This page is for Windows 95 compilation port. For the emulated re-release, see Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Key points
- This collection includes Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and the Blue Spheres lock-on game (listed as "Special Stage Mode").
- Allows the choice of playing Sonic 3 or Sonic & Knuckles standalone, the way they were initially released.
- The original Genesis/Mega Drive music has been replaced by synthesized MIDI. Use S&KC Mod Loader to restore the original Genesis/Mega Drive music.
General information
- The official developer website
- Sonic Retro - A huge fan site for everything Sonic the Hedgehog. Mods for all the games can be found here.
Availability
- This game is not available digitally. This game was also included in Sonic Action Pack, Sonic Action 4 Pack, and Sega PC Mega Pack.[1]
- A demo is available.
Essential improvements
Sega PC Reloaded
- Simple and easy-to-use launcher with many options and tweaks.
Korama's Sega PC Reloaded is an installer, launcher, and patcher for some of Sega's older PC games. It currently supports Sonic & Knuckles Collection, Sonic CD (1995), Sonic 3D Blast, and Ecco the Dolphin (deprecated). It also fixes issues and/or broken functions of these games and allows them to run on Windows Vista and later along with some added improvements.
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Installing the game with Sega PC Reloaded[2]
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- Insert the Sonic & Knuckles Collection disc into your CD drive or copy the
GAME folder from the disc into your computer.
- Download Sega PC Reloaded here, then run the launcher. From the launcher menu, select the
Install Game option, and then select Sonic & Knuckles Collection.
- Select the
Select source option from the menu to install from the disc or the folder containing the game's files, then you will be asked to find the drive letter where the disc is located (e.g. D:\) or the game folder, afterwards the launcher will then ask you to create a new folder to install the game with the patches.
Alternatively, you can install the patches into <path-to-game> by selecting the Already installed option to patch the game.
- If the Sega PC Reloaded launcher has detected the game, you can adjust the settings as you see fit, then click
Launch! to play the game. You should see "Korama's patches active!" appearing on screen when launching the game.
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S&KC Mod Loader
- Installing Sega PC Reloaded first is highly recommended.
- Comes with SMPS Player which can restore the original Sega Genesis/Mega Drive music, if desired. SMPS-based fan recreations of the PC-specific music tracks are also offered.
- Support for custom music.
The S&KC Mod Loader can allow tweaks and mods to be applied on Sonic & Knuckles Collection.
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Use S&KC Mod Loader[2]
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- Download S&KC Mod Loader here, then extract its contents to
<path-to-game>.
- Run the
SKCModManager.exe, then check any of the included mods with the file name [SMPS] if you wish to use the original Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version music, or check the MIDI Music mod if you use the synthesized MIDI music. Make sure to not mix the SMPS Player and MIDI music mods together.
- Click
Install Loader to install the necessary *.dll files.
- Select the game mode of your choice (
Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic & Knuckles, or Sonic 3), then click Save & Play. You should hear the music of your choice when launching the game.
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Run without the CD
- Sega PC Reloaded includes this fix by default.
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Create a S3K.INI file[3]
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- Create a new text file with a text editor (e.g. Notepad, Notepad++).
- Copy and paste the debug configuration file's contents below into the text file.
- Set
CDCheckEnable to 0.
- Save the file as
S3K.INI (File → Save or Ctrl+S), then place this file into %WINDIR% or %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore\Windows. The game should be able to run without the disc.
[Debug]
MukaiDropFrame=0
DebugMode=1
EnableFrameDrop=0
ShowFrameCount=0
EnableFrameCapture=1
UseModeX=1
NoSoundEffect=0
CDCheckEnable=1
SonicGameMode=0
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Game data
Configuration file(s) location
- If using Sega PC Reloaded, its settings will be stored in
SONIC3K.ini under <path-to-game>.
- The
SonicGameMode variable changes which game will be played: 0 is Sonic 3 & Knuckles (default), 1 is Sonic & Knuckles, and 2 is Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Save game data location
Video
General settings of Sega PC Reloaded launcher.
Input
Audio
| Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
| Separate volume controls |
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Partial with Sega PC Reloaded. Music volume can adjust through a slider while Sound Effects can either be enabled or muted. |
| Surround sound |
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| Subtitles |
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No speech. |
| Closed captions |
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| Mute on focus lost |
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| Royalty free audio |
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Localizations
| Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
| English |
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| French |
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| German |
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| Japanese |
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Only in the Japanese version. |
| Korean |
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Only in the Korean version. |
| Spanish |
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Network
Multiplayer types
| Type |
Native |
Players |
Notes |
| Local play |
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2 |
Co-op, Versus
Only Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles have multiplayer. For co-op mode, start a 1 Player game and play as Sonic & Tails; player 1 is Sonic and player 2 is Tails. |
| LAN play |
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| Online play |
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Issues fixed
Game runs too fast
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Use Sega PC Reloaded (recommended)[2]
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Notes
- The game may still run too fast, even when using Sega PC Reloaded. Try using
Vsync (reverse) in case Vsync (normal) does not work.
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Enable Frame-dropping[2]
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- See Run without the CD.
- Set
EnableFrameDrop to 1.
- Save the changes.
Notes
- Noticeable frame-stuttering.
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Other information
API
| Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
| Direct3D |
3, 5 |
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| Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
| Windows |
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System requirements
| Windows |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
| Operating system (OS) |
95 |
95, 98 |
| Processor (CPU) |
Intel Pentium 75 MHz
| Intel Pentium 133 MHz |
| System memory (RAM) |
8 MB |
16 MB or more |
| Hard disk drive (HDD) |
20 MB |
50 MB or more |
| Video card (GPU) |
SVGA Video Adapter
1 MB of VRAM
DirectX 3 compatible
| SVGA Video Adapter
2 MB or more of VRAM
DirectX 5 or later compatible |
| Sound (audio device) |
PC Speaker |
ISA/PCI Sound card with FM synthesizer, Sound Blaster |
Notes
References
