| Sonic 3D Blast | |
|---|---|
 American box art for the Genesis variant. | |
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Released | 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Input methods | Controller |
Sonic 3D Blast (or Sonic 3D: Flickies Island in Europe) was released in 1996 for the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn.
Info[]
In addition to the original
Mega Drive version, Sonic 3D was also available for the Sega Saturn to make up for the cancellation of Sonic X-treme, which was intended to be Saturn's killer game for the 1996 holiday season; the game was ported in seven weeks, during development of the Mega Drive version. The game boasts FMVs, higher quality graphics (including a true 3D Special Stage, considered by many fans to be the best Special Stage in the series) and an entirely new CD audio soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques (who later produced the Sonic R soundtrack). A European release followed in February 1997.
In September 1997 a port of the Saturn version was released for PC in Europe and North America, with the videos and soundtrack intact, as well as the notable addition of a save game system, but lacking some of the Saturn's effects (such as the fog in Rusty Ruins) and with a less impressive special stage that mixed the 2D sprites from the Mega Drive version with the basic gameplay of the Saturn version. The Saturn version was eventually released in Japan on 14 October 1999, the same date as Sonic Adventure International. That release is notable for including stylized "Classic Sonic" artwork, but other than that the game is largely identical except the Saturn version's notorious load times are slightly improved.
Only one version of the Mega Drive game was released, with the title differing depending on whether it is played on a PAL or NTSC console. In PAL regions the title is Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, and in NTSC regions the title is Sonic 3D Blast. This caused a problem, however, when the Mega Drive version was re-released in the Sonic Mega Collection. Due to the aforementioned feature, the game is titled Sonic 3D Blast when played on a PAL 60 or NTSC-J system.
Although the PC version's title differed between regions, its executable was titled Sonic 3D Blast: Flickies' Island, a combination of both names. It should be noted though, that the combined name is rarely used, with fans usually favoring one name over the other. In addition, Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island was the title that was used for the Japanese Saturn version, but when the Mega Drive version was finally released in Japan as part of Sonic Mega Collection, it was once again known as Sonic 3D Blast.
In October 2006, a 95 percent complete prototype was acquired and dumped for Internet distribution.
Gameplay[]
The game is played from an isometric viewpoint in a 2D environment and uses pre-rendered 3D sprites. Sonic must collect Flickies (first featured in the 1984 Sega arcade game Flicky) and bring them to a warp ring in order to advance in a zone. Each zone consists of two regular acts and one boss act. There are 10 or 15 Flickies in each zone's regular acts, barring Panic Puppet's, while in each zone's third act the player faces Dr. Robotnik in one of his many machines.
Chaos Emeralds[]
The Chaos Emeralds seen in the Mega Drive version are Emerald cut instead of the usual Brilliant cut. (Coincidentally, the Sol Emeralds from the Sonic Rush games are also Emerald cut.)
Special Stages[]
- Main article: Special Stage (Sonic 3D Blast)
To warp to a Special Stage where the player can try for a Chaos Emerald, either Knuckles or Tails must be located within the regular levels. The player must have 50 rings or more, and must stand next to either Tails or Knuckles. At this point, the player's rings will be absorbed, and the played will be transported to the Chaos Emerald level.
There are three different versions of the bonus levels.
- Sega Genesis: Sonic must run down a bridge, collecting rings and avoiding bombs.
- Sega Saturn: Sonic must run down a three dimensional half-pipe covered in rings and bombs and must collect enough rings to progress to the end of each stage.
- PC Version: Sonic must run down a half-pipe similar to those in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit).
Flicky Types[]
Sonic rescues Flickies in each level come in four different colors. Each color has its own personality:
- Blue Flickies make a conscious effort to find Sonic. If they cannot find him, they fly around in a tight circle, making them easy to locate.
- Pink Flickies act largely like blue ones, but fly around in bigger circles if unable to find Sonic. In the Volcano Valley Zone in the Genesis version, the pink Flickies are replaced with bright orange, flaming Flickies, presumably due to color palette limitations.
- Red Flickies constantly move between two close points, not making any effort to find Sonic. Their movement range is small, but they jump very high and can thus be hard to catch.
- Green Flickies wander randomly with no interest in finding Sonic, they even sometimes appear to try to avoid Sonic.
Bosses[]
At the third act of each zone, Sonic will encounter Doctor Robotnik in his machines, which require various amounts of hits to defeat.
- Eggmobile (spike ball dropper) (Green Grove)
- Eggmobile (armored) (Rusty Ruin)
- Eggmobile (spike hands) (Spring Stadium)
- Eggmobile (freeze mobile) (Diamond Dust)
- Eggmobile (lava machine) (Volcano Valley)
- Eggmobile (missile launcher) (Gene Gadget)
- Eggmobile (multipurpose arm weapon) (Panic Puppet)
- Final Fight (If all Chaos Emeralds are collected)
Reception[]
Sonic 3D Blast received mixed to negative scores. Many complaints spring from the controls and isometric style view, while others were bored by the concept and graphics when compared to other games from that year such as Super Mario 64. However, while the gameplay and design were bashed, the music was praised by reviewers.
SomecallmeJohnny[]
As the grand finale of Johnny's Month of Sonic 2, Johnny reviewed the Genesis version negatively, stating that the isometric view, control method, and graphics made this game incomparable towards the classics. The Genesis version got a 5/10. With the Saturn and PC ports, however, Johnny saw it in a slightly better way. The graphics and controls were praised, though the core gameplay was still flawed to him. That, and the weaker soundtrack, and "horrendous" load times, earned both versions a 6.5/10.
Super Gaming Bros.[]
Johnny, Elliot and Matt did a full let's play of the Saturn version of the game, as dictated by a poll from the fans.
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