Sonic Mania

After the largely disappointing 2 episodes of the so called "Sonic the Hedgehog 4", it really seemed like any and all hopes for a truly excellent continuation of the classic genesis games were fading, and fast. Because what we got in 2010 was a lazy, idealess, and just bad game that had the balls to call itself the true 4th Sonic game, which it wasn't. Not even close. The 2nd episode was definitely better, but there were still major things about it holding it back from being truly anything good. So, with a very bad episode and a better, but mediocre at best one afterwards, the otherwise acceptable name of "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" was tarnished, and the future of main line 2D Sonic games were very unknown.

However, something amazing happened. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with that mindset, as the incredibly talented Christian Whitehead and company agreed. And, came from the ashes thanks to their hard work and passion, one of, if not the best Sonic game ever made. The series was not only back, but arguably better than ever before. Because instead of shoehorning modern Sonic into a 2D plain and calling it a day, these guys expanded on literally everything that worked in the genesis games while staying faithful to them as well.

Everything feels just about perfect here. The visuals are not only colorful and detailed, but they have an unprecedented amount of liveliness and character while staying true to the overall aesthetic of the genesis games. The music from Tee Lopes is phenomenal from start to finish-whether it be new tracks or recreations of old tunes, this OST is one of the best in a Sonic game. The gameplay is perfect as well, as Sonic and friends not only feel identical to how they did in the classic games, but Sonics moveset has been upgraded to incorporate everything from the super peel out to the insta-shield. The level design combines everything great about the level design of the great levels from the Genesis games. These levels have not only an over abundance of speed like in Sonic 2, but also a lot of fun exploration like in "Sonic 3 and Knuckles". Though here, the balance of these attributes is more akin to Sonic 2, though, because the levels here are a lot bigger in scope, here, there's still more than enough fun exploration to rival S3&K in that regard. In other words, the levels are not only excellent, but perfect for a Sonic game all around.

Speaking of which, I think the way the developers went about the levels was perfect. One thing that always sort of bugged me was when people call this game a "collection" or a "compilation" of classic levels (which is, ironically, exactly what "Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I" was). While a lot of the levels in this game do return from previous games, there's a LOT more to each of them, as the level design consistently adds fun and fresh ideas, as well as completely expands upon the original ideas. Plus, the context as to why we're revisiting these places works wonderfully, and doesn't overshadow anything. Not only that, but the entirely new levels made by Christian Whitehead and company are all absolutely amazing, and do a perfect job in fitting in with the rest of the package. Overall, the levels have a balance of the greatness of the old with the greatness of the new, and because of how much newness is brought to the table, it all still works as a proper continuation of the series, as it helps make the Sonic series feel like it's own world.

The special stages are also probably my favorite of the series, as, much like Sonic CD, you're in a 3D plane chasing a UFO, except, there's only one here. However, it also incorporates things like the blue spheres, but as collectibles to increase your speed, as well as rings to increase time. And if you mix that with the tricky, yet incredibly fun stage design, these special stages are excellent, and are accessed the same way the ones in S3&K, which I feel was the best way.

Speaking of blue spheres, they're back, too-only this time, acting as a special stage accessed via checkpoints just like in Sonic 2. They're every bit as fun and satisfying to complete as they were in S3&K, but now look and sound much better. These are for tokens, which allows you to unlock a lot of goodies in the menus (won't say what to avoid spoilers). Though, because of how much bigger these levels are compared to the ones in Sonic 2, you'll be playing through these stages a lot-at least, far more than you would have for the special stages in Sonic 2. In other words, be prepared to have the blue sphere song stuck in your head after you 100% this game.

Overall, this game is every single tiny thing the episodes of "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" should have been, as it is the first Sonic game in just about 23 years that actually pushed the envelope for the series. Everything here is just as good as it needs to be, and it is consistently one of the most enjoyable games in the entire series. If you're a Sonic fan who somehow hasn't played this yet, I implore you to change that. This is the true continuation after S3&K we've been waiting for for years, and to think it wasn't even made by the same people who made the classic genesis games just goes to show how a deep love and passion for the series can really revive it back to legendary status. What an amazing comeback to an amazing series. Here's to a Sonic Mania 2.

Get this game, it is truly one of the very best, in the entire series and in the platform genre itself.

So, this game has beaten my expectations. You know sometimes when you hear so much about how good something is that you start to question if it really is that good? Well Mania was that game for me and do you know what? I have to agree with people that this is a fantastic game.

The levels are fast, fun and exhilerating, the music bought a smile to my face, even the tracks inspired by the EU/JP soundtrack of CD, of which I tend to prefer the NA soundtrack and the graphics just pop out of the screen.

Although I wasn't initially overly excited about this game (being more of a sucker for the 3D titles), the release smashed through the inital feelings and so far has provided me with a fantastic time.

With two Sonic games coming out this year, Sega starts off strong with Sonic Mania, essentially a love letter to the Genesis titles made by fan-game creator Christian Whitehead and using his Retro Engine. Basically, this game is what Sonic 4 Part 1 and 2, which were average games at best, should be.

The first thing I have to say is the level design is superb. They provide a nice balance between platforming and speed, and even with levels that were simply reused themes, such as Green Hill Zone, have some sort of twist. Controls are also nice and responsive (as far as gameplay is concerned) and works well with either single or duo Joy-Con play. The graphics also receive an upgrade from the Genesis. In fact, I could go as far as to say it's more like a 32x, maybe Saturn, game, and the animation is pretty fluid and bouncy. In the special stages, it goes into an Emerald Stage, which is chasing an UFO to catch get the Emerald, goes into a Saturn like style, which keeps use with the classic aesthetic the game has.

If there are some issues I have, they're small, but they are noticeable. First of all, this is the Switch version I'm reviewing, and these problems seem to be exclusive for the platform. Also, from what research I've did, the port to Switch was done by Tantalus Media, who were responsible for many licensed games, though they do port jobs such as Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD, Zombi (which is basically Zombi U for PS4, Xbox One, and PC), and the soon to be release Rime for Switch, so I can't blame the main devs themselves, and I can only imagine the company will do a better job with Switch games in the future. Anyway, one of these two issues is that the special stages, which I'm sure isn't that demanding on the Switch, does drop frames. They're not big dips like 60 fps all the way to 15 fps. It just drops down to the 50s for a second and that's it, and that's if you experience it. Another, more noticeable issue is that the Home and Screenshot buttons have a delay. Yeah, you heard that right. These two buttons have a delay on the Nintendo Switch, and sometimes, they don't even work. Again, they're not gamebreaking bugs, easily overlooked even, but it's kind of disappointing that they exist. They should be fixed whenever they release a patch though.

Simply put, this game is a love letter to the classic games of the Genesis, and whatever system you want it for, it's a must have, and even with the Switch version's problems, it's still the version I recommend getting, if you have one. It's simply that much of a blast, even without Blast Processing.

UPDATE: Due to a recent patch that was FINALLY delivered. Not only did they fix the Home button issue, but they added a separate button for Super Form, which is now X instead of tapping jump twice, so no accidental transformations.

I will start of by saying I am not a fan of sonic the hedgehog. The series has always had a lot of misses for me which is why I never got into it like many other people did. But I won't say the series as a whole is bad far from it. There are games In the series I really like such as Sonic 2, 3&Knuckles, Generations, Mania (which is what I reviewing right now), Rush, Unleashed, All stars racing Transformed, Sonic CD, Colors, Advance 1, Pocket adventure and sonic Riders which is a guilty pleasure of mine. This is one of the best games in the series that's not even made by Sonic Team. The people who made this did a fantastic job with it's soundtrack, visuals, controls, Content, level design, gameplay, and everything that makes an excellent 2D platformer. It's also full of refences to other games in the series which is great for long time fans and even to non sonic fans like myself. It has the save system from Sonic 3 & Knuckles, The ability to play as five characters if you download the DLC which is worth it by the way. The games bonus stages are fun as hell and the levels themselves are fast and well designed. It's basically like 3 & Knuckles but with more expanded on it. It's also one of the more challenging games in the series as well as having fun boss fights and some of them are creative. I may not be into sonic like a lot of other people are but I won't lie in saying that this game is amazing and is worth any gamers time/money.