Sonic & Knuckles
| Sonic & Knuckles | |||
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| Logo of the game | |||
| Original title | ソ ニ ッ ク ナ ッ ク ル ズ | ||
| transcription | Sonikku ando Nakkuruzu | ||
| Studio |
 Sonic Team Sega Technical Institute |
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| Publisher |
Sega
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| Senior Developer |
Hayao Nakayama (Executive Producer) Yuji Naka (Producer) Hirokazu Yasuhara (Director) |
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| composer |
 Howard Drossin Jun Senoue
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Sega Mega Drive : October 6, 1994 November 11, 1994 Wii Shop Channel : October 27, 2009 February 12, 2010 February 15, 2010 Xbox Live Arcade : September 9, 2009 Steam : January 27, 2011  |
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| platform | Sega Mega Drive , Windows , Sega Saturn , Nintendo GameCube , PlayStation 2 , Xbox , Nintendo Wii , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 , Nintendo DS | ||
| genre | Jump 'n' run | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | Cartridge , Nintendo eShop , Steam , digital distribution | ||
| language | English | ||
| Age rating |
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Sonic & Knuckles ( Japanese ソニックナックルズ, Hepburn : Sonikku ando Nakkuruzu) is a 2D platformers Run - Computer game that the Sonic Team and Sega Technical Institute developed (STI) and Sega for the first time on 18 October 1994 the Sega Mega Drive was released.
The game is known for its lock-on cartridge , with which other Sega Mega Drive games could be connected and, in connection with the three predecessors of the Sonic series or Sonic Compilation , the games Blue Sphere , Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles .
It is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and the predecessor of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010).
action
The plot of Sonic & Knuckles ties in seamlessly with the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 . Dr. Robotnik's Death Egg was not yet destroyed, but landed again on the floating island in a volcanic vent and got stuck there. On the hunt for Dr. Robotnik is often prevented from searching Sonic by Knuckles until he has to compete against him in a secret palace ( Hidden Palace ). Knuckles, who is defeated by Sonic, discovers that Dr. Robotnik had lied to him, because after the brief fight with Sonic, the scientist robs the Master Emerald, the most powerful of all Emeralds. Through this, Robotnik manages again to make his Death Egg airworthy. Sonic pursues the rising fortress and also competes against Mecha Sonic, a new, stronger robotic copy of Sonic. After defeating his likeness and finally invading the Death Egg , Sonic pursues Dr. Robotnik to a bridge where a gigantic Death Egg Robot is waiting for him. This shoots a large, wide laser beam through the Master Emerald . When Sonic defeats this giant , Dr. Robotnik in a smaller robot with the Master Emerald from the collapsing Death Egg .
If the player has not collected all of the Chaos Emeralds, the game ends here. Once all seven Chaos Emeralds have been put together, Sonic uses his transformation to Super Sonic to help Dr. Follow Robotnik into space, ultimately catching up with him, destroying the robot and intercepting the Master Emerald. Then Sonic and Tails bring the Master Emerald with the tornado back to the floating island and then fly away. If you play the game through as Knuckles, Dr. Robotnik is the enemy, but a stronger version of Mecha Sonic, which charges itself in combat on the Master Emerald and thus briefly gains Super Sonic-like powers.
Gameplay
In Sonic & Knuckles , the player can choose to take control of the blue hedgehog Sonic or Knuckles the Echidna, in a side-scrolling 2D platformer. The level design adapts to the dynamic, fast feel of the game with springs, loops and more. In addition to the control pad for movement, only one action button is required to jump. In jumping or rolling form, called Spin Attack , Sonic can defeat opponents or open item boxes in the form of monitors. If you let the character crouch down with the directional pad and then press and release the jump button, it can quickly dash forward with the Spin Attack from a standing position . If you press the jump button again while jumping, Sonic uses his Insta-Shield ability , which makes him invulnerable for a split second, or Knuckles begins to float in the air in the selected direction. If Knuckles lands on a wall, he can cling to it and climb up or down. When touched, the golden rings can be collected; If the pawn takes damage, it loses the rings. If the character takes damage without having rings or falls into a deadly abyss, he loses an extra life, of which you have three at the start of the game. If you collect 100 rings, you get another extra life. An extra life, ten rings, a flame shield (protection from fire and lava, frontal attack when the jump button is in the air), a water shield (hit the ground and jump higher when the jump button is used) can also be used in the monitors on whose screen the respective item is displayed in the jump, there are no water passages in Sonic & Knuckles ), an electric shield (protection from electricity, attracts rings magnetically), temporary increased speed, temporary invulnerability or in the case of a Dr. Robotnik-Monitor's loss of damage should be included. Checkpoints in the form of lanterns mark the reset point in the event of a loss of life. Points are also collected in all actions, which in turn can give "continues" so that the game can continue despite the loss of all extra lives. Most opponents can be defeated with the Spin Attack, which scores points and frees the trapped animals.
