attempts being limited to the end of a level, or checkpoints, or depending on the amount of rings players collect, the special stages are separated into giant rings that can be found throughout levels. Personally, I really enjoy this approach to special stages because it rewards exploration, and experienced players will have no trouble collecting all seven chaos emeralds early on – I’m usually able to get all of them by Marble Garden.
Blue Sphere is probably my favorite special stage, but not by a wide margin. It’s the least frustrating, but sometimes the sensitivity/responsiveness feels a little off, which can lead to some frustrating deaths. I would say the frequency of this happening is few and far between, and something more experienced players would likely have an easier time putting to text. I think it’s fine.
Honestly, I think one of the reasons I have such fond memories of Sonic 3 specifically is because it was so easy to get all the chaos emeralds in this one compared to Sonic 1 and especially Sonic 2. Blue Sphere isn’t hard at all, and there’s plenty of opportunities to find giant rings hidden throughout a level. It’s still fun to breeze through the latter stages with Super Sonic, but I do wish there was a better way to turn it on and off. It’s crazy that nobody even thought of this until Sonic Mania almost 25 years later.
Also, I think it’s probably easy to discount the latter half of Sonic 3 because it’s so easy to collect the chaos emeralds before the halfway point. As much as I love the sound and aesthetic of stages like Carnival Night and Ice Cap, these levels honestly aren’t great!
Carnival Night Zone Act One is okay, but Act Two feels really uninspired. Just more of the same, but also it’s a water level now, too. I don’t even hate the barrel anymore, but also like, yeah, how is any new player supposed to figure that one out??
Ice Cap Act One starts with an iconic snowboard set piece, and the rest of the level is just super claustrophobic, tons of linear corridors, endlessly looping Labyrinth Zonesque slides… nothing fun happens. Act Two has some verticality with the trampoline things, but that’s about it.
Launch Base Zone feels appropriately difficult for a final level, and it’s probably the best of the final zones compared to Scrap Brain and Metropolis/Wing Fortress – but it still has too many instances of cheap enemy placement, instant death traps, obstacles that are nearly impossible to react to.
The final boss is separated into three discrete phases, phase one and two are separated by a minute long unskippable cutscene(!) where the timer keeps ticking(!!) and then concludes on phase three which, if you’re playing the & Knuckles version, is removed entirely.
The third and final phase is a lot more difficult, requiring precise jumps to deal any damage. This boss feels like an appropriately difficult final challenge. As Sonic, you can even use your mastery of the insta-shield ability to damage Eggman when he’s underneath you (if you time it just right).
Comparatively, the back half of Sonic 3 feels much harder to play through as Tails. Not only does he lack Sonic’s insta-shield, collecting all seven chaos emeralds does not grant him a super form. For the record, I did collect all seven chaos emeralds as Tails, and I did finish the game as Tails.
Though if we’re critiquing this game as is, without comparing it to anything released afterwards, I think that Sonic 3 is a great sequel and a great Sonic game. For me, it feels like the most quintessentially arcadey Genesis-era Sonic title. It’s still fun to blast through as Sonic, although Tails’ route leaves much to be desired.
Still a treat 30 years later.
Starting to reach a Genesis-era Sonic homeostasis.
As much as I appreciate what the original Sonic games represent, the nostalgia has long since worn off. I firmly believe Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the first really good one, although fans nowadays will take care to remind you: it’s only one half of the complete package.
My first exposure to Sonic 3 was through Sonic Mega Collection Plus on PS2 and, believe it or not, you actually had to unlock Sonic 3 & Knuckles! There were a few more unlockable games, but in hindsight it’s a little strange they did this.
Anyways, considering Sonic 3 as a standalone title… this one has the sauce.
Aesthetically, I think Sonic CD will always be my favorite looking and sounding 2D Sonic game (EU/JP soundtrack is an all-timer), but Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) is the peak of the Genesis era titles for me. There’s a level of spectacle and polish in this one that makes the whole thing pop. Consider those Genesis commercials where they’d have Super Mario World on one screen and Sonic the Hedgehog on the other. Yeah, Sonic 1 was flexing the hardware, but Sonic 3 is straight up overclocked. The sprite work, pseudo-3D depth of the stages, scripted sequences, everything here is cooked to perfection.
Each zone retains its two-act structure, but this time with an additional mini-boss between stages, and extra music arrangements for Acts 1 and 2 respectively.
