Update, August 9: Removed the mention of Dimps’ tenure on Sonic having begun with 1999’s Pocket Adventure. That title was developed by SNK, though some of its employees later founded Dimps.
Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
Over the years, SEGA has published several side-scrollers under the Sonic the Hedgehog banner. Now, pop quiz: which studio developed more of them than any other? If you answered Dimps, you’re correct. Unfortunately, Dimps’ relationship with SEGA and Sonic Team met an abrupt, unceremonious end in 2013 after their approximation of Sonic Lost World hit the Nintendo 3DS.
I couldn’t quite articulate why, but I found Sonic Advance 3 a chore upon its release. All these years later, and my feelings towards it remain negative. (Image: SEGA)
Still, Dimps’ reign over Sonic’s secondary adventures was lengthy. It started in 2001 with Sonic Advance, which helped introduce SEGA’s mascot to Nintendo’s audience. Sitting between Sonic’s 16-bit pedigree and Aspect’s mostly lackluster 8-bit offerings in terms of quality, Advance is a serviceable, but bland, romp. It marries the classic Sonic games’ structure with contemporary elements, giving the cast their designs and attacks from the Adventure duology. Another change is how Advance handles Sonic’s staple speed boosters. In the originals, these machines appear rarely and only in thematically appropriate Zones. Following Adventure’s example, generic boosters now litter the countryside. Still, this is a kosher 2D Sonic; there are multiple Zones consisting of two Acts each, which offer multiple, interconnected routes. Rings retain their value, since as long as you have at least one, you’ll survive taking damage. After tanking a hit, your Rings scatter, giving you a chance to reclaim some.
And Advance was successful, yielding Sonic Advance 2 one year later. Overall, it’s a shocking change of pace, emphasizing running at and maintaining high speeds. It’s an important game, testing concepts that would later power Dimps’ Sonic Rush duology — which, in turn, led into Unleashed, Colors, and Generations (and, okay, the aggressively deflating Forces). I may not enjoy Advance 2, but I respect it.
See those spikes? You’ll probably crash on top of them your first time through here, since you’ll be running at full speed and won’t get enough time to react. This is the game’s opening Act, by the way. (Image: SEGA)
Unfortunately, I cannot extend that compliment to its sequel, Sonic Advance 3. Jumping right into things, this game tries blending Advance 2‘s breakneck pace with more traditional Sonic platforming, pulling neither off. A criticism I’ve seen leveled at even Sonic’s best games is their hazard placement, that some players dash into traps without being given enough time to react. That is unequivocally true of Sonic Advance 3. Stages employ countless speed boosters and springs, propelling your heroes forward — and often directly into conveniently placed enemies or spikes. Plus, like Advance 2, the number of bottomless pits increases exponentially by the end of the game. This isn’t to say there aren’t a few questionable segments throughout the Genesis quadrilogy, but I was never afraid to run at full speed in them. Here, doing so is terrifying.
Aggravating that all further is how your acceleration and midair control is affected by your Ring total. If you have none, it jarringly mars your mobility, and by the time you accrue a decent amount, you’re likely about to get flung into something hazardous. Conversely, carrying an abundance of Rings makes the marketable mammals almost too fast.
Earlier games populate select Zones with various contraptions, like Marble Garden’s spinning top platforms. Similar devices litter Advance 3, the functions of which are usually self-explanatory. (Image: SEGA)
All seven main Zones feature Kirby-esque hubs that house their three Acts, boss, Special Stage, and extra life-granting minigame (the eighth Zone, which players can access via the seventh one’s hub, solely consists of the final bosses). Sometimes these hubs introduce gameplay gimmicks — Cyber Track’s gravity flipping, for example — in a safe environment, which is courteous. Still, they’re altogether an unwelcome intrusion. Where Adventure’s hubs try giving you reasons to explore them, these are lifeless and only serve to delay you from getting to the next level.
