Oh boy, as a classic Sonic fan this was almost as huge news as Sonic Mania being released, and by now I’m a week late to the party but I’ve had some time to play the full game, collect my thoughts, and put my keys to work while I babble about this absolute niche game that you absolutely MUST try!

Lets start with a little history lesson, released in 1994 as a third party developed Game Gear exclusive by developer Aspect, Triple Trouble (Sonic and Tails 2 in Japan) builds on the additions from Sonic Chaos as a true 3rd sequel to the 8 bit games. Using higher resolution sprites, and adding series antagonist Robotnik in with on-again off-again frenemy Knuckles with a new character. Nack the Fang Weasel Sniper, (Nack the Weasel or Fang the Sniper depending on local. Now officially Fang the Sniper). These three combined form the “Triple Trouble” of the title.

Gameplay follows the traditional format of going fast through numerous stages of Mobius in hunt of the Chaos Emeralds (5 in special stages and one stolen by Robotnik), through 6 zones mirroring those seen in the 16 bit games but with their own flair and style as Aspect really let their creative juices fly.

The real surprise here is the special stages, which rather than being mini-games are fulls stages in their own right! 3 of the stages find you in direct confrontation with Fang, to recover the emeralds he has stolen. These stages, while being absolutely ball-busting difficult are a breath of fresh air against the 16 bit mini-game series and would’ve been incredible in something like Sonic Mania, or even the point of this blog, the re-make. But I’ll get to that.

So now the big question, why am I writing this blog? Triple Trouble on the Game Gear was the definitive Sonic title of my childhood. I must have completed it scores of times without getting bored and as a 16 bit fan I was blown away the first time I realised that Tails was actually useful with his Sea Fox in Tidal Plant, or THE FACT HE COULD FLY! (Yes I missed out on this in the 16 bit era).

This brings me nicely onto the remake and why it’s such big news to me. Released on 2nd August 2022, the remake is a group up development project spanning 5 years by developer NoahNCopeland and is clearly a labour of love by a devoted fan of the source material. Zones are remade within the limitations of the MegaDrive hardware, with sprite work very reminiscent of Mania in quality and fluidity.

Starting the game brings a very professional menu system, with a number of game modes including LOCAL MULTIPLAYER!! Video modes and fullscreen support is included, as is a wonderfully crunchy 320*240 4:3 mode for true retro feel. Controller support at least for 8bitdo and Xbox controllers out of the box was flawless and input delay was minimal. Which brings me nicely onto the actual gameplay. This game feels EXACTLY like the 16 bit games, even though it has been built in Game Maker from scratch. Sonics movement and controls, and importantly, his physics feel spot on to anyone who’s played the original games, or Mania, something that felt off with the counterpart Sonic Chaos remake demo.

And its gameplay where Triple Trouble 16 Bit absolutely shines. No spoilers ahead but the game starts directly at the end of Sonic 3 with a short into sequence before Sonic and Tails find themselves in the Great Turquoise Zone, Triple Troubles Green Hiil Zone. Here the player can learn the controls, get to grips with character switching and play with the zones gimmicks.

Fang has been bought out of the special stages and into the prime time, serving as the mid-boss the majority of the time in his Marvellous Queen flying motorcycle, while the end stage bosses have been given a dose of steroids and a big spike in difficulty that will make hardened Mania players feel right at home!

Many comments have been passed about why Knuckles is once again Sonics enemy in Triple Trouble, to you I say play the game and see, all questions are answered in spectacular fashion with one of the mid level cutscenes, which now I mention them, are a real highlight giving Triple Trouble 16 bit a seamless and continuous feel that even Mania couldn’t compete with.

The most refreshing thing about Triple Trouble however is the way that, for the first time ever, Tails is a truly useful companion, again without spoiling the game you will NEED to switch characters to succeed, and you will fail Tails’ ability to fly and carry Sonic way more useful than in any other game, as well as exploring for those special stages!

This brings me onto one of my only negatives for the game, instead of those super challenging special stages from the original, now we have 3D races against Fang that while challenging, to me lack the character of the original stages that in my opinion made them so endearing. However the execution on these stages is exemplary and this is but a minor grievance.

The other slight grievance, while most of the music tracks hit as absolutely brilliant mixes of the classic game tunes, a couple are a little grindy for the 3/4 minutes it takes to complete the stages… but all is forgotten at a later stage where the remixed music absolutely slays! And trust me with the difficulty, you won’t feel upset about hearing it lots!

In closing then, Sonic Triple Trouble 16 bit sets a benchmark for future fan games and remakes, and I can only hope Sega continues to turn a blind eye to blatant copyright infringement and like they did with Whitehead / Headcannon, continue to support indie efforts on their games. Download the game for free at Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit by NoahNCopeland – Game Jolt, where it is currently available for PC, with an Android port actively in development!

Comment below with your thoughts and opinions on the game! Which other classic do you want to see remade? Are you also a closet Triple Trouble fane? Speak to you all soon!

Final Verdict? 10/10

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