Sonic Mania

While this game is great for the nostalgia, the main game is over way too soon, which all the extra 'modes' just replaying the same game over again which different attributes of extra characters. I was very disappointed to not see the ability to play the original games (Sonic 1, 2, 3) or even a full iteration of the Mean Bean Machine. Being able to play through all the original games, not just this remake of a few chosen levels (No Marble Garden Zone?!?) would have added a lot of replayability and kept me playing for weeks, not for days. Great idea for a PS4 release, just not enough content.

(Review based on Steam PC version) After the mediocre two-episode "Sonic 4" I was more tempered with Sonic Mania. Even though Mania looked to be taking a few more pages from the classics on the Genesis era I still went in largely skeptical and a bit blase about it if only for the fact this looked to be another heavy embankment on nostalgia more than trying anything really new. Returning levels had been done and not done well prior and I was mostly set up for an average experience. Still the development team lead by Christian Whitehead who helped port many classics and made a name for himself in the ROM hacking community did give me some encouragement.

After three plays of Mania (Sonic+Tails, Tails, and Knuckles) I can say it's a worthy callback to the classics made by the hardest of hard core fans getting a sense more what made the originals good and not relying heavily on nostalgia. Besides Sonic 1-3&K we have homages and little hints towards every game in Sonic's long history. Sounds and nods to even the 8Bit Sonic games, Sonic CD, Genesis era games, a little of the 3D era and even Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine are all represented here and it works. Sporting new level aesthetics and character animations add extra touches and magic, such as lighting the oil on fire with a flame shield! Brilliant! Designs are like the classics (though let's not dig up the trivial "Waah Sonic has Green Eyes" nonsense) controls are like the classics everything is tightly focused and well polished as games that came before it.

The music is better replicating the old 16bit soundtracks, better than Sonic 4's bland midi synth. Tee Lopes makes fantastic new tracks and great remixes of old stages too, but nothing musically will ever beat Sonic 3 & Knuckles but this comes pretty close. Still I didn't care for the mini boss music or the renditions of Stardust Speedway, which was based mostly on the Japan tracks which personally I found inferior to the U.S. Mixes and to the original. The original stages shine brightly and my praises there. My personal favorite has to be Lava Reef Zone 2 with the added guitars.

The game's fault lies in the fact it had to go back to old stages again, 60% of the game is remade old stages. The stages do have many new added gimmicks and aesthetics to shake it up, more original stages. The ideas are there and whether by over cautiousness or executive meddling to much of this game is the old with a new coat of paint. Nevertheless I didn't find them boring or uninteresting so there is that.

Mysteriously, moves like the Insta-Shield from Sonic 3 are absent from the main game. They are in the game but they're unlockables if you collect all the medals and only works in the No-Save game. This begs the question as to why something that should be in theory a standard move is behind an unlock wall and only in the No-Save game. There's also the super-peel out from CD though I didn't miss that much, I hardly used it in CD beyond the need to time jump but it's a fan favorite so I feel it should have been included.

Sonic Mania is terrific even though it relies heavily on the old to give us something new it still finds ways to innovate the old without reinventing the wheel.

Ok, I'm just gonna say this right now, I played only 4 sonic games... and they are all 2d ones.... I strongly want to play the 3d titles and sonic 3, but Sonic Mania is still my favorite game of all time, the sprite quality is beautiful, the music is amazing, the balance between platforming and speed is perfect, the new levels are just a blast to play and while it is kinda disappointing that there are more old levels, they are remixed and feel fresh again. the main mode is so fun and so are all the others, expect for one, encore mode, it is the reason I give sonic mania a 9/10 but even with that I cant help but play this game over and over again.



so I give sonic mania (plus) a 9/10

Sonic Mania is the only good sonic game in the last 20 years which is sad because it was made by a fan!

It even says Sega PROUDLY presents before the title screen which this (as far as i know) is the only sonic game that says this.

God sega is pathetic

Anyway the game is fun It's very fast and fluid and has some great variety in its presentation.

Really the only issues i have are its length and ending The final boss doesn't feel like one at all

And yes i know that if you collect all 7 chaos emeralds you'll unlock another world but they're so well hidden here that its not worth it

Running into every solid wall and looking for anything that looks even remotely breakable ruins the fast pace of the game

Sonic 2 got special stages right in that aspect.

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.