Sonic 3D Blast 5 is a platform game developed by Makon Soft for the Game Boy. The release date isn't shown on the title screen, but the box art of one of the many reprints of this game mentions the year 1998, making its original release date likely be somewhere in the late 1990s. It has gained notoriety on the Internet along with other games by Makon Soft for its particularly poor quality.
Gameplay[]
First level of the game.
The gameplay is very similar to Makon Soft's other platformers, using an almost identical engine to those games, but with the addition of gameplay features specifically tailored to imitate Sonic's mechanics. Like a typical Sonic the Hedgehog game, Sonic in Sonic 3D Blast 5 can jump, which is done with the B button, run after picking up speed, and perform his signature spin dash, which can be done by holding Down and pressing and releasing the B button. Spin dashing does not work as an attack as Sonic will still take damage if he comes in contact with an enemy on its side, regardless of if he is in his spin dash form or not. Spindashing off the edge of a cliff will allow the player to jump once in mid air.[1] Sonic can also take damage if he jumps at an enemy from the bottom, even if he is launched in the air with a spring. Enemies can only be killed from jumps on top of them. Most enemies in this game are from the first Sonic the Hedgehog game and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, but are reduced to moving back and forth in this game, compared to the unique patterns from their official counterparts.
The invincibility powerup does not change the music or kill enemies when you run into them. It only protects Sonic from enemies for a certain amount of time, with the lack of a musical cue making it difficult to tell when the effects wear 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 the Hedgehog games, there are no boss fights.
Levels[]
The game has a total of 5 levels that appear to be based on both levels of the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Before each level starts, the map from Sonic 3D Blast appears.
The first level is similar in appearance to that of most Sonic games; a tropical setting that seems to be based on Green Hill Zone. The second level is based on 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 on Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it could be based on Carnival Night Zone. The fourth level takes place in a desert and is likely based on Sandopolis Zone Act 1 or Desert Palace Zone. It's often considered the most difficult level in the game due to the glitches that occur frequently, as well as a gap that is very difficult to cross because it requires the player to jump off of a Buzz Bomber. The fifth level is based on Marble Garden Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Music[]
The music in Sonic 3D Blast 5 is from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the Mega Drive, while the one from Sonic Adventure 7 is loosely based on the music from the Sonic 3 & Knuckles Collection for PC (albeit the PC version was later found to be based on the November 3, 1993 Genesis/Mega Drive prototype). They are extremely loud and distorted compared to the versions in either game. Strangely enough, the death theme sound very reminiscent to the one in Super Mario World.
- 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 Sonic 3D Blast 5)
- Intro Music: Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC: Carnival Night Zone, Act 2
Gallery[]
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Other Versions[]
The following games are known games based on the Sonic 3D Blast 5 engine but are otherwise substantially different in some way. All of the games listed are known to be released by Makon Soft.
Sonic Adventure 7[]
Sonic Adventure 7 is an updated version of Sonic 3D Blast 5 for the Game Boy Color that was developed by Makon Soft and released in 1999. The major difference with this game compared to Sonic 3D Blast 5 is the addition of a basic color palette for all graphics. Some of the graphics in this game are also altered compared to the original monochrome game and the order of the levels are also changed, with the fourth level from Sonic 3D Blast 5 becoming the first level. What used to be a remake of the intro from Sonic 3D Blast is now 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 a green hue). This game was later modified to create Pokémon Jade.
Gallery[]
Sonic Adventure 8 (Sonic 8)[]
Sonic Adventure 8, or Sonic 8 on the title screen, was released in 2000. The intro itself has been completely redone and it now uses a variation of the intro music from Sonic 3D Blast 5. The second level from that game is now the first level in this game, and the fourth level from Sonic 3D Blast 5 (the first level in Sonic Adventure 7) is now the second level in this game. As of September 12th, 2017, Sonic Adventure 8 has been dumped. The unmodified ROM works on select emulators that emulate its copy protection scheme and a deprotection hack of that ROM is also available that is playable on most emulators.
Gallery[]
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Pokémon Jade[]
Pokémon Jade is a variant of Sonic Adventure 7 released 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 intro now includes a story which is taken from a summary of Pikachu's Rescue Adventure. The game crashes when the first level is completed due to a programming error, making it impossible to complete the game through normal means.
Language editions[]
At least three language versions of Pokémon Jade are known to exist: the English version in a black Game Boy cartridge shell and a translucent green Game Boy Color shell, which has a cartridge ID of GA098, the Spanish version, named Pokémon - La Versión Esmeralda, and a Chinese version released by Ka Sheng, named Chong Wu Xiao Jing Ling - Feicui Ban (寵物小精靈 - 翡翠版), which has a cartridge ID of GA099. All three versions are dumped and have translated names and story screens in their respective languages.
Gallery[]
GameShark Codes[]
Here are some GameShark codes for Sonic Adventure 7 and Sonic 3D Blast 5, taken 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 and all other games based on it have 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 [citation/elaboration needed]. However, you can avoid this by using the Infinite Rings GameShark code.
- On level 3 in Sonic 3D Blast 5 and level 2 in Sonic Adventure 7, 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).
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 at the beginning of Sonic 3D Blast 5 are from the Sega Saturn version of Sonic 3D Blast.
- The title screen is a severely downgraded version of Sonic 3D Blast's with a superimposed stylized 5 over it.
- The box art for some versions of Sonic Adventure 8 appears to come from the first volume of the Sonic The Hedgehog Adventure Gamebooks.
See also[]
References[]
| Games by Makon Soft |
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