Sonic 3D Blast 5

Sonic 3D Blast 5
Publisher	???
Developer	Makon Soft
Console	Game Boy
Date	1997
Engine	Own
Sound engine	Own
Alternate names/hacks	Sonic Adventure 7 Sonic Adventure 8 Pokémon Adventure Pokémon Jade

Sonic 3D Blast 5 for the Game Boy (not connected to the Somari hack of the same name) is a pirate original made by Makon Soft Studio. The game is presumably released in 1997 since this game features remixes of music from the PC game, Sonic & Knuckles Collection released in early 1997.

The gameplay is very similar to other Makon Soft pirates, using an almost identical engine to those games. This game (as well as its hacks) is infamous due to its quality, its controls, level design, music and programming are considered to be poor.

Gameplay

File:3db5.png

First level of the game.

Sonic's controls work similar as they do in Sonic The Hedgehog 2. However, to defeat enemies you can only jump on them instead of spinning into them. In turn, this makes the Spin Dash in the game rather useless. There are numerous enemies ripped from the first Sonic The Hedgehog and Sonic The Hedgehog 3 although they're reduced to moving back and forth in this game.

The invincibility powerup no longer changes the music nor does it kill enemies when you run into them, it simply protects you from enemies for a certain amount of time, and the lack of a music cue makes it difficult to tell when it wears off. Getting hit leaves you temporarily invulnerable (except against spikes) like other Sonic games, but you can't collect any rings that you lose. Unlike the official Sonic games, there are no bosses.

Levels

The game has a total of 5 levels that appear to be based on both levels of the Mega Drive Sonic The Hedgehog games. There is a map before each level, explosion is from Sonic 3D Blast, which is useless or relevance to the game.

The first level is similar in appearance to that of most Sonic games; a tropical setting that seems to be based off Green Hill Zone. The second level is based off Flying Battery Zone from Sonic & Knuckles and includes the robotic mice from that zone. The third level looks somewhat similar to Spring Yard Zone, although as the other levels are based off Sonic 3 & Knuckles it's probably based off Carnival Night Zone. The fourth level takes place in a desert, and is likely based off Sandopolis Act 1. It's often considered to be the most difficult level in the game due to glitches which frequently occur as well as a gap which is almost impossible to cross. (It's possible to cross it however by bouncing off a Buzz Bomber.) The fifth level is based off Marble Garden Zone from Sonic The Hedgehog 3.

Music

The music in Sonic 3D Blast 5 is loosely based off Sonic The Hedgehog 3 for the Mega Drive, while the one from Sonic Adventure 7 is loosely based off the music from the PC version of it.

• Title Theme: Sonic & Knuckles Title Theme
• Level 1: Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Angel Island Zone, Act 1
• Level 2: Sonic 3 & Knuckles: Mini-Boss
• Level 3: Sonic the Hedgehog 3: File Select
• Level 4: Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Bonus Stage - Slot Machine
• Level 5:Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Angel Island Zone, Act 1

Sonic Adventure 7 Tracks:

• Level 1: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC: Launch Base Act 1
• Level 2: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC: Sky Sanctuary Act 1
• Level 3: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC: Launch Base Act 1 (Same track as Level 1)
• Level 4: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC: Launch Base Act 1 (Different track than Level 1 & 3)
• Level 5: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC: File Select
• Ending Music: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 PC: Ice Cap/Sonic 3 Title Theme (near the end of the song.)
• Game Over: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC Game Over (same as S3DB5)
• Intro Music: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC Launch Base Act 1 (Again, different than the rounds 1 and 4!)

Gallery

Complete copy.

One of the typical cartridges of Sonic 3D Blast 5.

A later reprint of Sonic 3D Blast 5.

Back of the later reprint with Sonic Advance 3 and Harvest Moon art.

Box of the Alternative Cart. (Front)

Alternative Cart (back).

A Sonic 3D Blast 5 cartridge, but the sticker is torn.

Sonic Adventure 5 cartridge; a label variation of Sonic 3D Blast 5.

Sonic 3D Blast 5. (Yellow Cartridge Variant)

Sonic 3D Blast 5 in a Super 1998 29 in 1 Mult-cart.

Multicart with Sonic 3D Blast that uses the art for G Sonic. (Which is Sonic Blast on Game Gear in Japan)

A multicart with Sonic 3D Blast 5, Sonic Adventure 7, and Sonic 6.

