The two were intended to be released as a single game, but time constraints and small cartridge sizes forced Sega to split the project. Sonic travels through each zone looking to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds to defeat Robotnik, and once again comes into conflict with Knuckles, who believes Sonic is trying to steal the Emeralds for himself. [4], As showcased in the video, the following aspects of the game were completed:[4][5]. Sega Technical Institute developed Sonic & Knuckles simultaneously alongside Sonic 3. Series Video game overview In Hidden Palace Zone, Sonic fights and defeats Knuckles. (See "Release dates" in Sonic & Knuckles for more information about other platforms. Entries in the sound test which will normally have songs only heard in Sonic 3 and Drowning are empty and unplayable. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna in their quests to save Angel Island; Sonic tries to prevent Doctor Robotnik from relaunching his orbital weapon, the Death Egg, while Knuckles scuffles with Robotnik's minion, EggRobo. And just because there's no underwater over in Sonic & Knuckles, doesn't mean "there's less palettes". [22], Sonic & Knuckles has been released as part of numerous compilations of Sega games including Sonic Jam (1997) for the Sega Saturn;[23] Sonic & Knuckles Collection (1997) and Sonic & Garfield Pack (1999) for the PC,[24] Sonic Mega Collection (2002) for the Nintendo GameCube;[25] Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004) for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC;[26] Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3;[27] and Sonic Classic Collection (2010) for the Nintendo DS. Sega Sonic 3 introduces Knuckles the … The Sonic & Knuckles cartridge features "lock-on technology" that allows the game to connect to the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Sonic the Hedgehog 3 cartridges, combining elements from both games. [17] As ROM cartridges were too small to contain the game and publisher Sega wanted it released in time for a promotional deal with McDonald's, Sonic 3 was split in two,[17] with Sonic & Knuckles as the second part. Super Emeralds are enhanced versions of the Chaos Emeralds. )Steam INT 26 January 2011[1] The game was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega, being released in 1994, two years after the second game. [3] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer preferred Sonic & Knuckles to Sonic 3,[42] stating that he could not fully appreciate its predecessor without its "companion piece". Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles received critical acclaim, with many fans still regarding it as the best Sonic the Hedgehog game of the franchise. Same applies to Knuckles. has one with zero to six Chaos Emeralds, one with all seven Chaos Emeralds and zero to six Super Emeralds, and the third with all fourteen Chaos and Super Emeralds. However, circumstances prevented the development from proceeding any further. More about that in Point #2. The game takes place across six levels in which the player collects rings and fights bosses. The story begins immediately after the events of Sonic 3, where Dr. Robotnik's orbital weapon, the Death Egg, is damaged in a battle with Sonic and crash-lands back onto Angel Island. The version in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection does not retain the lock-on feature included in other versions of the game, because of "tight development times". This prompts Knuckles to chase after him, leading him through more difficult versions of most of the same zones Sonic went through. [3], The game contains two types of bonus stages accessed by passing a checkpoint with at least 20 rings. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007), Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008), Twin Pack: Sonic CD and Sonic & Knuckles Collection, Sonic Mega Collection Plus & Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, Sega Fun Pack: Sonic Mega Collection Plus & Shadow the Hedgehog, Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection Volume 3, Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection Gold Edition, Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Remastered Interview with Christian 'The Taxman' Whitehead, Doctor Robotnik's Waterspout and Depth Charge Machine, https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3_%26_Knuckles?oldid=2324542, Tails' super transformation. The number of save files has been increased from six to eight. [4], The player character moves through six levels, each divided into two acts. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega.It is part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and follows Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992). is displayed. After a short fight, Mecha Sonic uses the power of the Master Emerald to achieve a Super form similar to Sonic's. [13][14][15] Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were originally planned as a single game;[16] according to designer Takashi Iizuka, the team "really wanted to hit a home run", with larger stages that took longer to develop. 16-megabit cartridgeCD-ROMDownloadDVD-ROMDVD-DLBlu-ray Disc, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (also known as Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Sonic 3 Complete Version[2]) is a platform video game which is the result of locking-on Sonic & Knuckles with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 using the former catridge's unique "lock-on" technology. Single player, multiplayer Sonic Team After Doctor Robotnik's spacestation, the Death Egg, crash-lands on a mysterious floating island, Sonic and Tails attempt to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds to stop it from relaunching. Sonic News Network is a FANDOM Games Community. [48] Re-imagined versions of the Flying Battery and Lava Reef stages, along with the Blue Sphere bonus game, appear in the 2017 game Sonic Mania. Mode(s) This version gives you all … This level was almost completely cut from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and would appear in Sonic & Knuckles. This game is named Blue Sphere in Sonic Mega Collection.[10]. If the player does not have all of the Chaos Emeralds prior to reaching Mushroom Hill Zone, the acquired Chaos Emeralds will become Super Emeralds and the player is given the opportunity to acquire the first Super Emerald. Sonic the Hedgehog 1991, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog 2 1992, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog CD 1993, Sega Mega CD/Sega CD Sonic the Hedgehog 3 1994, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Sonic & Knuckles 1994, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis [49], "Blue Sphere" redirects here. (Thanks to Rainbow Seal on YouTube for the tip.) Knuckles attempts to attack Robotnik, but is electrically shocked in the process, and is trapped with Sonic in an underground passage. By collecting all seven Super Emeralds from the Special Stages, each of the three main playable characters (Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna) will have access to more powerful forms upon summoning the power of the Emeralds. For other uses, see, "Developer's Den: Sega Technical Institute", "It's Gonna Be a Video Jungle Out There : Video-game stars Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog will battle it out with new games backed by tech advances and mega-marketing", "SONIC'S ULTIMATE GENESIS COLLECTION REVIEW", "Sonic's Genesis Collection Not So Ultimate; Leaves Out Sonic 3 & Knuckles Lock-On", "Sonic Generations – Green Hill, Chemical Plant, and Sky Sanctuary remakes", "Sonic Generations – Mushroom Hill Special Stage Clip", "Rev up For Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed", "Sonic Mania's latest trailer puts Knuckles back in Flying Battery Zone", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonic_%26_Knuckles&oldid=1003782026, Video games developed in the United States, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using Infobox video game using locally defined parameters, Articles using Wikidata infoboxes with locally defined images, Articles using Video game reviews template in multiple platform mode, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 30 January 2021, at 17:24. "[37] Next Generation called it "the same Sonic game that Sega has sold for the last three years, just wrapped up better and with a prettier ribbon. [44], For the series' twentieth anniversary in 2011, Sega released Sonic Generations, a game that remade aspects of various past games from the franchise. