Sonic Advance 3

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Sonic Advance 3
Development staff
Developer(s)	Dimps Sonic Team (co-developer)
Publisher(s)	Sega (JP) THQ (NA/EU)
Director(s)	Akinori Nishiyama
Producer(s)	Yuji Naka Hiroshi Matsumoto
Video game overview
Release date(s)	Game Boy Advance: JP 17 June 2004 NA 7 June 2004 EU 18 June 2004 Wii U Virtual Console: JP 25 May 2016
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E CERO: A PEGI: 3 ACB: USK: 0
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance Nintendo DS (backwards compatable) Wii U (JP)
Media	128Mb ROM cartridge
Game order
Preceded by	Sonic Advance 2

Join the quest to defeat the evil Dr. Eggman!

— Tagline

Sonic Advance 3 (ソニックアドバンス3, Sonikku Adobansu 3^?) is an action platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the last title in the Sonic Advance trilogy. It was developed by Dimps and published by Sega and THQ.

The game was released in June 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. It would be later re-released in Japan for the Wii U's Virtual Console on May 25, 2016. The game uses elements from Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2, as well as allowing the player to choose an additional partner, who augments the player's actions.

The team formation system present in Sonic Advance 3 was later expanded and used in Sonic Heroes, Sonic Riders series, Mario & Sonic series and many other games.

Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.

Please read, watch, or play the Sonic media in question before reading this page/section. Otherwise, feel free to continue!

The title screen of Sonic Advance 3.

After the Emerl incident, Dr. Eggman has used the leftover data from Emerl to create Gemerl. Later, using Chaos Control, Eggman breaks the earth into seven pockets of reality with the intent of conquering each section and turning them into the Dr. Eggman Empire. Sonic is left stranded with Tails in Route 99, and teams with him to find their friends, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream; and restore the world by finding the Chaos Emeralds. Whilst on their journey, Sonic and Tails find their friends, who join them. They also face off with Eggman's various machines.

The bad ending of Sonic Advance 3.

Eventually, Sonic and his friends go to Altar Emerald, where they have a fight against Gemerl and Eggman in the Hyper Eggrobo. The ending of the game from there will depend on the player's progress:

• If the player is not using Sonic as a lead character and/or has not collected all seven Chaos Emeralds after defeating the Hyper Eggrobo, Eggman and Gemerl will escape as the Master Emerald restores the planet to normal. The game will then end with Omochao taking a picture of Sonic and his friends. As a post-credits scene, Eggman will be shown with the green Chaos Emerald in his possession as the game tells the player to collect the seven Emeralds.
• If the player is using Sonic as a lead character and has collected the seven Chaos Emeralds after defeating the Hyper Eggrobo, Gemerl will betray Eggman and snatch the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic, which he uses to become Ultimate Gemerl. After Ultimate Gemerl has left. Sonic, using the Chaos Emeralds as well, becomes Super Sonic, and teams up with Eggman to defeat the robot. After that, Gemerl is turned back to normal and consumed in a massive explosion. Sonic later wakes up among his friends and set outs on new adventures while Knuckles stays behind to guard the Master Emerald. Days later however, Cream and her mother Vanilla find Gemerl's body on a beach, and give it to Tails, who repairs him and reprograms him into a friendly robot. After that, he gets to live a peaceful life with Cream and her family.

Characters

Image	Character	Biography
	Sonic the Hedgehog	A free spirited hedgehog that hates evil. He can be short tempered at times, but never turns his back on those in need of help.
	Miles "Tails" Prower	A friendly kid fox with two tails, who thinks of Sonic as a favorite big brother. He loves tinkering with machinery.
	Knuckles the Echidna	A powerful Echidna with spiky fists, and Sonic's best friend and rival. He's sincere in nature, but a little gullible and easily misled.
	Cream the Rabbit	Cream is a polite little rabbit that takes her tiny Chao "Cheese" wherever she goes. She means well, but can act a little childish at times.
	Amy Rose	Sonic's self professed girlfriend that he can't seem to escape from. She never leaves home without her trademark Pikopiko Hammer.

Gameplay

Sonic Advance 3 is a 2D side-scrolling platforming video game, which plays similar to past 2D Sonic games. In it, the player takes control of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and Amy, each with their own individual abilities.

Sonic Advance 3 contains seven Zones, each of them having separate hub worlds called "Zone Maps" that include three Acts, a boss fight and two minigames that are used to gain extra lives. Rather than segueing immediately between Acts as happens in other 2D Sonic the Hedgehog titles, Sonic Advance 3 uses a "hub" system where the characters have to explore a separate world from the Acts in order to enter each Act. Once all three Acts are found and cleared, the player can then move onto the boss. In the interconnecting hub, players can also exchange who their active pairing is by entering the giant Factory Ring near the entry point and switch between past Zones that were completed.

