Sonic Advance 3 feels less like the follow-up to the previous Sonic Advance and more like a spiritual sequel to the now-classic Sonic the Hedgehog games that were once synonymous with the Sega Genesis. The levels offer a nice balance of careful exploration and flat-out running; there are numerous spots within every level where you can take time out and just amuse yourself by playing with pinball bumpers, springboards, and character-hurling cannons. The graphics always manage to keep pace even when the characters are bouncing off of springboards and dashing through spirals at blazing speed, despite the use of many CPU-intensive background effects. But, besides all of that, Sonic Advance 3 actually brings something new to the table--a tag-team play mechanic that ultimately enhances the overall product rather than mucking it up.
Tag ability--Sonic can fly on Knuckles' back.
Although Sonic and Tails are the only characters available from the start, the roster expands to include three more characters as you play through the game. What's interesting here isn't that you can choose from any of five different characters, all with their own unique traits and attacks, the interesting part is that you also have to choose a partner character that will follow you around and lend a hand while you play. The pairings you put together can significantly effect (in obvious and not-so-obvious ways) how you deal with the obstacles, enemies, and path choices that you encounter in every level. First off, your main character's speed and hang time, as well as the kinds of ground and midair attacks that it can perform, will change based upon the partner you select. Secondly, you can perform tag tricks (by pushing the R button) that are based upon the abilities of the partner you picked. Tails can launch another character high into the air, Knuckles will leap forward and bash enemies or walls, Cream's chao can attack enemies and grab rings that aren't within reach, and so on. In all, there are 20 possible pair combinations.
The number of different tag pairings is indicative of the game's open-ended nature. There are 21 different levels and eight boss battles spread throughout seven different worlds. Each world also has a couple of chao-inspired minigames that you can play in order to earn extra lives. The worlds and levels are linked together by a hub map of sorts, which lets you switch characters and go back to previously played levels whenever you like. That way, if a later level gives you trouble, you can always switch to a different pair combo or go back to an earlier level to get some lives.
The basic idea is still to get through each level as fast as possible, but there really isn't one right way to get through a particular level. Levels are set up with multiple paths and shortcuts--springboards, ramps, and tubes can take you to higher or lower sections--and they offer a good mix of Mario-style platform-jumping and classic Sonic-style speed runs. Take one path and you might end up underwater. Go up a ramp or take the tube the other way and you might end up sliding down a waterfall or skidding across patches of ice high above the level. There are also all kinds of new objects to interact with, such as swings, spinners, seesaws, balloons, catapults, and controllable cannon launchers. All those things should please longtime fans who felt that the last two games didn't provide enough chances to just run around and have fun.
