Sonic 3D Blast 5 (Unlicensed) for Nintendo Gameboy

CUSTOM MADE CARTRIDGE WITH THE HACK UNLICENSED GAME SONIC 3D BLAST 5

WORKS ON GAMEBOY / GAME BOY COLOR / ADVANCE SYSTEMS.

Description

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.

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. 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.