Moreover, the second act of all these stages completely reinvent the level, adding new mechanics that revive decades old concepts into something that feels much more recent.

Although under half of the levels are slightly remixed stages from the original games, there are just enough tweaks to keep your attention and desire to explore. The level design does not only compliment this gameplay but actively enhances it. The changes in pace from slow, methodical jumps to long dash sections feels satisfying and addictive. The platforming is accurate and controls well. By jumping and holding the same button in mid-air, Sonic will land and perform a small dash instantly getting back up to speed.Īll of this is to say that the gameplay of Sonic Mania has perfected its application of 2D platforming to a tee. Although it remains in part here, it is made much more manageable by the new drop dash move. It overcomes an oft discussed flaw in Sonic games that a single hit can entirely eliminate your momentum.ĭepending on your perspective this may be a feature of the Sonic games. But there is one quality of life change that proves useful and innovative: the ‘drop dash’. A control scheme almost so perfect it requires no changes to hold up today. Sonic plays and controls the exact same way he did all the way back in 1991. Instead of gracefully fluttering above the sights, Knuckles uses brute force to smash through obstacles and enemies alike. Instead, seeing areas that previously were either inaccessible or extremely difficult to get into as Sonic or Knuckles. Tails can use his two tails to fly above levels.

Tails can use his two tails to fly above levels, not avoiding what is there, but instead seeing parts of levels that previously were either inaccessible or extremely difficult to get into as Sonic or Knuckles. The first three are as identifiable as they are fun to play, each one coming with their own unique move-set. Yet, you can also choose individual characters such as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and, with the ‘Plus’ features, ‘Mighty the Armadillo’ and ‘Ray the Flying Squirrel’. Both recognisable characters in their own right.

The default being a combination of both Sonic and Tails. Upon starting a new game in Sonic Mania, the game asks you to make a choice of what character to pick. Moreover, it barely changes the addictive gameplay that made Sonic the hedgehog icon he remains today. The game relies on the solid foundations of the classics that first popularised the blue blur. This nostalgic feel pervades the entirety of the gameplay of Sonic Mania. Beginning in the famous ‘Green Hill Zone’, almost every gamer will get a sense of nostalgia from simply hearing the first few chords of the iconic stage music. This seems like an excellent creative decision, as instead the game launches the player straight into the gameplay. The story of Sonic Mania is almost so hilariously irrelevant that the game spends barely any time dwelling on it. With perfectly appropriate stylised graphics, incredible pace and addictive gameplay, Sonic Mania Plus is an affordable must-buy for anyone and everyone. Instead of reinventing the wheel, Sonic Mania instead adds spokes and perfects the design of a formula that has stood the test of time. Yet, I am pleased to say, Sonic Mania recaptures the magic of the original games that made Sega and Sonic the household names they deserve to be. Mostly to blame are the recent incarnations of the blue blur that have been, to put it charitably, less than perfect. When discussing Sonic Mania there seems to be two reactions, either enthusiasm or disdain. However, the gameplay of Sonic, at least anecdotally, seems to have experienced the ‘marmite effect’. Similarly, Sonic Mania Plus spins onto your screen with the energy and enthusiasm of the nineties relics that first cemented ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ in the public consciousness. A phrase so popular and well-formulated it remains part of our culture even today. Since 1996 Marmite have popularised the slogan, ‘You Either Love It Or Hate It’.

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