Unsurprisingly, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and Amy return from the previous Advance, with the latter mercifully no longer being a difficult bonus unlockable. Now, you start with the iconic Sonic 2 duo and, by beating specific bosses as Sonic, recruit the latter three. Advance 3’s gimmick is its tag team mechanic, recalling Knuckles’ Chaotix and Sonic Heroes. When booting up the game, you choose who to play as, then choose a sidekick. Swapping between heroes on the fly à la Heroes is impossible, though each combination offers something unique, adjusting each character’s kit. Thing is, experimenting isn’t fun. All five characters are limited by it, with their partner determining which of their basic abilities they have access to. Having Amy tag along with anyone barring Tails (whose flying maneuverability gets enhanced) is frankly a liability, since she takes away your automatic ability to spin while jumping. Only a handful of combinations are worth using, with my personal favorite being Knuckles and Tails.
Oddly, Cream is unlocked after beating the lurid Cyber Track, the sixth Zone. Advance 2 and Heroes typecast her as “the easy mode character,” but here she only becomes available once you’re near the end of the game. (Image: SEGA)
That pairing actually nicely segues into one of Advance 3‘s positives: Chao hunting. Getting into Special Stages requires locating the ten Chao hidden throughout each Zone. It’s an optional, nice way to encourage replayability. Plenty of Sonic Team’s productions struggle to respect your time, however, and that problem regrettably bleeds into Advance 3 though its Special Keys. After saving a Zone’s blue blobs, these trinkets start appearing throughout its Acts. If you find one and clear the stage without dying, you keep the key. Though this is substantially better than Advance 2’s tedious Special Ring system, it’s still needless busy work; collecting every Chao should be enough. As for the Special Stages themselves, they’re okay. Your lead rides along Sonic’s Tornado biplane, collecting Rings while avoiding bombs. Clearing them all secures the seven Chaos Emeralds, unlocking the requisite Super Sonic showdown.
For Advance series standards, Dr. Eggman’s at his most ambitious here. Along with his typical assortment of mechs, the scientist is championing a new prized creation: Gemerl. Continuing from fellow Game Boy Advance side game Sonic Battle (which I also hope to tear into someday), Gemerl is an android modeled after Emerl (Advance 3’s catchy score furthers the connection by remixing select Battle tracks). Still, Eggman’s simulacrum is far less engaging; Gemerl lumbers along during his fights, using predictable, Mecha Sonic-esque attacks. If you don’t mind suffering a few hits, you can scrap him in seconds. Unfortunately, the other bosses aren’t especially memorable either. It is, however, tiring seeing Adventure’s twist — Eggman’s mook betrays him at the climax — emerge yet again.
Thematically, Chaos Angel is great. Its leitmotifs are also delightfully ominous (even if the third Act’s aggressive version seems ill-suited for a level where you ride slowly moving platforms). But its Acts are too long and encapsulate Advance 3’s issues. (Image: SEGA)
And finally, Advance 3 is visually unappealing. Character animations remain phenomenal, a benchmark for the Game Boy Advance (Amy even uses a unique set of sprites when tailing Sonic, showing a fantastic level of detail). But the environments are incohesive and, frankly, often ugly. Some Zones, like Route 99, preserve the first Advance’s more realistic aesthetics. Others, like the obligatory Green Hill tribute Sunset Hill, go for a more surreal look. Sunset Hill is a particular bugbear, featuring three or four tile sets that mesh poorly together (considering its issues, Advance 3 truly was the harbinger of Sonic 4). Then there’s the hubs and Ocean Base, which lack any flair.
Altogether, Sonic Advance 3 is an unholy mishmash of its earlier, more interesting predecessors. After finishing it in 2004, I left feeling disappointed. The console Sonics were suffering, but their handheld counterparts largely avoided their pitfalls; even Advance 2 wasn’t bad. A few of my friends adore Advance 3, but despite revisiting it with fresh eyes, I still cannot see the gem they do. Nevertheless, I will compliment SEGA for publishing new Sonic games for Nintendo’s handheld (that Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis hack job aside). Other companies were often content with re-releasing their backlogs on the Game Boy Advance, but SEGA gave their flagship franchise five distinct, mostly decent titles. In a franchise whose quality fluctuates wildly, that is appreciated.
Kindly, Advance 3 plays with the series’ stage tropes a bit. Starting in a city and not another Green Hill is nice, and closing with ancient ruins is refreshing! If only the game was better… (Image: SEGA)
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