i don't think i have anything to say about it since everything that it could been said, had been since 2017. i will say tho that is a shame that we didn't had any news about a new project from those guys. don't get me wrong, im excited for whatever sonic frontiers will bring, but a new mania or just new game in general made by people that not only love sonic but also understand it's core design, aesthetics and experimentation so well is everything i dream of. until then, we have this amazing game still kicking!

El primer Sonic trajo un motor de físicas sin precedentes que exprimía el impulso y la aceleración del avatar como ningún plataformas hasta la fecha. A nivel diseño el juego era muy disperso, no sabía si abierto o cerrado, precisión o velocidad, exploración o sortear obstáculos. No sabía lo que quería ser, pero abrió camino, dejó entrever nuevas posibilidades para el plataformeo.

Sonic 2 eligió definir su diseño en torno a la velocidad (prueba de ello, la mecánica del Spin Dash) e instauró la fórmula Sonic clásica. Basándose sobre todo en Star Light Zone del título debut, los niveles intercalarían tramos de sortear obstáculos con tramos de velocidad. Esquivábamos algunas trampas y enemigos y luego empleábamos el entorno de alguna manera para navegar velozmente (en cuasi-cinemática) hasta el siguiente tramo plataformero. Sonic había encontrado un ritmo, ya se sabía algo concreto.

Sonic CD es el más singular de los Sonic de Mega Drive. De diseño obviamente chapucero y tan disperso o más que el primero, evitó el ritmo definido por la velocidad de la segunda entrega para exprimir el movimiento del avatar (y su motor de físicas) a través del escenario hasta niveles hiperbólicos. Y encima le dio profundidad a la velocidad como mecánica, haciendo que mantenerla durante largo rato nos obsequiase con acceso a mapas nuevos (viajar en el tiempo) y distintas rutas, propiciando la exploración de cada uno de los escenarios. No termina de funcionar por farragoso, pero Sonic nunca prometió tanto futuro.

La fórmula de Sonic 2 revela síntomas de estancamiento en Sonic 3 & Knuckles, título que trata de expandirla revelando lo limitado de su naturaleza por el camino. Los mapas ahora son más grandes y enrevesados y aumentan sus caminos, se añade un nuevo personaje, cada zona cuenta con sus propios gimmicks y el cambio de un nivel a otro procede mediante transiciones que conforman una pequeña narrativa de viaje. Ya no había grandes ideas nuevas y las novedades eran apenas expansiones o leves giros de tuerca. Sonic 3 & Knuckles es el juego ambicioso de la franquicia, el que deja de buscar para retocar. Parecía el final de un camino, y en cierto modo así fue.

-----

Estos videojuegos son de 1991, 1992, 1993 y 1994. A mi juicio, todos fallidos pero interesantes a su particular manera, dos de ellos prometedores. Pueden gustar más o menos, pero cada uno aporta, todos supusieron algo en su tiempo y tienen razón de ser. Sonic Mania, de 2017, no tiene razón de ser.

Es sangrante que de un año a otro existiese avance con las primeras entregas y que, veintipico años después, aparezca un sucesor que no hace nada nuevo, cuya única mecánica propia es accesoria y con la mitad o más de sus niveles reciclados de los ya existentes en Mega Drive, tres cuartos de lo mismo para la música. Un recopilatorio pasado por el filtro de Sonic 3 & Knuckles, punto en que se quedó la fórmula clásica y punto en el que, aún a día de hoy con Sonic Mania, continúa. ¿Por qué existe Sonic Mania? ¿Cuál es el propósito de imitar los Sonic de Mega Drive en 2017? Sonic 2D continuó en portátiles y a pocos importó. La principal franquicia de Sonic tiró por otro lado.

