Sonic Mania

Gameplay

Sonic Mania is a sprite-based side-scrolling platformer presented in the same style of the Sonic games released for the Sega Genesis and its add-ons. Players control one of three playable characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, or Knuckles the Echidna. Each has unique abilities: Sonic can perform a "drop dash" which sends him rolling in a spin dash after a jump, Tails can fly and swim, and Knuckles can glide through the air and climb walls.

Sonic Mania takes place over several levels (each divided into several "acts"), in which the player must guide their character to defeat Dr. Eggman. The game features original levels alongside "remixed" levels from past games, such as Green Hill Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Scattered around acts are golden rings, which serve as a form of health: if a player has at least one ring in their possession and is hit by a hazard, they will survive, although their rings will scatter and blink before disappearing. Television monitors are also placed around acts, which can contain rings, elemental shields, or power-ups such as invincibility and speed. Hidden giant rings leading to special stages, first seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, can also be found around acts.

Development and promotion

Sonic Mania was announced alongside Sonic Forces during the 25th anniversary event held by Sega at the San Diego Comic-Con event in July 2016. The development team includes programmers Christian "Taxman" Whitehead, who previously worked on the enhanced 2011 port of Sonic the Hedgehog CD, and Simon "Stealth" Thomley of Headcannon, who assisted Whitehead with the iOS and Android ports of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The team also includes level designer Jared Kasl, artist Tom Fry, and composer Tee Lopes of PagodaWest Games, who met while working together on an unofficial high-definition remaster of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka described Sonic Mania as a "passion project" born out of the fans' love for the early Sonic games.

In September 2016, Sega announced a Sega Genesis-themed collector's edition for pre-order, containing a 12-inch (30 cm) Sonic statue, a game cartridge cast with a golden ring, and a metallic collector's card with a download code for the game. To promote the collector's edition, Sega released a retro-styled infomercial featuring former series art director Kazuyuki Hoshino and social media manager Aaron Webber, based on an American television commercial for Sonic 2. A version for Nintendo Switch will also be released, with Tantalus Media handling the port. At a South by Southwest panel in March 2017, the game's release was announced to be delayed later in the year to allow for more development time.

Reception

Sonic Mania's announcement was met with praise following years of mixed reviews for the Sonic franchise. Andrew Goldfarb of IGN said that the game excited him in a way that Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Sega's earlier return to the "classic" Sonic style, had not. Alex Donaldson of VG24/7 stated that Sonic Mania was the sequel he had wanted for over 20 years, praising its visuals, music, and the inclusion of obscure Sonic and Sega references. Jack Hamnett of Twinfinite praised the game's attention to detail and how faithful it felt to the original games, saying that it had the potential to return the series to its "former glory". Despite having initial doubts following "two decades of disappointing Sonic games", Nick Robinson of Polygon called Sonic Mania a "revelatory moment" after playing a preview, and said it was his most anticipated game of 2017. Donaldson and Robinson praised Sega's decision to have fans of the series develop Sonic Mania, with Robinson stating that Sega's own recent efforts to develop side-scrolling Sonic games, such as Sonic Advance and Sonic the Hedgehog 4, never felt "quite right".