Sonic 3D Blast
Sega Saturn
Nostalgia Factor:
I've never understood the hate for this game. To me, Sonic 3D Blast has always pretty much been just as good as any of the original Sonic games. Maybe not quite on their level, but close enough.
This was a game that I originally rented for the Genesis when it first came out back in 1996. I remember having a good time with it and beating it over the course of a weekend. I liked it so much I even rented the Saturn version shortly afterwards so I could see the differences between the versions firsthand.
After that, the game quickly faded out of my memory. I wouldn't return to it until now, in the year 2022. Would the passage of time be kind to this game? Would I still like it, or would I find that all the naysayers had been right this whole time? Let's find out!
Story:
This must be one of those games where its story is explained in the instruction manual. Absolutely nothing is explained in-game.
All I can gather is that once again Robotnik is gathering the Flickies to power his machines, and you have to rescue them. You fight Robotnik and defeat him at the end of the game.
That's it. That's the game's story.
The obvious thing that sets this apart from your average Sonic title is the perspective. This is not a 2D side-scroller like the Genesis iterations of the game. Action takes place from an isometric, overhead perspective. You can move Sonic in each direction, hence the emphasis on 3D in the name of the game. This wasn't quite the 3D Sonic title we wanted back in 1996 (I know I personally wanted something to compete with Mario 64), but it still turned out to be a pretty fun game.
Rather than just racing through each stage with blazing speed, emphasis is heavily placed on exploration. You have to explore every nook and cranny of each level, as you have to collect every Flicky and bring them to a teleportation ring that zaps them to safety. Once you've collected all of the Flickies, you can jump in the teleportation ring and it will take you to the next part of the level. At the final ring, you are teleported to the next act of the stage.
The third act of each stage is always a battle against Dr. Robotnik. For the most part these boss fights are pretty easy, as you're just watching Robotnik, analyzing his patterns, and striking him when he is vulnerable.
Each stage you will find Tails or Knuckles hiding somewhere on the map. If you bring them 50 rings, you get to play a Sonic 2-style half-pipe bonus stage. I remember when I first played the Saturn version of this game, being so impressed by these stages, as they were fully rendered in 3D, unlike the Genesis version. The bonus stages alone have always been enough to cement my opinion that the Saturn version is the definitive version of this game. Anyway, if you can successfully complete a bonus stage, you earn a Chaos Emerald. This has never happened to me personally because I always stop to collect them (especially in this game because they're so easy to get), but I hear that if you don't collect all the Chaos Emeralds and make it to the end of the game, you can't actually beat the game.
Levels in this game are pretty huge. In your typical Sonic game, you can zoom through each stage in about two or three minutes. I found myself taking eight to nine minutes to complete the stages in this game. I always wanted to fully explore, making sure I found each stage's hidden Tails and Knuckles. Exploration is encouraged regardless, as you can't complete a stage without collecting all of its Flickies.
If I had to guess, this is probably the reason why I think most people don't like this game. Each enemy you defeat drops a Flicky. You have to touch the Flicky and then it will follow you. If you get hit, the Flicky runs away. Some of these stages, like I said, are HUGE. It happened to me several times where I would lose a Flicky, not realize it, and then have to come back later on when I discovered I hadn't found enough of them to advance. It is very frustrating having to comb through these massive levels looking for one lost Flicky when it could be literally anywhere.
The exploration does get to be a pain in the butt. Sometimes, you'll encounter areas that look exactly the same as others. You'll probably get lost a lot like I did. There's one level early in the game (in one of the stages with all the fog and mist) that I must have gotten lost in for over a half hour. That's not cool.
But still, I came away from this game with a positive impression of it. It's fun. It's creative. It's a Sonic game. And it's different from the others, too, which always made it more cool to me. After all these years it still kinda does. I can't deny that this game holds a certain charm for me.
This game has a darker color palette than the Genesis version, which trends more towards the bright and cartoony side of things. I don't know if they are going for a grittier or more mature version of the game for the Saturn to show how "grown up" the system is, or what. I guess things are sharper and a bit more detailed here, but I don't have a huge preference for the graphical look of either game. I guess I can add that I do like the atmospheric effects in the Saturn version, like the mist and the fog, and the twinkling lights at the end of the game.
Where this version really eclipses the Genesis version is in the bonus stages. There's no denying that by 1996's standards, these were eye popping. The colors are bright and psychedelic. There's fully 3D versions of Sonic and Tails for you to feast your eyes upon. I'm sure that every kid who owned a Saturn back in 1996 was dreaming about how awesome a fully 3D Sonic platformer would look with these graphics. I know I sure was.
Sound:
This game sounds exactly as it should - like a Sonic game. The soundtrack isn't as iconic as the Genesis Sonic titles, but 3D Blast still has a fun and upbeat soundtrack worthy of the Sonic name. And the sound effects... the sound of Sonic jumping, collecting a coin, and getting hit are all so dang iconic. You just know someone is playing Sonic when you hear these sounds. This game nails it, as expected.
Overall:
My opinion has not changed on this game. I still like it. I don't see why this game is so hated by Sonic fans all over the internet. I mean, I guess I understand that this game is slower and more exploration based - but I still enjoy it. It's different and unique. Let's face it, when this game was released, Sonic side-scrolling games were getting stale. Each one was more and more of the same. Sonic 3D Blast was something different. I enjoyed it back in 1996 and I enjoy it now. It's fun. It's charming.
I won't say it is my favorite Sonic game. It might not even be in my top five. But this is a game I know I am going to have a good time with whenever I fire up. And that means something.
THE GRADE:
B
This was my 12th review of a Sonic game, which moves it into third place on my most reviewed franchise list, behind only Resident Evil and Batman. Check out the following links for my past reviews in the series:
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