Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble

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Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
System(s): Sega Game Gear, Virtual Console
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Aspect M2
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code Rating JP 1994-11-11 ¥3,800 G-3356 US 1994-11 $? 2530 EU 1994-11 €? 2530-50 PT 1994  ? GGJ2530 UK 1994-11 £24.99 2530-50 BR 1995-10 R$? 077180 AS 199x  ? ? JP 2012-03-14 ¥286 (300) ? US 2012-03-15 $4.99 ? EU 2012-03-29 €5.00 CTR-N-GAAP UK 2012-03-29 £4.50 CTR-N-GAAP DE 2012-03-29 €5.00 CTR-N-GAAP AU 2012 $? ?

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, released as Sonic & Tails 2 (ソニック＆テイルス２) in Japan, is a 2D Sonic the Hedgehog platform game released for the Sega Game Gear in November 1994, and developed by Aspect Co. Ltd, just like the previously-released Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Chaos. Unlike its predecessor Sonic Chaos, this game was exclusively released for the Game Gear, with no Sega Master System version being released (though one was seemingly planned).

This game marks the debut of Fang the Sniper, and is the first Game Gear title to feature Knuckles the Echidna.

Story

Dr. Eggman with one of the Chaos Emeralds.

Dr. Eggman manages to acquire the six Chaos Emeralds without Sonic knowing and uses them to test the "ultimate superweapon". Unfortunately, a mistake during testing scatters the Chaos Emeralds across the planet. Eggman only manages to retrieve one of the Emeralds, with no idea where the other five have gone.

Sonic and Tails become aware of the incident and immediately spring into action to find out where the Chaos Emeralds have gone to. Standing in their way, however, is Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of Angel Island. Tricked by Eggman into thinking that Sonic and Tails plan to use the Chaos Emeralds to take over the world, he is determined to get in the heroes' way at every turn.

The five remaining emeralds are in the hands of Fang the Sniper, a treasure hunter who is keeping them for himself in subspace.Media:SonicTripleTrouble GG JP manual.pdf He has no idea of the Emeralds' true power, but is keen on making a handsome price off of them in the black market.Media:SonicTripleTrouble GG US manual.pdf

With three antagonists to go up against, Sonic and Tails set out to reclaim the Chaos Emeralds and stop Eggman once again.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble is much larger in size than its predecessors, and the experience is much more in line with the Sonic games on the Mega Drive. The game is structured like in past 8-bit Sonic games in that the player must progress through six regular Zones, each having two regular Acts and a short third Act with a boss fight.

This is also the first Sonic game in which all of the player's Rings are not lost after getting hurt; rather, 50 Rings will be lost if the player takes damage from spikes, and 30 Rings are lost for most other types of damage. This type of Ring loss mechanic would later be seen in games like Sonic Blast, Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Generations. In addition, the player can now collect more than 99 Rings at a time.

Similar to the game's predecessor Sonic Chaos, the game contains 6 Chaos Emeralds total, 5 of which are collected in Special Stages. To access a Special Stage, the player must find the Chaos Emerald/Warp Gate Item Monitor, one hidden in the first two Acts of each Zone. If the player has at least 50 Rings when the Monitor is broken, a Star Circle appears above, which is the entry way to the Special Stage. There are three 2D sidescrolling Special Stages and two 3D Stages in which Sonic or Tails pilots the Tornado collecting Rings. The last Chaos Emerald is obtained automatically after defeating Dr. Eggman in the final Zone.

Characters

The character select screen.

Like in Sonic Chaos, the player has a choice between two characters: Sonic or Tails. Both characters can perform the Spin Dash by holding and pressing or repeatedly, then releasing for a burst of speed, and also have the ability to skim atop the surface of water in ball form when timed right, as previously seen in Sonic Chaos and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. A new technique both characters can perform is the ability to curl up into a ball by pressing or after bouncing on a Spring, allowing the player to defend themselves should they be catapulted into the air as well as gain extra air control. This technique is even required at certain points in the game, such as defeating the Tart Turtle boss.

