Many of you may only know Sonic 3D Blast through the Sega Genesis version, which most of you probably played the Sonic Mega Collection port of this game (like myself). If that’s the case, however, then you’ve sadly been playing the far inferior version. Yes, the level design is the same, but graphics and sound can make a big difference in your enjoyment of a game. To prove my point, I'll be reviewing the Sega Saturn version, which is the best version of the game!
Sonic 3D Blast, released by Sega and developed by Traveller's Tales (who's responsible for all those Disney & Pixar games released on the Playstation and the Nintendo 64) in November 1996, was originally intended to be a Genesis only game. However, the Saturn was suffering not only in sales, but from a complete lack of Sonic titles. The true first 3D Sonic game, Sonic X-treme, was in "development Hell" at the time and would not make the Christmas release...even though it was cancelled before they got close to that point. After seven weeks, Sega managed to port the game over to the Saturn, polishing up the graphics, changing the music to new, jazzy tunes by Richard Jaques, and adding what is arguably one of the best special stages in Sonic history in the process. That’s quite a change for a seven week port, but is Sonic 3D Blast still a fun game? Well, let's find that out!
In Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic goes to Flicky Island to visit his bird buddies. But once again, those Tweety Bird wannabes have been turned into robots by Dr. Robotnik. He wants to use their special dimensional warp rings to help him find the Chaos Emeralds. It’s up to Sonic to free the Flickies and stop Dr. Robotnik before it’s too late. Sonic must roam around seven different lands jumping on Badniks to free the Flickies while dodging lasers, traps and spikes.
2) Gameplay
There are some cool power-ups scatted throughout the game. Mostly in the from of shields similar to ones you got in Sonic 3. A standard shield that lets you take one hit, a fire shield that of course, protects you from fire (but you can't do the Fire Dash), and a gold shield that gives you the Homing Attack. Yes, even in the first “technically 3-D” Sonic game, Sonic now has the Homing Attack. Also, there’s a nice feeling of exploration to it. The levels are laid out as a sort of large, isometric maze. You’re constantly wandering around for Flickies to free, shields to find and rings to collect.
Okay, time for the flaws! The game takes place on an isometric field, giving a “psuedo 3-D” look to it. This allows Sonic to go in any direction, but it also kills any sense of speed. You’re constantly being careful of how fast you go so you don’t run into anything. I’m taking it slow in a Sonic game! With the clunky controls on the D-Pad, it’s too easy to run too fast and go right into an enemy or go bouncing off the walls into a trap. If you have a 3-D pad on your Saturn, that might help some. Occasionally, you’ll get an imprecise attack that will knock out all of your rings and send your Flickies running from you. You’d think that your fine, feathered friends would come running back to their savior. But no, they go scattering and you gotta go pick their sorry butts back up even when they’re flying around a pool of lava.Also, the animation on Sonic is way off when he runs. Almost as if he’s sliding (which makes sense on the ice level) or he’s pinching a loaf the whole time (Sorry to give you that mental image). Besides that, Sonic has lost his sense of speed. For the rest of the game, Sonic's barely doing a jog. Another thing that makes the game redundant is that you're mainly just rescuing Flickies over and over again! Furthermore, the game just doesn’t feel like a “Sonic” game. With Sonic’s speed gone, you could swap Sonic with Mario, or even Crash Bandicoot, and it would feel no different.
Hidden in the levels, you will find Tails and Knuckles just standing around looking bored. Give them 50 rings, and they will send you to what is absolutely the best part of the game, the Saturn exclusive Special Stage!!
For me, these stages alone are worth the price of admission. The music is one of the most funky tunes I’ve heard in a Sonic game and the levels play like a slightly improved version of the Sonic 2 Bonus Stage. No Tails to steal your rings, it’s a bit easier (A.K.A. less frustrating), and the ability to roll or jump higher adds a new twist. It's pretty much the half-pipe structure from Sonic 2, and if you'll get enough rings in each stage you'll receive all seven Chaos Emeralds (by the way, no Super Sonic in both versions). It’s because of these bonus stages that I’m more cautious during the game. However, it still sucks to have over 50 rings just to get hit by a robot or get knocked into a trap.
4) Graphics & Music
Probably the best thing about Sonic 3D Blast that stands out from its Genesis version is the music. Richard Jaques compositions are wonderful and the work he did is easily some of the best Sonic soundtracks of all time. Of course, Jaques gets a big advantage here, as Jun was stuck composing with the Genesis sound chip, which some of Jun's songs (like Green Grove Zone, Spring Stadium Zone, and Panic Puppet Zone) would later be used in Sonic Adventure. The graphics in both versions are made of CG Rendered sprites similar to Donkey Kong Country and other games of that era. They are much more colorful and clean compared to the Genesis version and on certain levels, have some cool effects like fog have been added. If you look at the side-by-side screenshots of the Saturn and Genesis versions of Sonic 3D Blast below, you can really tell the difference. Level are much more heavily textured and have greater detail on the Saturn version while the Genesis version looks flat and bland. Take a look.
5) Overall
I enjoyed this game much more than I remembered. It’s definitely not the best Sonic game by any stretch, but I think it gets a bit of a bad rap due to it being a poor replacement for Sonic X-treme and having a much weaker Genesis version out at the same time. However, I played it for 4 hours during my first play though and found myself enjoying it quite a bit. If the Genesis version is the only one you’ve played, you haven’t played the REAL Sonic 3D Blast.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
