Sonic Advance 3
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5 characters + 20 combinations + countless rings = portable replayability
Tags: Sonic Advance 3 Categories: GBA Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 13th, 2004
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic Advance 3 (title page) | 1 - 4 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Platformer | No | ||
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In the long running battle between Mario and Sonic, I’ve always leaned more towards having an effascination for SEGA’s blue hedgehog. Many of the side characters (particularly Amy after she would open her mouth) bug me to no end, but the fast action and immediate gratification the gameplay provides has won over plenty of fans.
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Sonic Advance 3 enters the franchise in an odd spot. The first two games for the GBA connected to their respective Sonic Adventure counterparts on the GameCube. Sonic Heroes – the first true multiplatform Sonic game arrived, and introduced a new character (Cream the Rabbit) and Sonic Battle introduced a new robot from Dr. Eggman. Both characters make an appearance in Sonic Advance 3, but there is no connectivity to Sonic Heroes for the GameCube.
This makes Sonic Advance 3 a bit more stand-alone than the previous two SA titles, but definitely a continuation in the sonic universe. This helps, especially for newcomers to the franchise. The gameplay is different this time around as well, giving Sonic Advance 3 a distinct feel all its own, while retaining the familiar sidescrolling speed that nearly everybody knows by now.
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Players pair up characters (there are 5 total, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream and Amy) to go through various stages collecting rings and ultimately stop Dr. Eggman from doing whatever he plans on doing with the Chaos Emeralds. Initially Sonic and Tails are available, but progressing through the game unlocks more stages (or levels) and the other characters.
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By pressing the R button, the Special Action is activated. Amy allows Cream to have a mid-air attack, while Knuckles allows Tails to do the breast stroke while in water. Mostly the second character will help to collect rings, as well as determine which primary actions are available (Sonic only has a skid attack with Tails and Cream, and the spin attack is only available when Amy is chosen as the secondary character).
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Another way that Sonic Advance 3 differs from previous entries is its use of worlds and zones. Where the GBA predecessors had a ladder system where one stage was unlocked after another for each character, here there is a central area with branching paths. A primary area will have 3 acts, accessible via rings within each world or stage. There is also a transporter to the boss battle which opens up after the 3 acts have been completed, as well as transporters for mini-games.
The level design is pure Sonic goodness however. There are multiple paths, and a huge variety of things to impede progress from beginning to end. There are rails to grind, spikes to avoid, platforms to bounce on, walls to smash, and more. There’s plenty of areas where speed (an essential part of any Sonic game) will be not only needed, but demanded of the player – nay, imposed! There’s no way to run upside down without having any speed built up.
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This is perhaps Sonic Advance 3’s greatest attribute – the thrill of getting from the beginning of a level to the end in a short amount of time. While the mini-games are a nice diversion, they don’t really provide the same thrill that the main game does. There is plenty to keep players occupied for a while with 5 characters to pair up and play though, so that’s a lot of speedy thrills to be had.
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After the single player game is done (actually even before that) the multiplayer should provide plenty of fun. There is an option for a single game pak multiplayer game for up to 4 people – this is a great option for a group of friends that don’t all have the same game. Here, players find the hidden Chao, and keep hold of it until the timer runs out. This is sort of a “tag” style game, since the player holding the Chao can be attacked and drop it, allowing another player to pick it up. The multi-pak game mode is a racing type affair. Courses that have been unlocked in the single player game are available for up to 4 players to get from beginning to end.
There is also the single player Time Attack mode – almost a staple in any Sonic game at this point. Players choose a characters and attempt to get to the end of any given stage in the quickest amount of time. This gives a real arcade game feel to Sonic Advance 3.
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Visually, the game doesn’t disappoint. As a matter of fact, it shines brightly as a beacon of what Game Boy Advance games can look like. The paths are clearly laid out, character animations fluid, colors bright and distinct, oh, it’s just a really good looking game.
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The audio is also a standout feature – at least musically. The tunes don’t tax out the GBA technically, but definitely give the game a retro feel, while staying true to the game’s current place in videogame history. How? I wish I could answer that. It is as if the developers took all the old music from the first few Sonic games and rerecorded them using modern technology.
Altogether, Sonic fans won’t be disappointed with Sonic Advance 3, and the game could finally be the one to win some new coverts in the mascot wars. A very solid game, Sonic Advance 3 seems to deliver in many respects what a handheld game should be.
Did I mention that the main game can be played with 2 players? No? Well, that’s just another way that Sonic Advance 3 rocks.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ Plenty of ways to keep the action going (and going and going) + Graphics + Multiplayer (even with one gamepak) |
8.8 |
| What Doesn't | |
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- Cream, Amy (c'mon, let's get rid of all these extra characters in the Sonic universe that are useless, or at least quit making them playable) - Annoying voices that repeat (if they speak) - Part of the replay is going through the same areas over (and over and over) |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| If you have a Game Boy Advance, you owe it to yourself to pick Sonic Advance 3 up. | |
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Tags: Sonic Advance 3
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 13th, 2004 and is filed under GBA Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