Both characters also have their own unique abilities. Sonic is again able to perform the Strike Dash by standing still and pressing + /, bursting forward with a temporary invinciblity state after starting the move. Tails can perform his Propeller Flight by standing still and pressing + /, then fly around with the D-Pad, though his movements in mid-flight are more loose than in Sonic Chaos, closer reflecting his flight in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He can also break into flight by pressing + / after bouncing from a Spring, acting as a second jump and slowing his descent. Unlike the previous game, both characters can now enter the Special Stages and get the Chaos Emeralds, and both start with 3 lives and one Continue. There are also new power-ups introduced; these are character exclusive so they cannot be used by both characters.

Items

The Pogo Spring and Rocket Shoes from Sonic Chaos return, with the Pogo Spring now contained in Monitors. Sonic also gets exclusive access to two other power-ups: the Jet Board in Robotnik Winter Zone, which allows him to snowboard, and the Propeller Shoes in Tidal Plant Zone, which allow him to swim at high speed in eight directions. While the Rocket Shoes remain exclusive to Sonic, Tails can get his own exclusive power-up called the Hyper Heli-Tails, which functions the same way as Sonic's Rocket Shoes, as well as his own exclusive vehicle, the Sea Fox, for underwater travel.

Warp Gates are new to the game and grant the player the ability to warp to the Special Stage if 50 Rings are collected before breaking monitors depicting a Chaos Emerald. The Special Stage also contains Time Monitors that will reset the timer back to 1 minute and 30 seconds when obtained.

Bonus Panel

At the end of Acts 1 and 2 of each level, a Bonus Panel is spun, with a reward given based on what it lands on:

	Flicky
	No prize is awarded.
	Ring
	10 Rings are added to the player's final Ring tally.
	Sonic
	Sonic gets a 1-Up, Tails gets 10,000 points.
	Tails
	Tails gets a 1-Up, Sonic gets 10,000 points.
	Knuckles
	A Continue is awarded.
	Chaos Emerald
	The player starts the next Act with 50 Rings.
	Back of Panel
	The panel must be spun again.

Extra modes

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble also features additional modes which can be accessed on the title screen by pressing and .

Time Attack

Time Attack mode gameplay.

The "Time Attack" option starts up Time Attack mode, which has the player go through a single stage and finish it as quickly as possible with either character. The stage used for Time Attack is an exclusive stage not used anywhere else in the game, and is based on Great Turquoise Zone while also featuring the Spin Coasters normally found in Sunset Park Zone. When pausing the game in this mode, the player has the choice to change their character and start again, or return to the title screen.

3D Stage

This option takes the player immediately to the second Special Stage, which is a 3D stage in which they must collect Rings while flying the Tornado. Unlike the main game, the Special Stage ends once the player collects 80 Rings, returning the player to the title screen. This title screen option is only available in the Japanese version of the game.

Sound test

The sound test in Sonic Triple Trouble.

The sound test allows the player to listen to the game's music and sound effects as they please. Below is a listing of the songs available to play through the sound test:

• 81: Great Turquoise Zone
• 82: Sunset Park Zone
• 83: Meta Junglira Zone
• 84: Robotnik Winter Zone
• 85: Opening
• 86: Title
• 87: Character Select
• 88: Title Card
• 89: Act Clear
• 8A: Boss
• 8B: Final Boss
• 8C: 1-Up
• 8D: Death
• 8E: Game Over
• 8F: Rocket Shoes
• 90: Power Sneakers
• 92: Invincibility
• 93: Sunset Park Zone Act 3
• 94: Sea Fox
• 95: Propeller Shoes
• 97: Fang the Sniper
• 98: Hyper Heli-Tails
• 9A: Tidal Plant Zone
• 9B: Atomic Destroyer Zone
• 9C: 2D Special Stage
• 9D: 3D Special Stage
• 9E: Metal Sonic
• 9F: Continue
• A0: Chaos Emerald
• A1: Ending
• A2: Staff Roll

The short jingle that plays on the "Try Again" screen is not available in the sound test, though its ID would have been A3, which can be seen if RAM is manipulated.

