Game Review: Sonic Mania

Hello Enthusiasts,

So many times companies seem to ruin what many of us loved as children by releasing garbage, cash-grab titles that are purchased based off of nostalgia alone. I have had my share of disappointments in regards to this, so I know the frustration that this can cause. However, once in a while, it seems that we can have a nostalgic title come out that does what it's supposed to in building off of what we already had, and that brings me to the topic of the day. Today, I will be reviewing Sonic Mania. There isn't a lot to these stories, but know that I will dive right in, so there may be Spoilers Below.

This game is similar in style to the original Sonic games, as a fast-paced 2D runner/platformer. Story wise, the stakes are pretty high, as Dr. Robotnic has gotten his hands on a chaos emerald, and uses it to distort time and reality, throwing Sonic around to different stages throughout his 2D history, as well as new stages. Meanwhile, Robotnic seems to want to use the chaos emerald for his own nefarious reasons. The only thing in his way is Sega's favorite hedgehog...and fox...and echidna.

If you loved the old Sonic games on the Sega Genesis, this is right up your alley. It's fast-paced, blending old and new level designs, and it has a great soundtrack that is par for the course with these games. The game looks fantastic, with an updated look on the old 2D Sonic look. The special stages to collect the chaos emeralds offer a challenge as always, and beating the game having collected all of them will open up the "real" final stage. This game takes cues from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles by offering to play the game as different characters, which offers a very different playing experience. I honestly have no complaints about this game, it did more than I could have hoped for.

So overall, this is a great title. If you enjoyed the old Sonic games, even a little, pick this up. It's available across multiple platforms, and it offers a decent challenge. I didn't even touch on all of the extra content like concept art, but I'll let you discover that for yourselves.

I give Sonic Mania a 10 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast