Sonic Advance 3

 Game Boy Advance
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Jun 7, 2004
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 83 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 83
  3. Negative: 5 out of 83
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  1. KendylKlownfish
    May 1, 2011
    8
    The fastest of the Sonic Advance series. Pros: Excellent graphics, control, and level design; lots of characters to play; new moves; one of the fastest Sonic games to date. Cons: Isn't as innovative as the first game; too many bonus challenges.
  2. GamecubeLover
    Aug 6, 2016
    10
    The game is still original but not as good as the first and the second but that doesn't means the game is bad the game is amazing and entertaining and fun!
  3. Tokyochuchu
    Aug 30, 2012
    3
    The first Sonic Advance was a great game that took advantage of all the traditional Sonic game elements and weaved them into an impressive handheld title. Sonic Advance 2 made some changes, focusing in on the speedier 'on rails' elements of the Sonic series. Whilst not as good as it's predecessor, part 2 was still fun, featuring a myriad of memorable bosses. Sonic Advance 3, however, justThe first Sonic Advance was a great game that took advantage of all the traditional Sonic game elements and weaved them into an impressive handheld title. Sonic Advance 2 made some changes, focusing in on the speedier 'on rails' elements of the Sonic series. Whilst not as good as it's predecessor, part 2 was still fun, featuring a myriad of memorable bosses. Sonic Advance 3, however, just feels tired right from the off. The level design is uninspired, the sprites are too big and the new switch pushing gameplay is boring and unnecessary. I love Sonic but frankly speaking, this game did absolutely nothing for me.… Expand
  4. DistH
    Feb 28, 2021
    2
    this game is every bad thing a bout Sonic Advance 1 Bottom less Pits, Bad level Design and Bad Music. Like listen to route 99 it's horrible. than they took Knuckles Chaotix team tag and made it Soo bad. and the Story is Not Good. how can a Badnik be the Final boss the story is Soo stupid. this is the worst Game of the trilogy. they added a 2d hub World which is trash! there is a Chaothis game is every bad thing a bout Sonic Advance 1 Bottom less Pits, Bad level Design and Bad Music. Like listen to route 99 it's horrible. than they took Knuckles Chaotix team tag and made it Soo bad. and the Story is Not Good. how can a Badnik be the Final boss the story is Soo stupid. this is the worst Game of the trilogy. they added a 2d hub World which is trash! there is a Chao garden but it is not FUN. bad Game Don't play it… Expand
  5. Hope1
    May 27, 2004
    6
    Yes new ideas like team play, three acts before boss, collect chao in each zone to enter the special stage (Which is much easier than sa2 so don't worry)...But still it's not fast and not enjoyable as sa2! In addition to the level design that adds a whole new frustration level because of enemeis and spikes placed! Nope Sega...I don't like this..go back and make another sa2!
  6. TomD.
    May 19, 2004
    10
    It is excellent and I am planing to get it this week end. Thanx for listening Tom Davies Adams Grammar 19 May 2004
  7. LesleyE.
    May 26, 2004
    10
    I think the new sonic 3 advance is a very good game and i got it came out in the uk, off e-bay
  8. JadeL.
    Jul 14, 2004
    7
    I got this game 3 days ago in GAME in Ireland, and I have completed it. Already? The levels are way too easy (but enjoyable I might add) knowing this because I have been a Sonic fan all my life. what really annoys me about this game is the locations of the chao (It is SO hard to find them all, its only lucky if you find 1.) But overall this game is enjoyable.
  9. EvanC.
    Jul 25, 2004
    10
    It rocked i cant find the hidden chao though.
  10. EchesiaN.
    Aug 2, 2004
    10
    i loved the new enviroment. it was totally different from the games before it!!!
  11. CamillaD.
    Jan 23, 2005
    10
    This game is BBBBBAAAAADDD! And i mean it in a good way. I only just got this game for Christmas and so far i have got 2 chaos emeralds! This one is much better than SA2 because its easier to get the emeralds. Plus there is a great display of teamwork and excellent combinations. SEGA have really outdoing themselves making these awesome games like Sonic Heroes andof course Sonic Advance 3!
