Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble is a 1994 platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega for the Game Gear. It is the sequel to Sonic Chaos (1993) and features classic side-scrolling Sonic gameplay. The player controls either Sonic the Hedgehog or Miles "Tails" Prower as they venture to protect the powerful Chaos Emeralds from Doctor Robotnik, Knuckles the Echidna and series newcomer Fang the Sniper. Sonic and Tails' unique abilities, as well as various power-ups, can assist the player in gameplay.

Critics found the game to be enjoyable and praised its graphics, but thought that it lacked in challenge and originality to help it stand out from previous Sonic games. Reception was more positive in retrospect. Critics have considered it one of the best Sonic games on the 8-bit Game Gear, coming closer than the others to matching the quality of its 16-bit counterparts. Triple Trouble has been rereleased through various Sonic game compilations, the Coleco Sonic handheld system, and the Nintendo 3DS.

Gameplay

thumb|left|Tails running through a loop

Triple Trouble is a side-scrolling platformer similar to that of previous Sonic games. and is the sequel to Sonic Chaos (1993). Fang was shown with a gun in early promotional screenshots, but this was removed in the final game. with releases planned on both of Sega's 8-bit systems, the Game Gear handheld console and Master System home console. The game was ultimately only released for the Game Gear, making it the first Sonic platformer released exclusively for the system. It was released in Western territories in November 1994 and in Japan on November 11 specifically, in which it was titled Sonic & Tails 2.

Since its initial release the game has been rereleased multiple times. It was included with other Sonic Game Gear games in Sonic Adventure DX (2003), Sonic Gems Collection (2005) and Sonic Origins Plus (2023). Triple Trouble was later released on the Nintendo 3DS via the eShop in March 2012, alongside other Game Gear titles. This release was developed by M2.

Reception

Critics felt Triple Trouble was fun but too similar to previous Sonic games, and thought the series was beginning to stagnate. Other than the addition of vehicles, many criticized the game for lacking in originality. Steve Merrett of Mean Machines Sega wrote that it lacked "surprises and gameplay innovation," and remarked that the Game Gear Sonic titles were "going through the same mid-life crisis here that Sonic and Knuckles represents on the Mega Drive". Ryan Davis of GameSpot believed it did a better job capturing classic Sonic gameplay than other games on the system, due to it being a later release and thus more technically competent. Corbie Dillard of Nintendo Life agreed, writing that Sega had made a strong attempt to capture classic Mega Drive Sonic gameplay on the Game Gear, and believed Triple Trouble was "probably the closest thing gamers could get to the overall style of play of the 16-bit titles on a handheld". Sean Madson of Diehard GameFan appreciated the 3DS release for adding different resolutions, button configurations, and save state support. with Android and macOS ports later following. It is built on the GameMaker Studio engine with a style reminiscent of the 16-bit Sonic games. Copeland was inspired to remake Triple Trouble after playing it and thinking it was a "good classic Sonic game buried under 8-bit limitations". The remake received overwhelmingly positive reception from critics - Stuart Gipp of TechRadar called it a "world-class fangame" that vastly improved on the original, praising its "joyous set pieces" and "masterful compositions". Alex Donaldson of VG247 described it as one of his favorite Sonic fangames, saying that it constantly added new mechanics and had an excellent soundtrack, and summing it up as a "worthy successor to Sonic Mania that would have been "dangerously close to a 5-star [...] review", were it official.

Fang was later included in some Sonic comics series and the games Sonic Drift 2 (1995), and Sonic Superstars (2023).

Notes

References

  • Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble on MobyGames