Following the release of the first half of Sonic 3 in February 1994, Sonic Team had one job - finish the rest of the game quickly. In just six short months, Sonic & Knuckles was finished and in October 1994, it was released to the public.
To the average consumer, Sonic & Knuckles may look like a standalone entry in the classic Sonic games. And, to some extent, it can be. However, due to the existence of the ‘definitive’ Sonic 3 & Knuckles, this is clearly just the second half of the game. But does that make it any less good?
As with Sonic 1 through 3, my experience with this one started with Sonic Classic Collection on the DS. I played it, was bad at it, picked it up again more recently on Steam and had a blast.
I think the best way to look at these classic games is on a level-by-level basis, so let’s take a close look.
Mushroom Hill Zone is certainly the most exciting first level of the classic games. Compared to its predecessors, and even Angel Island, Mushroom Hill is more gimmicky and, to some degree, more challenging. If you’re playing the full S3K experience, this zone is your first introduction to Hidden Palace Zone and the Super Emeralds, and is marked by a brief but nice cutscene at the beginning.
Due to being the beginning of the second half, there is a noticeable shift in difficulty here. While Launch Base was the height of difficulty for the first half, there is a sharp decrease in challenge going into this one. Don’t worry, that won’t last for one.
Flying Battery is an evolution of Wing Fortress from Sonic 2, and is a much better experience. This level is more balanced and fair, and features an awesome soundtrack. Flying Battery feels more consistent with the level design and theming of Sonic 3, which may be because it was originally meant to be between Carnival Night and Ice Cap.
There is an incredibly inventive mini-boss here, taking the form of one of the Animal Capsules Sonic has grown so accustomed to bashing open. Overall this level is high-speed, high-temp and high-fun.
Sandopolis Zone is another huge shift in difficulty, this time spiking upward, with death traps, more crushing pillars than ever, and ghosts that kill you if it gets too dark in Act 2. It has some cool gimmicks, such as loops you run around twice, but also drags a lot.
From wall-climbing down a large tower, to solving puzzles to open doors, to trying to evade these damn ghosts, Sandopolis is way too slow with little enjoyment to be had.
Lava Reef Zone takes the Angel Island approach, completely switching the style between acts. Act 1 puts you in a red-hot volcano, with weird gas robots, more crushing pillars and lots of lava. Act 2 cools down a bit as the Death Egg rises, but fire still spews out of geysers and both can and will catch you off guard.
The transition between acts is really well done. The change to a blue colouring and chilling music can make the player feel cold. For a game made in 1994, the immersion is done really well here. After a while, the player may begin to feel more secure as the music feels more peaceful, and the colour scheme is cooler on the eyes. However, that is ripped away as the boss appears, and suddenly you're dodging missiles over a fiery pit of lava.
Hidden Palace may have been cut from Sonic 2, but here it makes its shining debut in full. This zone is where the adventure changes. You face off against Knuckles, finally beating him up after two full games of him taunting you, and the truth is unveiled.
Knuckles joins your side after Robotnik steals the Master Emerald, and with a prophecy on the wall showing Super Sonic fighting a giant robot in space, you know what must be done.
The level is different between playing as Sonic or playing as Knuckles. If you’re the former, you get the full experience, but the latter is treated to a room and a small cutscene. Still, it does a good job at setting up the endgame.
This one-act zone is very unique, with the juxtaposition of the peaceful looking area and the urgency of the situation. Knuckles has collapsed, too tired and hurt to go on, and the Death Egg is rising in the background.
The zone cleverly weaves bosses of Sonic’s past into the stage, reminding the player of times in an era that is now coming to an end. There’s the original Green Hill Zone boss from Sonic 1 and the Metropolis Zone boss from Sonic 2, now against the new Mecha Sonic.
For both Sonic and Knuckles, the zone culminates in a fight against Mecha Sonic. For Knuckles, this is the end of his journey, but the blue hedgehog must go on.
Death Egg Zone here is a huge improvement over Sonic 2. Instead of two bosses, a full two-act stage awaits you here. Some of the series’ strangest gimmicks are found here, such as weird light bridges.
The star of the show here is gravity, which is constantly switching. It’s a clever gimmick, but can make the level overly complicated at times, as the player is left wondering if they’re going the wrong way after switching gravity again.
The journey culminates in this grand showdown, Hyper Sonic versus Robotnik. Only available after collecting every Super Emerald, it is easily the most intense moment of the classic games.
This one is a race against time, as you have to beat the rotten egg’s final contraption before you run out of rings and suffocate in the void of space. Luckily, it’s not too hard, so shouldn’t be too much of a stress over everything the player has already gone through.
The Special Stages are the same as Sonic 3’s, the Blue Spheres. However this time, you’re after the Super Emeralds. If you collect all seven Chaos Emeralds during Sonic 3, you are able to unlock the Super Emeralds at the beginning of Mushroom Hill.
Your Super Sonic privileges are revoked, but if you collect these seven emeralds before the end of Death Egg Zone, you unlock Hyper Sonic. He’s like Super Sonic, but flashes rainbow colours, is surrounded by sparkles, and can do a dash mid-air that drains a few rings but destroys every badnik on screen. It’s a suitable reward for collecting 14 emeralds over the span of two games.
Much like Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles lacks a mobile port, so for years the best way to play has been Sonic 3 & Knuckles on Steam, with mods like Sonic 3 Complete or Sonic 3 A.I.R. However, SEGA recently announced ‘Sonic Origins’, which is going to bring Sonic 3 & Knuckles to current-gen consoles and computers, with widescreen and other improvements.
So, yes, the definitive way to play both Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles isn’t out yet. Sonic Origins is scheduled for a 2022 release, but if you can’t wait, Sonic 3 & Knuckles with mods on Steam is the way to go.
Sonic & Knuckles is the perfect conclusion to the classic Sonic games. Throughout the games, the stakes are raised higher and higher, and it all culminates in this grand finale. Sonic & Knuckles is a little strange to play on its own. Because it is mostly endgame zones, the difficulty spike is significant.
However, that does not devalue Sonic & Knuckles as both a standalone game, or as the second half of Sonic 3. While not always regarded to be as high in quality as the first half, Sonic & Knuckles stands as one of the series’ greatest offerings, and a brilliant way to end the classic Sonic games.
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