This review contains spoilers
[finished with 3 of the 7 emeralds collected, planning on going back for them at a later date]
This is a fangame I've been keeping an eye on for a while; it reimagines the less-than-beloved isometric platformer from 1996, turning it into a more traditional 2D affair. And how well did it turn out? For the most part, quite decently!
For starters, the presentation's pretty solid! Due to the isometric perspective of the original 3D Blast, you never got to see much in the way of backgrounds or environmental details, which isn't the case here! A lot of the zones are totally reimagined in terms of their locations and appearance, whilst still being recognizable. My personal favourites of these are probably Spring Stadium taking place outside (and having a gorgeous sunset in Act 1), and Panic Puppet still being under construction (although it is unfortunately lacking the titular Eggman puppet in Act 2). There's also some neat details added to fit this in as a transition game inbetween 3&K and Adventure, like Eggman having a unique design combining his classic and modern looks, and Sonic having green eyes on the title screen.
Before I get into the level design, I'd also love to give massive props to the bosses in particular. All the ones from 3D Blast are reimagined in a 2D space and work quite well, but since the structure's more like 3&K, that means each Act 1 also has a miniboss to contend with, which end up being some real deep-cut references. These include the Mecha Sonic from S2 8-Bit, an original Eggrobo and E-Series fusion called E99, MY BOY METAL KNUCKLES, all five Sonic robots appearing in Gene Gadget (including the unnamed bot from SA1) and more! Their actual fights could be a bit better (you really need to have some quick reaction times to efficiently deal with these guys), but learning their patterns and getting through was still fun!
Now we get onto the level design, which I'm not quite as crazy about. For the most part it's pretty good, capturing the style of speed and platforming S3&K pioneered, with a couple of environmental puzzles thrown in. These usually serve as cute little references to sections from the original 3D Blast, like the balloon climb in Spring Stadium 1, the three platforms with a spring in Rusty Ruin 2, and even a 2D recreation of the exploratory bit in Gene Gadget 2! My main problem with the levels is that they can occasionally feel a bit cheap, launching you into things or not giving you enough of a heads up that something's coming. A fair few of these can be avoided if you roll frequently (which I usually do), but they're worth mentioning if that kind of trial-and-error design for Sonic isn't your thing.
But overall, I thought Sonic 3D in 2D was a neat little fangame! It's certainly a bit rough in places and doesn't always nail exactly what it sets out to do, but I'd say that's to be expected with fangames. Still, if you want another 2D Sonic to play through and you don't mind some roughness, I'd say it's worth a try!
This is a fangame I've been keeping an eye on for a while; it reimagines the less-than-beloved isometric platformer from 1996, turning it into a more traditional 2D affair. And how well did it turn out? For the most part, quite decently!
For starters, the presentation's pretty solid! Due to the isometric perspective of the original 3D Blast, you never got to see much in the way of backgrounds or environmental details, which isn't the case here! A lot of the zones are totally reimagined in terms of their locations and appearance, whilst still being recognizable. My personal favourites of these are probably Spring Stadium taking place outside (and having a gorgeous sunset in Act 1), and Panic Puppet still being under construction (although it is unfortunately lacking the titular Eggman puppet in Act 2). There's also some neat details added to fit this in as a transition game inbetween 3&K and Adventure, like Eggman having a unique design combining his classic and modern looks, and Sonic having green eyes on the title screen.
Before I get into the level design, I'd also love to give massive props to the bosses in particular. All the ones from 3D Blast are reimagined in a 2D space and work quite well, but since the structure's more like 3&K, that means each Act 1 also has a miniboss to contend with, which end up being some real deep-cut references. These include the Mecha Sonic from S2 8-Bit, an original Eggrobo and E-Series fusion called E99, MY BOY METAL KNUCKLES, all five Sonic robots appearing in Gene Gadget (including the unnamed bot from SA1) and more! Their actual fights could be a bit better (you really need to have some quick reaction times to efficiently deal with these guys), but learning their patterns and getting through was still fun!
Now we get onto the level design, which I'm not quite as crazy about. For the most part it's pretty good, capturing the style of speed and platforming S3&K pioneered, with a couple of environmental puzzles thrown in. These usually serve as cute little references to sections from the original 3D Blast, like the balloon climb in Spring Stadium 1, the three platforms with a spring in Rusty Ruin 2, and even a 2D recreation of the exploratory bit in Gene Gadget 2! My main problem with the levels is that they can occasionally feel a bit cheap, launching you into things or not giving you enough of a heads up that something's coming. A fair few of these can be avoided if you roll frequently (which I usually do), but they're worth mentioning if that kind of trial-and-error design for Sonic isn't your thing.
But overall, I thought Sonic 3D in 2D was a neat little fangame! It's certainly a bit rough in places and doesn't always nail exactly what it sets out to do, but I'd say that's to be expected with fangames. Still, if you want another 2D Sonic to play through and you don't mind some roughness, I'd say it's worth a try!