Sonic Mania is a classically styled 2D platformer released on all of the modern gaming platforms. It was my first Sonic game I've played in years (probably since one of the Sonic Advance games on the GBA), and I decided to play it based largely on the excellent reviews it received. It also helped that it was on PS Plus, making it so that I didn't need to buy it!
The game is created largely by Christian Whitehead, who had worked on other ports of Sonic games in the past. It definitely draws large amounts of inspiration from the classic Sonic games, but draws the most on Sonic 3 & Knuckles, to which it has the most similarities. As someone who rides pretty hard for the third Sonic game on the Genesis, this pleased me greatly.
There's not too much to say about the gameplay here. It's Sonic, and it feels exactly the same as you remember, with a few small tweaks here and there. For example, they add in an additional ability for Sonic to charge his spin dash while jumping. I never actually used it, but you can also turn off this ability should you dislike it. I didn't play as either Tails or Knuckles, but do intend to do a playthrough as both at some point.
The level design in this game is absolutely masterful. It totally nails the classic Sonic feel with winding levels with tons of branches and secrets, yet somehow maintaining clarity for the player on where to head next. You never felt lost, but you always felt like your path was up to you, and that feeling definitely lends the game to have a significantly higher replayability than other 2D platformers. Perhaps most importantly, as far as level design is concerned, the design team here took tremendous pains to eradicate the most frustrating aspects of classic Sonic games, the obstacles inherently placed to stop your speedier sections. There are still sections that feel like they're "on rails" where you're zipping through tunnels, loops, pipes, and other Sonic mainstays, but there's rarely a spiky enemy at the end of these runs waiting to take your rings without the slightest warning. This helps to reinforce the core element of Sonic's character (he's fast), while also realizing that humans can't possibly react as Sonic ought to. This creates a fun feedback loop for players, who can now enjoy the feeling of speed without the stress of a pitfall lying ahead. The slower, more traditional platforming sections, which were the strength of gameplay in the classic games, are every bit as fun as those.
The boss battles are the best in the series, with a wide range of clever and delightful bosses. My favorite is a chance to play a round of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine as one of the battles. Its inclusion demonstrates the love and care for the classic Genesis library that has seeped in to every pore of this game.
The game is exactly the right length, and ends exactly when you're ready.
The graphics in this game are absolutely gorgeous. It looks and feels like a Genesis game, but has a slightly higher level of detail associated with its jump to a modern console environment. This is particularly notable in the backgrounds, which have never looked better.
The music is incredible! You'll get some of the finest songs from the classic Genesis games (you'll revisit remixed versions of classic stages throughout), along with some excellent new compositions for the original level designs.
There are a ton of great gameplay options for the truest Sonic fans, including co-op play, competitive play, time attack mode (with online leaderboards), and the ability to replay any stage from the beginning. My one complaint about these modes is that the screens for players on the competitive mode are pretty small and tough to see, and have the weird, stretched out look of a class game adapted to a modern console without an appropriate scaling tool. I think they could have done better here.
I really and truly feel like this is the best Sonic game ever made, even if it's not quite as original and innovative as either Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I have always been a person that appreciates the most polished game in a series the most, whether its the most innovative or not, and I think that that's true here as well. Sonic Mania Plus is definitely going on my wishlist, as I'd love to play some additional levels and reward the developers for a job very well done. There's a time and place to reinvent the wheel, but like with the Mega Man games before it, sometimes all you need is some superb level design and technical advancement to make a new game worth the trouble. This game nails that balance, and Sonic fans like myself had been waiting a long time for that to happen. I'll give it a 9.3/10.
Up next on What I'm Playing is...I have no idea. I'm working on a few games at the moment, and am unsure of which one I'll complete first. I've already teased the one I suspect will be next on a previous review, so I'll leave it to you to look through some old reviews to find out what I'm missing. You won't have to look too far back to find it. :)
-TRO
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