Sonic Mania is a wonderful game. It's got stunning spritework, polished mechanics, a banger soundtrack, top-notch level design, and tons of replayability. It's a game I've sunken tons of hours of pure blissful fun into... and it's not on this list. Because while Sonic Mania is great, it lacks cohesion. It doesn't feel like an adventure, it feels like a victory lap. Sonic Mania may be the most polished 2D Sonic game but it inherently suffers from having to be a compilation of levels from other games. Thus, as far as that classic Genesis formula goes, I think Sonic 3 & Knuckles still reigns supreme. It's an epic and thoughtfully hand-crafted adventure from start to finish, with the best level design, bosses, atmosphere, and story out of any of these games. And on top of all that, it offers one of the coolest technological novelties in all of gaming.
Let's the cool part out of the way. Sonic 3 & Knuckles was originally split up into two games, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles because of time constraints (never change, Sonic Team). With Sonic & Knuckles came Sega's new lock-on technology where you'd attach the cartridge onto that of Sonic 3 to combine them into the full intended experience, Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Already this is pretty sick, because it essentially gives you multiple ways to experience this game. You could play the shortened Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles back-to-back, or play that modified combined version and get slightly different experiences. But on top of that, Sega went the extra mile by letting you lock Sonic & Knuckles onto Sonic 2, letting you play as Knuckles in that game as well. And what about Sonic 1? Well, you'd just get a error screen... unless you pressed all three buttons at the same time and unlocked a fully gamified version of Sonic 3's special stages. Seriously, I can't express enough how cool this game's lock-on feature is. Not only is it just an impressive piece of tech on its own, but Sonic Team really went the extra mile to give it utility beyond simply completing Sonic 3 & Knuckles. And to this day, there really aren't any other games that have done something like this, especially once cartridges got replaced by CDs and far smaller cartridges.
From here on out, I'll primarily be talking about the complete Sonic 3 & Knuckles version of the game. As far as gameplay goes, S3&K pretty much perfects the Sonic formula in every conceivable way. Sonic's movement feels as fast and satisfying as ever (though the spin dash collision feels a lot better this time), but the big addition to gameplay comes in the form of Shields. Sonic now has an Insta Shield that can let him bounce off spiky enemies and extra his reach ever so slightly with the right timing. People often underestimate the Insta Shield, good usage of it can completely destroy certain bosses and enemies. Sonic 3 also adds elemental shields which give Sonic more moves like a dash or a double jump, and they also feel great and fluid to use. On top of all that, this the game where multiple characters really became a big thing in the series. In addition to Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are also playable and have their own movesets that are just as fun to use. Knuckles even has some differences in his route that make him worth playing as solely for those new bosses and cutscenes. These multiple characters along with the aforementioned lock-on feature give Sonic 3 & Knuckles an incredible amount of replayability, and that's not even getting into the vastly improved multiplayer mode with exclusive stages.
The level design in Sonic 3 & Knuckles is pretty much everything I want from Sonic level design. If Sonic CD was arguably too open and Sonic 2 was too streamlined and linear, Sonic 3 & Knuckles strikes the perfect balance between its stages being open and filled with tons of alternate routes while still having a sense of progression and memorable cinematic setpieces. Pretty much every level has at least one iconic setpieces, from the bomber chase in Angel Island to the iconic snowboarding sequence in Ice Cap to the gravity tubes in Death Egg. There's also a lot of variety in stage layout, and some of S3&K's stages aren't afraid to veer into more vertical level design, particularly Launch Base Zone. And on top of all of that, each of the twelve stages also tosses in a ton of creative gimmicks and mechanics, all of which get fleshed out over the course of one or two acts. There are so many highlights here, particularly in the Sonic & Knuckles half where I'd argue there isn't even a single bad level in the bunch, but I'll quickly go over some of my favorites. Hydrocity Zone is the rare genuinely fun water level that uses currents and water slides to keep the pace fast. Sandopolis Zone, despite its reputation, is stuffed to the brim with memorable gimmicks and boasts a brutal challenge of a second half that I find incredibly satisfying to complete. And Lava Reef Zone is my favorite zone in the entire franchise for its perfect pacing, how uniquely different its two acts are, cinematic finale, and the sheer amount of visual storytelling it crams in. Speaking of which...
