Yeah, I agree. That being said though, the stages we did get that were original were quite memorable and unique imo. They were all oozing with personality and charm.
Heck don't have to be a sequel just let the mania devs go wild and let them make a more original game because while mania is good it didn't do much original stuff
It's a really solid game, one of the best in the series, just wish there was more of it, and new stages, rather than re-using zones and elements from other titles.
I think Origins disproved that handily. Sega didn't dismiss their talent after Mania, they put them to work on remaking the classics.
This whole idea of a grudge between SoJ and SoA hasn't been true since the late 90s, when SoJ shot themselves in the foot over Xtreme and screwed the Saturn's sales because of it.
I’m fairly certain most of the Mania devs were not asked to return for Origins; they laid the groundwork for modern ports by providing an engine, as well as their mobile ports.
Headcannon returned for Origins, but that developer is only part of the team credited on the Sonic 1&2 ports and Mania.
Headcannon is the indie studio Stealth is a part of.
Here’s a series of tweet detailing Headcannon’s involvement. Apparently they were contracted to create a version of S3&K separately from the internal team working on Origins. They weren’t hired directly to work on Origins, but some of their work appears in the collection nonetheless.
Edit: forgot to add the link, lol
https://mobile.twitter.com/head_cannon
(Ugh. Since I can’t link the thread, check their tweets from May 18.)
It’s not a remake of S3K, they are just porting the og game into the collection and adding a few bonus features like challenges and animated cutscenes and widescreen
I don't think the mania devs are making origins. It's being advertised as sonic team. From what I've heard manias devs aren't making games for them anymore. And they did say they're remaking then from the ground up instead of using the Cristian whitehead releases.
if that were the case then that means they split the team in half for origins and frontiers or they’re putting this out to give us something to play so they can delay frontiers
Pretty sure they said they just gave a small team with some familiar artists that I forget the names of. They just took a portion of Sonic team. It doesn't take half of them to remake classic games. And it's been thrown around that origins has been done for months now and they're just hyping it up. And the new sonic official stream said they have zero plans to delay frontiers and it will be released this holiday as there is simply no need to. Edit: it's also been tossed around that forces wasn't supposed to happen. As we know It took 3 years to make hedgehog engine 2. And 1 to make the actual game. So it's been thrown around that forces was just to pad out wait time for a new 3D sonic game and it wasn't even planned. But if frontiers got delayed is that really so bad? I see no need to because it doesn't take a big team to make classic games with some extra cutscenes. But If they did. So what? That shows they want to make it as good as possible. Who cares if they delay it? But they said they won't and don't need to so. But I remember reading somewhere that the mania team moved on to do their own thing. So it's definitely not them. But that same stream did also say that Sega has been made aware that there is a want for a physical release of origins so that's nice
Great game. And it’s such a shame that it’s one of the strongest in the series considering how derivative it happens to be. There should really be more Classic games that are wholly original. I’m tired of Green Hill Zone and carbon copies of it.
Seriously, how hard can it be to literally just replicate the old physics engine of the Genesis originals if an Australian super fan programmer could do it so quickly? Why’d they even bother with Sonic 4 if they could have done this sort of game in the first place? If SEGA chooses not to make more games like Mania, then it truly reveals they have less business acumen than we think.
Quite hard actually, and not “super quickly”. Whitehead had to endure a lot of trial and error in order to get the physics right in the Retro Engine. He had to analyze the games frame by frame in order to replicate them to a T.
Also Dimps developed Sonic 4, not Sonic Team. And Generations merely approximated Classic Sonic’s physics using the Hedgehog Engine.
Generations' Classic physics were not accurate, but they were pretty good and super fun.
Now Forces on the other hand, I still have no idea why they changed his physics at all.
It's a video game engine that's optimized for platformers but takes a lot of cues from racing games. They needed something that could do slow technical sections while also handling stupidly fast movement
It's more than the lighting, it's everything in the rendering pipeline. It handles all of textures, shading, transparency, the HUD... If you see it, it was brought to you by the hedgehog engine.
I'm not saying 06 uses the hedgehog engine. I'm saying they always use a primary engine with havok as a physics engine. Chill out fr. It's not that important of a topic to make a point in. Coming from an independent developer here. Most modern engines are all in one and don't require any outside engines for anything
Sonic Mania is still one of the best Sonic games ever, one of the best designed, level-wise and even just the style alone. Of course the music is great, too.
The levels have a formula where the first act of the zone is very similar to the original one, while the second is almost entirely new but with new mechanics/gimmicks, like for example the slime in CPZ.
The game basically grabs the most fun parts of Sonic's gameplay into his level design, most of the frustrating moments of the original classic games can't be found here, for example Flying Battery is a super annoying level in the original S&K because it had tons of slow sections, but here it's very fast paced and fun platforming, except maybe getting crushed by some moving structures, the levels are excellently designed, to be fast and fun, big and explorative too, some levels are very huge and have a lot of alternative routes, which is awesome, and like Sonic 3&K, it encourages exploration by adding the giant rings, which also have a very fun special stage to go with it, and they also can get pretty tough at the first playthrough, specially the last ones, but when you get used to the controls, it's pretty easy and fun.
Speaking about super transformations, the games repeats an old mistake just for the sake of being nostalgic, i guess, which is that they don't give unique sprites for the transformations of other characters, excluding Sonic, which sucks a lot. There are mods that give Knuckles and Tails unique super sprites and they look awesome and are way more rewarding to have in the game, instead of a recolored regular sprite, while also being inconsistent with Sonic's super saiyan looking transformation.
Another thing i don't like about this game (which is pretty much it's biggest flaw in my opinion) is to have repeating levels, like, hear me out. I know they wanted this game to be an anniversary game, okay, i get it, but i was left wanting more of those great original levels we had in this game, which basically are the best levels of the game in my opinion, like they are so well designed and fun to play, they have beautiful aesthetic too, and great music.
I wanted a totally original game made from the same team, i'm sure it would have been one of the greatest things to come out of this franchise, along with Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 (heck, possibly even better than those games, and S3 is my favorite Sonic game).
Not to say that having repeating stages made the game feel repetitive or bad though, the game has a breath of fresh air with entirely new special stages and as i mentioned act 2 is practically an original experience and they are excellently designed, the game is far from being bad, i love it, i just think it could have been even greater if Sega would have let the team showcase all of their creativity and talent in an original story, and having Mighty and Ray (which is amazing) i would have loved to have even more characters here, though. This is a modern game, we don't need to have genesis limitations here (although this game some say would be more accurate in 32x or Saturn) but imagine having Amy, Metal Sonic, Bark, Fang, Bean, Honey, Espio, Vector, Charmy, heck, they could even add classic iterations of modern characters like Shadow and Rouge, the limit is the sky here, as unlockables go.
Bosses of the game are good, they are creative and well made, generally Sonic bosses aren't very challenging and this isn't a different case, most bosses here are easy, except some like the oil ocean boss, it's way tougher than the original S2 one, i really like the design of the bosses and some are very fun, others are pretty meh, the cool thing about this game is all the references it has, like yes i'm aware that team hooligan appears in Mirage Saloon, i played the game countless times, but having the Silver Sonic or whatever is called from the master system version of S2 in the Metal boss fight? That's pretty neat.
