Saturn trilogy: Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic R, and Sonic Jam
Three Saturn games in one Substack post.
⚠️ WARNING! Since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is on Paramount+, adding spoilers about the said film on Substack, Spoutible, and/or other social media is not allowed. If you see someone adding spoilers, please, report them to the social networking sites’ officials including the Substack officials. ⚠️
When I first wrote the post on Medium back in 2020, why bring it here on Substack? Well, here we go.
The first order of business is Sonic 3D Blast (ソニック３Ｄブラスト), also known as Sonic 3D: Flickies’ Island (ソニック３Ｄ フリッキーアイランド) in Europe and Japan, released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Sega Saturn in 1996. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to save the Flickies, birds enslaved by Doctor Robotnik. The player must guide Sonic through a series of themed levels to collect Flickies and defeat Robotnik. Though it retains game mechanics from prior Sonic games, Sonic 3D Blast is differentiated by its 2D isometric perspective, with pre-rendered 3D models converted into sprites.
Both versions were published by Sega in November 1996, with a Windows port released the following year. Sonic 3D Blast was the final Sonic game for the Genesis and has been re-released through Sonic compilations and digital distribution platforms. The game was commercially successful and received positive reviews for the Genesis version; critics welcomed the new gameplay style as well as the graphics and music. Subsequent releases were met with more mixed reviews, with the Saturn version being seen as too similar to the Genesis version. Retrospective reviews criticized the isometric gameplay, controls, and pace, although reception to the visuals and soundtrack remained positive. The Saturn version’s music and graphics look more lively than the Genesis version. The Saturn version’s soundtrack was composed and produced by Richard Jacques and features the song “You’re My Hero” performed by Debbie Morris, which is played during the credits. Here’s the link to the game’s OST on YouTube, if you want to listen to it.
I didn’t own the game originally, except that I had it on my copy of Sonic Mega Collection Plus on my PlayStation 2.
Next up is Sonic R (ソニックＲ), released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn and Windows PC as the game was developed by British video game developer Traveller’s Tales, the same developer who worked on Sonic 3D Blast. The lyrics go like this:
Everybody’s Super Sonic Racing, try to keep your feet right on the ground! When you’re Super Sonic Racing, there’s no time to look around! We’re just Super Sonic Racing, runnin’ to the point of no return! Everybody’s Super Sonic Racing, come on, let the fires burn!
It is the third racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the first to feature 3D computer graphics. The player races one of ten Sonic characters in various Sonic-themed race tracks as they attempt to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds and enslaving the world. Sonic R features single-player and multiplayer game modes, and while similar to kart racing games such as Mario Kart, it places an emphasis on jumping and exploration. By collecting items and completing objectives, players can unlock secret characters.
We pump up the jam… with Sonic Jam (ソニックジャム)! It’s a video game compilation for the Sega Saturn released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America and Europe the following August. It contains the four main Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Sega Genesis: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), and Sonic & Knuckles (1994). It also features a 3D environment, “Sonic World,” which doubles as an interactive museum of Sonic the Hedgehog content.
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