SONIC THE HEDGEHOG- 5/20

This is it for 2D Sonic for 8 games and 16 years, and what a finale. Everything has built up to it.

The Mega Drive Sonic games just kept improving until the better part of Sonic 3 & Knuckles tops it off with the best version of everything. The best OST of Sonic's classic games. The best zones in Sonic's classic games- Sandopolis Zone's incredible music and fun ghost gimmick, Sky Sanctuary giving you tons of rings from the start to let you really let loose as Super/Hyper Sonic in some reruns of older fights, and especially Doomsday for being a great conclusion to not only the game but Sonic on the Mega Drive, as you hurtle through space boosted by the emeralds you've collected picking up rings in a race against the timer.
There's just so much polish in 3&K, from the character animations, expanded story scope, better level designs, better music, the second set of Emeralds if you're locked onto 3, the 3 playable characters and the level transitions being a really cute way to feel like you're actually progressing in the game as opposed to disconnected levels.

2D Sonic was pretty much mastered here. It's a shame that it took 16 years to get another 2D Sonic game, 17 until we got another good 2D Sonic game, and 23 years until we got a 2D Sonic game as good as this. Sonic & Knuckles is a beautiful farewell to Sonic's 2D rise to fame- and I'm happy that it still takes a few games after this for the fall to really happen.

Next- Sonic Adventure
Previous- Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Reviewed on Jun 20, 2023


2 Comments


10 months ago

Would you mind telling me wich other Sonic games you're referencing in your last paragraph, please?

10 months ago

The next (mainline)2D Sonic game after Knuckles is Sonic 4, which sucks, then Generations is the next good 2D Sonic, and then Mania is the one as good as 3&K, in my opinion.