The Sega MegaDrive game “Sonic 3D Blast” was modified by Jon Burton, the creator of Traveller’s Tales and the original programmer of the game, to create “Sonic 3D Blast – Director’s Cut.” Burton called this version of the game “Sonic 3D Blast – Director’s Cut.”
This hack focuses on adding additional material to the game in order to boost its replayability. It also makes huge changes and adjustments to the game’s original version, therefore addressing a large number of the problems for which the game has been criticized.
New Features
- The addition of a globe map gives the player the ability to select their next level as they make their way through the game as well as return to levels they have already completed.
- Super Sonic is a new ability that can be used by gathering all seven Chaos Emeralds into a single collection. In order to morph, the player must first leap, then gather fifty rings, and last, while in midair, click the Spin Dash button. When playing as Super Sonic, the player has all three of these abilities active at the same time: Power Sneakers, Homing Attack, and Invincibility. To cancel Super Sonic, the player only needs to submit the same commands as before.
- A new mode called Time Challenge has been included, which presents players with a fresh test of their skills in previously completed stages. In this mode, the player is not tasked with gathering Flickies; rather, they are required to complete the objective within the allotted amount of time.
- Players now have access to a level editor that was included in the development versions. This editor gives players the ability to add, alter, or delete things from levels in any way they see fit.
The player’s progress in the game may now be saved by entering a password at a prompt within the game. The code that is utilized for the password system was taken from the Sonic 3D version that was available on the Sega Channel. - On the screen that depicts the globe map, a percentage of overall completion is shown. To complete the game with a score of 100%, the player must first finish all of the game’s zones, then finish the Time Challenge for each Act, then collect all of the Sonic Medals, then gather all seven Chaos Emeralds, and finally acquire a score of 5,000,000.
- The player has the option of playing the game as it was designed to be played, without any modifications.
Gameplay Tweaks
- Sonic’s speed has been increased in order to provide a feeling of speed that is more consistent with that of other Sonic games.
- Sonic can now perform turns more quickly.
- When moving at a rapid pace, the camera’s field of view expands even farther.
- Sonic’s momentum isn’t stopped when he runs against barriers, therefore he can upstairs more quickly than other characters.
- If Sonic is hit, he will only lose one Flicky at a time provided that he has at least one ring in his possession. If Sonic takes damage when he is not wearing his rings, he will forfeit all of his Flickies. If struck while not wearing rings or wearing Flickies, he will die.
- Flickies may now protect you from projectile strikes by acting as a shield.
- When Sonic is using his Power Sneakers, he enters a state of pseudo-invincibility in which adversaries and hazards merely cause him to bounce back without causing him to take any damage. This makes it easier for Sonic to employ his Power Sneakers.
- During boss battles, the camera will now make an effort to display both Sonic and Eggman in order to make it simpler to focus on the adversary.
- The player will no longer receive a Continue option while using Sonic Medals because this function has been removed. Instead, they are permanent collectibles that contribute to the player’s overall percentage of game completion. When gathered, they also provide a bonus of one thousand points.
- The player will only ever be able to obtain one Chaos Emerald from each zone. Because Tails and Knuckles are not ordinarily found in the Gene Gadget Zone or the Panic Puppet Zone, both of these zones have had them added so that players have a better chance of obtaining the Chaos Emeralds that are associated with those zones.
- During production, a Crab Badnik was removed from the game, but it has since been reinstated in the game. When it is defeated, it will let go of a Red Flicky into the Rusty Ruin Zone where it has been seen walking back and forth.
- Larger hitboxes have been added to a variety of foes and items throughout the game, making it simpler to interact with them.
- Fixes for a variety of bugs, including one that prevents Sonic from slipping through moving platforms.
Graphical Tweaks
- In order to maintain coherence with more recent games like Sonic Mania, Sonic’s signature blue color has been updated to a paler hue.
- The player will be notified if a Flicky is missing by the symbol of the Flicky bouncing about on the counter.
- Flashing Flicky symbols will emerge on the sides of the screen to guide the player in the right direction if any loose Flickies are located outside the visible screen area.
- The score and the current time are both shown on the head-up display (HUD). The game will conceal the score and the current time if there are too many sprites on the screen at the same time (for example, when Sonic loses a lot of rings), so that it may give precedence to the additional sprites until there is adequate VRAM space.
- Green Grove Zone has been given a new palette to make it seem similar to levels like Green Hill Zone.
- The waterfall in the Green Grove Zone has been recolored to a different shade of blue so that it does not clash with Super Sonic’s color scheme.
- The Special Stages have new color schemes that are designed to complement the area from which players enter them.
