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Play as Knuckles and combine it with the gameplay of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for a more grandeur adventure. Find hidden areas, collect secret emeralds and unlock character secrets in this classic SEGA game.
Play the classic Sonic 3 game with Sonic and Knuckles as playable characters and new zones and features. Collect the Super Emeralds, transform into Hyper/Super forms, and stop Dr. Robotnik in this fan-made hack.
- Overview
- Gameplay
- Characters
- Zones
- Cheats
- Re-releases
- Reception
(ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ３ ＆ ナックルズ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu Surī to Nakkaruzu?), also known as simply Sonic 3 & Knuckles (ソニック３ ＆ ナックルズ, Sonikku Surī to Nakkuruzu?), is a 1994 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series made for the Sega Mega Drive, which is the result of combining Sonic & Knuckles with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 using the former cartridge's unique lock-on technology. It is essentially a large combined game which contains all Zones from the said games and also contains special features unique to this version. Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 the developers originally intended to release to the public in a single cartridge, but time constraints and high manufacturing costs by Sega resulted in this game being split into two separate titles.
The conclusion to the grand Death Egg saga, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is set on Angel Island, where Dr. Eggman carries out his plans to repair the damaged Death Egg and launch it into space to bring chaos to the world, following the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It is up to Sonic and Tails to stop the evil scientist. Along the way, they also have to deal with Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of the island who has been tricked by the doctor into thinking that they are evil.
is a side-scrolling 2D platforming video game, which plays identical to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, being the full version. Players can control Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, each with their own abilities. They can also play as Sonic while being accompanied by Tails, who is controlled by either a second player or an AI. The most basic actions these characters can perform are running and jumping.
The main goal of Sonic 3 & Knuckles is to pass a series of Acts in less than ten minutes for each of them. These Acts are designed so that they can branch into numerous pathways and have varied secrets for the player to find. At the end of every Act, a boss is encountered. After the bosses of the first Acts are defeated, a Goal Plate will fall. On the other hand, defeating the bosses of the second Acts will allow the player to open a Capsule. Either way, interacting with both of these gimmicks will automatically end their Act.
During gameplay, the player can find Rings, which basically work as the playable character's health. The number of Rings carried by the player is displayed in the top left corner of the HUD. As with past Sonic games, Rings serve as the playable character's main method of protection from damage; if the playable character takes damage while they carry at least one Ring, they will survive, though they will lose all their Rings. Taking damage while not holding any Rings will cost the player a life. The player will also lose a life if they drown underwater, get crushed, fall into a bottomless pit, or spend ten minutes in the same Act, leading to a Time Over. After losing a life, the playable character will respawn at the latest Star Post they touched, or at the start of a Zone if they have not touched any Star Post yet. If the player runs out of lives, they will get a Game Over, but they can keep playing by using Continues. Extra lives can be obtained by breaking 1-Up Item Boxes, collecting 100 Rings, or earning 50,000 points.
As a secondary objective in the game, the player can enter Special Stages through hidden Super Rings to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds. By doing so, they will be able to transform into either Super Sonic or Super Knuckles for Sonic and Knuckles respectively. In addition, they will also be allowed to enter seven additional Special Stages to collect the seven Super Emeralds, with which they will be able to further transform into Hyper Sonic, Hyper Tails (Super Tails), or Hyper Knuckles. Depending on whether or not the player had collected both the Chaos and Super Emeralds will affect the ending of the game. In addition, by collecting a certain number of Rings and touching a Star Post, they will be given the option to enter a Bonus Stage and get Rings and Shields, maybe even an extra life or two.
Playable characters
•Knuckles the Echidna •Hyper Knuckles (only appearance) •Super Knuckles •Miles "Tails" Prower •Super Tails (first appearance) •Sonic the Hedgehog •Hyper Sonic (only appearance) •Super Sonic
Non-playable characters
•Dr. Eggman •Rock Drill •Mecha Sonic Mk. II •Super Mecha Sonic Mk. II •Animals •Cucky •Flicky •Flicky's Super State (only appearance) •Pecky •Pocky •Ricky •Rocky
Enemies
•Batbot •Blaster •Blastoid •Bloominator •Bubbles •Bugernaut •Butterdroid •Catakiller, Jr. •Chainspike •Clamer •Cluckoid •Corkey •Dragonfly •Eggrobo •Fireworm •Flybot767 •Hyudoro •Iwamodoki •Jawz •Madmole •Mantis •Mega Chopper •Monkey Dude •Mushmeanie •Orbinaut •Penguinator •Pointdexter •RhinoBot •Ribot •Rock'n •Sandworm •Skorp •Snail Blaster •Sparkle •Spikebonker •Spiker •Star Pointer •Technosqueek •Toxomister •Turbo Spiker
The 14 Zones in Sonic 3 & Knuckles are all from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, the first six being from the former and the rest from the latter. Also, each Act has a boss fight, with the player battling a sub-boss in the first Act and later, the Zone's main boss in the second Act. Additionally, when the player has collected at least the seven Chaos Emeralds by the time they have reached the final Zone as Sonic, they will be able to enter a secret level with the true final boss and having all of the seven Super Emeralds will unlock the true ending.
The Zones in the game are as follows:
1.Angel Island Zone
2.Hydrocity Zone
3.Marble Garden Zone
4.Carnival Night Zone
•Sound Test/Level Select: At Angel Island Zone, grab hold on a swinging rope and press the following in order: Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Up, Up, with a Ring chime sounding if successful.) Then, pause the game and press to return to the title screen. The Sound Test option should be available to select below "Competition".
•Debug Mode: After accessing the Sound Test, play through either act of Mushroom Hill Zone and grab a hold on one of the manual elevators and press the following in order: Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Up, Up, with a Ring chime sounding if successful. Then pause the game and press to return to the title screen. Go to the Sound Test again then while highlighting any Act hold before selecting the Act to start the Act with Debug Mode. Additionally, with this mode on, the player can access any Act with any character.
Scrapped mobile re-release
On October 18, 2014, Christian Whitehead and Simon Thomley released a concept video showcasing a prototype of a remastered version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for smartphone devices they have worked on for a while (see video below). However, circumstances prevented the development from proceeding any further. As showcased in the video, the following aspects of the game were completed: •The title screen •Angel Island Zone with all enemies, gimmicks, bosses and intro/intermission sequences •All three Bonus Stages •Special Stages, including "Blue Sphere" functionality
received critical acclaim from fans, and is often considered one of the best Sonic games ever released. On Metacritic, the game holds a score of 8.8 based on fifty fan ratings, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In 2022, IGN placed it as the sixth best Sonic game in their "10 Best Sonic Games" list.
Feb 2, 1994 · Play the classic 1994 platform game Sonic 3 & Knuckles online for free. Read reviews, tips, and cheats from other players and learn how to access level select and debug modes.
Jun 28, 2022 · This is our true HD (4K 60fps) full 100% playthrough of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994) via Sonic Origins. This playthrough is being recorded using the Steam version for higher...
- 128 min
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Longplay of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, played as the NTSC version on the Sega Genesis. This game's version was released on Feb. 2nd, 1994.
- 262 min
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Connecting the Sonic 3 cartridge creates a combined game, Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The lock-on function is available in most re-releases. [9] Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles allows the player to play Sonic 3 levels as Knuckles or Sonic & Knuckles levels as Tails, or both Sonic and Tails. [15]