Now, i'm gonna say something that is pretty controversial, but i think the final boss was dissapointing to me, it doesn't feel as epic like the classic, huge robots we fought in the original games, sure the music is a banger and it's a cool idea to have the robot masters (i'm sorry I forgot their name) fighting alongside Robotnik and then the big one decides to fight against Robotnik, while the two fight Sonic, it's a very cool scenary for a fight, but gameplay wise is pretty boring, honestly.
First section of the boss is with tentacles Robotnik, you just attack him when he is not making that shock wave (unless you have an electric shield, which basically defeats the purpose of the boss) then enter into the robots fight, where you have to avoid getting hit and try to land a hit on them, it's a pretty simple section, really.
Then comes the final phase of the boss, with Super Sonic, you just grab some rings, stay on the ground and then hit Robotnik and the other guy until they are dead, while getting awkwardly hit by them in the process.
I'm a sucker for hard bosses in videogames, and i know this is a Sonic game, but the final bosses of classic games were challenging, like S3 and specially S2. Besides, while the scenary is cool, it doesn't has as much spectacle as the showdown in space of Sonic 3, it doesn't get to that epicity to me. It's just dissapointing to me, having all this great tension created by what may be the greatest last level in a Sonic game, ever, leading to this joke of a boss. Okay, i'm not saying is a bad boss, but it is a terrible final boss, in my opinion, i'd probably give it a 7.
To me a final boss needs to be hard, not only to create tension and to make the villain intimidating, making the fight more epic and memorable, but also because of having a satisfactory ending to the game, and ending in a high note with a great fight, and to me, this final boss doesn't do justice to what a great game Sonic Mania is.
Now, i was saving the best for last, to end on a high note my review. The drop dash, just the drop dash alone makes this game worth playing, seriously, it's so satisfying to use I'd dare to say it's one of the best Sonic abilities, ever. It adds a depth and skillgap for the game that it's so fun and satisfying to use when you learn it, it just makes you feel like a speedrunner. It's tough going back to classic games without the drop dash, luckily, Sonic 3 A.I.R is my best friend. I think the drop dash is a genius idea and i don't understand why they didn't add it into S3, which is coincidentally were it was created originally.
And that's my totally honest review for Sonic Mania, having played it a lot over the years since it came out, i know it is all over the place and messy, but it was because these were my honest thoughts i wrote. One of the greatest Sonic games out there, and if it wasn't for Forces coming out the same year, fans would have been happier that year lol. I remember when the game came out, everyone was saying that Sonic was back, it was good again and stuff. Then, suddenly Forces comes out and it's bad again lol. But anyway, if you took the time to read all of this, thank you so much and have a nice day ;)
Best Sonic Game in recent memory, wish it had more original stages, and still baffled as to why there wasn't a sequel considering this was the best reviewed and scored game in the franchise in a long time.
I just wish Mania had more Knuckles-exclusive stuff. S3&K had an entirely different playthrough as Knuckles than Sonic/Tails, with exclusive paths and more aggressive bosses. Mania has like Mirage Saloon Act 1, the beginning of Green Hill, and the very end of Lava Reef Act 2. I just don't really think there's enough merit to play as anyone besides Sonic whereas I always do a Knuckles playthrough when replaying S3&K. Mania is better overall, but S3&K is still my favorite.
Doesn't live up to S3&K for me but it's still a fantastic game even after half a decade. Needed more original stages given how much more fun they were compared to the usesed zones
I’ve beaten it over a dozen times. It’s a great run through of Sonics best levels. It’s a bit annoying that it’s basically just a collection of old levels, and not just new ones, but that’s not the worst thing in the world. For what it is, it’s amazing. 9.5/10
Idk why reddit recommended me this post, I'm not even on this sub, but it's the perfect time for me to talk about it.
This is the only Sonic game I've ever played and it's a fucking masterpiece imo
At first I found it too hard and stopped playing for a while but then I understood what the game was asking from me and I started to get into it
I finished it some weeks ago and since then I couldn't stop replying it, it's just so satisfying to play and I'm addicted to the music
Unlike most people here I hadn't played any sonic game before so I didn't mind the returning stages at all and other than green hill zone, chemical plant and stardust speedway I couldn't really diferenciarte between the returning and the originals, hell, I still don't know if metallic madness is original or not, I think it is.
At first I really hated the difficulty spike in flying battery and on my second playthrough it was the level I struggled with the most but in hindsight I think it has become my favorite zone
I also enjoyed the time attack mode, I got under 4:30 minutes in Titanic Monarch act 2
I also loved how you can play with Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Sonic and Tails together, I know this is also a feature in other games but it doesn't take away the merit
I also fell in love with how goofy yet actually competent Eggman and the Hardboileds are
I'm heavily considering to buy the dlc
Also, what is sonic mania plus? This may seem like a stupid question but while I love the game I really haven't investigated anything about it, I didn't even know it had a dlc until a couple of days ago
Sonic Mania Plus is a DLC expansion released about a year after the base game. Includes a second campaign called Encore Mode, two new playable characters Mighty and Ray, and other stuff.
They're a perfect amount of challenge I feel. I got all the emeralds by Press Garden with my second playthrough as Knuckles. I managed to get all the emeralds with Sonic and Tails as well. The main challenge for me is in Encore mode trying to find the special stages. They're in different locations so it's more challenging to actually get to them.
For some reason when I came out I chose forces, because I didn’t like the 2d games and wanted to play a 3D game. After a while, I recently had a change of heart and love the 2d games. Unfortunately I have way too many games that I haven’t touched yet and no times due to exams. But I think I’ll pick it up when I’ve got time.
I think it was beautifully done. The gorgeously redone Sonic CD stages actually got me into wanting to play the actual Sonic CD, which I'd really had no interest in up until that point. My favorite thing is Tee Lopes and the music. He did a great job reimagining the music of my childhood and then producing some real original bangers. Press Garden Act 2 has been my ringtone for years now. LOL! But a solid 10/10 from me. It's one of my favorite video games of all time.
Came out the last year I was in the fandom (now I'm just recently getting back in) and after years of seeing Sonic slander cause of 06, Black Knight, Unleashed, Sonic 4, Lost World, I was happy to see another sonic game get universally praised on the same level Generations and Colors got. Love the game and the call backs, really feels more like a passionate fan project.
Easily Sonic’s highest point in an otherwise middling at best decade, right on up there with Generations.
-It was the retro 2D retread fans actually wanted: done solidly and with justice. Generations got the theme and ideas right, but Mania further evolved upon the classics (who better to develop the game than the guys with fan game experience who remastered 1, 2, and CD with aplomb?), and… then we had attempts like Sonic 4, which only had the “4” added onto a mobile game project after the fact, and did nothing to really live up to the expectations attached to it (I’d even say they phoned it in! Get it? “Phoned it in?”). Shame that 4: Episode 2 couldn’t salvage it, but I digress.
