Sonic Mania wowed fans of classic 2D Sonic games last August, with many calling it the greatest Sonic ever released. It was the highest rated Sonic game in fifteen years. I originally scored it a 9.2 and loved returning to the look and feel of Sonic of years gone by. It was a digital-only release at the time, but in just a few short days the physical edition arrives for Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Sonic Mania Plus has all of the great content of the original game, plus more in-game content as well as physical items that make this a must-own.
I have to start with the packaging and physical contents because this is what I first dove into when I got my review copy. The slip cover is a beautiful holographic gold that catches the eye. The picture in this review doesn’t really do it justice, and of course this design alone doesn’t warrant a purchase, but still, it’s a nice touch. Cooler still is the reversible cover for the disc case — donning the legendary Genesis red-band box design and that golden Sega Official Seal of Quality, the reversible cover art is thoughtfully designed, front and back. The back cover artwork even uses the old white and blue multiplayer designator, in this case “1 to 4 Players,” along with a starburst text bubble that says “Rockin’ Digital Quality Soundtrack!.” This kind of fan-service is great to see in a physical edition release.
Also in the packaging is a thirty-plus page artbook. It’s loaded with design and concept sketches of levels and different Sonic Mania logos, and descriptions of key characters including the Hard Boiled Heavies and the two “new” playable characters Ray and Mighty. I was unaware of Ray and Mighty, but they haven’t been seen since a rare three player Sonic arcade game from 1993 called SegaSonic the Hedgehog. They were also in the 32X exclusive Knuckles Chaotix as well. I never even heard of the arcade game, but Galloping Ghost in Chicago apparently has one, making that eventual roadtrip even more interesting. Anyhow, the artbook does not disappoint, and adds a lot of extra value to an already awesome release.
Sonic Mania Plus has a lot of new features in-game, too. Ray and Mighty are available from the start, and while somewhat similar in design and function to Tails and Sonic respectively, they’re certainly different enough to warrant playing with them. Mighty’s ability to take an extra hit before dropping his rings was a plus as I’m not a particularly astute Sonic player. His ramming attack is also helpful in knocking out enemies, and bosses for that matter. Ray on the other hand has the means to glide past troubles and potentially decrease your time to completion on a level, although for me playing Sonic was never really about finishing an Act fastest.
I have not been able to get in much time with the four player competitive splitscreen, but it’s operated smoothly and has been fun. Splitting a screen four ways with Sonic action on all four can be a lot to keep up with, but it’s pretty cool that you have the option to do so if you have some local friends to play with. Time Attack mode is what it sounds like, but because I tend to play more towards ring-collecting and secret-finding, I typically don’t worry much about the clock. Thus, I haven’t spent much of my time in this mode.
What I found more interesting than Competition and Time Attack modes is the new Encore mode that remixes level color palettes, giving you something quite different to look at. This is another nice design idea that adds more replay value and robustness to the experience. On a related note, the various Screen Filtering options that were present in the original release are of course included here too, with players having the option to go Clean or have three other CRT-inspired filters to give the game an even more retro look.
Really, no matter how you look at it, Sonic Mania is a huge success and Sonic Mania Plus is a celebration of that success thanks to smart physical edition design and items and valuable new in-game content. At only $30, it’s a superb deal and a release I would recommend be on anyone’s short list of must-haves.
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