Name: Sonic Advance 3
Players: 1 - 4
Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna
Other Characters: Metal Sonic, Fang the Sniper, Dr. Eggman, Amy Rose (cameo), Rouge the Bat (cameo), Cream the Rabbit (cameo), Cheese the Chao (cameo), Nights into Dreams (cameo)
Abilities
Sonic:
- Spin Dash - Down + A.
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Homing Attack - A + A when near an enemy
- Dash Attack - A + A when not near an enemy
- Light Dash - Press and hold B; continue to hold B until Sonic glows, then approach a line of rings and let go of the B button
- Bounce Attack - A + B
Tails:
- Spin Dash - Down + A
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Flight - A + A; continue to press A to fly higher
- Flying Tail Attack - A + A; fly beneath an enemy and attack with your tails
- Tail Attack - B; press and hold B for a continuous attack
- Swim - A + A while in water; continue to press A to swim higher
Knuckles:
- Spin Dash - Down + A
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Glide - A + A
- Punch - B + B + B
- Climb - A + A; glide to wall
- Dig - B while onto a wall
- Swim - A + A while in water; continue to press A to swim higher
Amy:
- Spin Dash - Down + A.
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Hammer Toss - A + A when near an enemy
- Hammer Jump - A + A when not near an enemy
- Hammer Whirl - Press and hold B; continue to hold B until Amy glows, then release for a temporary (but immobile) invincibility
- Hammer Whirl - A + B
Cream:
- Spin Dash - Down + A
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Flight - A + A; continue to press A to fly higher
- Cheese Attack - B while near an enemy
- Whirling Cheese - B; press and hold B for a continuous attack
- Swim - A + A while in water; continue to press A to swim higher
Rouge:
- Spin Dash - Down + A
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Glide - A + A
- Kick - B + B + B
- Climb - A + A; glide to wall
- Dig - B while onto a wall
- Swim - A + A while in water; continue to press A to swim higher
Metal Sonic:
- Spin Dash - Down + A
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Homing Attack - A + A when near an enemy
- Hover - A + A; continue to press A to fly higher
- Black Shield - Press and hold B; continue to hold B until Metal Sonic glows, then release for a temporary (but immobile) invincibility
- Boost Mode - Maintain top speed for a few seconds, then Metal Sonic will go into Boost Mode, which works exactly the same as the Boost Mode in Sonic Advance 2. Metal Sonic will lose Boost Mode if he slows down or is hit by an enemy
Dr. Eggman:
- Lock-on - Press and hold B to lock-onto enemies; release the B button to fire several missiles at the enemies
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Hover - A + A; continue to hold A to slowly descend to the ground
- Oxygen Tank - Once Eggman enters any underwater areas, he has an infinite supply of oxygen
Fang the Sniper:
- Sniper Gun - Press and hold B to lock-onto enemies; release the B button to fire several bullets at the enemies
- Spin Dash - Down + A
- Pick Up - Press B while you are standing next to an animal, only works in certain levels
- Spring Jump - A + A
Secrets
Unlock Multiplayer Mode: Unlock at least one hidden character.
Unlock Amy: Collect the seven chaos emeralds with Sonic. Amy plays similar to Sonic.
Unlock Cream: Collect the seven chaos emeralds with Tails. Cream plays similar to Tails.
Unlock Rouge: Collect the seven chaos emeralds with Knuckles. Rouge plays similar to Knuckles.
Unlock Metal Sonic: Go to the Sound Test and play these tracks in order - 13, 05, 20, 01, 12. A chime will sound. Then, beat the game with Super Sonic, and Metal Sonic will be selectable from the character select screen. You can only play as him in Time Attack, however, and you cannot fight any bosses with him.
Unlock Dr. Eggman: Go to the Sound Test and play these tracks in order - 05, 07, 07, 13, 01, 14. A chime will sound. Then, beat the game with Super Sonic, and Dr. Eggman will be selectable from the character select screen. You can only play as him in Time Attack, however, and you cannot fight any bosses with him.
Unlock Fang the Sniper: Go to the Sound Test and play these tracks in order - 06 01 14 07. A chime will sound. Then, beat the game with Super Sonic, and Fang the Sniper will be selectable from the character select screen. You can only play as him in Time Attack, however, and you cannot fight any bosses with him.
Unlock Super Sonic: Collect the seven chaos emeralds with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. With Sonic, go into any level. Collect 50 rings and press jump twice to transform into Super Sonic.
Unlock Super Sonic's stage: After unlocking Super Sonic, beat X3 Zone with Sonic. You will unlock Extra Zone, where Super Sonic fights Dr. Eggman.
Level FAQ
Emerald Zone: This is the traditional GHZ level for Sonic. Since this is the first level, there are many areas where you can practice your abilities and speed.