History

Development

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble/Development

Legacy

Archie Comics produced an adaptation of this game which not only featured Nack the Weasel but also Vector the Crocodile and Octobot. It was published in October 1995.

An unofficial port to the Sega Master System developed by Glitch was released in May 2009, with an updated conversion released on SMS Power! by BcnAbel76. A 16-bit style fan remake, Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit, was developed by Noah N. Copeland and released in 2022.

Versions

Also released on

• Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut for the GameCube and PC (2003-2004)
• Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 (2005)
• Coleco Sonic for Coleco plug and play (2006)
• Playpal Plug and Play for the Coleco Plug and play console (2006)
• Sonic PC Collection for the PC (2009)
• FunPlay 20-in-1 for the Plug and Play console (2009)
• Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS (2013)
• Sonic Origins Plus for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Epic Games Store (2023)

Production credits

Main article: sega:Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble/Production credits

Manuals

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble/Manuals

Magazine articles

Main article: sega:Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble/Magazine articles

Promotional material

• 

  JP Promotional B2 Poster

Artwork

Western release

• 

  Cover art

• 

  Cover art (mirrored)

• 

  Knuckles

• 

  Logo

• 

  Cover stock

• 

  Nintendo eShop banner

Japanese release

• 

  Sonic

• 

  Tails

• 

  Sonic and Tails

• 

  Sonic and Tails

• 

  Knuckles

• 

  Fang

• 

  Metal Sonic

• 

  Dr. Eggman

• 

  Fang

• 

  Fang

Physical scans

Reception »

Game Gear, JP
Cover
Cart File:SonicTripleTrouble GG JP manual.pdf Manual

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart File:SonicTripleTrouble GG US manual.pdf Manual

Game Gear, EU
Cover
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination Cart Manual

Game Gear, PT

Game Gear, BR
Cover
Cart

Game Gear, AS†
Cover
Cart

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 d23a2a93 MD5 f0f7e4dfe2908f0030e64fd9ed843422 SHA-1 4965af7ffe60382ffa805710b7c8006419cc4ac4	512kB	1994-08-02	Cartridge (US/EU)	Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
✔	CRC32 496bce64 MD5 05f5b6201ccece80facaf99fa7cf5a6e SHA-1 bb14ed43cf815e82f55e79753d0a7c8a24e24e7f	512kB	1994-07-30	Cartridge (JP)	Sonic & Tails 2
✔	CRC32 80eb7cfb MD5 2fc9cd0aba609d5bf179a7e66f561512 SHA-1 02257fece665d04d3c88b5f5589773d5a8433953	512kB	1994-08-08	CD-R disc	0808 prototype		(260 kB) (info)	Page
✔	CRC32 d23a2a93 MD5 f0f7e4dfe2908f0030e64fd9ed843422 SHA-1 4965af7ffe60382ffa805710b7c8006419cc4ac4	512kB	1994-08-16	CD-R disc	0816 prototype		(260 kB) (info)	Page

External links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console page (Japanese)
• Nintendo catalogue pages: JP, US, UK, AU

References

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems

1991  Sonic the Hedgehog     1992  Sonic the Hedgehog 2     1993  Sonic Chaos | Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine     1994  Sonic Drift | Sonic Spinball | Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble     1995  Sonic Drift 2 | Tails' Skypatrol | Tails Adventures | Sonic Labyrinth | Sonic 2 in 1     1996  Sonic Blast      Demos  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) AutoDemo | Sonic & Tails Jitsuenyou Sample | Sonic Drift (demo)  Prototypes  Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear prototype) | Sonic Chaos prereleases | Sonic Spinball (8-bit) prereleases | Sonic Triple Trouble prereleases | Sonic Blast prereleases  Unreleased  Sonic's Edusoft