The third and final Sonic Advance game – Sonic Advance 3 – was published by Sega on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. It was again developed by a third-party developer, Dimps.
Seven more zones (this time three acts in each zone); five playable characters (some need unlocking), and Dr. Eggman is back to provide the boss fights.
There are some new minigames that allow extra lives to be won in Sonic Advance 3, and a new multiplayer ‘Battle Mode’ for up to four players.
Gaining access to special stages this time requires the collection of ‘Chao’ – virtual creatures that live in the Sonic world. Finding 10 Chao in all three acts of a zone grants access to the special stage, which give you a chance to win a Chaos Emerald. There are seven Chaos Emeralds in total to find.
Arguably the best game in the Sonic Advance series, because it is so technically slick, and also because they threw everything at it for this final game. Some might disagree, but there you go.
Together, the three Sonic Advance games represent the very best fun you can have with Sega‘s mascot on Nintendo‘s classic handheld.