Highlights

  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 revolutionized the franchise by refining the 2D platforming experience and influencing later 3D games.
  • The game's split into two parts with the lock-on cartridge of Sonic & Knuckles showcased Sonic Team's innovative qualities.
  • Sonic 3 & Knuckles introduced a deep, on-screen story that established the lore of Sonic's world, setting a precedent for future games and adaptations.

To many Sonic fans, Feburary 2 isn't the day that the groundhog comes out of his burrow and predicts whether six more weeks of winter will be necessary or not, but "Hedgehog Day" - the day that marks the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This particular release date sticks out with players due to the fact that the game it deals with is one of the most popular out of the entire franchise. While there could be an argument that nostalgia has to do with why Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is so beloved, the now 30-year-old game deserves it for many reasons.

While Sonic 3 is ironically not the third Sonic game, but the fourth, it serves as the beginning for everything that comes after it. It may not have invented the formula that the original Sonic the Hedgehog started with, but Sonic 3 refines itself around Sonic 2's improvements and gives a solid experience that is emblematic of everything good about 2D Sonic. Even when the blue blur made the jump to 3D, Sonic the Hedgehog 3's influence remained in many ways.

Sonic Chao New Game Mobile
Related
New Rumor Is Good News for Fans of Sonic's Chao Garden

A notable Sonic the Hedgehog leaker has good news for fans of the Chao Garden pet simulator game mode from the Sonic Adventure series.

How Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Still Defines Everything the Series Offers 30 Years Later

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a unique game in terms of the series at large, as well as gaming as a whole. Originally meant to feature 14 full length Classic Sonic Zones, time constraints as well as cartridge limitations led Sonic 3 to be split into two. This led to the famous lock-on cartridge of Sonic & Knuckles that not only delivered the remainder of the zones as another game in its own right, but it also allowed Knuckles to be playable in Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 by locking onto those specific titles.

This was a pivotal moment in history for the series. It served as an example of Sonic Team's innovative qualities, which would remain as the Sonic the Hedgehog series constantly evolved as the years went by. While each change the series went through would meet a mixed reception with fans and critics alike at times, Sonic and his friends have always been constantly on the move and trying something new. The earliest example of this drive to do things differently is Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Despite originally being sold seperately, 30 years later, the most accessible version of Sonic 3 on the market puts it and Sonic & Knuckles permanently together in the Sonic Origins compilation title. This is due to Sega delisting the original singular Sonic the Hedgehog versions once the newer compilation was released.

One of the other big adjustments that Sonic 3 & Knuckles introduced was a story element that, once introduced, would be an important facet to many games afterward. While instruction manuals would feature some snippets of backstory and explanation of the events found in the game, most would become outdated later on in the franchise's lifetime, with Sonic 3's on-screen story being a deep, longstanding start to the lore of Sonic's world. Its importance is clear through Sonic Adventure and Sonic Frontiers referencing what it established, and its story being adapted to film for the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie.

The importance of an interesting story in a Sonic game wasn't the only way that Sonic 3 & Knuckles left a mark on the series, as almost every 2D game afterward follows what it established, with some pieces even leaving the 2D realm and making it into 3D games. Games such as Sonic Mania and Sonic Superstars take important notes from what Sonic 3&K did to deliver the same side-scrolling platforming experience that the third Genesis game refined into what remains to be one of the most fun and iconic Sonic games for many fans to this day.