Long before gamers argued on the internet about if the most effective console around has “PlayStation” or “Xbox” in its name, schoolyard battles were waged between people who pledged their allegiance to Sega or Nintendo. When it came here we are at the 16-bit era, my loyalty was squarely with the Genesis, and nothing the Super NES could offer would change my thoughts. The one thing we were really missing on the Genesis, though, was a proper mascot-and then Sonic the Hedgehog came along. Years prior to him spawning numerous terrible games (and questionable fandom circles), Sonic was daring, he was fast, and he was way cooler than that mushroom-eating plumber guy. Unfortunately, those terrible games were indeed looming like dark clouds on the horizon, and when Sonic's 16-bit glory days were over, also was most of my love for him and the adventures.
While he's gotten a handful of “not bad” games through the years, Sonic has longed for-and, more to the point, deserved-a go back to form. While I don't mean to personally insult all the fine people employed by the developer, I don't think Sega has much of a clue in regards to what related to the most popular and influential franchise they've ever created, and even their attempt to revive Sonic's origins in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was an awkward mess that simply helped prove that point. When Sega once against promised last year that they'd be “going back” to Sonic's roots for the latest game in the franchise, it seemed like another chance to let us down.
This time, however, could be different.
Handing the fate of your property to fans is definitely an utterly terrible idea generally when it comes to entertainment, but Christian Whitehead is no ordinary fan. Christian-otherwise referred to as Taxman-was a creator of Sonic fangames who then created the Retro Engine, a platform upon which past Sonic games might be re-created with additional features, proper widescreen support, and more. Using the Retro Engine, Christian worked with Sega to re-release Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on various platforms-eventually leading Sega to then entrust Christian, along with developers Headcannon (who have their own history with Sonic) and PagodaWest Games, to work on a new project called Sonic Mania.
It's essential that you at least understand some of the details in what lead up to Sonic Mania's existence, because it helps explain just how daring of a release this is. While Sega isn't pinning Sonic's entire near-future on a game designed to be an overload of retro nostalgia-that'll be the job from the more mainstream Sonic Forces when it hits later this year-it's still shocking to see something similar to this be an official, canonical part of the series.
Sonic Mania exists to satisfy two questions: what could a group so what passionately concerning the Sonic of yesteryear put together in the current era, and just what would Sonic the Hedgehog happen to be like been with them continued on in 2D on the Sega Saturn? (Anyone saying this would've been a Genesis game doesn't actually remember what the Genesis hardware was capable of.) The solution to both is a game that appears, feels, and plays such as the 16-bit Sonic titles-just a bit tighter in the controls, a little more precise, a bit more polished. Jumping into Sonic Mania was like riding a bicycle; I haven't played any of the 2D releases in years, and yet it felt like I'd never stopped playing moments after picking up the controller.
Part of this is due to the fact that Sonic Mania is about combining a number of elements from the 16-bit Sonic games and mixing them with new ideas, and that's definitely true of its gameplay. New additions such as the drop dash (which lets you go rolling off at high speed as soon as you hit the floor) blend together seamlessly with returning power-ups like Sonic 3's elemental shields (which now offer additional environmental functions) and Knuckles' Chaotix's Combine Ring. It makes sense a game that truly seems like what it's said to be: the combining of many years of gameplay into something which now stands as probably the best-playing Sonic game up to now.
Of course, a good Sonic game is certainly not without great worlds in which to make utilization of all his abilities, and here Sonic Mania especially shines. Eight previously-seen stages arrive along with four brand-new ones, but all of those which are returning-from Sonic the Hedgehog's Green Hill Zone to Sonic 2's Oil Ocean Zone-have seen some massive reworking or remixing. I understand that many of us have been through Green Hill countless times at this point, however it can be hard to understand through words alone precisely how expanded it (and it is counterparts) now are. Reminding me at times of Sonic CD's zones, Sonic Mania's stages now stretch far higher minimizing than ever before, and routes that you had memorized may lead to brand-new challenges or dangers this time around. The biggest concern, really, was the newly-created stages, since it could be simple for those coming from the fan side to think they know why is good Sonic stage design but hard to have their creations meet the official classics. Honestly, most of Sonic Mania's original stages were a number of my favorites in the game, to the point that I wouldn't have minded visiting a wholly original adventure instead. Thankfully, both in the new and also the reworked old, there was an excellent sense of momentum all through, giving players the opportunity to slow down and explore when they felt like it, or accelerate and go tearing with the terrain to satisfy the requirement for speed. Only two of the game's 12 stages felt weak to me: the newly-created final area that's based around an obnoxious concept, along with a certain Sonic & Knuckles inclusion that feels weirdly weak in design. Neither of the two come close to ruining the game, but both were low enough points that i can noticeably stand out from all of those other game's higher level. In one other smaller point of uneven quality, some stages have really cool transitions to explain how you're getting from one place to the next when they previous had no direct connection. Others, however, are notably missing such cutscenes-making me ponder whether they were simply unfinished and may perhaps come later.
Probably my favorite part of playing through Sonic Mania's various zones is one thing that can be said concerning the entire game: an elevated degree of creativity. All stages are split up into two acts, however the distinction between those two halves can be surprising sometimes. As you transition from Act 1 to do something 2-which happens seamlessly without any burglary the game-the visuals change, the music is altered, and new gimmicks (in a good way) or gameplay components are introduced that didn't appear in the stage's first half. A multitude of concepts happen to be crafted only to be used during only one particular act, which seems crazy and kind of wasteful, but that also makes playing Sonic Mania so a lot more enjoyable than its sources of inspiration. Seriously, it's going to be a hardship on me to return to past Sonic games at this time and go back to that feeling of apathy that can set in when you seem like you're just running using it . section of world for a second (or third) time.
That creativity displayed through the game's various zones is usually so completely refreshing and wonderful, and in addition it includes the game's wide selection of new bosses. Some of them really are a little under-utilized, some a little too easy, but others are precisely what they needed to be-with one out of particular coming in as probably the most awesome boss encounter ever inside a Sonic game.
We also really should talk about the game's soundtrack, that is completely fantastic and fitting-and somehow feeling nostalgic and totally fresh both simultaneously. Music has always added a great deal to the Sonic games, and that's still true here, specially in the way the tracks change and expand combined with the Acts.
It's hard not to just continue gushing about how exactly much care and effort went into Sonic Mania, because that's part of important so excellent. I understand the term “love letter” is somewhat overused at this point with regards to video game reviews, but it's extremely difficult not to have that phrase pop to your head while playing. This can be a game that was built by fans who worry about Sonic for fans who worry about Sonic, and this crazy project that Sega somehow approved for development became far more successful than anybody might have imagined.
There were moments when I took things i was playing for granted because my brain couldn't check this out as not the next logical continuation from the Sonic series. It was nearly as if no time had passed between the 16-bit era and today, and that is a testament to how “true” of the Sonic game they was able to come up with here. Had this felt like a sloppy nostalgia cash-in or well-meaning-but-poorly-executed fan project, Sonic Mania could have ended as another misguided attempt by Sega to find a devote the world for their beloved blue mascot. Instead, this is Sonic as certain of who he is and just what he wants to be as he's experienced countless years, and is what individuals much like me once fell in love with in its purest, most genuine, and most honest form.