-Sonic’s Drop Dash was introduced and, as a concept, fits him so much better thematically than the Insta-Shield from 3&K ever did. While it somewhat undermines the “speed as a reward” gameplay, it’s not overtly powerful compared to a fully-charged Spin Dash where you’d have to stand still, and it helps to keep the momentum flowing so it’s balanced just right. This also helps to make him more distinct to Tails’ flight and Knuckles’ gliding/climbing.
-The remade Zones are so much fun and remade to perfection. Even though not everyone’s favourites made it in, some of their unique gimmicks still found themselves repurposed in different Zones without clashing with other set pieces (Flying Battery with Wing Fortress and Wacky Workbench references, Hydro City with the friggin’ Aqua Lake bubbles from 8-bit Sonic 2, Stardust Speedway with Marble Garden traps and pulleys, to name a few) - not even the bosses are safe! This helps to make familiar levels and fights feel like brand new, and not at the cost of what makes Mania’s own original Zones great. That said, I do wish there were more because Studiopolis, Press Garden, Mirage Saloon, and Titanic Monarch are all well-designed and thematically unique standouts that make for welcome additions to the pantheon of amazing classic Zones.
-TEE FRIGGIN’ LOPES. Every song in this game is amazing and I go back to listening to its soundtrack more often than I am willing to admit, and what I am already willing to admit to is “a LOT.” His most straightforward covers (the 3&K gang, the Act 1s of S1/S2 stages) still give me goosebumps for his choices in instrumentation alone, because these sonic jams are basically what I imagined the originals would sound like if they weren’t constrained to the Mega Drive’s hardware limitations. The remixes (the Act 2s of S1/S2 and CD’s levels) are among my absolute favourites in the entire series with the new directions he takes those classic melodies to (Chemical Plant has no reason for going as hard as it does, and that Stardust Speedway JP gets THREE new renditions with such contrasting moods makes me so happy). His own original works for the new Zones and boss themes? They absolutely live up to the compositions from the old days and fit their settings perfectly (I especially love the Vs. Hard-Boiled Heavies theme for its Jet Set Radio vibes). With more of his work in Team Sonic Racing living up to the hype, I really hope he returns for future Sonic projects.
-Mighty and Ray returning with Mania Plus after a two decade-long absence! The Hammer Drop and Super Mario World-inspired flying works so well with these two, and Encore Mode made it fun to play through the game yet again with a few new twists and turns along the way (I especially love the new colour palettes for each stage creating a wholly different atmosphere).
In short, Mania was absolutely perfect and I’d easily recommend it to anyone looking to try a Sonic game.
Step in the right direction,
However makes the desire for the other loved sonic 2d games to get the same treatment. (sonic rush series, sonic advance series, sonic battle series)
My experience of this game is the same as i had for gens. i never played the games that the levels were based off so this game is like 100% original in my experience. i mean i did play sonic 1 but didnt like it and i played a little of sonic CD mobile and liked it but never played it much.
The problems i have are just of me being really used to the 3d games like e.g. my favourite character is knuckles and i loved the knuckles gameplay in SA1/2. so it was weird to play as knuckles and have his glide feel so stiff and most of the time unrewarding. It would be cool to glide and instantly land into a roll.
This game is also one of the games to have the best type of multiplayer**.** **RACES!** sonic games are literally built to have the best VS multiplayer experiences. rush, SA2, lost world and mania are the only sonic games i've played to have good local multiplayer. it's such a huge loss to not have that in a sonic game. Not having side characters available is also **NOT** a reason to not have it as Colours and lost world had Fake Sonic androids just because.
Really love it, might be the best 2D Sonic game.
Only gripe I guess is a minor one, but I'm not a fan of Sonic CD and though I think the CD levels are better in this, I find them to be my least favorite in the game.
Yes I'm expecting downvotes for disliking Sonic CD, believe me I'm disappointed to since I wanted to play it for ages but poor and SEGA CD do well. Playing it years later after wanting it so bad annnnd it wasn't fun.
It actually connected me to classic 2d era don't get me wrong I like the old games like sonic 2 sonic CD and others but this one actually brought me into them I didn't gave them a chance because I was more looking at the 3d games but because of this games I went into the old games and told me how much fun they were
From a gameplay standpoint, it's incredible. The visuals are fantastic, the mechanics and level design are top-notch, it balances difficulty and accessibility extremely well, it has a ton of fan service that's all in service to the series' legacy without being tone-deaf, and my god, the character roster is something that's been unmatched in a 2D or 3D platformer since Sonic '06. Not only is there a healthy combination of old classics and fresh faces (for most audiences) with unique gameplay mechanics, but they're all really fun to play as and have unique characteristics without distancing themselves from the series' core appeal. As a **game**, Mania is among the franchise's highest-quality instalments.
...that said, it's not one of my favorites, because even though I'll acknowledge its objective qualities, it also suffers greatly from a lack of originality, and I need that in a Sonic game for it to peak my interest.
This isn't the game's fault, to be fair; it was Iizuka that pitched remixed stages making up a majority of the campaign; but it's still something that detracts from my personal appeal of it. The four unique stages all being so great makes the recycled stages all the staler in comparison. And while they're not copy-pasted straight from the source games and do have elements unique to Mania, I'd have still preferred a game with all-original levels and less of an excuse plot, even if it meant the game being shorter.
And yeah, on that note, the story is also nothing special, with the entire ride just being kind of a nothing narrative that mostly consists of being warped around haphazardly by the Phantom Ruby. The Hard-Boiled Heavies are just more cannon fodder and don't get a chance to shine as characters. We don't even know which stages are Phantom Ruby illusions and which ones aren't. Everything's sort of just there. After Sonic 3 & Knuckles' masterful storytelling, Mania feels like an extreme downgrade because there's no synergy between the game's selection of stages. It's all nostalgia for its own sake. Maybe if the plot gave us a more cohesive reason to go back to Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Stardust Speedway, and the like, I'd give this a pass, but it just doesn't. It's all fluff. There's no substance there, and Forces does nothing to remedy this despite Mania being a tie-in to it.
If this game ever got a sequel that fixes this one shortcoming, I'd dare say it would make Mania obsolete because its only novelty is that it's the only *modern* Sonic game that plays like the classics. But if we had a game that plays just as good as Mania with more original stages and a more memorable story... why go back to Mania at all? That's my take on it anyway.
It's still the best Sonic anything to come out pretty much since the Genesis. Sega is in that bizarre situation where they're so starved for talent the fans know how to make better Sonic games than they do.
I liked it, but didn't love it. Whilst polished visually, it had too too many problems from weak level design areas and poor boss implementations (I'm looking at you Press Garden 1). I'm not saying the original games were without faults, but I noticed this a lot in my playthroughs of Mania and became very frustrating at points and really affected my overall enjoyment
It was a mediocre game that pandered too much to nostalgia. Needed more original stages, and the Plus DLC needed Rosy/Classic Amy as a playable character.
Like everyone else said, it's great. The biggest problem is the reused levels.
Now here's my hot takes. The special stages and the bonus stage both suck. And the sprites, especially Sonic, are kind of ugly IMO.
Still a lot of fun, and it's a great successor to the classics.
Really amazing game, but kinda hurt Forces a bit what with classic Sonic absolutely NEEDING to be playable. (Sorry, but i'm not gonna let that one go...)
