data/claims/sonic-3-and-knuckles-history.yamlSonic 3 & Knuckles (history and reception)
Game: Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 came out in North America on 2 February 1994 and in the UK on 24 February; some European countries and Australia followed in March, and Japan on 27 May. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/s3-release
"Happy blue year" sectionSonic 3 released on 2 February 1994 in North America, and followed to the UK on 24 February, with some European countries and Australia following in March. In Japan, where the Mega Drive was less popular, the game finally released on 27 May.Sega Visions, issue 17 (February/March 1994) · p. 85, Kay-Bee Toys coupon (archive.org page n88) — read on the page image Sega_Visions_Issue_17_February-March_1994/page/n88_w1200.jpg (p. 85), a Kay-Bee Toys coupon for Sonic 3 whose starburst reads "IN STORE 2/2/94"; the OCR drops itIN STORE 2/2/94Mean Machines Sega, issue 17 (March 1994) · p. 13 (archive.org page n12) — read on the page image meanmachinessega17/page/n12_w1200.jpg (p. 13), a full page in the UK issue that reviews Sonic 3, printing Sonic and the date "24 FEB" and nothing else24 FEBBeep! MegaDrive, June 1994 · Santa mail-order advertisement, "MD新作コーナー" (archive.org page n63) — ours: Sonic 3, 5/27, ¥4,000. Read on the page image beep-megadrive-1994-06/page/n63_w1200.jpg, the Santa shop's mail-order list of new Mega Drive games with its dates and its own pricesソニック3 5/27 4,000円Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the three page images named in the evidence notes (archive.org/download/<item>/page/<n>): the coupon's starburst, the Mean Machines date, and the Beep! list line; found the Retro Gamer passage in the pinned captureCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega advertised Sonic & Knuckles as "playing worldwide" on the Genesis from 18 October 1994, and a Tokyo shop's advertisement in Beep! MegaDrive lists it in Japan for 18 October. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/sk-release
p. 43, Sega advertisement "Joining Forces" (archive.org page n44) — read on the page image Sega_Visions_Issue_21_October-November_1994/page/n44_w1200.jpg (p. 43), Sega's "Joining Forces" Sonic & Knuckles advertisement, whose foot carries the line; the OCR misses itPLAYING WORLDWIDE OCTOBER 18, 1994 ON SEGA GENESISBeep! MegaDrive, November 1994 · Santa mail-order advertisement, "MD新作コーナー" (archive.org page n51) — ours: Sonic & Knuckles, 10/18, ¥5,500, the shop's own price. Read on the page image beep-megadrive-1994-11/page/n51_w1200.jpg, the Santa shop's mail-order list of new Mega Drive gamesソニック&ナックルズ10/18 5,500円30 years later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still a stone-cold classic · "New shoes" sectionReleased globally in October 1994, Sonic & Knuckles received another strong set of reviews.Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the Sega advertisement (Sega Visions 21, page n44) and the Beep! list (page n51) on their page images, as the evidence notes give themCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog
The Sonic 3 manual describes six zones of two acts each, which it calls three times larger than Sonic 2's. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/s3-structure
p. 5You'll soon discover that Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is packed with Zones which are three times larger than those found in Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Each Zone is made up of two ActsSonic The Hedgehog 3 instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 5As Sonic and Tails explore the six exciting ZonesCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sega Visions' preview of Sonic 3 lists a one-player game as Sonic and Tails, Sonic alone, or Tails alone, a two-player competition with Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles over three modes and five zones, and six spaces for saved games. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/s3-modes
Sonic 3 preview (archive.org page n21)Now you can save your games in one of six save spaces. In the one- player mode you have the choice of playing as Sonic and Tails, Sonic-alone or Tails alone.Sega Visions, issue 17 (February/March 1994) · Sonic 3 preview (archive.org page n21)The two-player, head-to-head competition mode offers players the choice of playing as Sonic, Tails or Knuck- les. There are three different Competitive modes and five Competitive zones.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 3 keeps up to six games in the cartridge, and a game is saved to its slot when it ends or when the player presses Reset. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/save
p. 10, Game Save Featureallows you to store game data for up toSonic The Hedgehog 3 instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 10, Game Save Featurewill be stored in one of the six Game Save Windows.Sonic The Hedgehog 3 instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 10, Game Save FeatureAfter your game is over, or if you press RESET, your game will automatically be saved in the slot you selected.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
