It was 3D but it's 2D now.
Sonic 3D in 2D is a 2020 reimagining of Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, a fan game created by Sotaknuck, built with Multimedia Fusion 2.5 and version 1.5.1 of the Sonic Worlds engine.
The game tries to answer the question "what if it never left the 2D formula?" and rebuilds the original plot by adding in additional elements (like Act 1 bosses), trying to make the game feel like the bridge game between Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure.
After the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Robotnik finds out about the hidden power of the birds that inhabit Flicky's Island. Those mysterious birds can travel through dimensions using large gold rings. Determined to harness their power for his own gain, the evil scientist sets off for the island with a new plan...
The game allows you to play as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, along with 5 unlockable characters. It has the full original soundtrack of the Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game along with an additional DLC that adds the soundtrack of the Sega Saturn version and the ability to play customized music. 23 Achievements can also be obtained as additional challenge for the game.
The full game has been released on May 26, 2020 and can be downloaded here
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This game provides examples of:
- 100% Completion: Get all the 23 Achievements and unlock Super Amy to use in a cleared save file.
- Action Bomb: The Snowbomb Badniks in Diamond Dust Zone explode after a few seconds if you get too close.
- Adapted Out: The actual invincibility theme from the original game's Sega Genesis soundtrack is replaced with the one from Sonic & Knuckles, since Sotaknuck thought it was a much better fit. The Invincibility theme (albeit it being the Worlds Delta remixed version) is used for the Speed Shoes instead.
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Just like the original Sonic 3D, all the Zone names fit.
- Amusement Park of Doom: Spring Stadium. Balloons, bumpers, springs, and spikes that emerge out of the ground!
- Arc Welding: Eggman's outfit has the arm-stripes as seen on his modern design, a mural of Perfect Chaos can be found in Rusty Ruins Act 2, and the boss of Diamond Dust Act 1 is E-99, who resembles a hybrid of an Eggrobo and E-102 Gamma. Furthermore, the Final Weapon's design is a recreation of the final boss from Sonic Pocket Adventure, itself meant to be an Arc Welding storyline that added modern elements into a Classic game, with its most notable scene midway into the game being walking in on Eggman thinking about how his Adventure era outfit looks on him.
- Background Boss: The first part of the final boss.
- Backported Development: Super Sonic's sprites for hanging and being dragged by a current were originally created for a Sonic 3 A.I.R. mod by Sotaknuck, and were subsequently added to Sonic 3D in 2D itself as of Version 1.22.
- Because Destiny Says So: Not only the mural from Hidden Palace can be spotted in Rusty Ruins, but also a mural of Chaos and, for real explorers, also a mural of the Final Weapon lies somewhere in the game.
- Bonus Stage Collectables: The Chaos Emeralds as usual can be obtained via Special Stages, modeled after those from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the Saturn version of Sonic 3D. Two of them can be also obtained from the first two Act 1 bosses.
- Book Ends: The game starts with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arriving on Flicky Island and ends with them leaving it. When an Extra character is unlocked, they will appear from a large ring, and leave the game from one in the ending.
- Boss-Only Level: The Final Fight. The entire zone consists of a two-stage boss battle.
- Bottomless Pit Rescue Service: Tails or Wechnia will rush to pick the player should they fall off-screen during the Panic Puppet Zone Act 1 Boss Phase.
- Bottomless Pits: Almost none, actually, with notably one as a stage hazard during the boss in Gene Gadget Act 2.
- Circling Birdies: Nack the Weasel gets them after being beaten by the player.
- Cutscene Incompetence: Present in Green Grove Act 1.
- Developer's Foresight: At the end of Panic Puppet Act 1, Tails and Knuckles show up in NPC roles. When playing as one of those characters, Sonic shows up in their roles (with the player temporarily taking control of Sonic during the boss battles if playing as Tails). When playing as a glitch character, Tails and Knuckles will be replaced by Wechnia and Bluckles respectively, with Sonic being substituted with Ashura as needed.