  12. ohaiKendyl
    May 20, 2011
    8
    Even though it's nothing we haven't seen before, Sonic Advance 3 is still an undeniably gorgeous 2-D side-scroller that's fun to play. Pros: Excellent graphics, control, and sound; fantastic level design; variety of characters. Cons: Nothing new or innovative.
  13. roymcgeeters
    Jun 27, 2012
    9
    Sonic Advance 3 was the first Sonic game I ever got on the GBA, and it just might be the best one I ever got too. A perfect combonation of speed, platforming, and design, Sonic Advance 3 is the one game that you should have if you have a GBA. The story of this game is pointless. It's just an excuse to run around and beat up robots. Dr. Eggman has taken the master emerald and used it toSonic Advance 3 was the first Sonic game I ever got on the GBA, and it just might be the best one I ever got too. A perfect combonation of speed, platforming, and design, Sonic Advance 3 is the one game that you should have if you have a GBA. The story of this game is pointless. It's just an excuse to run around and beat up robots. Dr. Eggman has taken the master emerald and used it to break the world into 7 different parts, leaving Sonic and Tails seperated from everyone else. Now Sonic has to find his friends and stop Eggman once again. It's not important, but what I find cool is that Eggman to Emerl from Sonic Battle and turned him into Gemerl, an evil rovot who works for him. The game looks great from head to toe. colorful, dteailed enviorments and great looking sprites add to the games charm. Add nice music large levels, clever design and chao to look for, and you've got yourself a level. Unlike the other two installments in the Advance series, this one has the best balance of speed and platforming, so you never feel like you're only enjoying one part of the Sonic magic. A total of 7 world, 3 acts and a boss in each one makes for a decent lasting game. The biggest change is that you can choose a partner to help you out in the level, and for once the character isn't useless. In fact, it determines how you play. Depending on what different combonation of characters you play as determines your attacks, tag team move, jumping, speed and the ability to break certain walls it adds depth into the levels and with differemt characters, you can do different things to help you to get to Chao... and that's my only complaint. The chao. To get into a special stage you need to collect 10 chao in a world, then find a key hidden in one of the stages, then go back to the hub world, find the special stage spring and do the special stage to win. The chao are hidden in the most complicated of spots. You have to search EVERYWHERE if you want to find the chao. This is annoying, and I find myself replaying levels 17 times just to look for that last chao that I need, then going back into the same stage to find a key and then searching the hub world for the spring, and if I loose the special stage, I have to find another key! AAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!! This take away from the fun of speed in the game, so now you'll just be slowly platforming. I don't want to hunt for chao in a sonic game, I just want to blast through as sonic. ughh..... another problem with this game is that when you turn off your syestem, any lives that you had before will automatically go back down to three, so if you had 10000000000 lives, and your battery dies, you'll go straight back to 3 lives. Also, only 9 lives are displayed at one time, so if you have 29 lives, you won't know because it only shows 9. Great... well the good thing is that these were the only bad thing I had to say about this game. The special stages are fun (but getting to them is a pain), the boss battles are extremely creative, as well for the regular levels. The character combo sytem is a nice touch and over all, this game is a must have for GBA users. I don't understand why you're still reading this when you could be playing Sonic Advance 3.… Expand
  14. rhaynes7
    Nov 23, 2013
    9
    Tag action really adds a lot more to the core gameplay than one might expect. In fact, it makes it my favorite of the Sonic Advance series as it adds more noticeable replay value than Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2 to the game. Furthermore, they've added a 3 act, which means that there's more levels than your typical Sonic game, always a plus.

    This game features some excellent    Tag action really adds a lot more to the core gameplay than one might expect. In fact, it makes it my favorite of the Sonic Advance series as it adds more noticeable replay value than Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2 to the game. Furthermore, they've added a 3 act, which means that there's more levels than your typical Sonic game, always a plus.

