Dr. Robotnik’s Death Egg has crashed-landed on Floating Island, so named because it uses the Chaos Emeralds’ power to float in the air. Robotnik requires them to rebuild the Death Egg, so he informs Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of Floating Island, that Sonic and Tails are on their way to take them. Will the heroes be able to stop Robotnik in time with Knuckles tricking them and trying to stop them at every turn?
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the third game in the Sonic series. It’s a side-scrolling platformer focusing on speed, just like the previous games. The basic game stays the same: players collect rings to win extra lives, which also serve as protection and scatter around when Sonic is injured. Sonic can use Spin Dash to defeat foes by simultaneously holding down and the jump button, then letting go of down.
Sonic 3 introduces three new shields: the Flames Shield (which protects you from flames but fades when you approach water), the Water Shield (which allows you to breathe underwater indefinitely), and the Electric Shield (which attracts adjacent rings). When Sonic has these shields, he can employ extra powers by hitting jump in the air – a horizontal fireball dash, a vertical bubble bounce, or an electric double leap. If Sonic does not have an active shield, he can activate a temporary energy shield by hitting jump in the air. Tails cannot use the unique skills of the guards, although he can fly or dog paddle (in water) briefly. He can also do so while carrying Sonic.
There are now two sorts of bonus stages available: one obtained by collecting 50 or more rings, dashing by a checkpoint lamppost, and then jumping into the stars (like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2). This stage allows you to gain bonus rings, lives, and power-ups. There is a massive gumball machine at this stage. By turning the crank, you’ll receive a bonus item: rings, lives, or bonus shields. When you reach the bottom of the screen, the stage is over.
The other, more crucial, Special Stage can be reached by jumping through giant rings placed in secret spots throughout each level. In these stages, you must collect all of the blue spheres while avoiding the red orbs (which terminate the stage too soon). Managing all of the outer blue spheres around square or rectangular sphere formations will transform them into rings – if you order 50 or more in this stage, you’ll get a continuation. The stage clears when you collect all the blue spheres in it and get one of the seven Chaos Emeralds.
Sonic 3 is divided into six Zones that are divided into two Acts. At the end of each Act, a boss must be beaten to complete the stage and save Sonic’s animal buddies that Robotnik has captured and turned into Badnik robots. Sonic 3’s zones are roughly three times larger than Sonic 2’s and contain many branching paths.
There is a two-player Vs. Mode, similar to Sonic 2, plays in a split-screen horizontal manner. In this phase, special monitor pick-ups can switch player positions, lose rings, or summon a Badnik. In time trial mode, you can also race against the clock.