As with past 2D Sonic games, the main goal of Sonic Advance 3 is to beat all Acts in less than ten minutes. Rings can be found scattered throughout the game. As with past titles, Rings will grant an extra life if one hundred are collected, as well as protect the playable character from attacks; if the player is hit while carrying at least one Ring, they will survive, although at the cost of dropping all their Rings. However, if they receive damage while not having any Rings, they will lose a life and have to restart the current Act from the beginning or at the latest Checkpoint they touched. Additionally, the player will also lose a life if they do not complete the Act within the time limit, fall into a bottomless pit, drown underwater, or get crushed. If all lives are lost, they will get a Game Over. Extra lives can be obtained by gathering one hundred Rings or breaking 1-Up Boxes.

Unlike past games, Sonic Advance 3 requires the player to select a playable character and a partner character to assist them. Player 1 controls the leader character, while the partner is controlled by either a second player or an AI. Additionally, players can use a special ability known as Tag Action; the player can pick up the teammate by holding , and then release it to perform various special actions.

Besides the character actions, a partner affects the leading character's moveset and passive abilities. Each team-up also has a categorization showing its strength, which is either Flight, Power, or Speed, along with a description determining their partnership:

x	Sonic	Tails	Knuckles	Cream	Amy
Sonic	N/A	"Unbreakable Bond" : Speed	"Fighting Buddies" : Speed	"OK" : Speed	"Lovely Couple" : Speed
Tails	"Unbreakable Bond" : Speed	N/A	"OK" : Power	"OK" : Fly	"OK" : Fly
Knuckles	"Fighting Buddies" : Speed	"OK" : Power	N/A	"OK" : Power	"OK" : Power
Cream	"OK" : Speed	"OK" : Fly	"OK" : Power	N/A	"Team Jubilee" : Fly
Amy	"Lovely Couple" : Speed	"OK" : Fly	"OK" : Power	"Team Jubilee" : Fly	N/A

Character team actions

• Sonic: Gives a super burst of speed, as if walking over a speed booster.
  • Having Sonic as a partner (or being Sonic) will let the player enter Boost Mode.
• Tails: A super high jump aided by Tails. (Ground action)
  • Tails can fly around while holding his partner just like in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. (air action)
• Knuckles: Can be thrown forward at enemies. (Ground action)
  • Glides forward with his partner riding on his back. (Air action)
• Cream: Cheese becomes a character Chao and can be used by the characters in the same way Cream uses Cheese. (Air and ground action)
• Amy: A super high jump aided by Amy's hammer. Can be used repeatedly to escape deep water.
  • A small double jump, which can be made into an abnormally high bounce if the player times it right. (Air action)

Controls

General

Button formation	Movement
left/right	Move
up	Look up
down	Look down
Hold > release	Tag Action
START	Pause

Character specific

• Sonic
• Tails
• Knuckles
• Cream
• Amy

Action	Movement with partner
	Tails	Knuckles	Cream	Amy
Regular Actions	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash
	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Jump
	Skid Attack	Fire Sliding	Skid Attack	Hammer Attack
while jumping	N/A	N/A	Jump Dash Homing Attack	N/A
while jumping	N/A	Wind Attack up: Upper Spin down: Bound Attack	N/A	Spin Attack
Special Actions	: Mid-Air Trick Action Boost Mode (while running)	Boost Mode (while running)	Breathe (in water) Boost Mode (while running)	Boost Mode (while running)

Action	Movement with partner
	Sonic	Knuckles	Cream	Amy
Regular Actions	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash
	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Jump
	Tail Swipe	Tornado Attack	Tail Swipe	Hammer Attack
while Jumping	Propeller Flying	Mid-Air Glide	High Propeller Flying Homing Attack	Hammer Propeller Flying
while Jumping	N/A	Tail Spin Attack	N/A	Spin Attack
Special Actions	: Mid-Air Trick Action : Dog Paddle (in water) Boost Mode (while running)	: Breast Stroke (in water)	: Dog Paddle (in water)	: Dog Paddle (in water)

Action	Movement with partner
	Sonic	Tails	Cream	Amy
Regular Actions	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash	Down : Spin (while running) Down + : Spin Dash
	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Jump
	Double Punch	Spiral Upper	Double Punch	Hammer Attack
while Jumping	Mid-Air Dash Glide	Double Mid-Air Glide Wall Climb (towards wall)	Mid-Air Glide Wall Climb (towards wall)	Mid-Air Glide Wall Climb (towards wall)
while Jumping	N/A			Spin Attack down: Drill Claw
Special Actions	: Breast Stroke (in water) Boost Mode (while running)	: Breast Stroke (in water)	: Breast Stroke (in water) : Homing Attack (during Mid-Air Glide)	left/right + : Dash Climb (on wall) : Breast Stroke (in water)

