Sonic 3D Blast is a game for the Sega Genesis and the Sega Saturn in 1996. This is an odd game as it is a “3D game” that is actually 2D. It was also The Sonic Game for the Sega Saturn which wasn’t really impressive at this point in time where real 3D graphics were a thing. Quick history lesson, there was supposed to be a 3D Sonic game for the Sega Saturn but that didn’t work out due to lack of direction so they made Sonic 3D Blast the Sega Saturn Sonic Game for that system. This will be a review for the Sega Genesis version because it’s way more impressive for a Sega Genesis game to play Full motion video than a Sega Saturn game doing that.
The core gameplay is different as it is a “3D” game. It’s at an isometric angle in order to achieve a “3D” look. The big issue is that it is more difficult to hit the enemies because of this isometric angle. The core gameplay is collecting the Flickies, basically just birds from the Badniks which are the Eggman robots. This type of gameplay kinda doesn’t work with Sonic because while Sonic games were starting to become a little more than just getting to the end of the stage, this game is just the boring kind of open level design in which you have to collect multiple amounts of Flickies each section per act. The controls are also a bit terrible as turning is rough but other than that it controls fine. The shield makes a return for this game, still taking an extra hit. The Gold shield is basically the best powerup because it gives you a homing attack by jumping. This would later become a mainstay ability in the later games. The fire shield is the only elemental shield to come back from Sonic 3 but it lost the air dash ability so it’s now the basic shield but it’s immune to fire attacks.
Green Grove Zone is the most First Sonic level ever. Nothing really stands out with this zone other than showcasing the collecting of Flickies. The difference between these zones and the zones from previous games is that it splits the acts further into sections. It means that you have to collect the Flickies twice per Act which makes the game boring and monotonous. Special stages are here by giving 50 rings to either Tails or Knuckles. They are separate despite having the same seven special stages so that means you can cheese the difficulty by playing four special stages from Tails/Knuckles and playing three from Knuckles/Tails. Back to the zone itself, it’s boring. There is really nothing to say about this zone overall.
Rusty Ruins is a basic temple zone. It has pillars that can only be broken through this stage’s gimmick of twirling. Sonic has to stand on this fan looking tile to twirl which gives it spindash properties. It’s okay, it does its job fine. This zone also has the first instances of platforming and it’s not good because the isometric angle doesn’t help you see where you are going to land and landing in general is quite tricky. Other than that, it’s a boring zone.
Spring Stadium gives an actual feeling and it is hatred. This zone is filled with bumpers to bounce off of and it’s not fun. This level also introduces the Red Flicky. The Flickies have different colors which determine their behavior but the only notable ones are the Red and Green Flickies because they are annoying to get. The red flicky actively avoids Sonic and the Green Flicky does whatever which also makes it annoying sometimes. Back to the stage, it also introduces the spiked tiles which activate the spikes if you’re standing on them. You can jump repeatedly and quickly to avoid them activating. Overall, an annoying stage because of the amount of bumpers.
Diamond Dust Zone is actually pretty good and the best zone in the game. A good looking snow level, it also speeds up the gameplay. It’s quick to collect the Flickies so it’s more fun. One enemy is annoying though and that is the snowman with a snowball launcher because he shoots fast and all around and he moves fast. That doesn’t really bring the level down that much though so it’s alright. The boss is pitifully easy though but overall this level is good.
Volcano Valley Zone is the Worst Zone in the game. It has plenty of platforming which makes it not fun in this game. Platforming also is more punishing in this zone as you can fall into lava which would make you lose your rings and Flickies. The boss is notable because it’s awful. You have to hit Dr. Eggman seven times but the pipes to land on are small and lead you to getting hurt and the pipes also spew fire too. This boss is terrible. Overall, an awful zone.
Gene Gadget is something actually tolerable. This mechanical level is much more open which might make it boring but after Volcano Valley Zone, it’s a godsend. It has the electric tiles which are basically the spikes from Spring Stadium. This level also has platforming but it’s less annoying than Volcano Valley Zone because it doesn’t hurt you if you fail. The boss is also notable for being pitifully easy. Overall, a slightly above average zone.
Panic Puppet Zone is the last zone and it’s also the only zone to contain an act without the Flickies. Act 1 is a bit lame because it has these turret obstacles that shoot many projectiles around and some of them are placed on annoying spots. The Flickies in Act 1 are also in containers that Sonic has to break out which is a little better than being in the enemies but the core gameplay still isn’t fun. Act 2 is one of the best acts in this game because there are no Flickies. You just go from the start to the end which fits Sonic far better than collecting the Flickies. The boss is a bit of a Marathon but it is a decent little marathon with multiple simple phases.
If you collected all seven Chaos Emeralds, you get an extra boss fight called The Final Fight. The formula is just like the Panic Puppet boss but you have to do it twice. The phases are a bit worse than Panic Puppet but some of the phases are difficult which at least adds a feeling of accomplishment. This is a decent final fight overall.
This game is not good but it’s not exactly terrible. While most of the zones were boring and monotonous, there were a few good zones. Also the fact that a Sega Genesis game has Full motion video is amazing for the hardware they were working with. You should play it if you like to see that odd part of Sonic’s History. It’s on PC and the Sega Saturn.