The game consists of eight zones ( Mushroom Hill Zone , Flying Battery Zone , Sandopolis Zone , Lava Reef Zone , Hidden Palace Zone , Sky Sanctuary Zone , Death Egg Zone and The Doomsday Zone ) with two acts each, which can be defined as levels , in the first four zones and only one act in the latter four zones. Sonic can only reach The Doomsday Zone when all seven Chaos Emeralds have been collected, when Knuckle's game play, the last two zones are completely eliminated and the Hidden Palace Zone and Sky Sanctuary Zone are also greatly shortened or limited to a boss fight. Each zone has its own theme, appearance and variety of opponents. In the game, the two acts often differ from each other in terms of sound and graphics, for example because the environments do not change abruptly after a loading screen, but are related, so that the next level can be played on without noticeable loading time. The transitions between the zones are thematically designed more or less sensibly and change for different reasons. At the end of every first act there is also a fight against one of Dr. Robotnik's machines, at the end of every second act against adversary Dr. Robotnik himself. From the Hidden Palace Zone, there are battles against Knuckles and Mecha Sonic. If the character activates a checkpoint with at least 50 rings, it can get through a star circle directly above the checkpoint into one of two bonus stages , in which there are rings, extra lives or the various protective shields to collect. Within all acts up to the Lava Reef Zone , large rings are hidden in remote locations, through which the character can get to the seven special stages , where one of the seven Chaos Emeralds in the game can be found by playing all of them in the Blue Spheres mini-game blue balls transformed into red balls by touching them. As soon as you have collected all seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic, if he has at least 50 rings, can use the jump button to transform himself into Super Sonic in one jump . In the same way, it is possible for Knuckles to transform into Super Knuckles . In this form the player is invulnerable, significantly faster and jumps higher, but the number of rings counts steadily backwards. As soon as all rings are used up, you revert to your normal shape. If you use Sonic & Knuckles as a single module without connecting it to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 via lock-on , the memory function and the multiplayer mode are no longer available.
Lock-on cartridge
The greatest specialty of Sonic & Knuckles is the plug-in module , which can be used individually and inserted into the Sega Mega Drive. In addition, the so-called lock-on cartridge has a protective flap at the top. If you open this, a module slot is exposed, into which other Sega Mega Drive modules can be inserted. This was primarily intended to be connected to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , so that with Sonic 3 & Knuckles the entire adventure can be played in one piece and with the memory function. But the three other Sonic games in the series also offer additional content in this way. With all other Sega Mega Drive modules on Sonic & Knuckles the message "NO WAY!" with animations by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Dr. Robotnik. It is also possible to plug an unlimited number of Sonic & Knuckles modules into one another, which always starts Sonic & Knuckles .
The development studio Rare tried to do this when, four years after Sonic & Knuckles , they incorporated unreachable content into their Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie , which a later successor called Banjo-Tooie would have unlocked as a lock-on cartridge for transferring should. A key from Banjo-Kazooie was supposed to open a lock in Banjo-Tooie , but the lock-on cartridge was not implemented for cost reasons and other methods also failed, so that the key was simply built into Banjo-Tooie , the banjo sold worldwide -Kazooie modules wait in vain for the activation signal of a lock-on cartridge and so the said key cannot be collected or transferred without cheats.
Blue Sphere
If you put Sonic the Hedgehog or Sonic Compilation on the Sonic - & - Knuckles - Lock-On-Cartridge , you will get the animated Sonic characters and the words "NO WAY!", As with most other Sega Mega Drive games, however also alternating with "NO WAY?". If you press the A, B and C keys simultaneously, the text changes to "GET BLUE SPHERES!" and you can play randomly generated levels of the game principle of the 14 special stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles , in which all blue balls are transformed into red balls by touching them. 134,217,728 new special stages are available, with levels already seen being repeated more and more often from level number 128,016,000. After level 134.217.728 the game continues with the first level. All levels are divided into 13 different levels of difficulty. The game is included on the Sonic & Knuckles Collection (1997, PC), Sonic Jam (1997, Sega Saturn), Sonic Mega Collection (2003 Nintendo GameCube), Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC), Sonic PC Collection (2009, PC) and on the Virtual Console of the Wii.
Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2
If you put Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sonic - & - Knuckles - Lock-On-Cartridge , you get Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . In this game, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 can be experienced as Knuckles with his abilities such as floating and climbing. Since Knuckles cannot jump quite as high as Sonic, certain passages and boss fights have been made more difficult, in return the number of rings collected is not reset after completing a special stage , which makes collecting the Chaos Emeralds easier. With all seven Chaos Emeralds in possession, Knuckles can transform into Super Knuckles and the opening cards for each level have a new color palette. The game is included on Sonic Jam (1997, Sega Saturn), Sonic Mega Collection (2003, Nintendo GameCube), Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC), Sonic PC Collection (2009, PC), Sonic Classic Collection (2010, Nintendo DS), on the Virtual Console of the Nintendo Wii and can be selected on the Nintendo Switch version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2020).