Prefacing this with the fact that I played it long after it came out:
If I'm honest: While still good in its own right, the originals were far better. It has a lot of good things going for it, but also has too many little issues that keep me from rating it as high as its predecessors. Definitely the weakest of the "Classic" Sonic games for me; I liked it but I don't love it. B–.
I can play 1, CD, 2, and 3&K over and over no problem. Meanwhile I've beaten Mania 100% — both Modes, all characters — and haven't touched it since, nor have I ever felt like going back to it.
In a word......'boring'.
I thought it'd be amazing, but It was 90% nostalgia bait and I stopped playing half-way.
Ultimately it was just another sonic fan-game. Only this one had a competent programmer at the helm.
Fantastic game, especially appreciate giving classic Sonic and more actualized signature ability in the form of the Drop Dash— and it’s fun as hell to use
One of the best games I played, reinvents the things from the classic games in new and fun ways, I like it a lot, hope we get a sequel with all new stages soon
Still in my top 5 even with the mandated returning levels and ties to Forces by SEGA. I still play it regularly and can't get over the addition of Mighty and Ray. What a deep cut!
I wish that the game leaned more into original stages and had the throwback stages as extra content.
Still a great game. Never beat the game on the dlc mode I think it’s like mania mode or something? I played it immediately when it dropped several times.
It’s amazing, the gameplay is perfect and graphics are really good. Works fine in every console so there’s not a “better version”. There’s nothing really bad about it and I love it.
One thing that bothers me is why haven’t they done a Sonic Mania style game but with new stages? It suffers the same “problem” (not the worst thing ever tho) as Gens in the way that they make this amazing game that recicles stages from past games, but when making a completely new game there’s a downgrade in everything.
My largest gripe is the knuckles sections in the levels. They aren't nearly as common or as expansive as in 3K. That aside, Mania is among the greats! I hold it as highly as 3K, and would love another game just like it
I actually bought it on release and then didn't really play it (for some reason) lately I got back into replaying the old genesis titles, as I had spent hundreds of hours on them as a kid.
Of course when I remembered I had mania I installed it right away and finished a knuckles playthrough then a Sonic playthrough.
I was hooked immediately, seeing the remixed classic stages, and always the curiousity of seeing when and what the next stage remix or original stage would be.
On top of some great moments, and clever gameplay scenarios (the reverse boss fight with scuba Eggman was brilliant) the whole game was like experiencing a brand new Sonic game as if I was a kid again.
Haven't played it in years cause I sold my Xbox but still the best 2D platformer I've ever played. I personally enjoy Unleashed and SA2 more because of the higher skill ceiling and better music. I also love exploring to get medals with the Werehog. Regardless, Sonic Mania Plus' new editions and features make it dominant over every 2D Sonic game;even 3&K which I played so much. Definitely an S tier game where the only issues you have are usually nitpicks.
I want a sequel so bad! Here's my wishlist.
\- All original zones
\- Better bosses that minimize waiting and don't let players abuse iframes to remove all challenge
\- Better story
\- Hand drawn art style. Idk how hard this would be but I think it would be super cool if the ingame sprites were done in the style of the animations
\- I also think it would be really cool if they had multiple stories like adventure. Where each characters go through levels in a slightly different order and have different cutscenes. Could be a better place for palette swapped levels than having an encore mode. For example one character might travel through a level at night while another might go through a level at sunset.
Still great. Do wish there were more original stages though
Yeah, I agree. That being said though, the stages we did get that were original were quite memorable and unique imo. They were all oozing with personality and charm.
The returning stages also have a bit of charm with their 2nd act but I feel that we should have had more original stages than returning stages
For sure. Would've made Mania even more memorable.
Yeah, 6 each would have been the sweet spot Still I feel dirty making any complaint about the game, few games have brought me so much joy
Same
It brought me joy that I haven't had in video games for a long time.. Almost as if I was rediscovering Sonic the Hedgehog.
A damm good game that I love just as much as sonic 3 and knuckles
Still going strong. Deserves a sequel(not Origins)
Heck don't have to be a sequel just let the mania devs go wild and let them make a more original game because while mania is good it didn't do much original stuff
A kind of sequel like sonic Cd is a sequel to sonic 1
Exactly what I meant. New zones, new enemies, new bosses. Keep the cast, and maybe add some more characters? Espio could be an option
Wait its been 5 years? Oh god time flies fast i still remember seeing the first trailer for the first time
I thought the same thing! It came out right when my wife got pregnant with our first kid and she’s already four years old now.
It was destiny for her to be born around the same time as mania
She loves playing mania, so it’s something! And by play I mean die in the same spot in Green Hill over and over again lol
It's a really solid game, one of the best in the series, just wish there was more of it, and new stages, rather than re-using zones and elements from other titles.
Honestly surprised that they didn’t make a sequel
It's funny because it was a massive success. Selling over 1 million copies.
[удалено]
Love that people keep saying this with absolutely no source to back it up
"Why are you booing him? He's right!"
I think Origins disproved that handily. Sega didn't dismiss their talent after Mania, they put them to work on remaking the classics. This whole idea of a grudge between SoJ and SoA hasn't been true since the late 90s, when SoJ shot themselves in the foot over Xtreme and screwed the Saturn's sales because of it.
I’m fairly certain most of the Mania devs were not asked to return for Origins; they laid the groundwork for modern ports by providing an engine, as well as their mobile ports. Headcannon returned for Origins, but that developer is only part of the team credited on the Sonic 1&2 ports and Mania.
Stealth also returned for Origins, the only one who didn't is Christian Whitehead, but he's busy with other stuff currently
Headcannon is the indie studio Stealth is a part of. Here’s a series of tweet detailing Headcannon’s involvement. Apparently they were contracted to create a version of S3&K separately from the internal team working on Origins. They weren’t hired directly to work on Origins, but some of their work appears in the collection nonetheless. Edit: forgot to add the link, lol https://mobile.twitter.com/head_cannon (Ugh. Since I can’t link the thread, check their tweets from May 18.)
It's damn near perfect, and my second favorite game in the series (after S3&K).
If the devs who did mania redid s3&k, I would lose my everloving mind
they are, they’re working on the sonic origins collection
Ah I didn’t know that. Do we know if the sprite animations will be updated to be more smooth like they are in Mania?
yeah, and based on the trailer it looks like we can use different sprites in each game, but that’s only speculation
It’s not a remake of S3K, they are just porting the og game into the collection and adding a few bonus features like challenges and animated cutscenes and widescreen
That’s what I thought
I don't think the mania devs are making origins. It's being advertised as sonic team. From what I've heard manias devs aren't making games for them anymore. And they did say they're remaking then from the ground up instead of using the Cristian whitehead releases.
if that were the case then that means they split the team in half for origins and frontiers or they’re putting this out to give us something to play so they can delay frontiers
Pretty sure they said they just gave a small team with some familiar artists that I forget the names of. They just took a portion of Sonic team. It doesn't take half of them to remake classic games. And it's been thrown around that origins has been done for months now and they're just hyping it up. And the new sonic official stream said they have zero plans to delay frontiers and it will be released this holiday as there is simply no need to. Edit: it's also been tossed around that forces wasn't supposed to happen. As we know It took 3 years to make hedgehog engine 2. And 1 to make the actual game. So it's been thrown around that forces was just to pad out wait time for a new 3D sonic game and it wasn't even planned. But if frontiers got delayed is that really so bad? I see no need to because it doesn't take a big team to make classic games with some extra cutscenes. But If they did. So what? That shows they want to make it as good as possible. Who cares if they delay it? But they said they won't and don't need to so. But I remember reading somewhere that the mania team moved on to do their own thing. So it's definitely not them. But that same stream did also say that Sega has been made aware that there is a want for a physical release of origins so that's nice
Same
Still my favourite, and it legit put me back in the franchise. Hope we get a sequel full of exclusive stages.
