I haven’t played most of the Sonic games in the last ten years, but I feel confident in saying Sonic Mania might be the best since the Sonic Rush days. That is of course assuming your a big fan of the old school 2D Sonics, which I happen to be. Sonic Mania gathers up Zones and Acts from these old Sonic games (1-3, CD, and Knuckles), and remixes them in significant ways, as well as adding new content. It’s a very refreshing and new experience, yet retro in all the best ways, too.
Green Hill Zone is something any Sonic 2 player will remember, and that’s where Mania starts. Other Zones include a trip to the Chemical Plant, Stardust Speedway, Studiopolis Zone, and Mirage Station as well. The Acts tend to be noticeably longer than what I recall from the original versions, and the Robotonik boss encounters are different as well. Even the Special Stages are different; no more semi-3D half-pipes to run in, although you do still traverse the large sphere to collect the blue orbs. A new type of special stage includes chasing a UFO down, from the Sonic CD days, but merges that with on-foot running. Great stuff.
Indeed, anyone familiar with the old school Sonic games will feel right at home due to not only the familiar, yet again significantly different stages, but also the graphics and animations. Screen filters allow you to emulate that CRT-look, or keep a cleaner edge if you’d prefer. Idle animations and all the animations in general match precisely what I remember from years ago, and all new animations blend in seamlessly. Additional modes unlock as you play, including Time Attack and a two-player competitive mode that I actually haven’t tried yet. About a dozen save slots are supported so the entire household and some friends can play.
About the last thing I would say about Sonic Mania is to simply go and play it — it’s awesome, masterfully blending the old with the new and reminding us all what a true Sonic game is about. If you got burned on some of the 3D Sonic titles (although Sonic 3D Blast was great in my opinion) from the last decade, set those expectations aside and get into the Mania — you’re not likely to be disappointed at all.
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