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
If you put Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on the Sonic - & - Knuckles - Lock-On-Cartridge , you get Sonic 3 & Knuckles - The ultimate Sonic game originally intended by the developers, which Sonic the Hedgehog 2 should top. You have the identical multiplayer mode as well as the memory function from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (with now eight instead of six memory slots). The adventure, which includes all zones of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles one after the other, can be played as a duo with Sonic and Tails or on your own with Sonic, Tails or Knuckles. So you can play the zones from the third part as Knuckles for the first time and open up new areas and even new boss fights within the already known levels that were previously withheld from Sonic and Tails. In addition, Tails enters the levels of Sonic & Knuckles for the first time . The big arm boss fight has been removed (because a final boss fight in the middle of the game would be out of place) and all three bonus stages of the two games are accessible in each zone, depending on the number of rings owned.
If you collect the seven Chaos Emeralds within the zones of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , with which Sonic can transform into Super Sonic and Knuckles into Super Knuckles (Tails does not receive any transformation), you unlock the Super Emeralds for the zones of Sonic & Knuckles which can be obtained the same way as the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic & Knuckles . With all Chaos Emeralds and Super Emeralds, Sonic transforms into Hyper Sonic , who also defeats all opponents on the scene with an enormous double jump and is also used in The Doomsday Zone . If Tails collects all emeralds without exception, he can transform into Super Tails . The invincible and faster Super Tails is also protected by four golden flickies that attack opponents for Tails as soon as they come into view. In this way, Knuckles can become Hyper Knuckles , who also sparkles and immediately defeats all opponents in sight when Hyper Knuckles hits a wall with swing. The Super Emeralds , Hyper Sonic , Super Tails , Super Knuckles and Hyper Knuckles have not been picked up in any Sonic game since.
The game is included on the Sonic & Knuckles Collection (1997, PC), Sonic Jam (1997, Sega Saturn), Sonic Mega Collection (2003, Nintendo GameCube), Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC), Sonic PC Collection (2009, PC), Sonic Classic Collection (2010, Nintendo DS), on the Virtual Console of Nintendo Wii and can be purchased on Steam (2011).
development
Early on in the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , it was decided to sell the game separately and with a time delay on two modules. So was Sonic & Knuckles before developing title Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Part II . Nevertheless, the developers also wanted to convey the feeling of an independent adventure. Sega's hardware department was already researching a lock-on cartridge before the completion of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . You created Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic 2 because you got the impression that Knuckles would fit in well with these zones. It would also have been possible to experience the first game with Knuckles by combining Sonic & Knuckles with Sonic the Hedgehog , but the developers got the impression that this "wouldn't feel right".
New releases and successors
New releases
In 1997 the Sonic & Knuckles Collection was released for the PC . This contains among other things Sonic & Knuckles as well as the combined version Sonic 3 & Knuckles . At the end of 1997 Sonic & Knuckles was playable for the first time on the Sega-Saturn game Sonic Jam with a new easy mode, in which there are fewer opponents and more platforms. Also the Sonic Mega Collection (2002, Nintendo GameCube ), Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004, PlayStation 2 , Xbox , PC), Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (2009 PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 ), Sonic PC Collection (2009, PC) and Sonic Classic Collection (2010, Nintendo DS ) included this game. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was also offered again online on the Wii Shop Channel, Xbox Live Arcade and on Steam (only as part of Sonic 3 & Knuckles ). The game has not yet been implemented for the mobile market.
successor
After Sonic & Knuckles , Knuckles' Chaotix was released in 1995, a game without Sonic with Knuckles in the lead role for the Sega 32X . The next Sonic game for the Sega Mega Drive was Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island in 1996 with changed gameplay through the 3D perspective. Numerous other Sonic games in the future dealt with platformer as well as other genres. Above all, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010), Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012) and Sonic Mania (2017) are viewed as successors to the classic Sega Mega Drive games.
reception
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Sonic & Knuckles received a largely positive response from the specialist press. Above all, the possibilities of the lock-on cartridge , which also increased the replayability of the predecessor with Knuckles as a new, playable character, were praised.
The exact, global sales figures are uncertain, as Sega only published that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles together sold 4 million times on the Sega Mega Drive. Sonic & Knuckles has sold 1.24 million times in the United States .
Web links
- Cheats for Sonic & Knuckles (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Jon Thompson: Sonic & Knuckles - Review . Allgame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Review Crew: Sonic & Knuckles . In: EGM Media, LLC (Ed.): Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 65, December 1994, p. 34.
- ↑ New Games cross review: ソ ニ ッ ク & ナ ッ ク ル ズ . In: Famitsu . No. 309, 11-18. November 1994, p. 37.
- ↑ ProReview: Sonic & Knuckles . In: IDG (Ed.): GamePro . No. 64, November 1994, pp. 72-73.
- ↑ Lucas M. Thomas: Sonic & Knuckles Review . In: IGN . February 22, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2014. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ James Newton: Review . NintendoLife. February 16, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ Sonic & Knuckles review . Sega Power. November 1994. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
- ^ Sonic & Knuckles overview . Sega Magazine. October 1994. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
- ↑ Finals . In: Imagine Media (ed.): Next Generation . No. 1, January 1995, p. 101.