The Sonic 3 manual introduces three shields: the Flame Shield guards against fire and gives Sonic a mid-air dash, the Water Shield lets him breathe underwater and bounce, and the Lightning Shield draws rings to him, guards against electric attacks, and gives him a double jump. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/shields
p. 12, Sonic Power-UpsFlame Shield - Protects Sonic and Tails from a fire attack. When this shield is activated, Sonic can perform a mid-air "Fireball Spin Dash"Sonic The Hedgehog 3 instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 12, Sonic Power-UpsWater Shield - Sonic and Tails can breathe underwater and bounce like aSonic The Hedgehog 3 instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 13, Sonic Power-Ups (Continued)Lightning Shield - When activated, Gold Rings will gravitate towards Sonic or Tails. This shield will also protect Sonic and Tails from electric attacks and energy ball attacks from Badniks. While this shield is active, Sonic can double jump in mid-airCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
In Sonic 3, Knuckles is an antagonist who knows the island's hidden passages and blocks Sonic's path. Takashi Iizuka said the plan from the start was that Knuckles would first be an enemy and later become playable. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/knuckles-rival
p. 6Because Knuckles knows every hidden passage- way on the island, it's easy for him to block Sonic's path, create extra obstacles, set traps and steal Sonic's Gold Rings.30 years later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still a stone-cold classic · Iizuka on Knuckles in the storyWe had the idea from the beginning that Knuckles would first be an enemy but later become playable. So we worked Knuckles into the story and had him appear as an enemy from the outset,Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Yuji Naka said Knuckles came out of market research into American children's tastes: of eight candidate designs, Knuckles was the most popular. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/knuckles-design
Naka, on Sonic 3For the character of Knuckles, we relied a lot on market research about American kids’ taste. There were actually eight different candidates, but the most popular one was Knuckles with his dreadlocks.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Retro Gamer credits Knuckles's design to Takashi Yuda. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/knuckles-designer
on the new playable characterThe new playable character was Knuckles, designed by Takashi Yuda.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Takashi Iizuka said Knuckles's punch through rock let the team build routes only he could use, and his climbing and gliding brought vertical play to stages built for Sonic's horizontal one. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/knuckles-routes
Iizuka on Knuckles's abilitiesKnuckles' ability to punch through rocks allowed us to create routes that only he could use," Iizuka explains. "Sonic's playstyle was horizontal, while Knuckles' climbing and gliding allowed us to bring in vertical play.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
The Sonic & Knuckles manual gives Knuckles the spin dash and moves of his own: he breaks through walls, glides on a second press of the button in the air, and climbs walls. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/knuckles-moves
Knuckles' movesKnuckles uses a Spin Dash just like Sonic, but he also. has unique moves of his own. For one thing, he bashes through walls like nobody else!Sonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · Knuckles' movesGlide + Press Button A, Bor C twice quickly — once to get some air and again to start gliding.Sonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · Knuckles' moves — the OCR reads "®" for the page's bullet and "Bor C" for "B or C"Wall Climb ® Get close to a wall.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles plays on its own, and its manual's zones are Mushroom Hill, Flying Battery, Sandopolis, Lava Reef, Hidden Palace, Sky Sanctuary, Death Egg, and the Doomsday Zone. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/sk-standalone
p. 2It's the first game cartridge ever that you can play by itself, or Lock-On with other Sonic game cartridges!Sonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · contents page — the OCR of the contents page, its leader lines and page numbers as printedMushroom Hill Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 Flying Battery Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 Sandopolis Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 13 Lava Reef Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 13 Hidden Palace Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 14 Sky Sanctuary Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 14 Death Egg Zone ~ Doomsday ZoneCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
