An OK 2D Sonic adventure with traditional gameplay style, but OK control and obvious emphasis on Donkey Kong Country -style rendered graphics. At least you could play as Knuckles...and the last level was kinda fun, in a maze-like way. I guess they're about the best graphics I've ever seen on Game Gear, but we all know what happens when graphics take a front-seat to gameplay... It was released in Japan under the name "G-Sonic". Basically, the Sonic equivalent of Virtua Fighter Animation.
The gameplay actually varied from level to level. Some levels (like Green Hill and Blue Marine) outright suck while others (like Yellow Desert and Silver Castle) are actually OK. The main drawback of rendered graphics came in the level-design, which was all too often bland and simplistic...Sonic 1 on Game Gear is a very close comparison, but that was five years old at the time. Also, the characters (Sonic and Knuckles) are a little too big for the tiny screen, and control is on the clunky side.
Other than that, the game plays like any other Sonic game, except without any of the extra moves (barring the Spin Dash). It was the first (and only) Game Gear game to let you play as Knuckles, including his abilities to glide and climb...Sonic Drift 2 hardly counts. Special Stages were like those in Sonic 3 & Knuckles...find the giant Ring hidden in the Zone, and hop in. Visually, the psudeo-3D stages were about the most impressive thing I've ever seen on Game Gear, and closely resembled the 3D mini-planets from the S3&K Special Stages (only without the ability to move from left to right). The object was, as usual, to collect enough Rings before reaching the end.
For what it is, Sonic Blast is decent, but not even in the same league as earlier Game Gear titles like Chaos and Triple Trouble. Sonic Blast was released in Japan as G Sonic.
A mysterious island has surfaced near Sonic's home - an island with a revoltingly familiar shape....The bald dome and walrus shape moustache are a total giveaway: Robotnik has built another floating platform to carry on with his plan of total domination of Mobius! After his Flicky Island Snafu, Robotnik is at it again and his newest invention - The Silver Castle - has arisen!!! Banding forces Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna decide there's only one thing to do: get to the platform, break inside, and do some serious property damage before thee Eggman can do his! Unfortunately, that is precisely what that eggheaded villain is counting on. You see Robotnik has set the whole thing up as a trap! Laying a laid series of traps he thinks are infallible. His plan is all too familiar: get rid of his nemesis Sonic for good, and once that's done, collect the Chaos Emeralds in order to gain the power he needs to take over the world!!!!! Travel with Sonic the Hedgehog or Knuckles the Echidna through a maze of traps, evil robots and fearsome scenery, and prove to Dr. Robotnik that there's no trap made that a determined Sonic or Knuckles can't overcome! But watch out - His latest assortment of tricks and traps is even nastier than usual....
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