

It’s not a true co-op experience, as Sonic can often run and leave Tails behind, but the second player is helpful during boss fights (Tails can get hit, but he can’t die) or reaching high places (Tails can grab Sonic while flying). Just like with Sonic 2, a second player can take control of Tails. Sonic Mania also has a few multiplayer options. You game has leaderboards for every act, so you can compete with players around the world. You can also play through levels in a Time Attack mode. Each has their own abilities (Tails can fly for a short period while Knuckles can glide and climb) that give them access to their own unique routes, so it’s worth going through Sonic Mania as each of them. First off, Tails and Knuckles are also playable. That might seem short, but the game has plenty of incentives to get you keep you interested.

Sonic Mania is about as long as the classics, so you can beat it in a few hours or so. Sonic Mania’s team was able to craft levels that would have fit into any of the classic games. Studiopolis has a city/movie theater theme that dazzles with neon, while Mirage Saloon Zone takes Sonic to the Old West. Most of the stages are new, and they’re all colorful and creative. The first act is familiar to anyone who played the level in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but the second part twists things up by introducing new areas and mechanics, like bouncy goo floors.īut this isn’t just a collection of stages inspired by older games. While the first act of each mostly borrows from the original, the second act is new. Sonic won’t just strike a pose after beating a level, he triumphantly leaps into the air before hamming it up for the camera, and backgrounds have more detail. The character sprites have more expressive animations. But some nice touches make Sonic Mania feel modern even as it apes the 16-bit style. Some of the levels even come from past titles. These branching paths make multiple playthroughs feel fresh, since you can still discover new areas of a stage even after beating it several times.Īt first, Sonic Mania might just look like an HD version of one of the older games. Generally, you want to stick to the higher routes to beat stages quickly, but a single mistake can send you plummeting to lower areas of the level. The mix between the running and platforming is what keeps Sonic Mania interesting. Levels will have plenty of sections that force you to slow down and carefully maneuver around enemies or tricky platforms. But he’s able to build up a lot of speed, so the challenge comes from trying to keep your momentum while avoiding enemies.īut, and this is a lesson so many modern Sonic games never learned, it’s not all about speed. Sonic usually only has one move, jump, so it’s pretty simple. It’s actually closest to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, as it has many of that entries powerups (like an electric shield that lets you double jump and attract rings). If you ever played the original Sonic games on Genesis or Sega CD, Sonic Mania will feel familiar.
