Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Part 2: Hydrocity Zone (Super Sonic & Tails)

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Version:
   • Sonic 3 & Knuckles Part 2: Hydrocity ...  

At first, getting through Hydrocity in Sonic 3 is just as normal as you can get through it in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
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One difference between Sonic 3 & Sonic 3 & Knuckles is how, for whatever the reason, when you get to Hydrocity's Act 1 boss, the Act 2/Eggman boss theme is played instead of its own funky Act 1 boss theme. It's really awkward because this doesn't happen anywhere else in this game, and it's ONLY for this version of the game in particular.

You can manipulate this by almost drowning, but it only gets you Sonic & Knuckles' Act 1 theme instead. That's even more awkward. This can also happen during the actual fight against Eggman in Act 2, but Sonic 3 & Knuckles has that glitch as well.

The biggest scope is how buggy it may be when actually approaching the fight against Eggman here. Sometimes, the game doesn't lock the area he's at in place, so you can continue further from where you fight Eggman and find a Egg Capsule.

At first, it's a garbled mess, but then it fixes itself quickly. Break it open from there and you'll end up getting stuck in Sonic's victory pose until a Time Over, because the game won't advance completely.

If you went as far as skipping over the boss towards the capsule, you're already screwed over from there.

If you try to go back and actually fight Eggman, once again, advancing afterwards won't show any Egg Capsule at all. Hopefully you don't have the Water Shield, because the time will freeze at that point and drowning will be the only way to kill yourself and start the boss fight over from there so you can beat it properly.

If you DID have the water shield doing all of this, you're gonna have to reset the game and START ALL HYDROCITY OVER AGAIN.

Also, if you let Eggman suck you up as Super Sonic, Sonic will turn back to normal while still flashing at if he were Super. He keeps his long super spikes in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
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Beyond that, another unavoidable difference is that in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, there is a 1-UP near the start of Act 2. In Sonic 3, this is instead a yellow spring that threatens to get you crushed by the moving wall behind you. The spikes near that area are also not present like they are in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

The very, very end of Act 2 lacks the shaking and shifting that occurs right before Sonic & Tails get thrown into Marble Garden through a geyser.
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Conclusion: Hydrocity is the glitchest zone in Sonic 3. Proceed through this level with more than just worrying about drowning if you're gonna play this in Sonic 3 by itself.