Action	Movement with partner
	Sonic	Tails	Knuckles	Amy
Regular Actions	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash
	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Spin Jump	Jump
	Chao Ball Attack	Chao Attack	Chao Spinning Attack	Hammer Attack
while Jumping	Flying	Floating Fall	Flying (Chao Spin)	Flying
while Jumping	Mid-Air Chao Ball Attack	Mid-Air Chao Attack	Mid-Air Chao Spinning Attack	Mid-Air Chao Attack down: Hip Drop
Special Actions	Life Ring (in water) Boost Mode (while running)	N/A	N/A	: Mid-Air Trick Action Boost Mode (while running)

Action	Movement with partner
	Sonic	Tails	Knuckles	Cream
Regular Actions	down: Spin (while running) down + : Spin Dash	down: + : Leap	down: + : Amy Dash	down: + : Leap
	Spin Jump	Jump	Jump	Jump
	Hammer Attack	Hammer Attack	Big Hammer Attack down: Hammer Jump	Hammer Attack
while jumping	Jump Dash	Floating Fall	N/A	Floating Fall
while jumping	Mid-Air Hammer Attack down:: Spinning Hammer Attack	Mid-Air Hammer Jump	Mid-Air Hammer Attack down: Spinning Hammer Attack	Mid-Air Hammer Attack
Special Actions	Boost Mode (while running)	: Head Slide (during Leap)	N/A	: Mid-Air Trick Action : Head Slide (during Leap)

Characters

Playable characters

• Amy Rose
• Cream the Rabbit
• Dr. Eggman
• Knuckles the Echidna
• Miles "Tails" Prower
• Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Super Sonic

Non-playable characters

• Chao
• Gemerl (first appearance)
  • Ultimate Gemerl (only appearance)
• Omochao
• Vanilla the Rabbit

Enemies

Akatento (first appearance) Aotento (first appearance) Ape (first appearance) Bu-Bu (first appearance) Buzzer Clam (first appearance) Condor (first appearance) Gaogao (first appearance) Gekogeko (first appearance)

Ginpe (first appearance) Guards (first appearance) Guruguru (first appearance) Hariisen (first appearance) Jousun (first appearance) Juggling (first appearance) Kamaki (first appearance) Kyacchaa (first appearance)

Marun (first appearance) Minimole (first appearance) Muukaden (first appearance) Spina Takkon (first appearance) Uutsubo (first appearance) Yadokk (first appearance) Yukigasen (first appearance)

Bosses

1. Egg Hammer 3 (Route 99) (only appearance)
2. Egg Ball No.2 (Sunset Hill) (only appearance)
3. Egg Foot (Ocean Base) (only appearance)
4. Egg Cube (Toy Kingdom) (only appearance)
5. Egg Chaser (Twinkle Snow) (only appearance)
6. Egg Pinball (Cyber Track) (only appearance)
7. Egg Gravity (Chaos Angel) (only appearance)
8. Hyper Eggrobo (Altar Emerald) (only appearance)
9. Ultimate Gemerl (Nonaggression) (only appearance)

Zones

1. Route 99
2. Sunset Hill
3. Ocean Base
4. Toy Kingdom
5. Twinkle Snow
6. Cyber Track
7. Chaos Angel
8. Altar Emerald
9. Nonaggression

Cast

Role	English voice actor	Japanese voice actor
Sonic the Hedgehog	Ryan Drummond	Jun'ichi Kanemaru
Dr. Eggman	Deem Bristow	Chikao Ōtsuka
Miles "Tails" Prower	William Corkery	Ryo Hirohashi
Knuckles the Echidna	Scott Drier	Nobutoshi Canna
Amy Rose	Jennifer Douillard	Taeko Kawata
Cream the Rabbit	Sarah Wulfeck	Sayaka Aoki
Menu announcer	Jon St. John

Re-releases

On 25 May 2016, Sonic Advance 3 was re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in Japan at the price of ¥702.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	81.37%
Metacritic	79%
Review scores
Publication	Score
1Up.com	7.5/10
Famitsu	30/40
Game Informer	6.75/10
GamePro	3.5/5
GameSpot	8.4/10
GameSpy
GameZone	9/10
IGN	9/10
Nintendo Power	3.9/5

Sonic Advance 3 was reportedly "racing off store shelves" as soon as it was released. The game also received positive reviews from critics, with respective scores of 79% and 81.37% at review aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings. It later won "Handheld Game of the Year" at the 2004 Golden Joystick Awards and sold over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone.

