“SEGA!”

This was a chant I've known for over 25 years. Ever since I got a Sega Genesis one Christmas and popped in Sonic the Hedgehog, this was the first of many times I've heard that chant. Sonic the Hedgehog was the first 16-bit video game I've ever played and it became one of my favorites. It was also influential for my artistic direction because all of my classmates wanted me to draw them pictures of Sonic after finding out I doodled him during class. Because of the encouragement I got from everyone, I ended up deciding to become a cartoonist. And it's mostly thanks to that blue dude with 'tude.

But I digress.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a fast game. It centered on speed and slick maneuvers and it even gave Mario a run for his money, giving Sega legitimacy in the video game industry. A Sonic boom happened, with cartoons, a comic book and a ton of merchandise coming out shortly after the original game's release. And of course a bunch of sequels came out, with some of them being good and some of them being awful. The overall direction of the Sonic franchise has been spotty for the last decade or so, with the bad games being plagued by bugs, spotty camera angles, or the multitude of stupid side characters that should've stayed at the drawing table. Eventually, Sega decided to go forward...by going back to the past with Sonic Mania.

Sonic Mania is one of the two new games made for Sonic's 25th anniversary (which technically happened last year). Sonic Mania is a 2D platformer that looks, sounds and plays like the original Sega Genesis games, and is a love letter to the fans of the Blue Blur. The other game is Sonic Forces, a 3D title featuring both classic and modern Sonics which isn't due until later this year. Anyway, Sonic Mania is not only a game made for the old school Sonic fans, its development was handled by prominent Sonic fans! It's bittersweet that the best Sonic game in recent history was developed by fans and not by Sega.

But, again, I'm digressing.

Sonic Mania is legit. It feels like playing one of the classic Genesis titles, but there are modern upgrades like HD graphics, 60 frames per second with no slowdown or flicker, and 3D graphics for some effects like those giant rings that take you to the bonus world. It could've been a Sega Saturn game. You can play as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and each of them has their unique moves. Tails can fly, Knuckles can glide and climb walls, and Sonic just pretty much goes fast. The game's engine is just like the old games, right to the sense of speed and the B.S. deaths that can occur when you go too fast and fall off or get squished by platforms. And after unlocking them, you can play through the main game with Sonic's classic moves like the insta-shield (Sonic 3) or the peel-out (Sonic CD) or the brand new Drop Dash move (hold jump while in mid-air). There are even two player competitions where you and a friend can race head to head and see who hits the finish line first.

The story is simple: Dr. Eggman is up to no good and is collaborating with a gang of naughty robots, so it's up to Sonic and crew to stop them. You can clear the game like normal but that results in the bad ending. To get the true ending, you'll have to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds and become Super Sonic. Getting those emeralds isn't easy, as you'll have to find these giant 3D rings that take you to a bonus stage. The bonus stage is a lot like the ones in Sonic CD, which I personally found tough to maneuver. Still, it's preferable to the normal bonus levels you'll encounter during checkpoints. Provided you have 25 or more rings, you can enter a ring of sparkles on any given checkpoint you run across and then play Blue Sphere. Blue Sphere is those series of bonus stages in Sonic 3 & Knuckles where you run through a “3D” grid and collect all of the blue spheres while avoiding the red ones. I didn't find Blue Sphere fun then and I don't really find it fun now. But unfortunately clearing these Blue Sphere stages is the way to unlock new modes outside of the main game.

The things I liked the most about Sonic Mania are the stage designs, the boss fights, the character animations, the musical score and that really nice opening animation sequence. The things that annoyed me were Blue Sphere and the multitude of cheap deaths. But I guess you can't really have a classic style Sonic game without the cheap deaths. Still, I'm glad that the developers kept the whole experience as authentic as possible.

Sonic Mania is overall a fun game for fans of Sonic and fans of retro action games in general. The aim for authenticity to the original Sonic games is commendable and I'm glad Sega took the time to greenlight a project for the fans who have supported them through thick and thin for over 25 years. It's a short game, as a skilled player can beat it in a few hours (about as long as Sonic 3 & Knuckles) but it's also a tough one, filled with devious traps and lots of bosses looking to stop the fastest thing alive. They say that to make a good game takes ages and in the case of Sonic Mania, a quality game like that deserves the Official Sega Seal of Quality. That is if the seal was still around.

Hint: Unlock more modes and moves by clearing Blue Sphere bonus stages! These new modes will appear on the Extras menu. As for the new (or old?) moves, you can switch between Sonic's modern and classic play styles by going to the file select screen in Mania Mode, highlight the “No Save” space and hit Triangle (PS4), Y (Xbox One) or X (Switch) to open a secret menu. 

by Ray n.