Sonic & Knuckles

Name: Sonic & Knuckles - All three nations

Other Names (Nicknames): S&K, "Sonic & Knux," Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Release Dates:
October 18th, 1994 - North America
October 18th, 1994 - Japan
November, 1994 - Europe

Quality: 16-Bit, Side-Scrolling Platformer

Game System(s): Sega Mega Drive/Genesis

Also released on:
(1). Sega Saturn - Sonic Jam Collection
(2). PC - RealPlayer Arcade, Sega B-Club, and the Sonic & Knuckles Collection
(3). Gamecube/Playstation/X-Box - Sonic Mega Collection (Plus)

Developer(s): Sonic Team, and Sega Technical Institute

Character Introductions: Silver Sonic 2 (AKA Mecha Sonic 2).

Region Game Takes Place On: Angel Island (named the Floating Island in the US version).

Concept Introductions: The game has the exact same gameplay style and properties as Sonic The Hedgehog 3. Go to the Sonic The Hedgehog 3 page to learn more.

Concept Deductions: The game has the exact same gameplay style and properties as Sonic The Hedgehog 3. Go to the Sonic The Hedgehog 3 page to learn more.

Storyline:

           Sonic & Knuckles picks up right after Sonic the Hedgehog 3. After watching the Death Egg fall once again, Tails safely flew Sonic to the ground using his two tails as rotary blades like a helicopter. The hedgehog dashed forward, only to skid to an abrupt halt upon seeing that blasted echidna thief again! Knuckles seemed to be a bit more furtive than usual, looking around cautiously before throwing the switch that closed the door he just came out of. Sonic & Tails had took no chances to just let that secret go unattended, so they just as quickly threw the switch and went inside to see this secret.

            Of course, since it was a cave, it would have obviously led to a ring portal — and that's exactly what it led to! A giant, slowly spinning ring. But something was different about this one. It was not gold, but instead flashing in a radiant pastel of the seven Chaos Emerald colors. Upon jumping inside, they were directed to a strange cavern with 8 altars, the upper middle one containing a gigantic green gem. If this was not odd enough, right when Sonic landed onto the ground, the 7 Chaos Emeralds he collected would thus float above him, spinning rapidly, only to disperse high into the airspace of the cavern, and relentlessly beam down on the 7 vacant altars in bright pillars of light to show the seven Chaos Emeralds. They were devoid of their color and energy, virtually useless. Yet they were expanded in size to the point where they were almost as big as the giant green one in the center.

            As Sonic jumped on top of the first colorless emerald, he was just as quickly be warped to an alternate dimension where he managed to achieve the true power of that particular emerald as the energy concentrated within the gigantic gem, restoring its power and color, thus creating what is known as a Super Emerald, the stimulated, supercharged, and much larger form of a Chaos Emerald. After repetitive run-ins with these special flashing ring portals, Sonic & Tails managed to restore the power and saturation of all of the 7 giant emeralds, thus collecting the 7 Super Emeralds. Sonic used this to his advantage while he was hot on Robotnik's heels, using their power to morph into HYPER SONIC as often as he could, an even faster, more lethal version of Super Sonic, evident by his fur flashing the 7 pastels like the flashing rings, and radical speed and destruction capabilities.

            Before they knew it, Sonic and Tails once again handed Robotnik's ass to him on a silver platter, right at the volcano the Death Egg landed in, chasing after him into a strange, underground palace known as the Hidden Palace. Alas, they would once again run into Knuckles right in front of a mural depicting oddly familiar imagery, but this time it was Sonic & Knuckles one on one. This time, it was personal! Sonic thus gave a whooping to the rad red echidna he wouldn't soon forget. While the echidna lay exhausted on the ground, Sonic & Tails ran over to a very familiar area. It was the same cavern they were continuously warped to by the flashing ring portals to collect the 7 Super Emeralds! All 7 of them glowed furiously in their special colors, but Eggman was also there in that egg mobile of his.

            Surprisingly, Eggman had no concern for the Super Emeralds. He wanted the giant green one in the center. That green one was the Master Emerald, the emerald that kept Angel Island floating above our heads, and was the emerald that controlled the Chaos Emeralds. Using a suction device, Eggman heaved the giant Master Emerald from its altar. Knuckles tried to stop him, but was thus fried by shocking nodes that Eggman deployed out of the eggpod. Eggman got away and there was no time to lose for our blue and yellow heroes! Sonic & Tails immediately leaped down into the pit and were alas blocked by a thick door. But it was nothing Knuckles couldn't handle. Knuckles was tricked, he knew it. Knuckles' gullibility got the best of him and now he had to right this wrong.

            Knuckles eventually recovered from his heavily sustained injuries, but not by much. He stood up, ran over to the door and beckoned for Sonic & Tails to follow. Using those fists of fury, Knuckles effortlessly punched the door into tiny fragments, running towards a warp device that transported the three heroes high into the skybound ruins of Angel Island. Knuckles was in no condition to follow them; his last shred of help consisting of no more than ensuring their onward path through these ruins, as he lay on his hands and knees, panting in defeat and shame.