Critics gave mixed opinions to the team-up dynamic. Nich Maragos from 1UP.com celebrated that Sonic Team had "finally [come] up with a way of introducing teamwork and variance between characters that doesn't overwhelm Sonic's bread-and-butter gameplay." Maragos singled this out as the main divider between Sonic Advance 3 and Sonic Heroes, a game that he found surprisingly linear in level design considering that it, unlike Sonic Advance 3, was in 3D. Maragos, GameSpot's Frank Provo, IGN's Craig Harris, and Game Informer's Lisa Mason appreciated the increase in replayability Sonic's friends brought. However, Mason, as well as reviewer Stardingo from Gamepro, thought that they played too much like Sonic and did not add much to the experience. Darryl Vassar of GameSpy took a different point of criticism: he acknowledged the presence of genuinely different character abilities, but perceived that their only purpose was to find Chao, whom he called "pointless". Maragos noted that the "mid-air trick" system from Sonic Advance 2 was optional in Advance 3, but spoke positively about its usefulness in locating "hidden areas". Harris argued that such varying team abilities contributed to occasional "cheapness" in the level design, because "most of the characters have absolutely no defense when hopping off items like springboards."

However, the gameplay was mostly well-received otherwise. Vassar acclaimed the level design: he both called the levels "enormous and fast" and praised the slower, smaller sections for "keeping the levels distinct and adding short interludes to the constant running and loops." Harris also praised the "clever" level design. However, Mason found it "simplistic", while Stardingo saw "repetition" in the typical formula. Maragos criticized the contrasting difficulty of the bosses and some minor control issues. Vassar, however, appreciated the return from Advance 2's running-based boss battles to more traditional ones. Further praise from Harris, conversely, went to the multiplayer mode and—along with Stardingo—to the presence of a hub world, which Harris and Stardingo thought gave the game structure.

The game's aesthetics were also well received. Provo stated that "in terms of graphics and sound, Sonic Advance 3 is on par with the best that companies like Nintendo and Konami have had to offer this year". He specifically complimented the character animations, simulations of underwater waves, and in-depth background effects. Vassar praised Sonic Advance 3 for continuing Advance 1 and 2's emulation of the "colorful, angular, and stylized look" of the original Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis, as well as its "twangy, upbeat tunes". Stardingo thought similarly overall but criticized the "garish" themes of the level Toy Kingdom.

Trivia

• Strangely, this game was not mentioned on Sega's American Sonic website, Sonic Central.
• The partner aspect is similar in concept to the partner system from Knuckles' Chaotix, although Sonic Advance 3 does not replicate the "bungee cord" effect, instead using a system similar to Tails' AI-controlled system.
• Amy as Sonic's partner is the only choice in the game that causes non-gameplay related sprites and animations to change depending on the selected characters.
• If the player selects Knuckles as a player character and Sonic as a partner, the life symbol will look like a mirrored version of the cover of Sonic & Knuckles.
• This is the only Sonic Advance game where the Tiny Chao Garden is absent.
• If the player gets all the Chaos Emeralds, a code will pop up for the Secret Stage Mode. The player has to go to the main menu, highlight "Main Game" and press "Up, R, Down, L, Right, Left". Once that's done, the player can play the Special Stages.
• Many of the music tracks from Sonic Advance 3 are remixes of themes that appeared in previous Sonic the Hedgehog games. While most originate from Sonic Battle (with Route 99 using music from Tails' Lab, Altar Emerald using music from Holy Summit, and Nonaggression and the title sequence using the leitmotif of E-120 Phi and Gemerl, as well as excerpts from the music in Colosseum), the main menu uses the Chao Race theme from Sonic Adventure 2, and the music for Sunset Hill is a remix of the music played in Green Hill Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog (which also contains a sample of the music played in Central City in Sonic Battle).
• The Tag Actions used by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Amy as partners function very similar to their special abilities used in Sonic Advance's "Team Play" mode.
• When Sonic and Cream are paired, Sonic can still acquire Air Bubbles despite not needing them.
• This is the final game in which the original English voice actors reprise their roles for Sonic, Eggman, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream before they were replaced with the 4Kids Entertainment voice actors from Sonic X.
  • It is also the only Sonic Advance game to feature voice acting and the second and final Sonic game for Game Boy Advance to feature voice acting overall, the first being Sonic Battle.
• According to Ian Flynn, Sonic Prime takes place at an undisclosed point sometime after the events of Sonic Advance 3.
  • The third episode of the third season shows a flashback of Sonic and Tails fighting against Eggman and his Egg Ball No.2 in Sunset Hill.

Videos

• Japanese commercial #1
• Japanese commercial #2

External links

• Official website (Japanese)

Sonic Advance 3

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