    This game features some excellent levels, that are structured to the nuance of each individual team. They're also quite large, which encourages you to find quicker paths, especially if you're big on time attack. Dimps was smarter when making the chao search as opposed to the special rings for the chaos emeralds as well. This makes it more enjoyable to go hunting through the enormous stages than finding them all in one go, which would be nigh on impossible in this game.

    This wraps up the Sonic advance series well, and it's the best of them. I still have it sitting in my DS' game boy cartridge and still play from time to time, even today.    … Expand
  15. Dylan707
    Nov 24, 2015
    7
    I love that this game has more to offer to you than any of the other games. I disliked the idea of a forced partner system, and wish that it could be both, so you don't get screwed over by the other partner. Also, the chaos emerald system is bad. Not as bad as Sonic Advance 2, but still bad.
  16. Untitled94
    Aug 16, 2017
    7
    Well, at the time this was my favorite Sonic Advance game. Times have changed though. This was an experimental game, but it's both a good and a bad thing. It's cool that you can use many different characters in different ways, but some levels require you to know what combo of characters you should have. It's just not done as well, and there's a lot of bull crap kills. It's still a goodWell, at the time this was my favorite Sonic Advance game. Times have changed though. This was an experimental game, but it's both a good and a bad thing. It's cool that you can use many different characters in different ways, but some levels require you to know what combo of characters you should have. It's just not done as well, and there's a lot of bull crap kills. It's still a good game, don't get me wrong, but it's not as great as I once thought.… Expand
  17. JPK
    Aug 19, 2018
    9
    3 IN A ROW!
    Sonic Advance 3 Concludes The GBA Sonic Platformer With A Bang!
  18. MrTacoBob
    Aug 30, 2017
    9
    While the level design isn't the best everything else is fantastic. A great way to finish a fantastic trilogy. The soundtrack is also very good. I still think Sonic Advance 2 is the best.
  19. SonicSpeedo92
    Jun 5, 2018
    8
    Sonic Advance 3 is a pretty good and unique game, with a few issues. The level design is good, the pairing mechanic is solid, and the music is great. However, the controls feel a bit weird and I feel like I can't see what's ahead of me sometimes. Just sometimes though. It's not Genesis (GBA) type of bad. I give Advance 3 a 8/10.
  20. tobash18
    Oct 28, 2018
    10
    This game was my childhood. Loved every moment of it. The game feels great to play and the game is just pretty as all hell on the GBA. This game is my favourite. Enough Said. Also Chaos Angel. Best Sonic stage in my opinion.
  21. Mutty99
    May 25, 2021
    10
    Best title from the Sonic Advance series. The teamwork mechanic is innovative, and allows to think through to find speedrunning strategies. I like the special stage system, even if clunky at times; a bit of practice should suffice, hard but not undoable.
    The best part of the game is that now all the characters share the same stage line; say goodbye to completing the entire game one time x    Best title from the Sonic Advance series. The teamwork mechanic is innovative, and allows to think through to find speedrunning strategies. I like the special stage system, even if clunky at times; a bit of practice should suffice, hard but not undoable.
    The best part of the game is that now all the characters share the same stage line; say goodbye to completing the entire game one time x each playable character!
