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Sonic 3D Blast Game Review

Sonic 3D Blast is a 1996 platform video game published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It is undoubtedly one of the most underrated entries in the entire series.

When this game was first released, the critical reception to it was generally positive. However, retrospective reviews are not great, in fact they can be quite harsh. Most find its controls clunky and its graphics problematic. But my opinion is different as I found the game an absolute joy to play and definitely one of the better Sonic games out there.

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Much has been made about the 3D graphics in Sonic 3D Blast. At the time of release, it was hailed as a 3D game, but nowadays it’s regarded as 2D. I fall somewhere in the middle. Yes, the game isn’t truly 3D as it was presented from an isometrical perspective, thus only mimicking depth, but this shouldn’t be regarded as a flaw, but a certain strength. In fact, the visuals are some of the best parts of this game as it still looks beautiful to this day. The colorful aesthetic was gorgeous, the character designs were strong and each zone benefited from solid level design and diverse scenery.

In this game, Sonic has to save Flickies, who are these birds first seen in the game ‘Flicky’. This element was present in previous side-scrollers, but this was actually the first time when these birds were meaningfully incorporated into the overall gameplay, which I adored. This is the main disconnect between me and others when it comes to this platformer. Many find this element insufferably boring and monotonous, but as somebody who loves collecting things, I found this mechanic wonderfully realized and highly enjoyable to play through.

The rings, the power-ups and the bosses are all retained from previous games, but other than those elements, Sonic 3D Blast plays differently. It’s not a side-scrolling platformer, but one that is much more adventurous in its approach that requires you to find and release all the Flickies and then proceed to the next level. You collect one bird once you destroy an enemy. Usually, there are five Flickies that need to be saved and you do that by bringing them to a giant ring where you deposit them.

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But along the way if an enemy successfully attacks you, the birds disperse, so you have to hunt them down again. Blue, pink and orange Flickies try to find you again when dispersed while green and red ones go off in their own direction with the latter even jumping back and forth, thus making it quite difficult to catch. This gameplay mechanic is repeated so often that it definitely does become monotonous toward the end, but it was so well executed that for the most part I highly enjoyed it.

The game is split into seven zones, each zone containing three levels. The first two levels are always quite grandiose in length of area and number of enemies that you have to kill while the final level is a boss fight with no additional objectives. This formula worked for the other Sonic games and here it was again serviceable. The only issue is that at just seven zones the game felt too fleetingly short.

I adored Green Grove Zone. It is one of the best and most unique opening zones in any Sonic game as the tiresome greenery is finally replaced with something different – red and yellow tiles accompanied with many flowers and river flows. Rusty Ruin Zone is somewhat similar to the first zone, but with more of an archeological feel to it, which made it more unique. Spring Stadium Zone was your standard pinball-inspired Sonic zone. It was bright and colorful for sure, but too frustrating to control at the end of the day.

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But Diamond Dust Zone is something else. This is your regular icy platformer level, but done so well that the end result is a gorgeous-looking zone that was so enjoyable to go through. The visuals were particularly impressive here and the hidden areas were best utilized in this area. Volcano Valley Zone is pretty solid. It’s not the most memorable area, but it’s well executed and reasonably diverting.

Gene Gadget Zone is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I admired the return of classic Sonic pipes and faster gameplay, but on the other hand, its labyrinthine design could prove to be too much of a challenge at times. Panic Puppet Zone is also very difficult, but also benefiting from undeniably strong level design with those moving stairs and steep platforms being particularly inspired.

All the levels are very well designed and split into different areas properly, though some could be too labyrinthine, which is a problem that most Sonic games have. The special stages are fine, but nothing to write home about really. But the bosses were wonderful and much more difficult than they ever were in the regular Sonic side-scrollers. For once, there was a challenge here and that was refreshing.

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I did find the controls clunky for sure as hitting the right enemy tile did prove frustrating at times as it required careful positioning due to the isometrical graphics. Though frustrating, this made the game harder, which I prefer. The sound is excellent and the score is easily one of the best in Sonic history. It is not only incredibly catchy and uplifting, but also quite versatile as each zone was different and most were very memorable and highly appealing.