2024 marks the 20th anniversary ofSonic Advance 3. The Game Boy Advance title marked the end of the Sonic Advance trilogy, which has turned out to be some of the most fondly rememberedSonic2D platformers for many reasons - be it their timeless style, their level design, or just their portability. The fact thatSonic Advance 3is 20 years old now may be upsetting to some, due to how there have never been games that have had the same feeling as theAdvancetitles since.
There has always been a sizable number of players who are interested in 2DSonicgames above all else, which is whygames likeSonic SuperstarsandSonic Maniakeep Classic Sonic alive to fill this franchise niche. However, as great as it is to have the original 2D games alive and well in the current age ofSonic, theSonic Advancetitles deliver a sense of speed and platforming that can’t be found in the retro-leaning platformers the series has to offer. While theAdvancetrilogy is fondly remembered, players can seem to forget that the GBA games weren’t exactly perfect, either, andSonic Advance 3represents this fact boldly from the very start.
The Pros of Sonic Advance 3
The Cons of Sonic Advance 3
The team mechanic allows versatility and replayability through discovering new playstyles and paths as many different party combinations.
Specific expected moves of each character are changed or completely unavailable in specific team combinations, such as Tails being unable to fly when paired with Knuckles.
The team mechanic allows Sonic Advance 3 to focus on the level design made for it, leading to some fresh exploration after what the first two games offered.
The new maps in Sonic Advance 3 may come off similar to mazes, where having the wrong team combinations may leave players stuck in a level for a longer time than they should be.
Platforming focuses with speeding through levels becoming easy for those who memorize the layouts over time.
Figuring out the platforming and what teams allow which paths to be accessible may force players to slow down to make precise jumps or fall into pits.
Improved special stages with no characters locked behind collecting all the Chaos Emeralds.
Special stages are locked behind finding all ten Chao in specific levels, which then requires players to go through the level again to find the key to access them, making gathering theChaos Emeraldsfor the true ending a chore once again.
Sonic Advance 3sold incredibly fast when it was first released, likely thanks to how wellSonic AdvanceandSonic Advance 2were received, but it also seemed to get positive review scores from critics at the time. While the gameplay style ofSonic Advancewas welcomed back with open arms, both critics and players had issues with the new gimmick ofAdvance 3known as the “team up” mechanic that allows fans to control two characters at once.
This mechanic is limited to the usualSoniccharacter castfound in the trilogy and some parts of it freshen up the gameplay while others make it much more frustrating. Due to this, along withSonic Advance 3’s other flaws, the third entry is commonly seen as the weakest of the set withAdvance 2serving as a big crowd favorite.
Sonic Advance 3is far from the worst-receivedexperimentalSonicgame, though, andAdvance 3turning 20 proves just how far away both the days ofAdvance 3and the games are as time has marched on without them.
Sega is Leaving Money on the Table Without Rereleasing the Sonic Advance Trilogy
Even ifSonic Advance 3hasn’t aged well compared tootherSonic the Hedgehogvideo games, it’s still rather fun to play in general and has enough style and positive traits to make it a great addition to the set. This ends up making its 20th anniversary a bit bittersweet, as allSonic Advancetitles have been lost to time, stranded on the Game Boy Advance itself. It’s honestly rather baffling to think that Sega hasn’t thought about resurrecting these games in the decades since their original release, as they’re still talked about to this day.
All theSonic Advancegames are fondly remembered for their very expressive pixel art, fun gameplay, and how they were great portable time wasters for those who grew up with them. The same could be said for many otherGame Boy Advance experiences, many of which are making a resurgence through compilations like theMega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, or even services like Nintendo Switch Online.
Sonic Advance 3has even been made relevant throughSonic Primerecently with Gemerl being part of theSonicIDW comics, so it isn’t as if these games have been forgotten. New players would most certainly like to see what’s up with these older titles, while older fans would most certainly love to experience them again in high definition or even with larger screen coverage if Sega chose to give in to the demand that’s there.
Sonic Advance 3
WHERE TO PLAY
JOIN THE QUEST TO DEFEAT THE EVIL DR. EGEMANITeam up with any one of 5 different charactersPull off different combinations of attack movesExperience changes in game play depending on a player’s partner selectionMultiplayer option allows up to 4 players