Fireworks Zone: This is a combination of a city zone and a casino zone. However, fireworks fall from the sky. Not only do they steal your rings, but your speed is dramatically lowered for thirty seconds.
City Escape Zone: City Escape remains faithful to the Sonic Adventure 2 game. The main obstacles in this level are the cars. If you don't jump or spin dash into them, they'll ram you and you'll lose all your rings.
Ledge-hog Zone: Simply put, Ledge-hog is the typical aerial stage. Watch out for bottomless gaps, spike traps, and fake chaos emeralds that latch onto you and eat away your rings.
Nightopia Zone: A Nights fan's dream, this stage has several elements from Nights into Dreams. Robots that imitate Nightmarens try to damage you severely.
Super Egg Zone: From swirling mechanics to electric robots, this zone has it all. Beware - some of the item boxes and rings are fake. If you grab one, you will lose all your rings and, if you happen to hit an Eggman box, you will lose a life.
Metal Sonic Zone: This stage may vary, depending on which character you play as. See the Boss FAQ below.
X3 Zone: The Super Egg is collapsing, and you have five minutes to escape it and reach the end. Once you do, you have a score to settle with Dr. Eggman himself.
Extra Zone: This zone may look simple, due to the fact that there is no actual boss, but it's harder than it looks. Extra Zone is only playable with Super Sonic. Similar to X3, you have a certain time limit (this time depending on your ring count) to win. However, you are flying through space, and Dr. Eggman has targeted the falling Super Egg towards Earth. See the Boss FAQ for more info.
Boss FAQ
Emerald Zone: Dr. Eggman throws falling bombs from his EggBomb-o-Tank from a not-so-high ledge. Dodge the bombs, jump on moving platforms, and hit him 8 times to move on. This is the only obvious boss in the game, so don't cheer on yet.
Fireworks Zone: This time, you are fighting Fang the Sniper. Fang is hovering in his little car above you were you can't reach (Tails can't use his Flying Tail Attack because Fang's car is electric). Fang will throw down five robots at a time. Destroy them all, and the last one should have an animal that you can pick up. Pick it up and throw it directly towards Fang's head. NOTE: If you hit the car itself, Fang won't take any damage. You need to hit him 8 times.
City Escape Zone: Dr. Eggman is in a really big steamroller. Although the steamroller itself does not have any attacks, if it flattens you, you lose a life. Fortunately, it isn't very fast, so you need to run away from the steamroller. While you are running towards the right, there should be a crane. Jump onto the handle and it should toss you up. You'll land onto a higher ledge. You can't hit Eggman just yet, since he has a shield protecting his cockpit. Keep running to the right, and there will be a swing pole. Swing to the other ledge to avoid the spike pit, then continue. There will be a red button. Press it, and Eggman's shield will go away. Wait for him to drive beneath you, then jump off the ledge and onto him. You need to do this eight times, going from right to left and vice-versa.
Ledge-hog Zone: Metal Sonic's flying away, and you've gotta stop him. This fight doesn't take place on solid ground but rather on falling rocks (this is very simple for Tails, but not for Sonic and Knuckles). Keep jumping onto them (avoid the small ones) and try to jump onto Eggman. Make sure you land on a rock from the rebound, otherwise you'll fall into the pit! Also, watch out for the spikes that Metal Sonic shoots out from his back. Takes 8 hits.
Nightopia Zone: Fang returns. He has kidnapped Nights and stashed him into a cage above you (you can't free him yet, so don't try). This is even harder than the last time you fought Fang. The weasel is in an operating machine of some sort, but you can't hit him, since he is invincible. Fang will fire quick shots at you, and you must dodge them, otherwise you'll lose your rings (obviously). However, there's a switch behind Fang. Because Fang won't stop firing his laser gun, you need to time your jumps over the laser beams. When you reach Fang, MAKE SURE YOU JUMP OVER HIM, otherwise you'll take damage. Hit the switch and go back, avoiding the lasers. Hit the cage, and Nights will be set free. Fang will cease fire and aim at him, but Nights flys straight into him. Fang captures him with his net and throws him into the cage again. Do this process 8 times.
Super Egg Zone: Dr. Eggman is in a fury. You can't damage him in this fight, so just make sure that you do not get damaged by his attacks. Extremely similar to the Quartz Quadrant boss in Sonic CD, you are running on a conveyor belt, with Eggman firing away. Including the bombs he drops from above, he will set loose five robots every twenty seconds or so. Kill them so you won't have to deal with them later. After that, Eggman will fire three HUGE lasers at you, so dodge those. You need to survive the fight for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES before Eggman's machine overloads.
