These see you navigating a checkered environment collecting blue spheres whilst avoid red ones. The Sonic 3 and Knuckles Special Stages also make a return, too, with over twenty to perfect. I’m sure you can all guess what collecting all seven emeralds does. Here, you’ll need to chase down a UFO in a 3D racetrack environment on which collecting rings awards you more time and blue spheres increase your speed. Hidden Special Stages also make a return rewarding players with Chaos Emeralds upon completion. Minor hiccups, though, for what is overall a strong and surprising enemy line-up. There were also one or two where the solution wasn’t immediately clear. I did find a few of the battles a little frustrating though especially the ones where you need to keep running forward that made landing attacks a far more tedious and troublesome process. One such example saw me facing off against the final boss from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in the very first Zone while others go far and beyond what you’d expect from any Sonic game – that I won’t reveal here! Part of the fun is finding these things out yourself. Much like the level designs, you’ll see a blend of original concepts and recycled ideas, with a few clever twists for good measure. And, while we’re on the subject of the soundtrack, whether we’re talking old, new or remixed, the tunes in Sonic Mania are truly fantastic and especially catchy.Įnd of level bosses appear in many forms over the course of the game and include taking on the main man Eggman himself, one of his Hard-Boiled Heavies or simply a bigger robot enemy. Even the music has seen an update for all returning Zones. Everything you remember about that Zone is now turned on its head zip lines from Sonic 3 in Green Hill Zone or sticky walls making their debut in Chemical Plant Zone, for example. While the first Act may replicate certain sections of its original Mega Drive/CD counterpart – sprinkling in the odd dash of the unexpected here and there – by the time you have moved onto the second Act things really get interesting. Far from it.Īlthough we may all recognise that famous Green Hill Zone tune along with its lush green slopes, totem poles and tall palm trees, Sonic Mania does a remarkable job at making returning Zones like these feel fresh and new, even to gamers like myself who may have played the originals countless times already. Don’t let that fool you into thinking the game has nothing to offer in terms of a surprise, though. However, those more familiar with Sonic’s 90s outings that are expecting entirely new locations may be disappointed to find only a third of the game actually takes you to truly new environments. Of course, if you are fresh to the series the term ‘returning’ becomes a little more irrelevant. The main adventure can essentially be split into two types of Zones returning and new. There may be a few points where the environment can feel too busy with traversable platforms blending a little too easily into the background, but these are things that become less of an issue as you become more acquainted with each Zone. The game does a great job at striking the right balance between the roller coaster-like moments we all know and love, but also the slower more platforming-heavy ones too. Momentum also feels perfect where half-pipes and loops can be used to pick up speed in a way that feels both natural and fun. You are playing the game instead of the game merely playing out for you. Even with the faster elements thrown in, I was able to leap and hop around with the precision needed for some of the game’s tougher routes. Unlike more recent Sonic titles, in Sonic Mania you feel like you have direct control over the character.
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