Sonic Advance 3 (ソニックアドバンス3 Sonikku Adobansu 3?) is a platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Dimps and published by Sega resp. THQ for the Game Boy Advance. It was first released in North America on 8 June 2004, later in Japan on 17 June 2004 and finally in Europe on 18 June 2004. The game uses elements from Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2, as well as allowing the player to choose an additional partner, who augments the player’s actions.
The game is a fast-paced 2D platformer that takes place across seven zones, each divided into three acts and a bossfight. It allows one or two players to control any two of the five characters; each one has different abilities that allow players varying access to parts of levels. While the graphics are mainly 2D, the game features some 3D rotation effects. It sold quickly upon release and received positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay and aesthetics, though they were more divided on the team-up dynamic. The game was later released for the Wii U’s Virtual Console in Japan in May 2016