Ya lo sé. Es nostalgia, es "Mania". No es un nuevo Sonic, es un remix. Lo mismito, retocadito. Pero para jugar el Sonic de antes existe el Sonic de antes. Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic CD y Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Incluso los que vinieron luego. Ninguno de ellos el festival de conservadurismo y estancamiento en el pasado que supone Sonic Mania.

having just revisited sonic 1, cd, 2, and 3 & knuckles in preparation for revisiting mania, i can say without a doubt - sonic mania is not only the revival this series deserved, but it's also potentially the greatest sonic game period. this is a perfect marriage between the best ideas of cd, 2 and 3&k possible and a genuine miracle in a series pretty devoid of those for the last, oh, decade or two.

for starters, we've amassed five playable characters this time around, with the returning party all feeling fresh as ever. sonic's drop dash is a fantastic addition to his movepool, the ability to actually control tails' buddy flight mechanic renders his previous incarnations irrelevant in comparison, and the advocacy for knuckles' mechanics in mania's levels is more consistent than it was in his introductory title. those are mere testaments to the love put into this title. mighty and ray are fan-favorite additions here and i find them equally engaging and enjoyable to play with, though i don't tend to stray far from the classic sonic-tails combo all that often.

every level in this game is inspired; the revisited classic stages are improved upon from their original incarnations. every single one. and i love that each zone is basically a representation of every zone of its archetype from the original games, like how hydrocity incorporates pieces of labyrinth and tidal tempest into its design, or how lava reef has hill top badniks and the lava spouts from marble zone - and you KNOW i freak the fuck out for stardust speedway every single time. every shitty zone from the previous games has mechanics implemented here in a way that's actually good! and memorable! there isn't a wasted act here, every individual level has great set-pieces with the same story flow present in sonic 3 & knuckles. the story might not be quite as epic and iconic as 3 & knuckles' but the level design is far more consistent than ANY game in the series has been.

the new levels are sparse but every one is a home run. studiopolis and press garden feel like sonic cd or knuckles chaotix levels unearthed and given new life. mirage saloon was basically a means for these goofy-ass dudes to go "hey. hey. WE grew up on sonic retro, too" and i'm all for it. titanic monarch is a DOPE idea for a final level executed in such a fun and up-tempo way that it makes sonic 3's death egg look like a joke. finally, a great sonic game with a consistently amazing final act. the boss fights are some of the best the series has to offer on a regular basis. the soundtrack is the best 2d sonic soundtrack since rush, and one of the best in the series outright.

mania is constantly assaulting old fans with references that go deeper and deeper the deeper your history with this series goes - beta levels, long-forgotten characters, scrapped levels and badnik designs, repurposed themes or mechanics - but unlike sega's constant pandering and surface-level attempts to squeeze goodwill out of stalwart hearts, every moment, every second, every choice of sonic mania feels impactful and deserved. it's a moment in gaming history that won't soon be forgotten, and if sega has any idea of what they're doing, they'll look at the hand taxman et al have extended to them and take them up on it. if they can't get past the old ways and accept that the new kids on the block have it figured out in a way that they haven't since the 90s, maybe they've lost the blue blur's spirit in the process. fucking masterpiece.

In a better world I’d be jumping into Sonic Mania 2 right now.

When I said in my (positive) review of Sonic Adventure that I’m not usually a big Sonic guy, what I guess I really meant is that I’m not a big fan of games that suck and are lame. When these games are good, they’re good.

The polished, colorful, and exciting new levels reminded me of my previous favorite Sonic game, Sonic Advance 2, except somehow better in every way and I guess made by the guys who absolutely crushed it with those iPhone ports. Setting aside the beautiful pixel art and catchy music, the level design is what truly puts Mania ahead of the pack. Everything is tuned perfectly to the strengths of classic Sonic. Not one dud level.

As fun as it is to say that “Sonic has always been bad”, it hasn’t. The franchise just has an inconsistent quality level and militant fans who are easy to provoke. Sonic Mania is one of the good ones.

O melhor: Excelente pixel art e trilha sonora
O pior: Poucas fases originais
Knuckles & Knuckles: Parabéns para quem teve essa ideia

Uma ótima iniciativa da Sega em lançar uma obra original juntamente com um designer independente famoso por fan-games de Sonic. Sonic Mania acaba sendo uma espécie de "greatest hits" da série, representando a época dos 16-bits. Dos 12 estágios no modo principal, 8 são reimaginações de fases presentes em Sonic 1, 2, 3 & Knuckles e CD. É uma pena que só um terço das fases seja totalmente original, porque elas são bem interessantes e as mais memoráveis do jogo.