Metal Sonic Zone: If you are playing as Tails, Knuckles, or anyone else, you immediately go directly towards the showdown with Metal Sonic. However, if you are playing as Sonic, you're in for a whole new ballgame! At first, you are racing Metal Sonic, ala Sonic CD. Fortunately, Metal cannot damage you while running, so don't worry about him. However, the floor beneath you is collapsing, and you have to hit Metal directly on the head 4 times in order to win the race (if you don't, Metal will speed up near the middle of the race, and you'll lose). He'll crash to the floor, and you'll cross the finish line. Once you do, you fight Metal.
Fighting Metal Sonic himself is the same for all characters. He's invincible, so dodge his attacks for a while. Then, he will fire a large missile that you cannot dodge. The chaos emeralds are useful in this zone. If you didn't collect at least one chaos emerald from the Special Stages, you will die from this blast, and you have to go back to the Level Select screen to get one. If you collected at least one chaos emerald, however, it will decrease the chances of you getting hit. So, if you collected two chaos emeralds, Metal Sonic has a 2/7 chance of not hitting you, five chaos emeralds is 5/7, and so on and so forth. While he is recharging, damage his head. If you are playing as Sonic, you only need to hit him 6 times. For everyone else, it's 8.
X3 Zone: You will be fighting every one of the previous bosses from before. Fortunately, they all take one hit, so you shouldn't be able to get hit yourself. The final boss is more serious, however, as it takes 4 long hits. For the final boss, Eggman uses the power of all the chaos emeralds you did not collect in the past (say, if you only collected two, then he will use five emeralds, and so on). He uses them to power his machine. Depending on the number of emeralds you didn't collect, his speed and attack rate will go up. NOTE: If you collected all the chaos emeralds, then his machine will be unable to move, but can still attack. Anyways, he moves back and forth around the stage, and you need to jump over him. He will set loose five robots, which take three hits to kill each. The last one should contain an animal (which should be a porcupine). DO NOT THROW IT ALL EGGMAN YET. Set the animal on the left or right side of the screen, and repeat the process seven more times. The seven porcupines should curl up into a ball. Throw it at Eggman to damage him. Repeat the process three more times to win!
Extra Zone: After collecting the seven chaos emeralds with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and unlock Super Sonic, beat X3 with Sonic (if you didn't collect them all, you can always go back to X3 when you do get all the emeralds). The Super Egg is falling into space, but Eggman won't allow that. As a last-ditch attack, he sets the Super Egg's settings to head straight for Earth!
You are Super Sonic, who is constantly flying around the Super Egg, which is a stronger version of the Death Egg. Eggman already made his escape, so you have to deal with the Super Egg only. There are robots that are built into the surface of the Super Egg, and you have to destroy them all. Keep a close eye on your ring count, which depletes by the second. Collect the rings as you are flying, and destroy all the guard robots to explode the Super Egg and prevent it from destroying the Earth. Congratulations!
Special Stages
To enter a Special Stage, collect 50 or more rings in each level and beat it. Once you reach the Special Stage, you have a certain time limit to clear a 3D obstacle course. Depending on which character you use, the difficulty of the Special Stages change. Sonic is the fastest, Tails can jump the highest, and Knuckles has the best grip. If you can collect the indicated amount of rings by the time you clear the obstacle course, you are awarded a chaos emerald!
Time Attack Mode
Time Attack is a mode that forces you to beat a level (or to fight and defeat a boss) as fast as you can. You can keep playing Time Attack mode to get a new best time. Also, certain characters can only be played in Time Attack mode.
Multiplayer
You initiate multiplayer mode once you connect your GBA to one, two, or three other GBAs.
There are four modes of gameplay - 2D race, 3D race, 2D battle, 3D battle.
2D race: You only need one Sonic Advance 3 gamepak for this mode. Once everyone selects a character, Player 1 selects a level from the Level Select screen. The goal is to reach the finish line before the other players. The levels are identical to the levels in Adventure mode, but there are no enemies or Boss Attacks.
2D battle: You only need one Sonic Advance 3 gamepak for this mode. Once everyone selects a character, Player 1 selects a level from the Level Select screen. Each player has a life bar, which can be slowly replenished by collecting rings and deplenished by falling into a bottomless pit or attacked by another player. The goal is to be the last one standing. The levels are actually smaller versions of the 1-P levels, and there is no end.
3D race: Every player has to have a separate gamepak for this mode. This is the same thing as 2D race, except the levels are vastly different, and they are all pseudo-3D courses.
3D battle: Every player has to have a separate gamepak for this mode. This is the same thing as 2D battle, except the levels are vastly different, and they are all pseudo-3D courses.
Secret Characters
SET ONE - These unlockable characters - Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, and Amy Rose - are available to play in Adventure Mode, Time Attack mode, and Boss Attack mode.
SET TWO - These unlockable characters - Dr. Eggman, Fang the Sniper, and Metal Sonic - are available to play in Time Attack mode only.