- Difficult, but Awesome: Sonic's Insta-Shield. Increases the range at which you can hurt enemies, and allows you to deflect projectiles and hit through spikes of enemies. It only lasts a split second, though, so good timing is an absolute must. Its usage also reactivates air control, which can make a difference while platforming.
- Double Jump: The Electric Shield allows Sonic to double jump.
- Easter Egg:
- Wacky Workbench's mysterious statue, a Chaos mural and the prophecy mural from Sonic 3 & Knuckles all appear somewhere in the Rusty Ruins, not to mention all of the unlockable characters and the extra scene in the good ending.
- As of Version 1.23, getting the good ending adds a secret switch somewhere in Gene Gadget Act 1 that changes the boss for the act. Instead of fighting just a random selection of three of the Sonic robots, you fight all five in sequence.
- Endless Game: Bonus Stage Mode. Far from endless, but 6993 levels to beat are a fair number.
- Evil Knockoff: Tails Doll and Mecha Knuckles return from Sonic R as well as all of Sonic's robotic Doppelgangers.
- Everything Trying to Kill You: Gene Gadget Zone is a prime example of this. Mines, Badniks, and electrical fields are everywhere. Panic Puppet Zone also adds circular saws into the mix.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The Final Fight, the final confrontation in the game.
- Final Boss, New Dimension: The Final Fight takes part in an interdimensional space, which Robotnik accessed with his Final Weapon and Sonic with the help of the Flickies.
- Giant Mecha: The Final Weapon built by Robotnik.
- Glitch Entity: Now playable. Bluckles, Ashura, and Wechnia, the famous glitch characters from Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Knuckles Chaotix have their own unique movesets.
- Green Hill Zone: Green Grove Zone, but with hints of ancient ruins sprinkled in.
- Green Rocks: The Chaos Emeralds, as usual.
- Ground Pound: A move in the arsenal of Shadow and Bluckles, as well as used against the player by Mecha Knuckles.
- Harmless Freezing: Without a water shield, the player can be encased in ice in Diamond Dust Zone. They will lose a shield, but they will be invincible as long as they stay frozen and don't slide on spikes.
- High-Altitude Battle: Panic Puppet Zone Act 1 Boss. This is the last battle with the Eggmobile, and Robotnik really wants you to fail, putting Sonic where his speed doesn't matter.
- Hell Is That Noise: The infamous drowning theme that plays when you're running out of air.
- Idle Animation: A staple of the series. Leave the characters without any action and they'll get quickly get bored.
- Inconveniently-Placed Conveyor Belt: In the boss area for Gene Gadget Zone Act 2, it will lead you to your death. Also, a lot of them in Panic Puppet Zone actively push you backward or straight into an obstacle.
- Infinite 1-Ups: Rings and 1-up monitors respawn after doing a Special Stage, allowing lives to be rapidly racked up in the more backtracking-friendly levels if you know your way around.
- Invincibility Power-Up: smash a monitor with stars in it for temporary invincibility.
- Land Mine Goes "Click!": Both Gene Gadget Zone and Panic Puppet Zone have areas covered with them.
- Lethal Lava Land: Volcano Valley Zone.
- Marathon Level: Panic Puppet Zone Act 1 is particularly long. Adding to it is a two-phase boss that can easily bring a player into time over territory.
- Mercy Invincibility: Shorter than usual, to prevent a player from abusing it and hitting the bosses repeatedly with no consequence.
- Multiple Endings: Just like the original, there are two endings in the game. The bad ending without all of the Chaos Emeralds, and the good one with all the gems collected.
- Mutually Exclusive Power-Ups: Any of the five shields. Getting a new shield cancels the held one out.
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Nintendo Hard: Compared to the original 2D games, this game is quite difficult. Bosses are much more aggressive than usual, for example, and the later levels are designed to beat the crap out of you. - No Final Boss for You: Unless you collect all the Chaos Emeralds, you won't be able to access The Final Fight.
- No-Sell: The three elemental Shields make the user immune to traps and enemies that use those elements. Additionally, the Water Shield allows the user to breathe underwater.
- Painful Pointy Pufferfish: The floating Spikefishes in Spring Stadium Zone.