De maiores destaques ficam o excelente trabalho na pixel art, representando bem como seria a evolução da série se Sonic tivesse seguido sua estrutura clássica. E também a fantástica trilha sonora, onde tanto os remixes quanto as trilhas originais são de alto nível.

Sonic Mania é aquele tipo de jogo "de fã para fã", no sentido de que quem já não gostava do design dos Sonics clássicos provavelmente não será muito convencido por esse aqui. Já para os fãs do ouriço azul, é facilmente uma das melhores obras estrelada por ele lançada nos últimos anos.

I've been mentally stuck in 2017 all these years. It was a gaming renaissance with both Japanese developers coming back in style and western ones keeping up as well. For me, the most emblematic game of that year is Sonic Mania.

Which is odd, because I'm not a Sonic guy. Never had a Sega console in my life, and whenever I tried getting into the series I always bounced off hard. I have a lot of respect for the series, firstly for putting on a great show, especially on Genesis/Mega Drive, the Lords of the Twang. The sights and sounds, the mechanics, they dazzle now but must've been mindblowing back in the 90's. And the dedication of the fans to study it all so closely and expand and recreate so thoroughly demands a round of applause.

Secondly, it has got really strong gameplay fundamentals. The key question with any platformer for me is this - what's the unifying aspect for a level? Why is a stage composed the way it is? For Sonic (and Mario) the answer is sewn into the character, the momentum. More specifically, the extent to which the player is granted control over it. This means that every element within a level can be encountered at any level of speed and affect the momentum differently. As a result, a level can potentially be played through in a myriad of ways, gameplay has an economy of space and speed management, there's a constant level of engagement. Great stuff!

So I respect Sonic, but it's not for me, the reason being level design. To be blunt, the games love to dick the player about. There's changing movement direction rapidly with a bouncepad, which means braking if one has my glacial reaction time and keeps holding the same dpad button regardless. There are invisible bouncepads sending Sonic flying into a route with no return or an obstacle. There are blink-and-you-miss-it moments where the game lulls the player into a trance with a speedy section only to suddenly yell "Think fast!" and demand a do-or-die decision. I'm a slow bastard, I turn off the time limit to keep that monkey off my back, but even so I just cannot keep up. I've had multiple playthroughs in all these years and can't for the life of me memorize anything cause it's all the same tilesets, the same assets that compose these sprawling, labyrinthian places, and while I see the potential for amazing gameplay, my mind is overly boggled to be engaged. The orientation is just too much to be sexual.

Every time I play I also have a hard time pushing through to the end. The game is frontloaded with amazing stuff, Studiopolis Zone being especially terrific, but at Lava Reef and Oil Ocean it becomes a snoozefest. The dicking about stays a constant, while visuals and music become stale at the tail end of the experience.

Back in 2017 Sonic Mania represented an optimistic sense for a future where everybody, from big money to indies to fans can all have a slice of the big pie. Now it just leaves me feeling empty and sad. Six years on, Sega has dicked the devs over Mania residuals, cocked up Origins and thrust the new Superstars onto Arzest, the developers behind B(a)land Fucking Blunderbuss. Fantastic.

Looks piracy is back on the menu boys.

Picked a random game from my 'shelved' backlog today and this was it. Steam said I last played 2 years ago... Booted it up and was greeted by hydrocity zone. Oh, that's why it had been so long. I spent some time with it today and ultimately led me to the decision to shelve Sonic Mania again. Sonic felt too floaty for my liking underwater, and too slippery on land. Not to mention a more universal frustration with the drowning mechanic.

I guess this is sort of a warning to future me. I want to enjoy sonic games pretty badly, but if I don't enjoy Mania, one of the most celebrated games in the franchise, I'm not sure I would enjoy the classics either. Eh, I'll probably still suffer through them anyway.

