Day 37: Sonic Mania

I've heard many a debate over whether 2D Sonic or 3D Sonic is better. Some say you can't beat the classics of the Genesis, others like the inventiveness and overall upgrades of Modern Sonic. But then you get people like me who find themselves in the middle of it all, loving both iterations of our favorite blue blur. That's not to say I don't have a preference, I prefer a 3D Sonic game over the 2D ones. For a while I thought it doesn't get any better than Sonic Colors, but color me surprised when it actually does…in the form of a 2D Sonic game made by a very dedicated fan. All I know is, Sega, please take Christian Whitehead on board.

Sonic Mania's story involves Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles trying to stop Eggman and his new minions, The Hard Boiled Heavies, after he discovers a gemstone called The Phantom Ruby, a powerful gemstone which alters reality and something that Sonic Forces made so confusing that it's easier to follow the storyline of Kingdom Hearts! Plot device aside, it's now up to Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails to stop Eggman and the Heavies before they cause any further damage with the ruby. That's pretty much it: Eggman's being a PINGAS, go and stop him. The story is straight, simple and to the point just like in the older Sonic games, which is what Mania is trying to be.

Sonic Mania is one hell of a love letter to fans of Sonic and fans of the Genesis alike. And I'm not saying that because they reuse similar gameplay and levels (I'll talk about that in a bit) but also they bring back long forgotten characters like Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo, and the Heavy Magician makes illusions of Bean the Dynamite, Bark the Polar Bear, and Fang the Sniper for some of her attacks.

Sonic Mania's gameplay is similar to that of the classic Genesis games with all the spin dashes and spin jumps brought back to their former glory, plus the introduction of the new Drop Dash move. Sonic is still the fastest thing alive, Tails can fly upwards to reach higher platforms, Knuckles can glide and climb up walls, Ray is a mix of Tails and Knuckles, he's able to glide while also being able to reach higher platforms if he has enough room to swoop up, and Mighty has a powerful ground pound. These character, while they behave the same as Sonic, have enough differences in their overall gameplay where they don't feel like the same character.

The levels are easily the highlight of this game. A majority of these levels are ones returning from the Genesis games. They're separated into two acts. The first act has a layout and mechanics similar to when they debuted back in their respective games, while the second act adds something that gives a new spin to the level. The best examples I can think of being, Chemical Plant Act 2, which involves these colorful gels that Sonic needs to jump up to reach higher platforms, and Oil Ocean Act 2, which has a dangerous smog cover the whole level which drains your ring counter. They bring back classic levels for the sake of the fans and nostalgia, but add elements that make them feel like brand new levels.

Now don't think this game is just a rehash of classic Sonic levels, because this game also gives us four new stages in the form of the colorful Studiopolis Zone, the tricky Press Garden Zone, the awesome Mirage Saloon Zone, and the fun but challenging final level, Titanic Monarch Zone. All of these levels have their own unique gimmicks that find themselves right at home in the Sonic series.

Speaking of finding yourself at home in the Sonic series, the graphics are among the best in the series having so much life and color to it, and the soundtrack is one of my favorites in the series. The graphics and sound presentation just ooze Genesis.

What's more is that the re-release, Sonic Mania Plus (which is the version that introduced Ray and Mighty), introduces new modes like Encore Mode where Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Ray, and Mighty are you only means of extra lives and you switch between each character one so happens to die, giving the game another layer of challenge to try and keep them alive as much as you can. You can get them back by playing a fun pinball game, and there's even a four player competition mode.

Add in Special Stages that don't suck and is actually fun to play through, a tribute to Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine for Chemical Plant's boss battle, and the returning Blue Sphere Stages from Sonic 3, and you have the ultimate love letter to Sonic fans and my favorite Sonic Game so far. Christian Whitehead, God bless you man. Keep up the good work.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go jam out to Studiopolis Zone Act 1 Music.