A 30-in-1 Multicart with the game. (using Sonic Blast boxart)

Other versions

Sonic Adventure 7

File:Sonicadventure7title.png

Sonic Adventure 7's title screen. Note the poorly done colouring job

Sonic Adventure 7 is a hack of Sonic 3D Blast 5, made in 1999, although this hack is for the Game Boy Color. The game adds color, alters some of the graphics and changes the order of the levels, with the fourth level from S3DB5 becoming the first level. What used to be a remake of the intro from Sonic 3D Blast was replaced with Sonic & Knuckles' intro, and the title screen is a very poor digitization of Sonic Adventure's box art. Strangely, the game includes a manual which is mostly a poorly done edit of Sonic Blast's manual, with most references to Knuckles being replaced with the Sonic Adventure 7 logo, despite Knuckles himself appearing in the intro (in green.) This game was later hacked to make Pokémon Jade and Pokémon Adventure.

The cartridge of Sonic Adventure 7, complete with instructions.

Sonic Adventure 8

File:Sonic88.png

Sonic Adventure 8's title screen.

Sonic Adventure 8 was released by Makon Soft Studio in 2000. The intro itself has been completely redone and the game now has the intro music from S3DB5, and the second (S3DB5) / fourth (SA7) level has become the first level. As of September 12th, 2017, Sonic Adventure 8 is finally dumped and playable in most emulators.

Gallery

A boxed copy of Sonic Adventure 8. (Note the use of a rumble cartridge)

At the top left, another label variation for the Sonic Adventure 8 cartridge.

Front cover.

Back cover. (showing characters that do not appear in the game)

A 29 in 1 Sonic Adventure 8 box with Rockman X4.

The Cartridge to the 29 in 1 Sonic Adventure 8 and Rockman X4.

1st Screen cap with Sonic in Sandopolis Zone Act 1.

2nd Screen cap with 3 Sonic's in Spring Yard Zone.

The title screen. The game calls itself Sonic 8 but the name on the box says Sonic Adventure 8.

The Start Screen. Uses Sonic 3D Blast (Sega Genesis) Sprites for background.

The Zone Screen. Uses Sonic Adventure logo from Sonic Adventure 7.

1st Level is Flying Battery Zone from Sonic & Knuckles. (Starts on the hardest zone in the game)

The end of the level/Goal post.

2nd Zone Screen.

2nd Level is the first level from Sonic Adventure 7. Probably Sandopolis Zone.

The Game Over Screen. (Same in all Versions S3DB5/SA7)

Pokémon Jade

File:Pokemon Jade Title.png

Title Screen

Pokémon Jade is a hack of Sonic Adventure 7 made by the same company in 2001. In this version, the colors are a bit more detailed than Sonic Adventure 7, the music is rearranged, and you control a Pikachu (the same one as in the later-released Pokémon Adventure). The game crashes when you complete the first level due to a programming error, making it impossible to complete the game.

Gallery

Pokemon Jade Cartridge

Front and back of the manual

Another cartridge

The start screen with an discoloured Pikachu

Stage 1 with the same level as in 'Sonic Adventure 7' but with colours at last.

Pokémon Adventure

Pokémon Adventure is quite similar to Jade, but was released in 2000. Moreover, the storyboard at the beginning is different and the graphics for the levels and the enemies are completely new (although some are taken from other games that Makon Soft Studio have ported).

Gallery

Pokémon Adventure in an official-style shell.

Here's the typical version of the cartridge.

Reprint using a blue catridge.

Pokemon Adventures (bootleg) - Let's Play (full)

Gameplay

GameShark Codes

GameShark codes (works for SA7 and S3DB5), from Sonic Retro:

Code	Description
012287C2	Infinite Rings.
01093EC2	Infinite Lives.
010085C2	Infinite Time.
010115C2	Invincible against enemies (but not spikes).
01106CC2	Jump as high as you want (turn off before going too high).

Bugs

• This game has a double-spike-hit bug, similar to the bug in early versions of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Mega Drive (The bug involves hitting a set of spikes, bouncing and immediately hitting another set. The bugged versions will kill the player on the second hit despite the post-damage invincibility grace period. Fixed versions will not.) However, you can avoid this by using the Infinite Rings GameShark code.
• On level 3 in S3DB5 and level 2 in SA7 there is another impossible jump unless you spin off the ledge twice (once for when hit by Crabmeat then another to pass by, but it must be made quickly).
• In Pokemon Adventure, a glitch in level 2 makes a Mettaur and a Koopa appear as enemies, and that a Mettaur would glitch up and spin around in level 3.

Trivia

• On the ending screen, there is a bizarre message that says "YONG YONG" right under the graphics. Its purpose is unknown but it was believed to be Makon Soft Studio's name until their real name was discovered within the ROM.
• Some sprites are ripped from Sonic Triple Trouble and Sonic Chaos for the Game Gear.
• All of the levels in Sonic 3D Blast 5 are considered to be acts of Green Hill Zone, even though they all take place in different settings.
• The cutscene frames in the beginning of Sonic 3D Blast 5 are from the Sega Saturn version of Sonic 3D Blast.
• The box art for some versions of Sonic Adventure 8 appears to come from the first volume of the Sonic The Hedgehog Adventure Gamebooks.