Not quite my usual review, but I saw some other people picking random games on this site and decided to try it :D

I love how the sonic fanbase loves the Sonic franchise to death, so I did something I didn't think I'd ever do: I played Sonic Mania and I gotta say - I'm pleasantly surprised. I totally see why those games are beloved by fans, they are filled to the rim with beautiful visuals and a soundtrack that forces a never-ending adrenaline rush. I enjoyed my time with the game up until a point, where the difficulty made progressing just a bit too tedious for me. It's not like I can't beat the stages or I won't ever beat them, but playing the levels over and over again to finally do it just takes too long for me - at least in a situation where I have 300+ games on my playlist and just not enough time. In a different time period I'd probably have played the shit out of this and who knows, maybe I will one day. Just at this point, I want to focus my time on games I want to play more immediately. I'm glad I took the dive tho, so I at least now know how it feels to control the popular hedgehog.

Sonic has never been a consistent series, but the sixteen years following the death of the Dreamcast and Sega's departure from the console hardware market represents it at its lowest point. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) nearly killed the franchise where it stood, both episodes of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 failed to live up to its namesake, and Sega couldn't even get a port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog for the GameBoy Advance right. Brief flashes of triumph broke apart dire releases before swiftly returning to the status quo, and games like Colors and Generations seemed almost accidental when followed by the likes of Lost World. At a certain point it became hard not to feel like the series was held captive by a rudderless publisher and a dispassionate developer.

The "Sonic Cycle" became a popular meme during this era both within and outside of the fan community, and constant promises to "go back to what made Sonic special" felt hollow when every subsequent release was decidedly not that. By the time Sonic Boom released, there was genuine debate as to whether or not it was worse than Sonic 2006. It felt like it was time to just pull the damn plug.

Sonic's 25th anniversary party was appropriately disastrous. Audio drops, a delayed start, and constant mechanical whine piercing through the event did not engender much confidence that Sega's upcoming slate of Sonic titles would be anything to get excited over. But seven years removed, the thing I think of when reflecting on the event is the reveal of Sonic Mania. The crowd's reaction to the announcement trailer was infectious. Sure, they may have been diehard fans hopped up on room temperature Totino's Pizza Rolls™, but seeing a proper 2D Sonic game helmed by Christian Whitehead and Simon Thomley - well regarded for their contributions to the hacking scene and the excellent mobile remasters of the classic games - felt like this tremendous release of pessimism and anxiety. Finally, a Sonic game worth getting excited about rather than remaining cautiously interested in. oh yeah and Sonic Forces was there, who gives a fuck

A lot of preamble, but necessary context for why people went ape for Knuckles and Tails being playable characters. The oft-touted return to form seemed real now, powered by the Retro Engine, which had previously proved capable of creating a near-perfect simulacrum of Sonic's Genesis era physics and momentum-based speed. Whitehead, Thomley, and PagodaWest were so honed-in on what made the old games work that the Drop Dash, Sonic's new signature move, was indirectly and unknowingly copied from a scrapped mechanic in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 are the main mechanical inspirations behind Mania, blending Sonic 2's speedy setpieces and knack for pushing the player forward at all times with Sonic 3's large levels, platforming, and rich exploration. This fusion results in the best balance of speed and platforming I've seen in any of the classically styled 2D games, and the way each zone's pathways intersect and split apart never feel like they box you into a single linear route or result in you getting lost. Knuckles once again has his own bespoke routes, some of which are pretty substantive, like a totally different Act 1 for Mirage Saloon and exclusive boss fight at the end of Lava Reef Zone.

My only real complaint is that there's just too much overuse of classic zones. All but four are taken from previous Sonic games, and those that are not directly lifted are referenced in some way, typically by transplanting a gimmick or enemy into another zone, like the spinners from Marble Garden which show up in Mania's Stardust Speedway, or Angel Island Zone's Catakilla Jr. floating around in Chemical Plant. Mania ends up being a remarkably comprehensive celebration of the Genesis games as a result, and while these remixed levels are still a joy to play, the real highlights are the four ground-up zones exclusive to Mania. At least everything looks incredible, the sprite art is brimming with personality and the new coat of paint each of the returning zones are given - especially in the more divergent second acts - makes them feel fresh. TeeLopes incredible soundtrack also features some of the best remixes I've ever heard for these returning levels, but much like the original zones, his new compositions are the real highlight.