With Sonic 3 fitted into the slot on top of the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge, the two play as one 34-megabit game, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, with 14 Emeralds to collect and Knuckles playable. Its file select offers Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, or Sonic and Tails, and lists the games saved in Sonic 3, which resume from the start of their last zone with the same character. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/lock-on-sonic-3
p. 2 — the OCR reads "14 Emerald"Lock-On Sonic 3 with the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge to create a huge, 34 MEG Sonic epic! Sonic 3 & Knuckles has more gameplay options in 1 Player mode. New secrets wait to be found, and now you've got 14 Emeralds to rescue! Play as Knuckles and discover new routes!Sonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 21Lift up the flap on the top of the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge, and fit the Sonic 3 cartridge into itSonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 23now you can play Sonic 3 & Knuckles as Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, or Sonic and Tails!Sonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 24You must play as the character who played the original game.Sonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 24You will resume the game from the beginning of the last Zone that was played.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog
Locked onto Sonic 2, the cartridge lets the player go through Sonic 2 as Knuckles. The manual says it is designed for Sonic 3 or Sonic 2 and "will not work with non-Sonic cartridges"; it names no other cartridge, Sonic 1 included. Takashi Iizuka said Sonic 1's world was built for Sonic and didn't work right with other characters, so the team sent players to the special stages instead. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/lock-on-other
p. 2Lock-On Sonic 2 to the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge to experience a totally new Sonic 2 adventure as Knuckles with all his signature moves!Sonic & Knuckles instruction manual (US, Genesis) · p. 2 — the OCR reads "Sonic3 ora" for "Sonic 3 or a"The Sonic & Knuckles cartridge is designed to Lock-On with a Sonic3 ora Sonic 2 cartridge. It will not work with non-Sonic cartridges.How Sonic 3 Became Two Separate Games · "Stacking Other Games on Sonic & Knuckles"We realized that the construction of the world was really made for Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and when you started putting other characters into that world, it didn't really work right,How Sonic 3 Became Two Separate Games · "Stacking Other Games on Sonic & Knuckles"So our solution to that was instead of getting you into Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and trying to play with Knuckles or someone else, we didn't want people to have a bad experience, so we put them into the special stages.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Game Informer reports that the lock-on slot reads the ID of the cartridge on top, and that most other games bring up Sonic 3's and Sonic & Knuckles's blue sphere special stages. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/lock-on-blue-spheres
"Stacking Other Games on Sonic & Knuckles"The lock-on slot of Sonic & Knuckles would read the ID of whatever cartridge was put on it, so the team tried to have some fun with it.How Sonic 3 Became Two Separate Games · "Stacking Other Games on Sonic & Knuckles"For the vast majority of games, the result is the special "blue sphere" stages from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Yuji Naka said Sonic 3 was first built from late January 1993 for Sega's SVP chip, with isometric 3D graphics, and that the team dropped that work in June 1993 when the chip looked unlikely to be finished by the end of the year, restarting with six months left. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/svp
Naka, on Sonic 3Up till about June of 1993, the Sonic 3 development included the SVP. It featured isometric 3D graphics, and you could rotate and turn the game field.Sonic Team story (ソニックチーム物語) · Naka, on Sonic 3The development began in late January of 1993Sonic Team story (ソニックチーム物語) · Naka, on Sonic 3Unfortunately, in June we realized that development of the SVP chip probably wouldn’t be finished by the end of the year. So we abandoned all the programming and work we’d done up to then. In the remaining 6 months we had for Sonic 3, we had to start entirely from zero and re-do everything.Shmuplations' English translation of a 1997 Sega Magazine (Japan) feature. Iizuka gave Retro Gamer a different reason for dropping the chip.
Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Takashi Iizuka gave Retro Gamer a different reason for dropping the SVP chip: the work was a research experiment in moving Sonic in 3D, and since the chip handled only about as many polygons as Virtua Racing, the team judged it not a good fit for a Sonic game. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/svp-iizuka
on the SVP chip and the deadlineSupport for the SVP chip was nothing more than a research experiment to see if we could get Sonic moving in 3D. In the end we found that it could only handle a polygon count similar to Virtua Racing, so we decided that it wasn't a good fit for a Sonic game.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Yuji Naka said a McDonald's promotion planned for February 1994, on which Sega had spent 2 billion yen, fixed Sonic 3's release date, so after the restart the team had time for only about half the stages it had planned; the idea of joining two cartridges came only at the end of development. He later told GameSpy that Sonic 3 was "literally half a game", the rest going into Sonic & Knuckles. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/split-naka
Naka, on Sonic 3we had planned a big promotional tie-in campaign with McDonald’s the following year in February—and we had spent 2 billion yen (approx 20 million USD) on it!—so we absolutely had to meet that release deadline for Sonic 3 in February. Unfortunately, having to restart everything in June, we only had time to create about half the stages we’d envisioned.Sonic Team story (ソニックチーム物語) · Naka, on Sonic 3Then, at the very end of the Sonic 3 development, we were talking about needing to do something, and someone asked if it would be technically possible to combine two cartridges. We figured out the way to do that at the very, very last minute before the deadline, and then we revised all the programming in Sonic 3 to account for a future Lock-On cart.Sega's Yuji Naka Talks! (page 4) · p. 4Sonic 3 is literally half a game. Sega management back then wanted the game out at a certain time and we only had half the stages done, so we had to put the leftovers into Sonic and Knuckles.The 1997 quotes are Shmuplations' translation; the "approx 20 million USD" is in the translation's text.
Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog
Takashi Iizuka said the team wanted more stages, each several times larger than Sonic 2's, but it had a date to meet and the cartridge couldn't hold the whole game; of the promotion that set the date, he told Retro Gamer "it wasn't realistic to change that". He said splitting it would have left the Knuckles routes built into Sonic 3's stages unplayable, since two cartridges couldn't share data, and that this led to the lock-on cartridge. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/split-iizuka
Iizuka on Sonic 3We wanted bigger maps multiple times larger than Sonic 2, but we also wanted to have more mapsHow Sonic 3 Became Two Separate Games · Iizuka on Sonic 3The cartridge sizes were limited in space, so we were finding out that not only did we have these obligations to get the content out at a certain time, but we also couldn't get this massive game that we wanted to make onto the space that the cart would allow,30 years later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still a stone-cold classic · on the SVP chip and the deadline — Iizuka's words are the inner quote; Retro Gamer's narration ties "that" to the McDonald's promotion Naka describes (split-naka)Takashi Iizuka confirms that "it wasn't realistic to change that" promotion30 years later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still a stone-cold classic · Iizuka on the splitData couldn't be carried over if we used two separate cartridges, making the Knuckles routes we had built into the Sonic 3 stages unplayable. That's where the idea came for the Lock-On cartridge, allowing the two cartridges to work together.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Roger Hector, head of Sega Technical Institute, said the original Sonic 3 was so large in scope that it was split in half across two games, since it could not all fit in one. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/split-hector
answer on the splitThe original Sonic 3 game was very aggressive in its scope. Massive really. So after getting started working on it, it was decided to split it in half, and spread the design across two games. This was good as there was no way all of it would fit in one game.Roger Hector: Director of STI interviews · page titleRoger Hector: Director of STICited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Retro Gamer reports that the split moved Flying Battery Zone, planned between Carnival Night and IceCap, to become Sonic & Knuckles's second zone. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/flying-battery
on the split's effects — Retro Gamer's narration, before Iizuka's quoteFlying Battery Zone was originally positioned between Carnival Night Zone and Ice Cap Zone, but was moved to become the second stage of Sonic & Knuckles instead.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Takashi Iizuka said he didn't think the split added or moved other stages, but it changed some: Launch Base, now Sonic 3's last zone, got an extra boss, Big Arms, and Mushroom Hill, now Sonic & Knuckles's first, was made easier than planned. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/split-changes
Iizuka on the split's effectsI don't think there were any other stages that were added or moved, but we did make some spec changes,30 years later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still a stone-cold classic · Iizuka on the split's effectsThe Launch Base boss was an Eggman boss as usual, but splitting the game made it the last stage of Sonic 3, so we added Big Arms. Mushroom Hill became the first stage of Sonic & Knuckles, so we readjusted the difficulty to make it easier than originally planned.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Mean Machines Sega's March 1994 review of Sonic 3 reported plans for a 24-megabit deluxe edition with extra levels, and possibly a plug-through cartridge for the 16-megabit Sonic 3 that would also work with Sonic 1 and 2. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/plug-through-1994