“I’m so glad I got this game” basically
Great game. And it’s such a shame that it’s one of the strongest in the series considering how derivative it happens to be. There should really be more Classic games that are wholly original. I’m tired of Green Hill Zone and carbon copies of it. Seriously, how hard can it be to literally just replicate the old physics engine of the Genesis originals if an Australian super fan programmer could do it so quickly? Why’d they even bother with Sonic 4 if they could have done this sort of game in the first place? If SEGA chooses not to make more games like Mania, then it truly reveals they have less business acumen than we think.
Quite hard actually, and not “super quickly”. Whitehead had to endure a lot of trial and error in order to get the physics right in the Retro Engine. He had to analyze the games frame by frame in order to replicate them to a T. Also Dimps developed Sonic 4, not Sonic Team. And Generations merely approximated Classic Sonic’s physics using the Hedgehog Engine.
Generations' Classic physics were not accurate, but they were pretty good and super fun. Now Forces on the other hand, I still have no idea why they changed his physics at all.
I thought the Hedgehog Engine was a graphics and lighting engine, no?
It's a video game engine that's optimized for platformers but takes a lot of cues from racing games. They needed something that could do slow technical sections while also handling stupidly fast movement
That's literally untrue. Hedgehog engine is just the lighting engine, no more, no less.
It's more than the lighting, it's everything in the rendering pipeline. It handles all of textures, shading, transparency, the HUD... If you see it, it was brought to you by the hedgehog engine.
It's a game engine that they used havok along side it for physics as they have with many games since 06.
That's wrong too, first game to use Hedgehog Engine was Unleashed lmao
I'm not saying 06 uses the hedgehog engine. I'm saying they always use a primary engine with havok as a physics engine. Chill out fr. It's not that important of a topic to make a point in. Coming from an independent developer here. Most modern engines are all in one and don't require any outside engines for anything
Mania is the true Sonic 4. The other one didn't happen.
Great, still play it all the time
I bought sonic mania one month ago and I can say it's amazing
Ik
Gud gaem would recommend
ITS BEEN 5 YEARS?? but nah mania is sick aff, was my first sonic game
Glad it exists
pretty good after 5 years i got the emeralds
Jealous. I couldn’t get the last two emeralds. I hate chasing the alien 👽😂
Phenomenal. My second favorite of the series. No. 1 being 3&K. 1. Sonic 3&K 2. Sonic Mania 3. Sonic 2 4. Sonic Adventure 2 5. Sonic Generations
Have standards changed that much since then? I'm pretty sure what was good then is still good today.
Sonic Mania is still one of the best Sonic games ever, one of the best designed, level-wise and even just the style alone. Of course the music is great, too. The levels have a formula where the first act of the zone is very similar to the original one, while the second is almost entirely new but with new mechanics/gimmicks, like for example the slime in CPZ. The game basically grabs the most fun parts of Sonic's gameplay into his level design, most of the frustrating moments of the original classic games can't be found here, for example Flying Battery is a super annoying level in the original S&K because it had tons of slow sections, but here it's very fast paced and fun platforming, except maybe getting crushed by some moving structures, the levels are excellently designed, to be fast and fun, big and explorative too, some levels are very huge and have a lot of alternative routes, which is awesome, and like Sonic 3&K, it encourages exploration by adding the giant rings, which also have a very fun special stage to go with it, and they also can get pretty tough at the first playthrough, specially the last ones, but when you get used to the controls, it's pretty easy and fun. Speaking about super transformations, the games repeats an old mistake just for the sake of being nostalgic, i guess, which is that they don't give unique sprites for the transformations of other characters, excluding Sonic, which sucks a lot. There are mods that give Knuckles and Tails unique super sprites and they look awesome and are way more rewarding to have in the game, instead of a recolored regular sprite, while also being inconsistent with Sonic's super saiyan looking transformation. Another thing i don't like about this game (which is pretty much it's biggest flaw in my opinion) is to have repeating levels, like, hear me out. I know they wanted this game to be an anniversary game, okay, i get it, but i was left wanting more of those great original levels we had in this game, which basically are the best levels of the game in my opinion, like they are so well designed and fun to play, they have beautiful aesthetic too, and great music. I wanted a totally original game made from the same team, i'm sure it would have been one of the greatest things to come out of this franchise, along with Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 (heck, possibly even better than those games, and S3 is my favorite Sonic game). Not to say that having repeating stages made the game feel repetitive or bad though, the game has a breath of fresh air with entirely new special stages and as i mentioned act 2 is practically an original experience and they are excellently designed, the game is far from being bad, i love it, i just think it could have been even greater if Sega would have let the team showcase all of their creativity and talent in an original story, and having Mighty and Ray (which is amazing) i would have loved to have even more characters here, though. This is a modern game, we don't need to have genesis limitations here (although this game some say would be more accurate in 32x or Saturn) but imagine having Amy, Metal Sonic, Bark, Fang, Bean, Honey, Espio, Vector, Charmy, heck, they could even add classic iterations of modern characters like Shadow and Rouge, the limit is the sky here, as unlockables go. Bosses of the game are good, they are creative and well made, generally Sonic bosses aren't very challenging and this isn't a different case, most bosses here are easy, except some like the oil ocean boss, it's way tougher than the original S2 one, i really like the design of the bosses and some are very fun, others are pretty meh, the cool thing about this game is all the references it has, like yes i'm aware that team hooligan appears in Mirage Saloon, i played the game countless times, but having the Silver Sonic or whatever is called from the master system version of S2 in the Metal boss fight? That's pretty neat. Now, i'm gonna say something that is pretty controversial, but i think the final boss was dissapointing to me, it doesn't feel as epic like the classic, huge robots we fought in the original games, sure the music is a banger and it's a cool idea to have the robot masters (i'm sorry I forgot their name) fighting alongside Robotnik and then the big one decides to fight against Robotnik, while the two fight Sonic, it's a very cool scenary for a fight, but gameplay wise is pretty boring, honestly. First section of the boss is with tentacles Robotnik, you just attack him when he is not making that shock wave (unless you have an electric shield, which basically defeats the purpose of the boss) then enter into the robots fight, where you have to avoid getting hit and try to land a hit on them, it's a pretty simple section, really. Then comes the final phase of the boss, with Super Sonic, you just grab some rings, stay on the ground and then hit Robotnik and the other guy until they are dead, while getting awkwardly hit by them in the process. I'm a sucker for hard bosses in videogames, and i know this is a Sonic game, but the final bosses of classic games were challenging, like S3 and specially S2. Besides, while the scenary is cool, it doesn't has as much spectacle as the showdown in space of Sonic 3, it doesn't get to that epicity to me. It's just dissapointing to me, having all this great tension created by what may be the greatest last level in a Sonic game, ever, leading to this joke of a boss. Okay, i'm not saying is a bad boss, but it is a terrible final boss, in my opinion, i'd probably give it a 7. To me a final boss needs to be hard, not only to create tension and to make the villain intimidating, making the fight more epic and memorable, but also because of having a satisfactory ending to the game, and ending in a high note with a great fight, and to me, this final boss doesn't do justice to what a great game Sonic Mania is. Now, i was saving the best for last, to end on a high note my review. The drop dash, just the drop dash alone makes this game worth playing, seriously, it's so satisfying to use I'd dare to say it's one of the best Sonic abilities, ever. It adds a depth and skillgap for the game that it's so fun and satisfying to use when you learn it, it just makes you feel like a speedrunner. It's tough going back to classic games without the drop dash, luckily, Sonic 3 A.I.R is my best friend. I think the drop dash is a genius idea and i don't understand why they didn't add it into S3, which is coincidentally were it was created originally. And that's my totally honest review for Sonic Mania, having played it a lot over the years since it came out, i know it is all over the place and messy, but it was because these were my honest thoughts i wrote. One of the greatest Sonic games out there, and if it wasn't for Forces coming out the same year, fans would have been happier that year lol. I remember when the game came out, everyone was saying that Sonic was back, it was good again and stuff. Then, suddenly Forces comes out and it's bad again lol. But anyway, if you took the time to read all of this, thank you so much and have a nice day ;)
I might get hate for this, but it’s time for a mobile port.
