So…after every other game: sonic 1, sonic 2, and sonic cd, we finally hit this masterpiece: sonic 3 & knuckles. I’m gonna review this as the complete package as I believe if I split the games up I wouldn’t be doing it justice, so I’m gonna review it as one whole experience and oh man…what an experience.
It’s funny really, the previous 3 games hadn’t truly scratched my itch in terms of what a sonic game could be: sonic 1 had potential during the start but ended up falling flat on its face because of its dreadful slower levels. Sonic 2 had an excellent beginning but ended up completely breaking during the final few levels…looking at you metropolis. And sonic cd was stuck on an add-on that only 2.4 million people bought compared to the over 30 million others on a normal Genesis. And so finally these two games came along. They were split up because they couldn’t fit it into one cartridge and eventually came up with the lock-on feature for & knuckles which gave us the perfect package.
It starts off by giving us a new antagonist: knuckles the echidna. Who only really blocks your path a few times and is just really annoying…that is until he figures out all the wrong dr robotnik is doing and joins your side…and that’s kinda all the story you get out of this game, but it gets a plus for actually having a developing story unlike the previous games where you either had to rely on the manual or the final cutscenes (cd).
The zones in this game are probably the best ever, especially the 3 portion of the game. Carnival night, Ice cap, launch base, and marble garden are wonderful zones that not only have some of the best music in the series…but also the best level design in general. The & knuckles portion of the game is also not too bad, mushroom hill, flying battery, lava reef (personal favourite), and sky sanctuary are really excellent and carry the torch which 3 had already lit. And even though sky sanctuary is quite a short level, it’s an excellent one at that. The music for the level emphasises that sonic, tails and knuckles are off to save the world, and the level design is excellent as always!
Overall, this is a masterpiece, and not only is it one of the best 2D sonic games, it may quite possibly be one of the best 2D platformers of all time.
Masterpiece, excellent level design, nostalgic music, it did have knuckles!
It’s funny really, the previous 3 games hadn’t truly scratched my itch in terms of what a sonic game could be: sonic 1 had potential during the start but ended up falling flat on its face because of its dreadful slower levels. Sonic 2 had an excellent beginning but ended up completely breaking during the final few levels…looking at you metropolis. And sonic cd was stuck on an add-on that only 2.4 million people bought compared to the over 30 million others on a normal Genesis. And so finally these two games came along. They were split up because they couldn’t fit it into one cartridge and eventually came up with the lock-on feature for & knuckles which gave us the perfect package.
It starts off by giving us a new antagonist: knuckles the echidna. Who only really blocks your path a few times and is just really annoying…that is until he figures out all the wrong dr robotnik is doing and joins your side…and that’s kinda all the story you get out of this game, but it gets a plus for actually having a developing story unlike the previous games where you either had to rely on the manual or the final cutscenes (cd).
The zones in this game are probably the best ever, especially the 3 portion of the game. Carnival night, Ice cap, launch base, and marble garden are wonderful zones that not only have some of the best music in the series…but also the best level design in general. The & knuckles portion of the game is also not too bad, mushroom hill, flying battery, lava reef (personal favourite), and sky sanctuary are really excellent and carry the torch which 3 had already lit. And even though sky sanctuary is quite a short level, it’s an excellent one at that. The music for the level emphasises that sonic, tails and knuckles are off to save the world, and the level design is excellent as always!
Overall, this is a masterpiece, and not only is it one of the best 2D sonic games, it may quite possibly be one of the best 2D platformers of all time.
Masterpiece, excellent level design, nostalgic music, it did have knuckles!