According to an April 2017 Famitsu interview, the inclusion of remixed levels came at the behest of Iizuka, though I do not know who is responsible for tying Mania's story in with Sonic Forces. At face value, these creative choices seem like a hindrance, but regardless of any limitations the team faced, they walked away with a game that feels positively energetic and celebratory of a series that no doubt inspired some of them to pursue game development. And, presumably, any follow-up to Mania would feature entirely original zones, right...?

Rumors of bad blood between Mania's former development staff and Sega have been spurred on thanks to the controversy over Denuvo's inclusion in Mania's PC release, and Simon Thomley's negative experience with Sonic Origins. Whitehead has since stated that the Mania team (Evening Star) and Sega are on good terms and that some of their discussions about the direction of the classic series influenced Sonic Superstars. It's easy to take rumors to heart, and I know I certainly have in the past. After all, it's natural for heads to butt on any creative project, and Sega doesn't have the best track record. However, it's more likely Evening Star wanted to make Penny's Big Breakaway and things just didn't work out for sequel. A bummer, as what little of Superstars I've played is certainly lacking Whitehead and Thomley's touch.

Even if proper a Mania 2 never comes to be (like my cynical ass believes it won't) I am still immensely happy with Sonic Mania. It's the Sonic game I wanted for years, and inarguably a capstone entry in the series that is responsible for Sonic's popular resurgence. Well, that and the internet collectively patting themselves on the back for "fixing" what turned out to be a real middle-of-the-road video game adaption by forcing CGI artists back to the office shortly before the liquidation of their studio. In a way, that's perfect. Sonic is back! And he's back because of one fuck-ugly CG model and a single good video game. The duality of Hedgehog.

Game devs need a raise! Sound team too. Everyone involved in this game should save the AAA industry /j

This one has awesome new zones, and the old ones are more enjoyable than ever. But...yeah...it's just more good stuff and it's familiar, so there's not much to be said about the content. You like this spiky hoe? Play it. Or you like the cute fox, play it too, even the red sus guy is here. Not the woman hedgehog, we're not about to let her Mania all over the place!

I played with my bro. No splitscreen is crazy for that kind of game, or atleast make P2 go back to you faster! Tails was my private jet but he couldn't do much else. I let him have a go at bosses and they were easy to cheese, he carried me in more ways than one this guy!

I played this game once a couple years ago on someone else's console and thought it was neat, but also wasn't that impressed by it. I think its a combination of not having as much time as I want to spend with it and also not having the same appreciation for good 2D Sonic level design as I do now. Since first playing this game I've learned about stopping to explore these levels, see all the different paths and secrets, understand the things that make different character playthroughs unique, notice the incredible amount of detail put into levels and visual storytelling, and with this new knowledge I've come to realize this is easily the best 2D Sonic game.

This games existence is a miracle, not only because of it being an official game developed by incredibly talented fans, but that it actually managed to outdo the classic trilogy in so many ways. I mentioned that Sonic levels should be explored, but a lot of previous games were very punishing in a way that made this difficult. But more importantly, this game just puts so much into each level without ever having it feel overwhelming or hard to navigate. It encourages trying different routes, seeing if you can make it to that ledge in order to see a completely different part of the level. I don't know, I'm not good at describing why I love this aspect of the level design, its just so much fun going through these levels multiple times to see what else you can find.

This game's special stages are also my favorite in the 2D Sonic games, so good in fact this is the first time I actually got Super Sonic in one of these games. Making Blue Spheres an optional side game also made me enjoy it more, I would probably be a lot better at those stages if I played 3 & Knuckles now.

On top of everything, this game is incredibly gorgeous. One of the best looking 2D platformers in a long time, every new level and animation was a joy to find. The music is also incredible, and does a good job of staying true to a classic 2D Sonic soundtrack while doing its own thing as well. In general, the people making this game know exactly what does and doesn't belong in this kind of game, what can be added to make it new, and what can be avoided in order to make sure it's true to the formula but not as punishing or flawed in places.

