It’s been a year of ups and downs Sonic fan. Sonic Frontier Looking brilliant but also cumbersome in alternate media runs, Sonic Origins gives fans the definitive version of the 2D classic they’ve been craving — except they’re riddled with bugs and not really authoritative.But now, Sonic fans have another reason to celebrate: the release Sonic Triple Trouble…but in a new format.
For those less than a thousand years old, Triple Trouble is a classic 8-bit Sonic game. Since 8-bit games came out around the same time as 16-bit titles, they weren’t as well-respected or loved – but still, broadly speaking, they’re cute little platformers that try to adapt the Sonic formula to a weaker game platform. Some of these games are loose adaptations of their Mega Drive counterparts – but some are completely original games.
The most notable of these is Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble. This 8-but title is actually older than Sonic’s other classic 2D adventures, released for the Sega Game Gear handheld a few months after Sonic & Knuckles hit the Mega Drive. That spot in Sonic’s timeline has some fans thinking: What if this game was 16-bit, what if it was a sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles? What if it was essentially Sonic 4?
That’s what Triple Trouble 16-bit is all about – a fan-made game that reimagines Triple Trouble as a whole as if it were made for the Mega Drive/Genesis, right after Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Along the way, you can see the key inspiration for another great Sonic revival in recent years: Sonic Mania.
The 16-bit reimagining of Triple Trouble is ultimately still a fan game. It doesn’t necessarily have the polish of the official release, and suffers from some tried-and-true fan game pitfalls – but boy, it feels close to official quality and most importantly, well worth your time. Especially when you consider the entry price: free.
No need for a Mega Drive emulator, as this is a PC executable coded from scratch to run on weaker PCs and work like a dream on the Steam deck. As for legitimacy, Sega is generally happy to turn a blind eye to the Sonic fan gaming community, as long as they don’t charge for their efforts — in fact, it’s this community that develops key employees who continue to work for the publisher at Sonic Mania, Origins, and others On several ports of classic games. When it comes to this sort of thing, Sega is pretty cool.
The Triple Trouble 16-bit is an instant entry into my top Sonic fan games, including Before & After the Sequel and the immortal Sonic Robo Blast 2. It’s an amazing achievement, but it also has something that these games don’t have. Not so much: somehow, it feels more real.
That authenticity comes from the fact that this is a remake of an existing Sonic game – although the similarities between the original Triple Trouble and this remake are actually quite superficial. Some of the original stage gimmicks and ideas are intact, as is the setting itself and the extensive story. But, in reality, the project’s fan creators, led by director and designer Noah N. Copeland, have twisted and manipulated identifiable parts of the original game to suit a glorious new purpose.
First and foremost, the purpose is to provide a tool for tons of delicious fan service. The game has now been chosen as a direct sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, picking up right where the adventure left off. That means there’s a new intro phase, a moody cinematic mini-level where Sonic and Tars break through the rubble of Death’s Egg in search of where Robotnik crashed. Stage transitions make the adventure feel seamless, as does the new boss mechanic, with new gimmicks like a snowboard stage, reminiscent of Sonic Adventure’s take on the ice cap area.
You’re constantly bombarded with new mechanics, plus old stage gimmicks that are reused in fun and creative ways. Along the way, experience dialogue-free 2D cutscenes full of carefully crafted sprites that tell you everything you need to know – just like in Mania and S3K. The cinematic style on display, especially as the story unfolds towards the end of the game, is brilliant. It does more with less.
The soundtrack is also great. It mixes the new music version from the Game Gear version with some new melodic additions and some borrowed elements from other games. Once again, it’s the kind of fan service these obsessives are best at delivering – culminating in a heartwarming metal Sonic boss theme that weaves together every piece of music associated with classic Sonic-era characters, including The original theme was triple trouble.
It was just a fantastic experience.It also led me to an idea: maybe Sonic Mania 2 It’s actually possible to build on this experience – reimagining the non-Mega Drive 2D Sonics in the style of a really important 2D series entry. Publishers can get a lot of concrete things out of this game, really. As always, Sonic fans lead the way, and Sonic’s stewards will follow them well.
If Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit were an actual full game published by Sega, it would be dangerously shaky, close to the 5-star iGamesNews review. It’s not as good as Sonic Mania or S3K – but it’s probably my third favorite 2D Sonic right now. It must be saying something. Well done these fans. You should play it for yourself.