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Not to be confused with Sonic the Hedgehog Blast or Sonic 3D Blast.

Sonic Blast (Gソニック G Sonikku?, lit. "G Sonic") is a platform video game from the Sonic the Hedgehog series that was developed by Aspect and published by Sega for the Sega Game Gear. It was released on 12 December 1996 in North America and a day later in Japan,[1] along with being ported to the Sega Master System in Brazil a year later. Sonic Blast was the last Sonic game for the Game Gear. It is notorious for using pre-rendered visuals for its graphics unlike its predecessors, a trend popularized by Donkey Kong Country.

The plot of Sonic Blast centers around Sonic and Knuckles going on an adventure to find the scattered fragments of a Chaos Emerald that was shattered by Dr. Eggman, as well as destroy the scientist's latest fortress: the Silver Castle. The game is often called one of the worst games in the Sonic series; critics disliked the graphics and felt like they hampered the game's experience, and also criticized the slow gameplay and level design.

Plot[]

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

Sonic seeing the Chaos Emerald being shattered.

One day, Sonic is resting in a hammock on South Island with a Chaos Emerald in his hand. Suddenly however, the Emerald starts to shine with a blinding light that wakes the hedgehog up. In front of Sonic's eyes, the gem continues to glow stronger and more intense, until it eventually breaks down and shatters itself into five smaller pieces that fly away.[4]

Stunned from what he has just seen, Sonic hears a familiar laughter from nearby him, which he recognizes as Dr. Eggman's. The doctor gloats that he had planned to zap the hedgehog with a laser beam, but he missed him and hit the Chaos Emerald instead. Surprised but nevertheless pleased with the results, he reveals his newest plan of building a new stronghold called the Silver Castle, and then find the scattered pieces of the Chaos Emerald. As the scientist leaves, Knuckles, who had seen all of this, appears from behind a palm tree. The echidna teams up with Sonic to find the shards of the Chaos Emerald and thwart Eggman's ambitions.[5]

Sonic and Knuckles proceed to travel across the various Zones of South Island, destroying Eggman's various contraptions along the way while hunting the Chaos Emerald shards. Eventually, they enter the now finished Silver Castle and have a final showdown with the doctor in his new vehicle. After that, the game's ending will depend on the player's process:

  • If the player has not managed to gather the five shards of the Chaos Emerald, the Silver Castle will fall into the sea while Sonic/Knuckles watches from South Island. Eggman will then fly away before his fortress is sunk.
  • If the player manages to get the five shards of the Chaos Emerald, they will have a definitive battle against Eggman after defeating the Silver Castle boss. After defeating it, the ending will be the same, except that Eggman will not escape and Sonic/Knuckles will juggle around the pieces of the Emerald with his left hand.

Characters[]

Image Character Description
Sonic 47 Sonic the Hedgehog The hero of South Island. He's the world's fastest sound-speed hedgehog who protects the peace by thwarting every evil scheme of Dr. Eggman.[6]
This time, he'll face off against Dr. Eggman for the Chaos Emeralds.[6]
Knuckles in Sonic Blast Knuckles the Echidna Sonic's rival, the flying echidna.[6]
When he finds out that the Chaos Emeralds are in danger, he decides that he can't leave it to Sonic.[6]
But in truth, his goal is to punish Dr. Eggman, not the Chaos Emeralds.[6]
Eggman in Sonic Blast Doctor Eggman He's the world's greatest super-genius scientist! But he's also the world's most evil man.[7]
He's the most vindictive in the world! But he's also the world's worst screw-up.[7]
This time, he's going to beat Sonic to a pulp! But this time, he's going to get beaten up by Sonic again.[7]

Gameplay[]

Sonic, one of the playable characters, in the fourth Zone of Sonic Blast, Blue Marine
Knuckles, one of the playable characters, in the third Zone of Sonic Blast, Red Volcano

Examples of gameplay in Sonic Blast: Sonic in Blue Marine Zone (left), and Knuckles in Red Volcano Zone (right).

Sonic Blast is a 2D side-scrolling platform video game, which plays similar to past 2D Sonic games. In this game, the player takes control of either Sonic or Knuckles, each with their own abilities: Sonic is able to perform the Double Jump to gain extra height in midair, while Knuckles can glide and climb walls.

The main objective for each character in the game is to pass through five Zones, each divided into three Acts with a boss fight at the end of the third. The Zones have multiple routes to the goal along with many secret locations to be discovered by the player though the use of the characters' abilities. To finish an Act, the player has to spin a Goal Plate at the goal or defeat a boss.