The original soundtrack is so good that its substitution in the latest Sonic Origins collection actively hampers my enjoyment of that version. If you want to play Sonic 3 the way God intended, mod the original soundtrack into Origins, or use an emulator, or play it on any of the numerous Sonic/Genesis-era collections Sega has released over the years.
Mechanically, this is still Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic 3 introduces the insta-shield, an attack which I didn’t fully grasp when I was younger; now that I’m older, however, I think the insta-shield is one of the series’ many understated strokes of genius, and it’s surprising this mechanic wasn’t carried over into future titles (save for a select few).
Sonic 3 also introduces the elemental shields which may be the most important gimmick in the series’ history, which also wasn’t carried over into future titles (except for the electric shield, which also appears in a few 2D and 3D titles). I genuinely believe the elemental shields are the lynchpin holding Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) together. Each one alters Sonic’s insta-shield ability, and each one is fun to play with. The bubble shield – which also allows players to breathe underwater – adds an extra oomph to levels like Hydrocity.
Despite being the shortest Sonic game on the original Genesis (with only six zones, two acts each), Sonic 3 also introduces a save system. This is appreciated! Quitting the game and reloading a save file, however, resets a player’s score and extra lives. Again, it’s appreciated, but Sonic 3 is so short and the handicap for loading a game is so severe that a save system feels unnecessary.
One thing I prefer to the other Genesis titles by a country mile are the special stages. Instead of attempts being limited to the end of a level, or checkpoints, or depending on the amount of rings players collect, the special stages are separated into giant rings that can be found throughout levels. Personally, I really enjoy this approach to special stages because it rewards exploration, and experienced players will have no trouble collecting all seven chaos emeralds early on – I’m usually able to get all of them by Marble Garden.
Blue Sphere is probably my favorite special stage, but not by a wide margin. It’s the least frustrating, but sometimes the sensitivity/responsiveness feels a little off, which can lead to some frustrating deaths. I would say the frequency of this happening is few and far between, and something more experienced players would likely have an easier time putting to text. I think it’s fine.
Honestly, I think one of the reasons I have such fond memories of Sonic 3 specifically is because it was so easy to get all the chaos emeralds in this one compared to Sonic 1 and especially Sonic 2. Blue Sphere isn’t hard at all, and there’s plenty of opportunities to find giant rings hidden throughout a level. It’s still fun to breeze through the latter stages with Super Sonic, but I do wish there was a better way to turn it on and off. It’s crazy that nobody even thought of this until Sonic Mania almost 25 years later.
Also, I think it’s probably easy to discount the latter half of Sonic 3 because it’s so easy to collect the chaos emeralds before the halfway point. As much as I love the sound and aesthetic of stages like Carnival Night and Ice Cap, these levels honestly aren’t great!
Carnival Night Zone Act One is okay, but Act Two feels really uninspired. Just more of the same, but also it’s a water level now, too. I don’t even hate the barrel anymore, but also like, yeah, how is any new player supposed to figure that one out??
Ice Cap Act One starts with an iconic snowboard set piece, and the rest of the level is just super claustrophobic, tons of linear corridors, endlessly looping Labyrinth Zonesque slides… nothing fun happens. Act Two has some verticality with the trampoline things, but that’s about it.
Launch Base Zone feels appropriately difficult for a final level, and it’s probably the best of the final zones compared to Scrap Brain and Metropolis/Wing Fortress – but it still has too many instances of cheap enemy placement, instant death traps, obstacles that are nearly impossible to react to.
The final boss is separated into three discrete phases, phase one and two are separated by a minute long unskippable cutscene(!) where the timer keeps ticking(!!) and then concludes on phase three which, if you’re playing the & Knuckles version, is removed entirely.
The third and final phase is a lot more difficult, requiring precise jumps to deal any damage. This boss feels like an appropriately difficult final challenge. As Sonic, you can even use your mastery of the insta-shield ability to damage Eggman when he’s underneath you (if you time it just right).
Comparatively, the back half of Sonic 3 feels much harder to play through as Tails. Not only does he lack Sonic’s insta-shield, collecting all seven chaos emeralds does not grant him a super form. For the record, I did collect all seven chaos emeralds as Tails, and I did finish the game as Tails.
Though if we’re critiquing this game as is, without comparing it to anything released afterwards, I think that Sonic 3 is a great sequel and a great Sonic game. For me, it feels like the most quintessentially arcadey Genesis-era Sonic title. It’s still fun to blast through as Sonic, although Tails’ route leaves much to be desired.
Still a treat 30 years later.