Sonic Mania Review

It's been a few months. Let's delve into Sonic Mania. There has been a very strong reception for the game and it has been looked at highly. After all the hype, is this a game you should be getting? That answer is yes. It is a great game. Maybe a few flaws, but a very strong game. Keep in mind this is the brainchild of Christian Whitehead along with Headcannon and PagodaWest games. Whitehead is known for his ports of Sonic CD and the first two Genesis games of the series, where the engines are done from the ground up with newer features compared to their original releases and ports. I played the PlayStation 4 version for this review.

There isn't much to Mania's story, but it's pretty simple. Stop Dr. Eggman. He has a group of bad guys this time trying to take a gemstone that is very powerful. In the process, it takes Eggman's group, along with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the Green Hill Zone. The trio must get the gemstone, known as the Phantom Ruby, and keep Eggman from using it to conquer the world. It's a 90s type idea.

Three systems come to mind when looking at Sonic Mania. They are the Sega CD, 32x, and Saturn. Regarding the main levels, they use a vast array of colors, similar to the 32x. Those who have played Knuckles Chaotix will understand this. The backgrounds, areas, and characters go beyond being a 16-bit game visually. Animations are a lot smoother due to the system's power. It's that great. Special Stages go for a combination of Sega CD scrolling with the characters looking like they came from the Saturn. It's a little dated, but there is a charm to it. Even the intro if you don't press buttons at the title screen screams a nostalgia overload. Whitehead knew what he wanted and succeeded.

The audio doesn't exactly play straight music. Most of the music from the other games have a bit of a remix to it and go with the tone of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles with each act of a zone having a different tone. Even the original zones go that way as well. It's cleaner, and a bit more lively. Sound effects are what you expect out of the series. You can't be 16-bit unless you got vintage type sounds. I'm not huge on this aspect, but not against it either.

Getting into the gameplay, Sonic Mania is a continuation into the formula of the 16-bit games along with Sonic CD. You go left to right and vice versa, trying to stop Dr. Eggman and his cronies. To describe it, you are playing Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles. You will feel right at home with the mechanics to it along with the controls. It's been a long time since there was a platformer in the series that allowed multiple characters in the main meat of the game. Much like 3 and Knuckles, each character has the same abilities. Sonic can use shields to his advantage. Tails can fly. Knuckles can glide and knock certain objects out. You get a lot more bang for your buck in replayability compared to most, if not, all Mario platformers. Saving is similar as well with save files keeping track of progress and lives along with scores if the game hasn't been completed yet.

There are 12 zones in the game. Eight of them are from the Genesis games and Sonic CD. The four that are new show inspiration from stuff in the older games and prototypes that cut out zones. Each one has two acts, each one having a boss fight. Take them out and the act will play out and end like 3 and Knuckles. All the monitors from the trilogy are here. From your basic shield to the Eggman ones, no stone is left untouched. New is a blue ring monitor that holds onto your rings. You get hit without a shield, big rings will come out and you can get all your rings back. Speaking of which, enemies from their respective games are brought back. The new zone enemies add a bit to how they can be dealt with.

Two distinct special stages are in Mania. One is the big rings. That is the Sonic CD type special stage. You are on a timer via depleting rings as you chase a UFO carrying a Chaos Emerald. The character is slow, but picking up blue balls will fill up a meter to make you faster. It's sort of complicated, but you will get the hang of it. The second kind of stage is the Blue Sphere type which can be accessed via a lamppost. There is the ones from 3 and Knuckles as well as original ones. Completing them will earn you medals but whether you get the rings will determine your medal.

With the level designs here, Mania feels like what made the Genesis games great. There is that sense of exploring the zones, but at the same time, offering a sense of speed that will have the characters going very fast. The levels from the Genesis and CD are remixed, so those familiar with them will have to figure out these versions. One part might look the same, but some elements may have changed.  For the original levels, they look as if they could have been in the originals from the early 90s. Just overall, Whitehead and company got this passion project and gave it a labor of love.

