Back in the early to mid-90s when I was at the height of my Genesis playing days, I used to frequent such stores as Electronics Boutique, waiting for the EA Sports release for NBA Live, NHL, or Madden. Whenever I caught wind of the release of one of these gems, I would take the Blue Bus down to Westside Pavilion and scoop up a copy. It was rather infrequent that I would work up the same enthusiasm for a non-sports game, and I often avoided such games because, at the time, I wasn't interested in anything but sports. For this reason, I often passed up on games that are now considered Sega
Genesis classics, like Earthworm Jim, Rocket Knight Adventures, and the various Sonic titles, about some of which I have blogged. One particular title, which featured a rather innovative design and concept, was Sonic & Knuckles.
When I think back to the 90s, I vaguely recall hearing or reading about the Lock-On technology of Sonic & Knuckles back then. Basically, Sonic & Knuckles is a standalone side-scrolling platformer that is Sonic's modus operandi; anyone familiar with the franchise (at least, in its earlier years) would feel right at home in this game. However, what makes Sonic & Knuckles truly special is its "Lock-On" design, which allows players to plug either Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 into a slot on the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge. If you plug Sonic 2 into Sonic & Knuckles, you can play Sonic 2 as Knuckles; if you plug in Sonic 3, you can play a combined game of Sonic 3 AND Sonic and Knuckles either as Sonic (with Tails) or Knuckles.
As always, you can play as Sonic, spin-dashing through bad guys, looping up and down paths, collecting rings, and jumping here and here; but, you can also play as Knuckles, a red echidna who can't run as fast as, or jump as high as, Sonic does, but can glide and climb walls with his spiky knuckles (thus, the name). Much of the game is familiar with colorful sprites, catchy beats, and vivid backgrounds, but there are new obstacles, such as green chains that latch onto Sonic or Knuckles and can only be escaped by spin-dashing, and new ways of traversing gaps and tricky spots, such as gymnastics-like metal poles and swinging ropes with bars (which are actually similar to what is in Sonic 2).
Sonic & Knuckles has much of what I've come to appreciate about the Sonic franchise on the Genesis: speedy runs, somewhat reasonably precise jumps, and bright and colorful graphics. Despite these positives, this game, as a standalone, is not without its flaws. One is the music: this is personal taste, but I find the music dissonant and irritating compared to Sonic 2. Maybe, it is because my sons have been playing Sonic & Knuckles lately and have been playing the Mushroom Zone over and over again, so the music has worn out its novelty. Another is the length of each zone: some zones take five to six minutes of game time versus the two to four minutes per zone in Sonic 2. For me, longer zones don't make for a more engaging gaming experience. Yet, the biggest irritation of Sonic & Knuckles is (using a term often employed for describing fighting games) its hit detection. As far as I understand it, if you spin and jump on or at a baddie, the baddie transforms into a harmless forest creature and is defeated, but there have been numerous occasions when I have attacked a baddie in this way and lost all my rings. I suppose that it would be safest to jump on top of the baddie, but I have found that hits are not consistently registered. This makes for some frustration end-of-the-zone battles during which I will spin jump level to the boss, but cough up my rings. This is Velveeta cheese. Conversely, in Sonic 2, there was no such confusion. Of course, I must admit that my account is highly anecdotal; to be sure, I should record how I lose rings or experience zero-ring death to find a pattern.
Nonetheless, Sonic & Knuckles is a welcome addition to my family's Sega Genesis library. The action is rapid and engulfing, and being able to play Sonic 2 as Knuckles is simply awesome. I must warn you, though, that because Knuckles cannot jump as high as Sonic, Dr. Robotnik is more difficult to defeat in end-of-the-zone battles for some zones, like the Chemical Plant Zone, so Knuckles may present a new challenge to those who are used to blazing through Sonic 2 with Sonic and Tails.
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