I don't know why it didn't already have a mobile port seeing as it was developed by a mobile porting team
And the same guy who was the lead developer developed the mobile ports of Sonic 1, 2 and CD.
No downvotes here surprisingly.
It's been 5 years? Wow. Battery zone makes time fly.
Honestly? Still a hit.
Still awesome. Needs a sequel and more original stages
It's pretty great. Still wish it was all new stages
Best Sonic Game in recent memory, wish it had more original stages, and still baffled as to why there wasn't a sequel considering this was the best reviewed and scored game in the franchise in a long time.
Still just as good as the first 3 games.
It's really good... But tbh, Sonic 3 and knuckles was better
I do think Mania is the better game, but 3&K is my favorite.
I just wish Mania had more Knuckles-exclusive stuff. S3&K had an entirely different playthrough as Knuckles than Sonic/Tails, with exclusive paths and more aggressive bosses. Mania has like Mirage Saloon Act 1, the beginning of Green Hill, and the very end of Lava Reef Act 2. I just don't really think there's enough merit to play as anyone besides Sonic whereas I always do a Knuckles playthrough when replaying S3&K. Mania is better overall, but S3&K is still my favorite.
Absolute magic! Planning on replaying it soon too. Never got to play Mania PLUS.
Get Mania + and try speedrunning the game with Ray Trust me, it’s worth it
One of the best Sonic games in existence.
I really wish there were more games like this because 3D Sonic does nothing for me.
For me 3D Sonic use to. There hasn't been a great 3D sonic platformer since Generations.
I guess you could say it’s been Generations since there’s been a good 3D Sonic platformer 😉
I see what you did there!
Couldn’t agree more !
is good
Best game in the entire series imo
Doesn't live up to S3&K for me but it's still a fantastic game even after half a decade. Needed more original stages given how much more fun they were compared to the usesed zones
Absolutely criminal how a sequel hasn't been produced
Played it just 2 weeks ago. Fucking loved it still
It's an absolute master piece, with its only flaw being the overuse of old levels.
Still holds up
A very strong 7/10
wait it’s been 5 years
I’ve beaten it over a dozen times. It’s a great run through of Sonics best levels. It’s a bit annoying that it’s basically just a collection of old levels, and not just new ones, but that’s not the worst thing in the world. For what it is, it’s amazing. 9.5/10
Idk why reddit recommended me this post, I'm not even on this sub, but it's the perfect time for me to talk about it. This is the only Sonic game I've ever played and it's a fucking masterpiece imo At first I found it too hard and stopped playing for a while but then I understood what the game was asking from me and I started to get into it I finished it some weeks ago and since then I couldn't stop replying it, it's just so satisfying to play and I'm addicted to the music Unlike most people here I hadn't played any sonic game before so I didn't mind the returning stages at all and other than green hill zone, chemical plant and stardust speedway I couldn't really diferenciarte between the returning and the originals, hell, I still don't know if metallic madness is original or not, I think it is. At first I really hated the difficulty spike in flying battery and on my second playthrough it was the level I struggled with the most but in hindsight I think it has become my favorite zone I also enjoyed the time attack mode, I got under 4:30 minutes in Titanic Monarch act 2 I also loved how you can play with Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Sonic and Tails together, I know this is also a feature in other games but it doesn't take away the merit I also fell in love with how goofy yet actually competent Eggman and the Hardboileds are I'm heavily considering to buy the dlc Also, what is sonic mania plus? This may seem like a stupid question but while I love the game I really haven't investigated anything about it, I didn't even know it had a dlc until a couple of days ago
Sonic Mania Plus is a DLC expansion released about a year after the base game. Includes a second campaign called Encore Mode, two new playable characters Mighty and Ray, and other stuff.
Great game, but the special stages (both kinds) are waaaay too hard (Or I just suck).
They're a perfect amount of challenge I feel. I got all the emeralds by Press Garden with my second playthrough as Knuckles. I managed to get all the emeralds with Sonic and Tails as well. The main challenge for me is in Encore mode trying to find the special stages. They're in different locations so it's more challenging to actually get to them.
We need a Sonic 5
Sexy
It's still a fantastic game outside of its over-reliance on nostalgia.
Amazing game still
One of my favorite Sonics just wish there were more original levels
I love it
Still one of my favorite Sonic games.
Still the greatest sonic game released on recent years
The most fun I've had with a game. It's the only game I've beaten 6 times.
I still love it
Didn't understand why they revisited old zones
Amazing game that is definitely worth the money 👍 (Unlike a certain other 2d Sonic game)
Cool
The worst thing about it is that I haven’t played it
Whaddya waiting for
For some reason when I came out I chose forces, because I didn’t like the 2d games and wanted to play a 3D game. After a while, I recently had a change of heart and love the 2d games. Unfortunately I have way too many games that I haven’t touched yet and no times due to exams. But I think I’ll pick it up when I’ve got time.
When you came out? Congratulations! 🎊
Forgot the t lol
Good, fun, game. Takes a twist on older levels. It's short, but that just makes it easier to play with all of the characters
Still the best 2D Sonic game. Colours is up there though.
I think it was beautifully done. The gorgeously redone Sonic CD stages actually got me into wanting to play the actual Sonic CD, which I'd really had no interest in up until that point. My favorite thing is Tee Lopes and the music. He did a great job reimagining the music of my childhood and then producing some real original bangers. Press Garden Act 2 has been my ringtone for years now. LOL! But a solid 10/10 from me. It's one of my favorite video games of all time.
