System: Sega Genesis
Release: 1994
Back when Sega was still working on Sonic 3, they intended for it to be the biggest Sonic title yet with three playable characters with their own unique play mechanics, 14 levels to navigate and explore, and boss battles galore. The Genesis was beginning to fade and gimmicks like the Sega CD and 32X just weren't doing it, so I guess you could say they wanted to go all out for the this one. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough time to get everything finished for the release date, so they had no choice but to take what they had finished and ship it off to meet it's quota. So what now? Would they just use the rest of the game they were working on for the Sonic the hedgehog 4, or would they just can it and move on?
No, not at all.
As gamers were collecting the newest set of Chaos emeralds and swore death upon the Carnival Night zone, Sega was busy working on the second part of Sonic 3, and half a year later Sonic & Knuckles hit store shelves.
Story:
The game is split into two stories. Selecting Sonic instantly puts you at the start of Mushroom Hill, continuing his story from the last title. His story was already explained in Sonic 3, and for the rest of this game you're just hopping from one zone to the next, eventually leading to a showdown with Robotnik. Knuckles on the other hand has a small back story where he's fighting against Eggrobo in place of Dr. Robonik. Outside of a small cut scene before the game starts, we don't find out anything else in the game really.
Design, gameplay & presentation:
It's the same as the last title, which is nothing to complain about. These two games have some great designs, controls, music... it's all fine. The only new thing to note is Knuckles, a Sonic who can glide for short periods and climb up walls, but that's not all... During stage levels and boss fights, one will notice some differences here and there between the two games, such as Knuckles having alternate paths and the bosses you will face might have slightly different attacks that will give Knuckles more of challenge. I've said all I can in my last review on these three topics... so for now, just enjoy the pictures.
Lock on:
One of the most interesting things about this title is the cartridge itself. Now, sega could have just released the sequel in an average Genesis cart and called it "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 TURBO" or something, but instead they went for a more unique approach. At the top of the cartridge is an extra game slot that allows players to stick not just Sonic 3, but Sonic 2 on top.
Doing this with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 allows the player to play the game as Knuckles, complete with gliding and wall climbing. The first time I found out about this, I went nuts. I was constantly abusing Knuckles's gliding to bypass all the hazards in Sonic 2, and every once in a while I would even find a couple of goodies that Sonic or Tails just couldn't reach. A nice little extra, but it pales in comparison to what Sonic 3 does.
Combining Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles completes the game. Knuckles has his own save slots, the music is from both Sonic 3 and S&K, but the biggest change is now we have both titles combined as one. This was what Sega wanted to give us from the beginning. Some interesting additions are secret paths only Knuckles can break through, starting off as Tails will eventually allow you to play him in the Sonic & Knuckles levels, and finally the Super Emeralds. It's a staple for the series, you collect 7 Chaos Emeralds and you become Super Sonic. That was tricky enough, but Sonic 3 & Knuckles ups the anti. Once the player has acquired the first 7 emeralds and accessed Super Sonic, they now have a chance to obtain a new set of emeralds powered by the Master Emerald. Once you completed that task, you can now play as Hyper Sonic. Completes have their work cut out for them.
My only gripe is that they couldn't get the lock on program to work with the original Sonic the Hedgehog, though from what I understand this was due to some issues with the originals memory size, so it won't work.
Overall:
This is as good as it gets. An incredible adventure with multiple players, a huge selection of levels just waiting to be explored, all kinds of boss battles, hidden goodies, great music, great visuals. What more can a gamer want? A must play not just for any Sonic fan, but any gamer.
As for the score... I had a real hard time figuring this one out... I mean, I can see Sonic and Knuckles itself getting a 4 out 5, but for the whole package, it just makes the whole thing so much more rewarding.
Score:
out of
