![]() ![]() ![]() If Sonic Generations paid homage to every main Sonic game over the past 20 years or so (both 2D and 3D), Sonic Mania is a homage purely to the 2D classics. Returning to retro Sonic gameplay can take some getting used to, but once you get your groove going, everything comes together to make a wonderfully fluid experience. You have no lock-on attack, no additional moves or gimmicks to get in the way of reaching your end-level goals and beating Robotnik. Sonic Mania takes the simplicity and purity of Classic Sonic and does very little to change it, which is great. While ‘Modern Sonic’ is a mixture of balls-to-the-wall, (virtually uncontrollable) speed and (often unnecessary) gameplay mechanics interweaved into a story line – some people like it, but it’s not for everyone. ![]() ‘Classic Sonic’ is pure: it’s a combination of well thought-out platforming brilliance, combined with the flow of a fast game of pinball. Sonic The Hedgehog was fresh, fast and offered a unique platforming gameplay experience unlike any other game at the time. It’s part of the reason Sonic became a firm favourite with many gamers and a genuine rival for Nintendo’s Super Mario series. Now, regardless of visuals, what really makes a Sonic game is the gameplay. These moments of flair are often very subtle during main levels, such as occasionally seeing the odd ring bounce to the fore/background after being hit by an enemy, but they are prevalent during boss battles, with the use of foreground and background objects in play. Unlike Sonic 4, SEGA hasn’t opted for smooth, up-to-date graphics and fancy animations, everything about Sonic Mania exudes ‘retro’ – even the few moments where 3D polygons are used, they are created in a way that it looks like a Mega Drive game.īut of course, Sonic Mania isn’t a 16-bit game while the visuals maintain their retro appearance, there are moments of ‘flair’, such as transparency and subtle depth of fields that were too complex for a 16-bit machine to handle effectively – even with blast processing. Jumping into the game, everything about the 16-bit era flows back, as you are treated to a beautiful, pixilated experience almost exactly like the Mega Drive originals. With Eggman up to no good, it’s up to Sonic, Tails and Knuckles to stop him. Eggman has also detected the energy reading and sends a new team of Egg-Robos known as the ‘Hard-Boiled Heavies’ to reach the source of the signal first. After saving Angel Island, Knuckles is now firmly on your side and all is good with the world, when suddenly Tails picks up an energy reading. This opening intro isn’t a cutscene – it doesn’t have any voice over work or tell a coherent story – it’s more of a subtle and very fun introduction for the game, presenting the main characters and giving a nod to the storyline.Īs for the story, Sonic Mania is set immediately after the events in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. If you leave Sonic floating there for a few seconds, you’re treated to a nifty animated intro (created by Sonic Comic artist, Tyson Hesse), similar to the old Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog cartoon series. But I promise not to give away the game’s ending or any major spoilers.Īfter a good year of build-up, with hands-on previews at countless gaming events and shows, Sonic Mania is finally here, and it couldn’t have come sooner because I’ve gone nearly braindead playing rounds of Sonic 06 and Sonic Boom lately.īut will Sonic’s return to its 16-bit roots be a positive outcome the franchise has been yearning for, for years? Let’s find out! Looks like Classic Sonicįrom the moment you boot up Sonic Mania, you feel as though you’re back in the mid-’90s with an excellent sprite-based ‘3D effect’ of a rotating island and Sonic sitting in his usual title screen emblem. NOTE: We try to keep our reviews as spoiler-free as possible, though there is a chance some minor spoilers may be mentioned in this review. ![]()
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