![]() ![]() ![]() Callbacks don’t stop at returning Zones and elements as many bosses like the Death Egg Robot, Metal Sonic, and Final Zone pistons making returns while also having remixed elements and the original bosses are easy to get used to and fun to cheese as Super Sonic - Super characters also are playable in-game and unlock the Egg Reverie final boss for Sonic and Tails or Sonic alone. Plus also added a Pinball bonus stage to the Mania Mode and Encore Mode - the latter of which takes you through palette-swapped Zones with all characters in one party - where you can nab power ups or, in the latter mode, any characters you either don’t have yet or may have lost along the way. Blue Sphere also makes a return as a Checkpoint bonus stage where one can earn Medals to unlock the aforementioned abilities as well as the meme-tastic “& Knuckles” mode. ![]() The Special Stages are probably the best a Classic game has ever been, being an entirely original concept that combines elements from all Classic Special Stages - the psychedelic backgrounds of Sonic 1, the Rings and running of Sonic 2, the UFO of Sonic CD, and the Blue Spheres of Sonic 3&K. Unlike all the previous games, there are literally no levels or segments that frustrate me as it’s good clean fun for everyone, Sonic fan or not. Where the content really shines is in the all new Zones created specifically for this game Studiopolis, Press Garden, Mirage Saloon, and Titanic Monarch all have a unique aesthetic with the same flowing, non-intrusive gameplay as the other Zones, proving that these developers know how to make a good original Sonic level. While it admittedly feels redundant after Sonic Generations, the game is chalk full of returning Zones each remixed with new elements and concepts - such as the chemical mix-ins in Chemical Plant Zone Act 2, the Marble Garden Zone elements in Stardust Speedway Zone Act 1, and the gondola rides in Hydrocity Zone Act 1. For gameplay feel and flexibility alone, I logged so many hours into the Xbox One version and PC version with the latter having some of the best mods ever in a PC Sonic release. The latter two characters play similar to Sonic with completely different jump button abilities with Mighty having a ground pound and being impervious to Spikes and Ray gliding similar to Super Mario World’s Super Feather. In addition, they added some new elements like greater frames of animation, Sonic’s game-changing Drop Dash move, the option to select Sonic’s abilities between Mania, 3&K, and CD - the latter two of which equip him with the Insta Shield and Super Peel Out respectively - and, in the Plus edition, the playable returns of Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. For starters, the game developers were not Sonic Team, but rather Sonic fan game creators like Christian Whitehead and Headcannon who recreated the SEGA Genesis Sonic physics and feel perfectly with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all maintaining their proper gameplay from 3&K. Going in, I had little expectations for how this game would turn out, but as a long-time Sonic fan, you bet I got my money’s worth upon experiencing the game for the first time. Cutscenes like 3&K are finally used again upon starting the game, functioning also as Act and Zone transitions like before the overall story is not quite as dynamic as the aforementioned game, but it serves as a tie-in to Sonic Forces and certainly generates that Classic Sonic feel better than Sonic 4 ever did. The story completely wipes out Sonic 4 from canon and picks up after Sonic 3 & Knuckles with Sonic and Tails returning to Angel Island to find Eggman and his Egg Robos digging up the Phantom Ruby - later used as a plot device in Sonic Forces. Sonic Mania (Plus) is a prime example of why the Classic Sonic formula still works and is, by far, my most played and loved Sonic game in recent years. ![]()
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