Sonic Wings 3 (ソニックウィングス3), also known as Aero Fighters 3, is a vertically scrolling shooter originally released in arcades in 1995 by Video System, running on SNK's MVS hardware. It was ported the same year to the Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD home consoles.
Overview[]
Sonic Wings 3 keeps the same gameplay style from its predecessors. Its main change comes from the playable aircraft, as the game ditches the modern fighter jets from the previous two games in favor of World War 2 fighter planes, a change that is explained by the game's story. This game also introduces branching paths, with players being taken to completely different levels depending on the route taken.
The opening sequence of Sonic Wings 3 shows an enemy force destroying Project Blue's weapons. The doors of the secret underground hangar then open, revealing the World War II-era aircraft the pilots must now use. Some of the enemies throughout the game reflect this throwback to the 1940s, while others are the usual mix of bizarre alien and oceanic creatures Sonic Wings players have come to expect.
In general, the enemy seems to be the combined forces of Fata Morgana and the Hildroid; however, a few enemies from other Video System games appear as well. Some of Project Blue's pilots return from previous Sonic Wings games: Mao Mao, Hien, Whity, Cincia and Ellen, Mecha-Keaton (now in an upgraded robot body), Kowful, and Lord River-n-White.
Several new pilots originated in other Video System games. Two of the three Blazers (Glen and Gill) originally appeared in Karate Blazers, and Malcolm hails from Tao Taido. One hidden character, Kotomi, is from Rabio Lepus; she is the only pilot who was not originally a playable character.
The true identity of the other hidden character, "The Man," is either Captain Waffle from Spinal Breakers or Gore from the unreleased game Metal Rabbit. Both versions of "The Man" pilot the Diabloon from Turbo Force.
The only completely new playable characters are Chaika and Pooshika, Alex and Pictus, and Glenda of the Blazers. All pilots from Sonic Wings and Sonic Wings 2 who are not playable in Sonic Wings 3 are shown in cameos in various end sequences.
Story[]
Prologue[]
One night, three months after the previous fight. . . .
In the city of M in western America, the skies' darkness was torn to pieces by a strange, speeding flash. And at that moment, many gigantic aircraft arrived. When the townspeople looked up at the outmoded fuselages, they didn't see that something was scattered from the airplane. . . .
Then everyone saw, falling with parachutes, many soldiers and combat vehicles who consequently gained complete control of the town.
Similar incidents happened worldwide in every country. One country received a battleship's gun fire on the open sea; another was devastated by a tank unit that suddenly appeared in the forest. Strangely, each invasion used a weapon like those from World War II.
Even the base of the secret rescue team who protected world peace in shadow was attacked by the mysterious flying corps. The team's fighter planes flew away and were burned up promptly, one after another. The base was immediately devastated. Hardly any of the most powerful and technologically-advanced machines were left, the electronics did not work completely, and the anti-artillery systems were completely broken. The enemy used inferior, outdated reciprocating engine aircraft. Furthermore, even the experimental fighting bombers were included.
Commanding officer Lord River received the report and, after a moment of silence, gave his decision. "Strike, making use of all active weapons. You also have permission to use the old weapons in the underground storage hangar."
Epilogue[]
This latest mission was regrettably troublesome. I appreciate your participation.
Pilots and Aircraft[]
| Country | Pilot | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Keaton, Blaster | F4-U Corsair |
| The Blazers (Glenda, Glen and Gill) | P-61 Black Widow | |
| Japan | Hien | Zero Fighter |
| Mao Mao | M6A1 Seiran | |
| Russia | Chaika and Pooshika | IL-2 Stormovik |
| Whity | Polikarpov I-16 | |
| Germany | Malcolm | DO-335 Pfeil |
| Kowful and River-n-White, Lord | Ju87G Stuka | |
| England | Alex and Pictus | Whirlwind |
| Ellen and Cincia | Sword Fish | |
| Secret | Kitashirakawa, Kotomi | Aka Usagi |
| "The Man" (Captain Waffle or Gore) | Diabloon |
Stages and Bosses[]
Translated stage route branch chart from the Sonic Wings 3 Strategy Special guidebook.
The chart to the right, translated from the Sonic Wings 3 Strategy Special guidebook, illustrates the routes to all stages available in the game. The first stage is always Tokyo, but players may choose their route otherwise.
To choose the stages branching to the left, players must shoot off the left wing of the Rival Aircraft that appears upon defeating the final boss of the current stage. Likewise, the player must shoot the right wing of the aircraft to choose the right-hand stages. To receive Pseudo-Bagarius or very rarely Atlantic Lance as a final boss, choose left-hand paths; to receive Gurabura or occasionally Soh Takeko, choose right-hand paths.
| Stage | Location | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Do-ni Kai |
| 2A | Keel Naval Port, Germany | Graf Zeppelin |
| 2B | Saara Desert, North Africa | Vazeel III |
| 3A | Grand Canyon, USA | Tenzui |
| 3B | London, England | Rocket V3 |
| 4A | London, England | Rocket V3 |
| 4B | Normandy, France | Me 323 Gigant Rainfire |
| 4C | Panama Canal, Panama | Montana |
| 5A | Saara Desert, North Africa | Cross Fire Daio Ika |
| 5B | Southeast Asia Ruins | Fire Master Mars-Vesta |
| 5C | Soviet Union Fortress | Zveno-9 Novgorod Maxim Gorky |
| 6A | Bermuda Triangle | Tenukie Chaudo Osaru Station Pseudo-Bagarius Atlantic Lance |
| 6B | Mars | Lar Osaru Station Gurabura Soh Takeko |
Other Enemies[]
Releases[]
Arcade[]
Sonic Wings 3 was released in arcades in Japan, and internationally as Aero Fighters 3.
Neo Geo[]
For home systems, Sonic Wings 3 was released for the Neo Geo. It was the last Sonic Wings game released for Neo Geo MVS and AES port.
Nintendo Switch & PlayStation 4[]
Aero Fighters 3 was released digitally for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on August 15, 2018, as part of the ACA NEOGEO series.
Books[]
Soundtracks[]
Secrets[]
Unlockables[]
- Kotomi and/or "The Man" (Captain Waffle in 1P mode or Gore in 2P mode): On the character selection screen, hold down B and the player 1 start button. Each highlighted character's plane will be shown rotating; hit the down button each time the plane is facing directly forward. If successful, one of the secret characters will be selected (Kotomi if the cursor is in the left column of planes and "The Man" if in the right column). In two player mode, you will play with both Kotomi and "The Man."
| Games | |
|---|---|
| Sonic Wings Series | Sonic Wings · Sonic Wings 2 · Sonic Wings 3 · Sonic Wings Special · Sonic Wings Special for Android · Sonic Wings Limited · Sonic Wings Assault · Sonic Wings Reunion |
| Sonic Wings Related | Gapporin · Karate Blazers · Lethal Crash Race · The Mahjong Touhaiden · Ojanko High School · Power Spikes II · Rabio Lepus · Rabio Lepus Special · Spinal Breakers · SukuSuku Inufuku · SukuSuku Inufuku 2 · Tao Taido · Turbo Force |
| Other Video System Games | 3 On 3 Dunk Madness · F-1 Grand Prix · F-1 Grand Prix Part II · F-1 Grand Prix Part III · Hyper V-Ball · Pipe Dream · Power Spikes · Super Volleyball · Tail to Nose: Great Championship |
| Unreleased Games | Droppers · Metal Rabbit |