            Sonic & Tails had to get going, thus trailblazing through the mossy, vine-covering highways only to run into an old friend: Silver Sonic, upgraded into a new, more streamlined and lethal version: Silver Sonic Mk. II (or Mecha Sonic Mk. II). Of course, a bit later — boom, it's dead. As Sonic & Tails ran their way up a crumbling spiral runway towards the ascending Death Egg, Mecha Sonic Mk. II fell towards Angel Island in the crumbling Sky Sanctuary, which was pretty much its final fall. Meanwhile, Sonic & Tails for the second time boarded the Death Egg, this time for a much longer period.

            Sonic & Tails had to trailblaze through the entirety of the massive, not to mention quite dense space station, only to meet up with Eggman in none other than a second, upgraded version of the oversized Eggman-shaped mech, this time using the Master Emerald as a powersource to shoot hordes of flames and gigantic energy beams at our two heroes. But with their quick and agile tactics, Sonic & Tails bested the giant Eggman mech. The resulting explosion showed Eggman getting away with the Master Emerald in his Eggpod. Sonic couldn't take any more of this chasing, thus morphing into Hyper Sonic to chase after Eggman who was getting away in a smaller version of the Egg-mech, covered in heavily-fortified blue armor.

            It was now a chase between hero and villain in the meteor fields around Earth. Impervious to damage, unnaturally agile, and quick to trot, Hyper Sonic managed to once again lay the smackdown on Eggman, disposing of the armor only. Eggman then made his final attempt to get away in the smaller egg-mech, holding the Master Emerald and trying his best to bombard Sonic with everything in his arsenal. Someone is quite determined, wouldn't you say? Maybe Sonic SHOULD give Eggman a shot at controlling the world. It takes a man with determination like that to have the responsibility to control a planet!

            No avail. Hyper Sonic busted that thing into cosmic dust as well in the end, thus obtaining the Master Emerald and zooming down back into the atmosphere of Earth, catching up with Tails and the Tornado. They returned the Master Emerald to Angel Island, and it was soon lifted back into the skies, and was given a grateful thanks from their supposedly new friend, Knuckles! All was once again well at these parts.

Personal Criticism/Opinion:

           Sonic & Knuckles! This game completes the odd "half of a game" mystery that Sonic 3 had, and what a niftier way to play the games together than locking them onto one another? Yes, you heard me. Sonic & Knuckles pioneered the innovative lock-on technology. The top of the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge had a small door that could open to an integrated cartridge port built into the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was meant to be placed into this cartridge port, stacking the two games together. Then you slam dunk Sonic & Knuckles (or must I say Sonic 3 & Knuckles) into the Genesis and start gamin'! The games are virtually combined at this point and playing Sonic & Knuckles with Sonic The Hedgehog 3 locked on was the only way to be able to reveal the Super Emeralds and Hyper form for the characters. Hell, even TAILS finally was able to power up into Super Tails thanks to the Super Emeralds.

           Sonic The Hedgehog 3, however, wasn't the only game that could be locked onto Sonic & Knuckles. Others could as well, which would activate a variety of functions. If you lock Sonic The Hedgehog 2 onto Sonic & Knuckles, it enables you to play as Knuckles through Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Locking onto other games would give other little goodies as well, such as unlocking different Special Stage mini games and what not. As for the gameplay, Sonic & Knuckles is exactly the same as Sonic The Hedgehog 3's, save the different zones and bosses. As for Knuckles' gameplay, which I forgot to explain in Sonic The Hedgehog 3's description, is similar to Sonic's, yet in a way he is not. Knuckles is the slowest character of the three and his jumps don't grab as much air. But this is completely made up for by Knuckles' ability to glide and climb along the walls. Other than that, he is pretty much the same as Sonic — he can spinball jump and spindash. However, his paths through the zones are different. Areas that you knew led to some place else when you played as Sonic, but you couldn't get to, are the paths that Knuckles takes.

           Other than that, there really isn't much else to explain about Sonic & Knuckles. It's an innovative game, and pretty much caps off a trilogy storyline.

Let's see some GAMER'S PERSPECTIVE:

Replay value? Awesome. Just like all of the older Sonic games, I can play them and beat them over and over again without ever getting tired.

Graphics? The graphics are the exact same as Sonic The Hedgehog 3's, which are undoubtedly good with the exception of the character sprites.

Music & Sound Effects? Music & Sound Effects here are the exact same style as Sonic The Hedgehog 3's.

Storyline? Overall, the Death Egg Saga is an interesting storyline. With the exception of… well, the Death Egg, the storyline doesn't seem to adapt to any other Star Wars cliches. But to understand the storyline, reading the flavor text in the manuals is always prudent.

OVERALL RATING? I rate Sonic & Knuckles as a 9/10.