p. 49, "Cart Spec" box (archive.org page n48) — read from the page imageSonic plan a deluxe 24-Meg edition of the game, with extra levels and enhanced play. There may well be an upgrade for the 16-meg edition, a plug through cart with two ends, which will also work with your Sonic 1 and 2 carts, to create extra levels.Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the box on the page imageCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 3 was made at Sega Technical Institute in the United States by an almost wholly Japanese staff, while the institute's American developers moved to Sonic Spinball; Sega-16's history of the institute says the Japanese unit made both Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/team
on the teamwhile Sonic development continued at STI, the American developers would split off to work on Sonic Spinball, while Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was developed at Sega Technical Institute in the USA with almost exclusively Japanese staff.Developer's Den: Sega Technical Institute · after Sonic 2The group was broken up into smaller units, with the Americans dedicating themselves to mostly original titles, and the Japanese concentrating on Sonic sequels, like Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles.Sonic Team story (ソニックチーム物語) · Naka, on Sonic 3 — Yuji Naka, in Shmuplations' translationAt the end of the Sonic 2 development, we had a hell of a time coordinating with the American staff, and for that reason, for Sonic 3 we decided to make Sonic 3 with an all-japanese team.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 3's credits name Yuji Naka as producer and lead programmer, Hirokazu Yasuhara as director and lead game designer, Hisayoshi Yoshida and Takashi Iizuka as senior game designers, Hiroshi Nikaidoh and Masanobu Yamamoto as senior programmers, and Takashi Thomas Yuda as character designer. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/credits-s3
s3.asm#L77532-L77583dc.b "producer",0
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dc.b "YUJ I NAKA",0
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dc.b "HIROKAZU YASUHARA",0
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…Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the credit strings at the cited lines of s3.asm, the disassembly's Sonic 3 build, whose strings spell "YUJ I" with a spaceCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles's credits name Yuji Naka as producer and lead programmer, Hirokazu Yasuhara as director and lead game designer, Hisayoshi Yoshida and Takashi Iizuka as senior game designers, Takahiro Hamano and Masanobu Yamamoto as senior programmers, and Takashi Thomas Yuda as character designer. Sonic 3's name Hiroshi Nikaidoh where these name Hamano. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/credits-sk
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…skdisasm: Sonic 3 & Knuckles disassembly (sonicretro/skdisasm) · s3.asm#L77570-L77576dc.b " senior programmers",0
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dc.b "HIROSHI NIKAIDOH",0
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dc.b "MASANOBU YAMAMOTO",0Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the stand-alone credit strings (CreditsText_Part1_SK) in sonic3k.asm and the senior programmers in s3.asm; the locked-on credits (CreditsText_Part1, L122493-L122553) list the same namesCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 3's credits name Brad Buxer, Bobby Brooks, Darryl Ross, Geoff Grace, Doug Grigsby III, and Scirocco as music composers, beside the Sega Sound Team, which includes Jun Senoue. Sonic & Knuckles alone credits Howard Drossin as its composer; locked onto Sonic 3, its credits list all seven. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/credits-music
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…skdisasm: Sonic 3 & Knuckles disassembly (sonicretro/skdisasm) · s3.asm#L77705-L77711dc.b "sega sound team",0
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dc.w $68C
dc.b "MASAYUKI NAGAO",0
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dc.b "J UN SENOUE",0skdisasm: Sonic 3 & Knuckles disassembly (sonicretro/skdisasm) · sonic3k.asm#L121578-L121585moveq #0,d2
tst.w (SK_alone_flag).w
beq.s loc_5B238
moveq #8,d2
loc_5B238:
add.w (_unkFAAE).w,d2
movea.l off_5B284(pc,d2.w),a1skdisasm: Sonic 3 & Knuckles disassembly (sonicretro/skdisasm) · sonic3k.asm#L121612-L121616off_5B284:
dc.l CreditsText_Part1
dc.l CreditsText_Part2
dc.l CreditsText_Part1_SK
dc.l CreditsText_Part2_SKskdisasm: Sonic 3 & Knuckles disassembly (sonicretro/skdisasm) · sonic3k.constants.asm#L967SK_alone_flag ds.w 1 ; -1 if Sonic 3 isn't locked onskdisasm: Sonic 3 & Knuckles disassembly (sonicretro/skdisasm) · sonic3k.asm#L122269-L122277dc.b "MUSIC COMPOSERS",0
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dc.b "HOWARD DROSSIN",0
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dc.b "SEGA SOUND TEAM",0skdisasm: Sonic 3 & Knuckles disassembly (sonicretro/skdisasm) · sonic3k.asm#L122663-L122695dc.b "MUSIC COMPOSERS",0
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…Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the credit strings and the routine that picks a table: with SK_alone_flag set (Sonic 3 not locked on) it adds 8, choosing CreditsText_Part1_SK and Part2_SK, whose composer page names Howard Drossin alone; locked on it uses CreditsText_Part1 and Part2, whose composer pages name the six and DrossinCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Roger Hector said Michael Jackson was brought in to compose the game's music and that his work was dropped at the end of development, after his scandals became public. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/jackson
answer on his favorite projectMichael Jackson was originally brought in to compose all the music for the game, but at the very end, his work was dropped after his scandals became public. This caused a lot of problems and required a lot of reworking.Disputed: Accounts differ on why Jackson's part ended, and whether Sega knew of it: see jackson-reports.
Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
VGC reports that Jackson isn't credited, that his musical director Brad Buxer has said Jackson worked on the soundtrack for four weeks in 1993, that Sega has never confirmed it, and that former Sega executives, Tom Kalinske among them, have said any part he had was without their knowledge. Digital Spy's 2014 retrospective says reports suggest he left over the Mega Drive's limits on music. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/jackson-reports
backgroundSonic 3’s soundtrack is infamous because it’s widely believed that some of the tracks were composed by Michael Jackson, who wasn’t credited in the final game. Jackson’s musical director Brad Buxer has claimed that Jackson worked on the soundtrack for four weeks in 1993, but Sega has never officially confirmed itSonic 3 & Knuckles won't have its original soundtrack in Sonic Origins · backgroundnotable Sega executives including former Sega of America president Tom Kalinske have said that if he was involved it was without their knowledge.Sonic the Hedgehog 3 retrospective: Sega mascot's finest outing · trivia paragraphreports suggest that the King of Pop exited the project due to the limitations of the Mega Drive's musical output.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Electronic Gaming Monthly made Sonic 3 its Game of the Month with an Editors' Choice Platinum award. Ed Semrad called it "simply the perfect Sonic game", though its music was not as good as the CD version's; Danyon Carpenter said it improved on the original "tenfold"; Al Manuel liked it better than the CD version; and Sushi-X said it topped every earlier Sonic. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/egm-review
p. 30, Review Crew (archive.org page n29) — read on the page image Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_56/page/n29_w1200.jpg (p. 30), the Review Crew page for Sonic 3: the Game of the Month and Editors' Choice Platinum banners and four reviewers' comments, Ed Semrad, Danyon Carpenter, Al Manuel, and Sushi-X, each under his name; it prints no scores. Every quote below is from that imageGAME OF THE MONTHElectronic Gaming Monthly, no. 56 (March 1994) · p. 30, Review CrewEDITORS' CHOICE PLATINUMElectronic Gaming Monthly, no. 56 (March 1994) · p. 30, Ed SemradSonic 3 is simply the perfect Sonic game. It beats out all the previous Sonics with outstanding graphics, more hidden items and new items like the many types of shields. While the music is not as good as the CD version (I'm not expecting it to be...) it's still really well done.Electronic Gaming Monthly, no. 56 (March 1994) · p. 30, Danyon CarpenterSonic 3 completely blows away everything you've ever seen in an action game. This game improves upon the original tenfold!Electronic Gaming Monthly, no. 56 (March 1994) · p. 30, Al ManuelI actually like this game better than the CD version.Electronic Gaming Monthly, no. 56 (March 1994) · p. 30, Sushi-XThis one definitely tops any of the previous Sonic versions.Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read every line of the Review Crew page on the page image Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_56/page/n29_w1200.jpg, the four reviewers' comments and both awardsCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
GamePro's reviewer, The Unknown Gamer, scored Sonic 3 5 of 5 for graphics, control, and fun and 4 for sound, found the acts more linear than the first games', and called it "another spectacular game". sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/gamepro-review
Value
{
"review": "GamePro",
"of": 5,
"scores": {
"graphics": 5,
"sound": 4,
"control": 5,
"funfactor": 5
}
}p. 42, ProReview score box (archive.org page n43) — read on the page image GamePro_Issue_056_March_1994/page/n43_w1200.jpg (p. 42), the Sonic 3 ProReview by The Unknown Gamer: the score box's labels and scores in reading order, challenge rated IntermediateGraphics Sound Control FunFactor Challenge INT. 5.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 IntermediateGamePro, vol. 6 no. 3 (March 1994) · p. 42, ProFileSonic 3 proves that you can teach an old hedgehog new and exciting tricks. Take that old Sonic magic, add fun new variations, and you have another spectacular game.GamePro, vol. 6 no. 3 (March 1994) · p. 42 — from the same page image, n43The Acts have multiple pathways, but they are more linear than those in the first games.Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the score box, the ProFile, and the review text on the page image GamePro_Issue_056_March_1994/page/n43_w1200.jpgCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Mean Machines Sega scored Sonic 3 94% overall, with 95 for playability; its reviewer Gus wrote that he had said Sonic 3 "had to be something special" and that it was, and the box faulted it for having no difficulty settings and for being partly finishable within a week. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/mms-s3-score