In gameplay, Rings appear scattered through the Acts. The number of Rings the player carries is indicated in the top left corner of the HUD. Like in past games, they serve as the player's main method of protection from harm, for if the playable character is hurt while they carry at least one Ring, the player will survive, though they will lose ten Rings. Receiving damage while not having any Rings will cost the player a life. The player can also lose a life if they drown or get crushed. After losing a Life, the playable character will respawn at the start of the Act or respawn at the location of the last Marker Item Box that was opened. If Sonic or Knuckles run out of lives, they will get a Game Over, but the player can resume playing as long as they have at least one Continue. Extra lives can be obtained by breaking 1-Up Item Boxes,[8] collecting one-hundred Rings, running through the Goal Plate, and in the first Special Stage Acts. Up to nine lives can be carried at once.

The secondary objective in the game is to collect the five Chaos Emerald shards. This can be done by entering a Giant Ring in the second Acts of the Zones and completing the Special Stage that follows. Only one Big Ring can be found per Act. Getting all five shards will not modify gameplay, although it will unlock a secret boss that will lead to the good ending cinematic if the player defeats it.

Scoring system[]

Main article: Point#Sonic Blast

Controls[]

Button formation Movement
Game Gear Master System Sonic-Icon-Sonic-Blast Sonic KTE-Icon-Sonic-Blast Knuckles
Controlpadds left/right Walk/Run
Controlpadds up Look up
Controlpadds down Look down/Crouch
Controlpadds left/right + down Spin Attack
Game Gear I Button/Game Gear II Button Spin Jump
Controlpadds down + Game Gear I Button/Game Gear II Button Spin Dash[9]
Game Gear I Button/Game Gear II Button (midair) Double Jump[9] Glide[9]
Controlpadds up/down (on wall) N/A Climb
START Game Gear I Button Pause

Objects[]

Items[]

Gimmicks and obstacles[]

Goal Plate rewards[]

Like in previous 8-bit Sonic games, a Goal Plate appears at the end of the first two Acts and will grant different bonuses when they stop spinning after the player passes them.

Icon Name Reward
Gsign-Sonic
Sonic Plate (ソニックプレート[10] Sonikku Purēto?) 1-Up (Sonic)
30 Rings (Knuckles)
Gsign-Knuckles
Knuckles Plate (ナックルズプレート[10] Nakkuruzu Purēto?) 1-Up (Knuckles)
30 Rings (Sonic)
Gsign-Emerald
Emerald Plate (エメラルドプレート[10] Emerarudo Purēto?) Continue
Gsign-SuperSonic
Super Sonic Plate (スーパーソニックプレート[10] Sūpā Sonikku Purēto?) 1-Up +
30 Rings
Gsign-ring
10 Ring Plate (10リングプレート[10] 10 Ringu Purēto?) 10 Rings
Gsign-Eggman
Eggman Plate (エッグマンプレート[10] Eggumanpurēto?) Nothing

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

Non-playable characters[]

Enemies[]

Zones[]

Sonic Blast features five Zones, each split into three Acts. Once the player has cleared the first two Acts within a Zone, they must confront and defeat Eggman in that Zone's third Act to proceed with the story. Gathering all of the Emerald shards will trigger the extra final boss of the game.

  1. Green Hill Zone
  2. Yellow Desert Zone
  3. Red Volcano Zone
  4. Blue Marine Zone
  5. Silver Castle Zone

Bosses[]

  1. Green Hill Zone boss
  2. Yellow Desert Zone boss
  3. Red Volcano Zone boss
  4. Blue Marine Zone boss
  5. Silver Castle Zone boss
  6. Final boss (extra boss)

Special Stage[]

Special-Stage-Type-II-Sonic-Blast

Sonic in a Special Stage.

Special Stages are a set of ten different extra levels from which the player can get rewards. These stages can be accessed through hidden Big Rings in the first two Acts of the Zones. In Act 1, completing Special Stages will grant the player a 1-Up, while completing those in Act 2 will give them a Chaos Emerald shard.

In the Special Stages, the playable character will run forward through a checkered area. The player cannot stop their character from moving forward, though they can move them left and right and make them jump. To complete a Special Stage, the player has to collect a certain amount of Rings. After either completing or losing a Special Stage, the player will be taken back to the normal Act, where they will be able to continue as normal.