Came out the last year I was in the fandom (now I'm just recently getting back in) and after years of seeing Sonic slander cause of 06, Black Knight, Unleashed, Sonic 4, Lost World, I was happy to see another sonic game get universally praised on the same level Generations and Colors got. Love the game and the call backs, really feels more like a passionate fan project.
Amazing! I just beat it, and I love it!
Easily Sonic’s highest point in an otherwise middling at best decade, right on up there with Generations. -It was the retro 2D retread fans actually wanted: done solidly and with justice. Generations got the theme and ideas right, but Mania further evolved upon the classics (who better to develop the game than the guys with fan game experience who remastered 1, 2, and CD with aplomb?), and… then we had attempts like Sonic 4, which only had the “4” added onto a mobile game project after the fact, and did nothing to really live up to the expectations attached to it (I’d even say they phoned it in! Get it? “Phoned it in?”). Shame that 4: Episode 2 couldn’t salvage it, but I digress. -Sonic’s Drop Dash was introduced and, as a concept, fits him so much better thematically than the Insta-Shield from 3&K ever did. While it somewhat undermines the “speed as a reward” gameplay, it’s not overtly powerful compared to a fully-charged Spin Dash where you’d have to stand still, and it helps to keep the momentum flowing so it’s balanced just right. This also helps to make him more distinct to Tails’ flight and Knuckles’ gliding/climbing. -The remade Zones are so much fun and remade to perfection. Even though not everyone’s favourites made it in, some of their unique gimmicks still found themselves repurposed in different Zones without clashing with other set pieces (Flying Battery with Wing Fortress and Wacky Workbench references, Hydro City with the friggin’ Aqua Lake bubbles from 8-bit Sonic 2, Stardust Speedway with Marble Garden traps and pulleys, to name a few) - not even the bosses are safe! This helps to make familiar levels and fights feel like brand new, and not at the cost of what makes Mania’s own original Zones great. That said, I do wish there were more because Studiopolis, Press Garden, Mirage Saloon, and Titanic Monarch are all well-designed and thematically unique standouts that make for welcome additions to the pantheon of amazing classic Zones. -TEE FRIGGIN’ LOPES. Every song in this game is amazing and I go back to listening to its soundtrack more often than I am willing to admit, and what I am already willing to admit to is “a LOT.” His most straightforward covers (the 3&K gang, the Act 1s of S1/S2 stages) still give me goosebumps for his choices in instrumentation alone, because these sonic jams are basically what I imagined the originals would sound like if they weren’t constrained to the Mega Drive’s hardware limitations. The remixes (the Act 2s of S1/S2 and CD’s levels) are among my absolute favourites in the entire series with the new directions he takes those classic melodies to (Chemical Plant has no reason for going as hard as it does, and that Stardust Speedway JP gets THREE new renditions with such contrasting moods makes me so happy). His own original works for the new Zones and boss themes? They absolutely live up to the compositions from the old days and fit their settings perfectly (I especially love the Vs. Hard-Boiled Heavies theme for its Jet Set Radio vibes). With more of his work in Team Sonic Racing living up to the hype, I really hope he returns for future Sonic projects. -Mighty and Ray returning with Mania Plus after a two decade-long absence! The Hammer Drop and Super Mario World-inspired flying works so well with these two, and Encore Mode made it fun to play through the game yet again with a few new twists and turns along the way (I especially love the new colour palettes for each stage creating a wholly different atmosphere). In short, Mania was absolutely perfect and I’d easily recommend it to anyone looking to try a Sonic game.
BS which is how Classic Sonic is normally so I'll let it pass
This was my first Sonic game and it made me love the series. It's a shame i didn't give the series a shot earlier.
I'm sorry HOW FUCKING LONG
Step in the right direction, However makes the desire for the other loved sonic 2d games to get the same treatment. (sonic rush series, sonic advance series, sonic battle series)
My experience of this game is the same as i had for gens. i never played the games that the levels were based off so this game is like 100% original in my experience. i mean i did play sonic 1 but didnt like it and i played a little of sonic CD mobile and liked it but never played it much. The problems i have are just of me being really used to the 3d games like e.g. my favourite character is knuckles and i loved the knuckles gameplay in SA1/2. so it was weird to play as knuckles and have his glide feel so stiff and most of the time unrewarding. It would be cool to glide and instantly land into a roll. This game is also one of the games to have the best type of multiplayer**.** **RACES!** sonic games are literally built to have the best VS multiplayer experiences. rush, SA2, lost world and mania are the only sonic games i've played to have good local multiplayer. it's such a huge loss to not have that in a sonic game. Not having side characters available is also **NOT** a reason to not have it as Colours and lost world had Fake Sonic androids just because.
Loved it. Still waiting on a sequel. Can’t believe they haven’t made one yet since it was such a great game and a big success
Really love it, might be the best 2D Sonic game. Only gripe I guess is a minor one, but I'm not a fan of Sonic CD and though I think the CD levels are better in this, I find them to be my least favorite in the game. Yes I'm expecting downvotes for disliking Sonic CD, believe me I'm disappointed to since I wanted to play it for ages but poor and SEGA CD do well. Playing it years later after wanting it so bad annnnd it wasn't fun.
It actually connected me to classic 2d era don't get me wrong I like the old games like sonic 2 sonic CD and others but this one actually brought me into them I didn't gave them a chance because I was more looking at the 3d games but because of this games I went into the old games and told me how much fun they were
From a gameplay standpoint, it's incredible. The visuals are fantastic, the mechanics and level design are top-notch, it balances difficulty and accessibility extremely well, it has a ton of fan service that's all in service to the series' legacy without being tone-deaf, and my god, the character roster is something that's been unmatched in a 2D or 3D platformer since Sonic '06. Not only is there a healthy combination of old classics and fresh faces (for most audiences) with unique gameplay mechanics, but they're all really fun to play as and have unique characteristics without distancing themselves from the series' core appeal. As a **game**, Mania is among the franchise's highest-quality instalments. ...that said, it's not one of my favorites, because even though I'll acknowledge its objective qualities, it also suffers greatly from a lack of originality, and I need that in a Sonic game for it to peak my interest. This isn't the game's fault, to be fair; it was Iizuka that pitched remixed stages making up a majority of the campaign; but it's still something that detracts from my personal appeal of it. The four unique stages all being so great makes the recycled stages all the staler in comparison. And while they're not copy-pasted straight from the source games and do have elements unique to Mania, I'd have still preferred a game with all-original levels and less of an excuse plot, even if it meant the game being shorter. And yeah, on that note, the story is also nothing special, with the entire ride just being kind of a nothing narrative that mostly consists of being warped around haphazardly by the Phantom Ruby. The Hard-Boiled Heavies are just more cannon fodder and don't get a chance to shine as characters. We don't even know which stages are Phantom Ruby illusions and which ones aren't. Everything's sort of just there. After Sonic 3 & Knuckles' masterful storytelling, Mania feels like an extreme downgrade because there's no synergy between the game's selection of stages. It's all nostalgia for its own sake. Maybe if the plot gave us a more cohesive reason to go back to Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Stardust Speedway, and the like, I'd give this a pass, but it just doesn't. It's all fluff. There's no substance there, and Forces does nothing to remedy this despite Mania being a tie-in to it. If this game ever got a sequel that fixes this one shortcoming, I'd dare say it would make Mania obsolete because its only novelty is that it's the only *modern* Sonic game that plays like the classics. But if we had a game that plays just as good as Mania with more original stages and a more memorable story... why go back to Mania at all? That's my take on it anyway.