- Palette Swap: Bluckles, Ashura, and Wechnia, but they come with their own movesets. An unlockable option also allows you to literally swap Knuckles' palette with his cutscene one from Sonic 3.
- Pinball Zone: Spring Stadium definitely fits the bill.
- Polluted Wasteland: Gene Gadget Zone's industrial area is covered with gloomy toxic clouds in the sky.
- Protagonist Title: Sonic.
- Purposely Overpowered: If you can get all the Chaos Emeralds, the Super transformation makes most of the game a cakewalk thanks to the increased speed and invincibility. As long as you have enough rings, that is.
- Rearrange the Song: Act 1 and Act 2 remix the themes. Panic Puppet Zone in the Mega Drive/Genesis Soundtrack is an exception, though.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Both soundtracks use additional music not found in their respective games:
- The Mega Drive/Genesis soundtrack uses music from Sonic 3 & Knuckles that the original game didn't already useSpecifics , plus the default "Speed Up" and "Drowning" themes in the Sonic Worlds engine, and the Sonic 3 Complete version of the unused theme from the Sonic 3 prototype.
- The Saturn soundtrack uses music from Sonic the Hedgehog CD (both the US and JP/EU versions) for the additional boss themesSpecifics , Sonic R for the Super theme and the Special Stage Mode menu, Sonic Adventure for the drowning theme, Metropolis Street Racer for the Act 1 boss theme, and Sonic Gems Collection for the main menu.
- Rise to the Challenge: The first phase of Volcano Valley Act 1 boss, where the player has to survive the lava rising up in a caldera.
- Scary Scorpions: A new version of the Skorp Badnik returns in Volcano Valley with a different tail attack.
- Sequel Hook: Get a good ending to witness it.
- Sequential Boss: for Gene Gadget Act 1 and Panic Puppet Act 1.
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Diamond Dust Zone. Grab your snowboard!
- Springs, Springs Everywhere: Some sections in the level require the player to jump through a series of springs to move forward. Spring Stadium Zone, as the name implies, is literally filled with springs, even if a lot of them are fake ones just like in the original game.
- Super Mode: The character's Super form is playable once all the Chaos Emeralds have been collected. Amy cannot transform until all Achievements are obtained, and that is enabled only in a cleared gamefile to preserve her status as the hard mode of the game should the player start a new game with her.
- Shout-Out: The first phase of Panic Puppet Act 1 boss shares elements with the first phase of Rocket Knight Adventures's Final Boss.
- Spikes of Doom: Many, especially in Spring Stadium.
- Sprint Shoes: Smash a Speed Shoes monitor and temporarily get a speed boost.
- A Taste of Power: You start the game with all seven Chaos Emeralds already in your possession allowing you free reign to play with your Super form...until Robotnik and Silver Sonic take them off your hands.
- Temple of Doom: Rusty Ruins Zone is an abandoned ancient ruin with green vines and grass taking over. Its traps are still perfectly functional, though.
- The Maze: Rusty Ruin Zone has some loopback points that can easily make a player get lost in the level.
- The Stinger: Beat the game without collecting all the Chaos Emeralds, and Robotnik will laugh in front of his final weapon, gloating about his victory. Get them all, and you'll witness a tie-in to Sonic Adventure.
- Timed Mission: The 10-minute timer missing in the original 3D Blast returns from 3K.
- Tube Travel: First present in a small sections of Green Grove and Rusty Ruins, pipes become more prominent in Volcano Valley and will become the main gimmick of Gene Gadget Zone with pipe puzzles that homage Sonic 2 for Sega Master System.
- Underground Level: Volcano Valley Zone, and part of Diamond Dust Zone as well.
- Underwater Ruins: Part of Rusty Ruins Zone is submerged in water.
- Unwilling Roboticization: Robotnik's Badniks, that in this occasion are exclusively Flicky powered.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Right at the end of Green Grove Act 2, the boss will test the player's knowledge of the character's skills and their spacing ability to dodge a huge bouncing spike ball.
- Weaponized Exhaust: If the boss uses a rocket to fly, it can use that rocket to hurt you. If you have a Flame Shield, you're unaffected by the exhaust, though.
