Colorful pseudo-3D platformer offering nostalgic ring-collecting fun but repetitive levels and frustratingly slippery controls
Colorful pseudo-3D platformer offering nostalgic ring-collecting fun but repetitive levels and frustratingly slippery controls
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What is Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic 3D Blast is a classic platform game originally released in 1996 for the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn consoles. Unlike the majority of early Sonic the Hedgehog titles that were released as two-dimensional side-scrolling games, Sonic 3D blast is presented in a unique isometric perspective reminiscent of Marble Madness.
Despite the radical shift in perspective, Sonic 3D Blast has many of the same objectives as its predecessors. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player is charged with collecting rings and chaos emeralds throughout the game's eight zones. The notable addition to Sonic 3D Blast's core gameplay objectives is the collection of colorful bird-creatures called Flickies. In each zone, a dozen or so Flickies must be rounded up and deposited into a large ring at the end of each stage before the player can advance to the next stage.
While innovative for the Sonic franchise, the ways in which Sonic 3D Blast strays from the successful formula found in previous games in the series are not all positive. The most noticeable absence is speed. Sonic the Hedgehog games have always focused on the core mechanic of the blue protagonist's blistering quickness, but in Sonic 3D Blast, the action is more meticulous and deliberate. Maneuvering through the pre-rendered three-dimensional environments requires caution and accuracy in ways that do not quite feel like a Sonic the Hedgehog game. The game remains a competent platform action game, but many times, it certainly does not feel true to its namesake.
The port to Windows is respectable. The vibrant soundtrack is intact as are the colors and serviceable controls. While Sonic 3D Blast may not be a shining example of what the best of Sonic the Hedgehog has to offer, the game is certainly worth playing as an insight into what happens when video-game stalwarts seek to take popular franchises in bold new directions.
Pros
- Faithful port of the mid-90s console release
- Excellent 16-bit soundtrack
- Unique spin on a classic franchise
Cons
- Game lacks typical Sonic the Hedgehog speed
- Isometric view can make control difficult