Reception[]

 Reception
Review scores
Publication Score
Nintendo Life 6/10 (3DS)[11]
Digitally Downloaded 2/5 starsStar fullStar emptyStar emptyStar empty (3DS)[12]
Jeuxvideo.com 9/20 (3DS)[13]
Pocket Gamer 3Star fullStar fullStar halfStar empty (3DS)[14]

Sonic Blast received mixed reception at the time of its release, although retrospective commentary has been far more negative. Nintendo World Report summarized the game as "a step back" from previous Game Gear Sonic titles, due to what they called "the attempt at aping Donkey Kong Country's pre-rendered sprites on a handheld".[15]

Most critics disliked the graphics, some even claiming they ruined the game.[13][12] Digitally Downloaded stated the visuals were more distracting than impressive, writing they hampered the fluidity of the gameplay and prevented the use of elements they considered integral to the series.[12] Nintendo Life thought the game aged badly when compared to the other Sonic 8-bit entries, citing "muddy colours and shaky animation",[11] and USgamer said the character graphics were too big, especially for the Game Gear's small screen.[16] Jeuxvideo.com found the character animations poor and noted the gameplay limitations they caused.[13] Despite their mostly negative reaction to the graphics, many critics did acknowledge that the visuals were impressive when considering the limitations of the Game Gear.[13][12] Pocket Gamer noted that prior to the game's release, "the capabilities of [the Game Gear] had seemingly been fully explored"; they wrote while they offered some compromises, the visuals made the game stand out.[14]

Sonic Blast has been called one of the worst games in the Sonic series.[15][16] Nintendo World Report exclaimed the game "should be avoided at all costs",[15] and Retro Gamer stated that the game's title screen was its only redeeming quality.[17] USgamer wrote it was "an unpleasant end to the Game Gear" and attributed its shortcomings to the system's discontinuation.[16] Complex declared it "the worst handheld Sonic game ever" and said "thank God they didn't attempt the '3D' aspect of its 16-bit older brother."[18]

Re-releases[]

In 2005, Sonic Blast was released as a plug-and-play console by Techno Source, entitled Sonic Blast.

Sonic Blast was re-released in later Sonic compilations, including Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut and Sonic Mega Collection Plus, along with there being an unlockable demo of the game's ending in Sonic Gems Collection. Sonic Blast was released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in North America on 20 June 2013.[2]

The Game Gear version was re-released along with the rest of the Sonic Game Gear titles on Sonic Origins Plus, which released on June 23, 2023 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, & PC.

Trivia[]

  • The name of the game's five Zones each begin with a color: green, yellow, red, blue, and silver, respectively). These colors relate to the Chaos Emerald piece found in the given Zone.
  • The Bonus Plate featuring Super Sonic is the latter's only appearance in an 8-bit System Sonic title, even though Sonic himself cannot transform in the game.
  • Due to the game's large ROM size, it will not work on early Master System models.
  • The international logo for Sonic Blast is very similar to that of Sonic 3D Blast.
The unused Super Peel Out-like animation.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 G Sonic (Japanese). Sega (JP). Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sonic Blast. Nintendo (US). Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved on 24 February 2022.
  3. Sonic Blast (French). Nintendo (FR). Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved on 24 February 2022.
  4. G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
  5. G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 6-7.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 9.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 20.
  8. Sonic Blast (Sega Game Gear) United States instruction booklet, pg. 12.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sonic Blast (Sega Game Gear) United States instruction booklet, pg. 5.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 17.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Newton, James (25 June 2012). Sonic Blast Review. Nintendo Life. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 A., Clark (14 August 2013). Review: Sonic Blast (3DS). Digitally Downloaded. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Sire, Godefroy (11 June 2017). Test du jeu Oldies : Sonic Blast, un episode pas si indispensible que ca (French). Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Willington, Paul (18 June 2012). Sonic Blast. Pocket Gamer. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Ronaghan, Neal (21 June 2013). Grinding Game Gears: An Overview of Sonic's Portable Origins. Nintendo World Report. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 USgamer Team (18 August 2017). Gotta Go Fast: Ranking All of The Sonic The Hedgehog Games. USgamer. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
  17. Delaney, John (28 July 2008). Sonic Blast. RetroGamer. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
  18. Knight, Rich (16 July 2013). Ranking Every "Sonic the Hedgehog" Platformer. Complex. Retrieved on 23 April 2018. "The worst handheld Sonic game ever. It feels like such a rush job. Thank God they didn't attempt the "3D" aspect of its 16-bit older brother"

External links[]

Sonic the Hedgehog handheld games

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