Looking forward to doing more playthroughs of this, this game is definitely going to be one of those games I just do a playthrough of every now and then. This is the kind of game that makes me excited to go back to other Sonic games, even if I now they probably won't be as good as this.

Sonic Mania is the rare retro revival that manages to do it all. It's a love letter to classic Sonic fans that manages to showcase why we love the Blue Blur in the first place, but it's also a great introduction to the series for newcomers. There was definitely an opportunity here to sand down some of the more divisive elements of classic Sonic gameplay - where it can often feel like you need to memorize a level's layout to actually feel like you can master it - but it's so committed to delivering an authentic experience based on those Genesis games that it's hard to fault it for that. It achieves its goals on every level, and I honestly think that the new Zones are some of the best in the game. The new special stage is really tough, but oh well, gotta work hard for those Chaos Emeralds. It's hard to imagine a 2D Sonic game that's better than this, and in a sense, that's the highest possible recommendation I can give to a project like this.

I said that Generations is my favourite Sonic game but Mania is EXTREMELY close and they probably swap back and forth quite often.

Everyone knows why Mania is great, they NAILED the physics and momentum on classic Sonic in a way not done in years and not done since. Visually it's gorgeous. Level themes are great (Press Garden is an instant classic).

The videogame equivalent of a hug, this is the perfect comfort game.

Veredito: bom pra caralho, mas deveria ser melhor.

Já fazia mais de 10 anos que um Sonic bom tinha saído, então claro que Mania ia ser um puta sucesso. É um Sonic de Mega Drive melhorado: mais conteúdo desbloqueável, mais fases bônus, chefes melhores.

Mas tem um defeito imperdoável: conteúdo reciclado. Dois terços das fases são exatamente as mesmas de antes, inclusive as bônus. Não é um simples reaproveitamento de texturas e músicas. É literalmente o mesmo level design do Mega Drive. Eu passei de várias fases só pela memória muscular, mesmo nunca tendo jogado Mania antes.

Acho que era inevitável, é a 1ª vez que a Sega oficializa um fangame. Mas mesmo assim acaba sendo o único defeito do jogo. No mais, é pura festa para fãs do ouriço.

Vou esperar ansiosamente por Sonic Mania 2.

Hours Played: 5 (3ish of which were in this try)
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Date Beaten: N/A

I think I'm calling it, this was my second go at this game (for book club!) and I'm just way too bad at it to get past zone 4 (out of 12). It's polished to a mirror shine, plays exactly how I'm sure fans remember the original Sonic games playing (aka smoother than the originals by a wide margin), but is just as mondo difficult and frustrating as those original games, and I can't beat it, through no particular fault of the game.
Like sure, it's tough and a lil frustrating, and I don't blame people for not liking the game because of that, but to me it never felt like the game was any harder than it meant to be, just that it's meant for people who are used to the mechanics. It's a love letter to a series I'm not particularly a fan of, in a genre I generally don't jive with, and I just can't blame the game (too much) for that, like maybe there should've been a more gradual difficulty curve but idk.
One thing I do feel like I can call the game out for is it's staunch retro-ness. Mostly it works great, feeling like a game out of time, simultaneously from the 90s and built today, but some things got kept from old designs, whether it was for nostalgia purposes or just not questioning every mechanic brought over.
For example, the lives system is a huge perpetrator. Imo it should've been handled like Crash 4 handled it, a choice before you play between classic mode, three lives and you're done, and modern mode, where you just continue at your last checkpoint regardless. Technically there's cheat codes that allow this, but they're pretty complex to activate (at least on switch, it might be different on other versions), and this functionality shouldn't be hidden, it should be a feature!
Broadly though, it's a game made for fans, not for bringing people into the fanbase. I wish there was a better readily available starting point for 2d sonic though, the only one I've been able to get through is Sonic Advance, which is good but noooooot easy to play on modern machines.
like
at all legally.
Anyways it's good, but very much didn't quite gel with me.