Value
{
"review": "Mean Machines Sega",
"of": 100,
"score": 94
}p. 49, score boxes (archive.org page n48) — Presentation 92, Graphics 96, Sound 93, Playability 95, Lastability 90; read from the page imageOVERALL 94Mean Machines Sega, issue 17 (March 1994) · p. 49, Gus's commentAs I said in last month's preview, Sonic 3 had to be something special. It definitely is.Mean Machines Sega, issue 17 (March 1994) · p. 49, Presentation boxSonic really should have difficulty settings.Mean Machines Sega, issue 17 (March 1994) · p. 49, Lastability boxYou can partially complete the game (without emeralds) within a weekChecked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the boxes and the comment on the page imageCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sega Power scored Sonic 3 90%; its verdict found "no radical changes to the gameplan" but called it a must-buy for its size, graphics, imagination, and playability. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/sega-power-score
Value
{
"review": "Sega Power",
"of": 100,
"score": 90
}p. 30, Final Verdict (file 0030.webp) — Graphics 9, Sound 8, Addiction 9, Brainpower 7, 90%; read from the page image, as the scan has no text layerNo radical changes to the gameplan, but the sheer size, superb graphics, wealth of imagination and above all playability, guarantee Sonic 3 gold status. A 'must buy' title.Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the verdict box on the page imageCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 3 entered the ELSPA Mega Drive chart printed in Sega Power's May 1994 issue at number 1. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/uk-chart
p. 12, The Charts (file 0006.webp) — the chart carries the ELSPA badge and lists "1 SONIC 3 (NE)", NE for new entry; read from the page image, as the scan has no text layerIt's good to see a new entry smashing to the top - and not just any new entry. Welcome to Sonic 3.Checked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the chart on the page imageCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Mean Machines Sega scored Sonic & Knuckles 85%. Gus found its likeness to Sonic 3 "almost disturbing", and Steve Merrett judged it "every bit as good as Sonic 3" but "more of the same"; the box praised the lock-on for putting life into games already bought. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/mms-sk-score
Value
{
"review": "Mean Machines Sega",
"of": 100,
"score": 85
}p. 72, score boxes (archive.org page n71) — Graphics 93, Sound 90, Playability 87, Lastability 81, VFM 86; read from the page imageOVERALL 85Mean Machines Sega, issue 25 (November 1994) · p. 72, Gus's commentThe similarity to the other Sonic games is obvious, and the feeling of Deja vu with Sonic 3 is almost disturbing.Mean Machines Sega, issue 25 (November 1994) · p. 72, Steve's commentSonic and Knuckles is every bit as good as Sonic 3, but it is just more of the sameMean Machines Sega, issue 25 (November 1994) · p. 72, VFM boxThe plug-through facility injects some life into games already bought.30 years later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still a stone-cold classic · "New shoes" section — gives the reviewer's surname, which the magazine prints as "Steve"In Mean Machines Sega, Steve Merrett felt it wasChecked by claude, 2026-10-26 — read the boxes and both comments on the page imageCited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Electronic Gaming Monthly's April 1995 "EGM 50", its Review Crew's ranking of the past year's highest-rated games, put Sonic 3 at number 1. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/egm-50
The EGM 50the EGM 50 details the Review Crew’s rankings of the highest-rated softs from the past year.Electronic Gaming Monthly, no. 69 (April 1995): The EGM 50 · The EGM 50, number 1RANKING: #1 Sega Genesis Sonic 3Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
VideoGames named Earthworm Jim the best Genesis game of 1994 and gave Sonic & Knuckles one of its two honorable mentions, with Contra: Hard Corps. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/videogames-best-94
Best of '94, Genesis — the OCR reads "1 994"without a doubt the best Genesis game of 1 994. Honorable Mention CONTRA: HARD CORPS (Konami) SONIC & KNUCKLES (Sega)Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Retro Gamer reports that Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles together sold four million copies. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/sales
"New shoes" sectionOverall, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles combined sold four million copies.No source says where the count comes from or which regions it covers.
Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles came to the PC in 1997 as Sonic & Knuckles Collection, playable apart or together, with MIDI music that replaced some tracks. They came to the Saturn in Sonic Jam the same year, and emulated versions were part of Sega's compilations until 2010. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/rereleases
"New shoes" sectionSonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles later made their way to PC in 1997 as part of Sonic & Knuckles Collection, which offers the ability to play either game individually or both together. This version features MIDI music and replaces some of the tracks attributed to Michael Jackson's team with tunes that were present in a prototype build of the Mega Drive game. The games arrived on the Saturn as part of Sonic Jam the same year with no substantial changes, and emulated Mega Drive versions were a staple of Sega's compilations until 2010, when re-releases dried up.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic Origins (2022) brought back Sonic 3 & Knuckles as one game, Retro Gamer reports, and VGC reports Sega saying in a livestream that it couldn't use "all the original sounds" of the Genesis game and that Jun Senoue had adapted the music composed in 1993. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/origins
closing sectionSonic 3 & Knuckles finally returned in combined and remastered form as part of the Sonic Origins compilation in 2022.Sonic 3 & Knuckles won't have its original soundtrack in Sonic Origins · Chrzanowski in an official Sonic livestream — Sega's social media manager Katie Chrzanowski, quoted by VGCWhile unfortunately we can’t use all the original sounds from the Sega Genesis version of the game, Jun Senoue has been working really hard to adapt the original music that was composed in 1993 for Sonic Origins.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Takashi Iizuka said he had wished to sell Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as one complete game, and was happy that Sonic Origins did. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/origins-iizuka
Iizuka, closing sectionI do wish we had been able to sell Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as one complete game. So I was happy that we were able to accomplish that with Sonic Origins last year,Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Later reviews single out the saves and Knuckles. GameSpot's Frank Provo called the six save slots Sonic 3's most welcome new feature in 2007, and Digital Spy's Mark Langshaw wrote in 2014 that it was the series' first game with saves but that its greatest contribution was Knuckles. sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/legacy-saves
review bodyWithout a doubt, the most welcome new feature in Sonic 3 is the one that doesn't have anything to do with gameplay: the six save slots that record your progress.Sonic the Hedgehog 3 retrospective: Sega mascot's finest outing · retrospective bodyThe game gave players the option to save their progress for the first time in the series, but its greatest contribution to the franchise was the introduction of Knuckles.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Retro Gamer's feature on Sonic 3, republished online in 2024, says Sonic fans tend to hold Sonic 3 & Knuckles the best of the classic games. Jeremy Parish's 2013 USgamer list of the best Genesis games put Sonic & Knuckles eighth, counting votes for Sonic 3 & Knuckles with it, and Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead wrote in 2009 that Sonic 3's stages "now sprawl in many directions". sonic-3-and-knuckles-history/legacy-standing
closing sectionSonic fans tend to hold Sonic 3 & Knuckles as the best of the classics.The 10 Best Genesis/Mega Drive and Top 5 Sega CD Games · 8. Sonic & Knuckles8. Sonic & Knuckles I fudged a little bit on tallying this one, because votes were split between Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3 & Knuckles.SEGA Vintage Collection review · Sonic the Hedgehog 3Size is one of the major changes, with stages that now sprawl in many directions.Cited by: Sonic 3 & Knuckles