Part of what makes Sonic 3 & Knuckles such a brilliant entry in the series as far as the Genesis formula goes is how well it tells its story without any dialogue whatsoever. Sonic 3 & Knuckles starts off with a short but effective cutscene where Super Sonic bumps into Knuckles and loses all his emeralds to the echidna, immediately giving you a motivation to chase after him. Across the next several stages, you keep running Knuckles who does everything in his power to set you back, all the while watching as Eggman destroys Angel Island with his technology. It all culminates in the aforementioned Lava Reef Zone where you see the Death Egg being constructed in the background as you delve deeper and deeper into Angel Island, only to finally face off against Knuckles in the island's hidden palace. Sure the fight itself isn't super difficult, but the cutscene afterwards where Eggman betrays Knuckles is well-choreographed and works as a culmination of everything the game was building up to. This isn't some Oscar-winning story or anything, but S3&K's narrative not only gets all the fundamentals right but pulls them off, once again, with no dialogue. I also can't help but wonder how it must've felt to experience this story when these games came out, especially as a kid. The break between Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles must've felt like the summer break between two seasons of television, the big confrontation at Hidden Palace must've felt like Return Of The Jedi but for 90s kids.
And I didn't even get into the boss fights this time. I feel like Sonic's boss fights aren't typically anything special, especially in the 2D games. Even Mania's fights suffer from being gimmicky and at times straight-up unpolished. Sonic 3 & Knuckles, on the other hand, actually has a pretty damn solid boss lineup. There aren't really many fights I'm actively dreading, and the best fights rank among some of my favorites in the franchise. Some bosses are super mechanically complex, like Big Arm, Red Eye, Super Mecha Sonic, and the Egg Golem. Other bosses are just straight-up weird like Gapsule, Egg Inferno, and the Guardian. And some bosses are thrilling and cinematic, like the Egg Drillster battle where you fight him in mid-air as Tails carries you around, or the blisteringly fast-paced Egg Scrambler. Or, of course, the series' first ever Super Sonic fight as you fly through an asteroid field taking out Eggman once and for all, all the while this frantic and propulsive final boss theme plays in the background. I also can't go without mentioning Knuckles's insane exclusive final boss where you fight Super (Mecha) Sonic yourself, all the while Angel Island precariously teeters in the background. I feel like I keeping coming back to that word, cinematic. Despite coming out for the Sega Genesis in 1994, Sonic 3 & Knuckles still feels like an action movie, between its compelling narrative, memorable setpieces, dynamic levels, and bombastic boss fights.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles looks absolutely stunning, it's easily one of the best-looking games on the Sega Genesis. Not the best-looking, that's saved for a later game on my list, but it comes incredibly close. The spritework is super detailed, and the backgrounds looks absolutely stunning. It's rare for a game's backgrounds to stick out in my mind but I can easily recall Ice Cap's frozen lake, Launch Base's towering buildings, and Sandopolis's harsh sunset. But my favorite thing about Sonic 3 & Knuckles's visuals is its shading. If you compare this game to the previous two Genesis Sonics, you'll quickly notice that S3&K's shading is far harsher and the colors in general are far darker, cooler, and moodier. Eggman's ship have an orange glow on their underside, and interior stages like Hydrocity, Flying Battery, and Lava Reef even feel like they have some attempts at ambient lighting going on. It just looks so striking and helps give Sonic 3 & Knuckles a uniquely serious and climactic tone. And of course, there's the stellar soundtrack, once again one of the best on the Genesis. While I generally prefer Sonic & Knuckles gameplay-wise, I will say that Sonic 3 generally has the better music, with the poppier tracks like Angel Island, Hydrocity, and Ice Cap still sounding super clean to this day. But even Sonic & Knuckles has some real bangers like Flying Battery, Sandopolis, and both Lava Reef tracks.
Overall, Sonic 3 & Knuckles simply does everything I'd want from a Sonic game. It punches far above its weight with a cinematic story told entirely visually, dynamic and sprawling levels, exciting setpieces and boss fights, console-pushing visuals and music, lots of replayability, and an incredibly unique piece of technology for some good measure. And unlike many of Sonic Team's other attempts at punching above their weight and rushing to meet deadlines, I'd say this one turned out incredibly well.
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