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the third game in the 16-bit Sonic trilogy and the first game with the easily-tricked-by-Eggman redheaded echidna, Knuckles. [45] The sequel, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, featured the same race course, and an additional new one inspired by the Sky Sanctuary stage. [32][33] Both releases are programmed such that, if any of the "Lock-on" games are also downloaded on the same account, the "connected" versions of the game are also available. Sonic flies in piloting the biplane Tornado and Knuckles hitches a ride to return the Master Emerald to Angel Island. While under the transformation, one Ring is consumed per second and once the player has zero Rings, completes the Act or enters a Bonus Stage at a Star Post, the user will revert back to normal. [20] The game was backed by a $45 million marketing campaign; at the time, video games typically had a marketing budget of $5 million. [17], Sonic & Knuckles was released worldwide on October 18, 1994. The player can play as Knuckles in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 levels, although Knuckles' opening cutscene from Sonic & Knuckles has been removed in favor for transiting from Launch Base to Mushroom Hill.. As such, Knuckles' level layouts are different from Sonic's and Tails' in most cases, with new areas and bosses that are generally more challenging than Sonic/Tails' … Lava Reef Act 4 goes to Hidden Palace Zone. Publisher(s) For the video game in the Star Ocean series, see, "Lock-on technology" redirects here. Originally one big game, Sonic 3 was split into two games due to time constraints and cartridge costs; the second half of the story is its direct sequel, Sonic & Knuckles. Changes. The BGM tracks that were different between, All Act title cards now display the game title of, There are slight differences in object and enemy placement in some of the, With Debug Mode enabled, the player can access any level with any character, even those that cannot be normally accessed (such as Sonic and/or Tails in Knuckles'. The instruments used in the songs for this zone are slightly different. [21] Blockbuster Video and MTV co-sponsored a tournament in which children were allowed to play Sonic & Knuckles. The two hear a disturbance outside of the chamber, and go out to find Dr. Robotnik stealing the Master Emerald, the secret to the island's levitation powers. [17] According to Roger Hector, vice president and general manager of STI, the lock-on technology was conceived two and a half years before the release of Sonic & Knuckles, between the releases of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. If the player attaches the original Sonic the Hedgehog,[12] they are able to access all of the possible variations of the special stages, each with a unique level number and corresponding password. [40], Reviewing the Virtual Console release, Nintendo Life writer James Newton praised its support for the old lock-on feature of the original release, claiming that the game does not truly shine without having purchased Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3 to activate this feature. [7] Sonic and Knuckles traverse levels differently; Sonic can jump slightly higher and has access to unique shield abilities, whereas Knuckles can glide and climb most walls. [8], Sonic & Knuckles features "lock-on technology" that allows players to open the hatch on the cartridge and insert a second cartridge. Originally, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was to be released with Knuckles as a playable character, and with all the Sonic & Knuckles levels playable (the level select screen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 features inaccessible Sonic & Knuckles levels and music … Alongside Sonic 3, a Windows port was released through the Sonic & Knuckles Collection (1997). Completing a Special Stage earns the player a Chaos Emerald; collecting all seven Emeralds allows the player to turn into Super Sonic or Super Knuckles, more powerful versions of the characters. There are a total of nine different endings; each character (Sonic and Tails together have the same as Sonic alone.) Two finalists were also awarded a copy of every Sega product released for the next year. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, often called Sonic 3, is a platform game developed by Sega and is following Sonic 1 and Sonic 2. [18], Despite the split, the developers wanted the games to feel like a single experience. [45] A remake of the Sky Sanctuary stage was made for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions of the game,[46] while the Mushroom Hill level was remade for the Nintendo 3DS version of the game. ... And Knuckles will add Knuckles as a second character, even to Knuckles! Sonic Mania PC Level Select: Q and A keys together. The levels also include cutscenes that differ based on the character selected, as Sonic and Knuckles are opponents for most of the game. It is part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994). Same applies to his Super form and his Hyper form. [3], If the player attaches any other Genesis game released prior to Sonic & Knuckles, a screen with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Robotnik stating "No Way!" ... Sonic Mania Level Select. It is essentially a large combined game of its two lock-on components which contains all Zones from the said games and also contains special features unique to this game. I think you have to do the level select code first. [39] Sega Magazine's review similarly praised the lock-on technology and the new innovation the unique cartridge offered, adding that Sonic & Knuckles' hidden stages and bosses would strongly add to the replay value of the combined game. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles The "& Knuckles" part of the title spawned into a popular Internet meme in modern times. Sonic & Knuckles was released for the Sega Genesis on October 18, 1994. Sonic and Knuckles & Sonic 3 is the ultimate Sega Genesis Sonic game. [22] MTV broadcast the tournament finale along with footage of the game as "MTV's Rock the Rock". The layout for both acts are similar to the one used for the final version, but end up looking different. It was released around the same time as Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country for the Genesis's competitor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.