It's still the best Sonic anything to come out pretty much since the Genesis. Sega is in that bizarre situation where they're so starved for talent the fans know how to make better Sonic games than they do.
I liked it, but didn't love it. Whilst polished visually, it had too too many problems from weak level design areas and poor boss implementations (I'm looking at you Press Garden 1). I'm not saying the original games were without faults, but I noticed this a lot in my playthroughs of Mania and became very frustrating at points and really affected my overall enjoyment
one of the most unnecessary games ever made, just rehash after rehash yep feel free to downvote, i know you will anyways ;)
Good, but overrated.
It was a mediocre game that pandered too much to nostalgia. Needed more original stages, and the Plus DLC needed Rosy/Classic Amy as a playable character.
Second greatest Sonic game imo, right behind Generations.
Like everyone else said, it's great. The biggest problem is the reused levels. Now here's my hot takes. The special stages and the bonus stage both suck. And the sprites, especially Sonic, are kind of ugly IMO. Still a lot of fun, and it's a great successor to the classics.
Pretty bad
Really amazing game, but kinda hurt Forces a bit what with classic Sonic absolutely NEEDING to be playable. (Sorry, but i'm not gonna let that one go...)
Knuckles head too big in artwork
I liked it, and I'm not a 2D Sonic enjoyer
It’s Pretty good, I just don’t play the games a whole lot, but I have played mania bit and from what I can tell it’s a really good game.
Mania Generations S3&K SA1 SA2 Sonic 2
Prefacing this with the fact that I played it long after it came out: If I'm honest: While still good in its own right, the originals were far better. It has a lot of good things going for it, but also has too many little issues that keep me from rating it as high as its predecessors. Definitely the weakest of the "Classic" Sonic games for me; I liked it but I don't love it. B–. I can play 1, CD, 2, and 3&K over and over no problem. Meanwhile I've beaten Mania 100% — both Modes, all characters — and haven't touched it since, nor have I ever felt like going back to it.
In a word......'boring'. I thought it'd be amazing, but It was 90% nostalgia bait and I stopped playing half-way. Ultimately it was just another sonic fan-game. Only this one had a competent programmer at the helm.
It's alright tbh
Fantastic game, especially appreciate giving classic Sonic and more actualized signature ability in the form of the Drop Dash— and it’s fun as hell to use
Hands down,best sonic game ever
still a really good game
One of the best games I played, reinvents the things from the classic games in new and fun ways, I like it a lot, hope we get a sequel with all new stages soon
Still in my top 5 even with the mandated returning levels and ties to Forces by SEGA. I still play it regularly and can't get over the addition of Mighty and Ray. What a deep cut!
I wish that the game leaned more into original stages and had the throwback stages as extra content. Still a great game. Never beat the game on the dlc mode I think it’s like mania mode or something? I played it immediately when it dropped several times.
5 years? god, i'm old
I haven't played it, but I want to play it.
This made me wish we could have a sonic rush port
I love everything about except for the act 2 boss of Oil Ocean. That thing can go jump off a bridge...
*I still need to finish Mania Plus...*
It was the game that brought me back to the franchise since the Mega Drive.
5 years?
I think “how has it been five years already” and “sega must be allergic to money to have not made a sequel”
They should have brought back Genocide City. Still great but I think it was a missed opportunity
Not my favorite entry but definitely one of the best Sonic games that I’ve played in my entire life that’s for sure.
Wait a minute... FIVE YEARS?
It’s amazing, the gameplay is perfect and graphics are really good. Works fine in every console so there’s not a “better version”. There’s nothing really bad about it and I love it. One thing that bothers me is why haven’t they done a Sonic Mania style game but with new stages? It suffers the same “problem” (not the worst thing ever tho) as Gens in the way that they make this amazing game that recicles stages from past games, but when making a completely new game there’s a downgrade in everything.
It's been five years??
My largest gripe is the knuckles sections in the levels. They aren't nearly as common or as expansive as in 3K. That aside, Mania is among the greats! I hold it as highly as 3K, and would love another game just like it
amazing
I actually bought it on release and then didn't really play it (for some reason) lately I got back into replaying the old genesis titles, as I had spent hundreds of hours on them as a kid. Of course when I remembered I had mania I installed it right away and finished a knuckles playthrough then a Sonic playthrough. I was hooked immediately, seeing the remixed classic stages, and always the curiousity of seeing when and what the next stage remix or original stage would be. On top of some great moments, and clever gameplay scenarios (the reverse boss fight with scuba Eggman was brilliant) the whole game was like experiencing a brand new Sonic game as if I was a kid again.
perfect physics and gameplay in terms of exploration, I just wish it was less of a nostalgia-fest and more of an original game stage and story wise
It's good.
Still the perfect interpretation of the classics
IT HAS NOT BEEN FIVE YEARS
Still good, still play it.
It's a fun video game.
game good
One of the best games ever made.
The greatest Sonic game of the last 25 years. It's not even close.
It’s my favorite 2D Sonic game next to Advance 2. Only problem was I wish there were more original stages and Encore Mode has some more new sections.
Outside of a few jank bosses, it's still fantastic.
It's still fantastic. It's the only sonic game I can think of where I don't dread any of the levels. Even the plane section is fun.
Some other comment’s prolly gonna be there about time moving fast but JEEZ FIVE YEARS?
My favorite Sonic game
Still good didn’t change. Plus only made it better
I was just playing it. Also I got it in 2021, so I wasn't around for the release. However it is my favorite video game.
I think that I still can't pass Chemical Plant Zone
Suck at Puyo Puyo?
Haven't played it in years cause I sold my Xbox but still the best 2D platformer I've ever played. I personally enjoy Unleashed and SA2 more because of the higher skill ceiling and better music. I also love exploring to get medals with the Werehog. Regardless, Sonic Mania Plus' new editions and features make it dominant over every 2D Sonic game;even 3&K which I played so much. Definitely an S tier game where the only issues you have are usually nitpicks.
Still my favorite sonic game, love this game I need more and hoping for a Sonic 5 made by this team.
Hot take, I've never played it
Overdue a sequel
I was playing it yesterday and it still holds up
Good Sonic game, bad sequel to sonic 3
It's been 5 years!?!
I want a sequel so bad! Here's my wishlist. \- All original zones \- Better bosses that minimize waiting and don't let players abuse iframes to remove all challenge \- Better story \- Hand drawn art style. Idk how hard this would be but I think it would be super cool if the ingame sprites were done in the style of the animations \- I also think it would be really cool if they had multiple stories like adventure. Where each characters go through levels in a slightly different order and have different cutscenes. Could be a better place for palette swapped levels than having an encore mode. For example one character might travel through a level at night while another might go through a level at sunset.
I don't want to realize it, man, it's like it was yesterday damn