![]() Some characters have different introductions to some levels too, resulting in unique paths for certain characters. Sonic, Tails & Knuckles all have their ability set from that game (plus some new ones), and that in turn means that each can access slightly different areas of a level. ![]() It takes some of the design concepts from Sonic CD and sprinkles them into a game that takes its largest influence from Sonic 3 & Knuckles, with enormous, sprawling multi-path levels that you'll still be discovering new routes through on your third or fourth play. One of my worries about Mania was that it'd trend too close to the confusing, labyrinthine level design of Sonic CD, and perhaps its greatest success is that it avoids this. "When you see how different the old zones get in gameplay terms, the limited number of all-new zones becomes easier to justify." To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Ī heads up: In this review, I talk about a couple of unannounced zones and passingly mention a few (but not all!) nods and surprises in Sonic Mania. The end result is that Sonic Mania really does feel like a new sequel to those classic games, making use of existing ideas and code alongside new ideas in the exact same way a sequel would've back in the 90s. Sprinkled in among all this are some all-new gimmicks and features for new and old stages alike. It's clear that Christian Whitehead's Retro Engine has everything from all four classic 2D Sonic games in it, and so Mania makes use of all of it. It's clear that it has been built with a love, care and attention that only truly hardcore fans could give.Įvery gimmick you can imagine from classic Sonic is present here - there's the spinning cylinder platform things from Launch Base, the switches from Mystic Cave, the lighting gimmick from Sandopolis. It does an excellent job of walking the tightrope between the two sides of the game - being deferential to that which came before while offering up all-new ideas. ![]() It's exactly what I've wanted all these years, and I don't think it's nostalgia talking even though I was Sonic-obsessed as a kid - I think it's one of the best retro throwbacks in years. The remixed zones tend to be more similar to their original incarnations in Act One, but then go off the rails with some weird and wonderful changes in the second act.īefore I get into that stuff, I just want to say that Mania is wonderful. The game features 12 two-act zones - four all-new, eight remixed from the classic 2D games. Sonic Mania is technically part of the Sonic 25th anniversary celebrations, so it's part all-new and part celebration of the old. "Sonic Mania really does feel like a new sequel to those classic games, making use of existing ideas and code alongside new ideas in the exact same way a sequel would've back in the 90s." The vision for Sonic Mania is simple: what would the lost Sonic 4 for Sega Saturn have looked like? A natural 2D continuation of the Mega Drive games, but with the extra horsepower and colour palette a more advanced system would provide. Then something even better happened - the developers were given the chance to make an all-new Sonic game. The developers posted a pitch video to YouTube of the first level of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, suggesting fans ask Sega to let them port it. These versions are definitive, adding features and characters to later games while preserving the physics and feel of the original games. When they took that work to Sega, the publisher was smart enough commission them to port Sonic CD to modern platforms and Sonic 1 and 2 to mobile. Eventually some particularly industrious fans recreated the classic Sonic engine in a way even Sega themselves were struggling to do. If you don't know the story behind Sonic Mania, here's the short version: fans have spent years reverse-engineering and hacking the classic Mega Drive Sonic games on websites like Sonic Retro. It takes that heart and runs with it, introducing new concepts and finessing old ones to create an experience that is sure to end up as one of my favourite of the year. Forces is what it is, but Mania is the real deal: this is a Sonic game that once again understands what made the snarky blue mascot so compelling to begin with. ![]() Or he's back, at least, until the extremely dubious-looking Sonic Forces launches later this year.
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