With the second Sonic the Hedgehog movie on its way, people are going to get excited about the blue blur once again. Some peoples' favorite things about the character are his powers, attitude, and - as the second Sonic movie trailer highlights - his friends and rivals. Those who aren't familiar with Sonic and his friends are going to have a lot of questions, and if there's one game in the franchise that could provide those answers, it's Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
A combination of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, these titles are typically seen as a part one and two since they were developed at about the same time, released in the same year, and they tell one overarching story. The story they tell also outlines the presumed plot and character dynamics of the upcoming movie well. Because of that, it would be a perfect time to remake Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles for modern audiences.
Sonic 3's Story is All About Knuckles
Story-wise, Sonic 3 & Knuckles resembles the upcoming movie's premise. Sonic 3 & Knuckles sees Sonic and Tails fly to the floating Angel Island to stop Dr. Robotnik from rebuilding his Death Egg base, meanwhile Knuckles tries to stop them under the false pretense that Sonic is trying to steal the island's power source: the Master Emerald. The movie hasn't been released, so its full plot details aren't known, but from the trailers released so far fans know the Death Egg, the Master Emerald, and Knuckles as an antagonist are all in the movie.
Since the original game was the introduction of Knuckles to the series, it is a perfect introduction to the dynamic of Sonic and Knuckles' relationship. Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the first game in the franchise with in-game storytelling through in-engine cutscenes showing numerous confrontations between Sonic and Knuckles. The relationship between Sonic and Knuckles is different from modern games, so an earlier title like this would work better as an introduction to new fans. For those who forgot how Sonic and Knuckles used to be, as the game is nearly 30 years old, this would be a great blast from the past.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles Is a Fan-Favorite
Fans of the series have been wanting this game to get a revival for some time. During development, Michael Jackson was infamously rumored to have collaborated with the developers before leaving for unknown reasons. Since his death, the game hasn't been re-released, and it is widely believed this is due to his estate behind the scenes. However, with the success of the first movie, perhaps now would be the best time to work out any legal obstacles preventing Sonic 3 & Knuckles from being re-released. A remake would not only be beneficial to a new audience, but it would be celebrated by an older one.
Video games serving as a tie-in to a movie has been done to death, and usually it doesn't work out. However, this is a rare case where the Sonic game is already fully realized and simply needs a new coat of paint, or perhaps some quality-of-life tweaks. With an upcoming collection on the way via Sonic Origins, a full remake would be the perfect way to help promote the upcoming movie. After that, when the announced Knuckles-led TV show is released, Sega could re-release the 32x classic Knuckles Chaotix as well.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is available now on Genesis and PC, and will be released for all major consoles as part of the Sonic Origins compilation in 2022.