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Sonic Mania is AMAZING

Lozjam

A Cool, Cool Mountain
Joined
May 24, 2015
Alright ZD. Let's have a chat about our unfortunate little blue hedgehog.....

Except. This time we are not bashing him, for Sonic Mania is absolutely fantastic.

From the moment you start the game, to the ending boss, it is absolutely astounding to have a really good sonic game, let alone an amazing platformer on its own right(one to rightfully even stand up to Mario, just like the days of yore).

Now, let's just take some time to explain why in a spoiler free way.

First off. Taxman and Stealth have pulled off something even Sonic Team have never done: Recreating Sonic's Physics within a modern setting. Sonic controls almost exactly like he did in the Genesis days, except, he is a bit more responsive, has more moves, and slightly better level design to compliment this. To those who don't know. Sonic isn't actually about Speed, and only speed. The base of Sonic is actually momentum based platforming. In that speed is a reward for coming through slower platforming segments. This is complimented by some of the best level design in platforming games in general.

Within Sonic Mania, each level is completely, 100% unique with brand new mechanics tailor made for each stage and boss fight. Each mechanic feels like an extension of Sonic, Tail's, and Knuckle's abilities, so it feels amazing to control, however it also drastically changes the gameplay.

I could go on and on.... But I fear for spoiling the game for you guys. But I will say this, unlike previous sonic games, where the games are "good" at best. This game completely breaks it's mold, and it is a fantastic game for its genre. Sonic Mania is a great game, and the first truly great Sonic game in a long time. But have you guys tried out Sonic Mania? What are your thoughts?
 

Azure Sage

March onward forever...
Staff member
ZD Legend
Comm. Coordinator
I'm definitely enjoying it. It looks really good for pixel art, and the soundtrack is pretty darn lit. It actually really challenged me on the final zones. The special stages are giving me serious nostalgia, and I'm still as bad at them as ever, though I'm doing better. I'm trying to unlock the secret modes, though I'm sad these modes are only available on the no-save file. That's kinda dumb, not gonna lie. Still though, it's cool that they exist. I also like how some of the stages logically connect together, it feels more like an adventure that way. It's a pretty darn great game. The secrets add lots of replay value.
 
This is the first Sonic game I've ever played, so as someone with no nostalgia for the franchise, I am absolutely loving it. The stages are the right mix of speed and tricky platforming. This certainly isn't a Nintendo platformer with how non-linear the stages are either. Some of the bosses have frustrated me along the way, but they're so well designed that I don't mind replaying a few minutes to get back to them if I get a game over. My only major complaint is the Blue Spheres minigame. The camera angle during these moments can be quite disorienting.
 

Turo602

Vocare Ad Pugnam
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Location
Gotham City
Really enjoying Sonic Mania so far and from what I've played, I'm impressed. It's a little disappointing that they had to delve into the old quite frequently, with the amount of returning zones vastly outnumbering the brand new zones. Even the first act stages rip portions straight from the original games. However, what's new is simply fantastic. The act 2 stages of the returning zones make revisiting familiar locations like Chemical Plant and Oil Ocean feel completely brand new with the amount of creativity injected into them. New offerings like Studiopolis and Mirage Saloon are some of the strongest levels in the series, as are a lot of the new and unique boss fights, some of which are just insanely cool references to Sonic's forgotten past. Though, some bosses' weak spots can be a little hard to figure out at first, and with lives not exactly being easy to farm, you end up getting a game over before you've figured it out and have to start all the way from the beginning of the zone, which can be really annoying.

I'm also not a huge fan of the special stages which somehow control a lot worse than the half-pipe stages from Sonic 2. The blue sphere mini-game from Sonic 3 & Knuckles returns with a vengeance, but this time as a bonus stage with a ton more levels that you need to complete in order to unlock new modes and features, which I won't spoil, but are really cool. Overall though, I think it's an excellent game well worth its price tag, as it boasts more content than Sonic Generations, which had a very similar concept and sold for full retail price.
 
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Australia
I feel sonic ans will love this nod to the past. A game for the fans. I don't think it'll get many new people into the franchise though. Still it's one of the better Sonic games of recent, I know that's not hard to do as Sonic of recent has been garbe release after garbage release. Sonic Mania however is actually good. I do recommend it to every Sonic fan. I am not buying it as I am not a fan but I ahve recommended it to others I know who are fans.
 

YIGAhim

Sole Survivor
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Location
Stomp
Gender
Male
I have the original 4 for my D.S.

I want to save for Skyrim, since I'm out of a job for now, but Sonic Mania is only 20 U.S dollars.

I am afraid it's going to be too similar, or too short. Is it short? It it just a slightly altered Sonic 1?
 

Lozjam

A Cool, Cool Mountain
Joined
May 24, 2015
I have the original 4 for my D.S.

I want to save for Skyrim, since I'm out of a job for now, but Sonic Mania is only 20 U.S dollars.

I am afraid it's going to be too similar, or too short. Is it short? It it just a slightly altered Sonic 1?
It's longer than Sonic 3.

It has some zones taken out of Sonic 1, 2, 3, and CD. However, the level designs are very different from across the board, and there are 4 new zones. So overall, it is 12 zones. I would say about 5/6 of the game is completely original, because the act 2 of all returning zones is vastly different and offer up vastly new mechanics, and bosses are completely unique too(plus things like bonus stages and the like). It takes probably about 5-7 hours to beat the first time I think, but it has an absolute ton of replay value in having 3 completely different characters, and a bunch of really good extras. So with that, I leave that decision for you. I would say if you liked the originals, you will love Mania though.
 
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Location
Louisiana, USA
Sonic Mania is fantastic and has already established itself as one of my favorite games of 2017 along with Breath of the Wild and Persona 5.

I'm a huge fan of not only old-school Sonic, but also just the 2D games in general. I don't think the original is very good, but the likes of Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and the Sonic Advance trilogy were games I very much enjoyed almost the complete way through. Sonic 4 was a great deal behind all of those, but Sonic Mania captures the best parts of what made 2D Sonic so great across all of the former. It has the platforming finesse of the Genesis titles coupled with the sense of speed and momentum that the Advance trilogy established so well. I'm on my third playthrough at the moment, and I don't see my interest waning anytime soon.

I think Sonic Forces really only has to be decent in order for the health of the franchise to be back on the right track. Ideally, I would hope that 2D Sonic continues in the Mania direction and that Forces works on perfecting the boost/adventure style without the added 2D or experimental components. Either way though, I'm still very happy that Sonic seems to be slowly recovering after losing track of things with the whole Boom debacle.
 

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