I want to play a new Sonic game, not half of a new Sonic game. I’ve already played all of these levels endlessly before. This is only a problem if you’re a Sonic fan since Genesis, but personally I felt like putting all the old levels that are basically untouched as Act 1 stages was a huge cop out and super boring. I’m glad I’ve finally been able to fully experience a Sonic game. It’s made me interested in trying out more Sonic games and given me a desire to play more immersive platformers. This game exceeded my expectations and was ridiculously fun. The boss fight flaws weren’t enough to stop Sonic Mania from being an amazing time overall though. There’s multiple parts to it, and the last part has the thrill of fast paced dodging and attacking that I’m kind of looking for. I didn’t hate them all though, I really like the Stardust Speedway Act 2 fight since it feels like an actual boss fight. The boss fights that tried to deviate kind of failed too in my opinion. A lot of them were too simple to figure out or too easy to just run up and hit the boss multiple times. Personally I wanted a little more challenge than the fights presented. The only thing that left me really unsatisfied in this game was the boss fights. I really have contemplated picking up the DLC for the additional characters, but I’m taking a brief break from the game since I’ve played it too much. Not only are there so many paths and ways to play each level, but having these different characters just added to the options. It really increases replayability that much more. I prefer Sonic the most because of his drop dash, but Tails’ flight and Knuckles’ were fun. Speaking of differences, I love the ability to play as different characters and have those choices really impact the playthrough. My favorite zones were Studiopolis, Mirage Saloon, and Stardust Speedway.
All of this plus the cool level transitions made me really immersed. Between the challenges presented, the visuals, and the music each stage feels unique. I also really enjoy how all the zones feel distinct enough from one another to not be boring.
I love the balance Sonic Mania strikes between tight platforming and exploration. The challenges felt good enough to make you think, but not hard enough to be unfair which made it enjoyable. The platforming itself was really fun too. I was shocked to really see how much you miss by going fast. Going fast is the reward once you’ve mastered a level, not the default when you first enter one. I found myself going back to levels as quickly as I could to delve around more for hidden secrets. I totally did not understand Sonic’s physics based platforming as a kid, or how much exploration is in each level.
I regret not giving this series enough chances over the years. Now after completing the game multiple times through all the characters and finding the Chaos Emeralds, I can officially say I love Sonic Mania. After selecting Sonic and entering Green Hill zone I proceeded to binge through this game hard. Just from opening up the title screen I got a wave of nostalgia for a franchise I hadn’t touched since I was a kid. This game quickly left a big impression on me. This led to me never picking up a Sonic game until a couple of weeks ago when I snagged Sonic Mania for Nintendo Switch on a whim. As a kid the 3D games felt bloated and the 2D games felt difficult. I briefly played the Sonic Mega Collection Plus on Xbox, and Sonic Rush on DS, but had never finished these games ever. My introduction to it as a child was when it had already entered the 3D era, with Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Sonic Heroes. I don’t have a big history with Sonic the Hedgehog. The old /r/patientgamers Essential Games List Please use flair to display what games you’re currently playing, not a punch line, username, tag, URL, or signature. New, mobile-friendly spoilers can be posted using the following formatting: Want to play online in a dead gaming community? We expect you to know these rules before making a post. Please click here to see our current rules. We no longer maintain our posting rules in Old Reddit. Join our Discord Join our Steam Group Follow us on Twitter Posting Rules Whether it's price, waiting for bugs/issues to be patched, DLC to be released, don't meet the system requirements, or just haven't had the time to keep up with the latest releases.
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