Other modes include a time attack mode like CD. Each character has their own statistics. It can be restarted at any time if you mess up. I haven't had a chance to try competition, but it has that Sonic 2 type of competition. There is a few features that can be unlocked, along with a lot of callbacks that will surprise you a few times.

That being said, Mania is not without its issues. One of my complaints is the Special Stages for the emeralds. I think I've struggled more in these than I've had with any of the Genesis ones. The very first Sonic game was difficult, but it wasn't impossible. It's hard to get a good momentum on the UFOs and catch up to them at times. My only other ones are some cheap boss fights and some over relying on the older zones, though the latter is just a very small nitpick.

You will get some good hours on this game, and it has a high replay value due to how Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles play. Definitely get Sonic Mania. It's worth what it is being asked digitally. With Whitehead's knowledge of 2D games, this guy should be approached by other companies to do other series that have loved entries in 2D. Get it on whatever system you have it on (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) A heck of a way to celebrate 25-26 years of a franchise.

Score: 8 out of 10

Sonic Mania: A Summer Hit?

One of the projects that has a caught a lot of attention for the industry is one of the new games in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Sonic Mania, which is set to release sometime this year, is one that many have set their eyes on. It's approach is eerily similar to what was seen on the Genesis from the original trilogy. That being said, it could be one of the big and possibly surprise hits to come out this year from Sega. However, this all goes back to when Sonic CD came out on modern systems in 2011.

Sonic CD released on the Sega CD in the fall of 1993 and it's only re-releases were on Windows 95 in 1996, and an emulated version for Sonic Gems Collection on the GameCube in 2005. In 2009, an Australian named Christian Whitehead began work on the game with the use of his engine, the Retro Engine. Unlike most old games that have been re-released in the last eight to ten years, this was built from the ground up. With it finished, Whitehead showed off the game as a proof of concept and talked to Sega about it. Within two years they put up a release of it on Xbox 360 and made to the PlayStation 3, Steam, and IOS systems.

The game had a multitude of features while retaining what it did well (or failed depending on perspectives) for the re-release. It's positive reception lead to Whitehead developing a few other ports of the series. With a another member of the Sonic community who would form Headcannon Games, the IOS got the first two Genesis Sonic games in 2013. Like CD, it retained what was good along with adding in certain features. The most notable being Hidden Palace Zone in 2, which was something magazines showed in 1992. And it has come down to Sega allowing Whitehead and a few companies to headline and create the next new Sonic game with Mania.

With what has been seen in the videos on YouTube, Mania will keep people wowed. Graphically, it looks phenomenal. The impression I get is being similar to Sega's ill fated 32x add-on and the game, Knuckles Chaotix. It blows that game out of the water as far as visuals go. Everything from the colors and backgrounds to the animations is amazing. From what I've read, it's a 32-bit engine and that it's going for things that you wouldn't have expected on 16-bit systems. Nostalgia overload will set in on a few. That Sega look is there and is about on par with, if not, better than what a Neo-Geo did.

Whitehead's stuff comes from the days of the Genesis, and Mania is going after the style of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles. It looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Expanding some of the levels of the originals intrigue me a little bit. Some of the newer levels look inspired from other games. This is a game made by fans for fans. It wants you to explore. It wants you to go fast. The different styles of play from each character adds a bit of value to the playthroughs. Whatever it's doing could be a sign for things to come if the game were to sell and be held in high regard.

Sega has been on the ups an downs for the last 10 years, and they have tried to improve their image. With accepting Whitehead and a few others since 2009, this could be a brand new chapter for the company and for other projects beyond Sonic the Hedgehog. If Mania takes off, who knows what kind of project could be seen next. The minority has begged for many franchises to come back. A lot of companies could come to Whitehead to head a major project that will feel like a labor of love. Mania will come out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Hopefully, it catches everyone's attention whenever it cout.