    Worth playing absolutely, one of the best GBA games I ever played.    … Expand
  22. BM30
    Jun 30, 2020
    7
    Sonic Advance 1 was Amazing with great graphics, gameplay and level design, Sonic Advance 2 is the same but the level design was a bit less great than the original. Sonic Advance 3 focuses on a Partner mechanic which I find really bad. The Gameplay and level design feels boring and not as fun as the first two. If you wanted more from Sonic Advance 1 and 2, I'd recommend Sonic Rush on the DS
  23. GameDudeGuy
    Feb 4, 2021
    7
    not a bad game but it sure is a mess so many death pits ad diffuclt bosses altough i think Sonic Advance 2 and 1 is better this one is a meh
  24. E102Gamma
    Aug 8, 2023
    6
    Sonic Advance 3 is a very weird game both in design and theming. It is the most visually beautiful of the Sonic Advance trilogy and its music is pretty good. The gameplay is very strange as it bends the expansive platform heavy level design from the first game with the narrow speedways of the second and designing everything around a team up mechanic that takes some getting used to. ThereSonic Advance 3 is a very weird game both in design and theming. It is the most visually beautiful of the Sonic Advance trilogy and its music is pretty good. The gameplay is very strange as it bends the expansive platform heavy level design from the first game with the narrow speedways of the second and designing everything around a team up mechanic that takes some getting used to. There are five characters total each having unique abilities as well as giving the player's character different abilities. The player can do team up moves to aid in platforming while the partner character grants changes to the player's character. It opens up level design and allows for players to approach different challenges in different ways depending on who they are playing as. The levels are mostly well designed around this mechanic though some notable weak points include Toy Kingdom Zone as a whole, and Chaos Angel Act 3. It is also one of the harder games in the series. Some good examples include Chaos Angel Zone as a whole and the last two acts of Cyber Track Zone. The weak point of the game include the boss fights, the Special Stages, and the changes made to the characters' controls. Overall, a mixed bag of a game that I recommend solely for its unique gameplay.… Expand
  25. MetalReviewer
    Mar 7, 2022
    6
    An okay improvement upon the last game's disastrous quality, Sonic Advance 3 stands as an "alright" game on it's own and a rather weak sequel to the first game.
  26. Panda-Productio
    Nov 9, 2022
    3
    I’ve played over 40 Sonic games and this is the only one that I gave up on after the second zone.
  27. FeelStar
    Nov 25, 2022
    8
    Sonic Advance 3 is a great title and the best of the Advance trilogy. While it suffers at points with it's slightly worse controls and iffy level design near the start. But the game picks itself up immediately with some amazing tag team gameplay and banger soundtrack with gorgeous graphics and enjoyable 2d sonic level design. Some may look at this title and hate it, but with enoughSonic Advance 3 is a great title and the best of the Advance trilogy. While it suffers at points with it's slightly worse controls and iffy level design near the start. But the game picks itself up immediately with some amazing tag team gameplay and banger soundtrack with gorgeous graphics and enjoyable 2d sonic level design. Some may look at this title and hate it, but with enough persevering, you'll see how this title is actually a great time.… Expand
  28. Yojimbo2015
    May 6, 2023
    7
    Sonic Team shakes up the formula so you can now enter any of the levels whenever you want in order to find the hidden characters, Rayman-style. They can obviously be difficult to spot when you're blasting through the levels at Sonic speed though!
  29. Dennis59X
    Jul 22, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is awesome and the best out of the three in my opinion. Fun hubworld, interesting level themes and great music. Chaos Angel is one of my favorites. The team mechanic is good, and let's the player be creative how they want to play, like the Speed, Fly, or the Power team. The bosses are also fun, and the sprites are so well done! But the random spikes or bottomless pits are a bit annoying. And the last two special stage were very hard. Speaking of, I like the exploration with the chao. Good idea with this. Otherwise, great job with this game! Also the ending was cute, with Cream having a new friend, Gemerl.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
6
#6 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
10
#10 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Weekly Famitsu
    75
    8 / 7 / 7 / 8 - 30 silver [Vol 810; 25 June 2004]
  2. AceGamez
    90
    They've tweaked and improved the gameplay considerably, included two fantastic multiplayer games and wrapped it all up in a beautifully drawn and dynamic sounding environment.
  3. GMR Magazine
    80
    It can be a little too difficult at times, especially when trying to make finicky jumps on a small screen while, for example, riding a bus. But the balancing issues are confined mostly to the bosses. [Aug 2004, p.91]
See all critic reviews »