How classic 2D Sonic games are handled is a topic many fans of the series feel passionate about. It makes sense as the Genesis titles were the ones to kickstart the franchise into the huge part of gaming history it is today. There's been numerous occasions where even the official titles that aim to re-capture what made the original games so great have fallen short, such as Sonic 4 and Sonic Forces' Classic Sonic. Out of all the attempts to release something new for classic fans, Sonic Mania stands out as a true return to form that plenty of fans enjoyed.
There are several factors that make Sonic Mania unique against the rest of the 2D titles. One of the biggest is most certainly that Mania was a fan project pitched by Christian Whitehead with help from Simon "Stealth" Thomley of Headcannon. Both of them had been well-known in the Sonic community prior to Mania as they had worked on numerous fan games and ROM hacks previously. The two brought in more well-known fan game developers to help, which led to a game that presented the best of Classic Sonic in a brand-new way.
What Sonic Mania Offers New and Old Players
Sonic Mania begins with a cutscene that describes the entire game rather well as it reminds players of the past by replicating Sonic 3 & Knuckles' intro. Shortly after, a new magical gemstone known as the Phantom Ruby is pulled out Angel Island, and its powers warp Sonic and Tails back to Green Hill Zone. This is a great representation of Mania as a whole as the game is more of the Classic Sonic experience fans wanted for years. However, it makes sure to take advantage of the resources it had five years ago to showcase how much 2D game design had evolved in the time since such a game was made. After all, Sonic Mania marks the first proper mainline 2D Classic Sonic game since 1996.
Many players were concerned that the game would rely on nostalgia too much, and some have mentioned that the older versions of familiar stages should have been sacrificed, so the newer second acts could have more time to shine. However, the use of a familiar first act before throwing players into an entirely new second stage is almost like a warm-up, as some stages grow in complexity and difficulty. It refreshes old players and introduces new ones to the stage before almost testing them once the first section is clear. The Combine Ring from Knuckles' Chaotix also makes a surprise return for Classic Sonic experts as the new Drop Dash mechanic was specifically made to help new fans. The Drop Dash ended up being such a great addition to the formula that following re-releases of Sonic games, such as Sonic Origins, made sure to include it in Sonic's moveset.
Sonic Mania Plus' Encore Mode
After the success of the original release, in 2018, Mania was given a "Plus" expansion that came alongside a free update that improved the base game with missing features, like transitional cutscenes. As part of Sonic Mania Plus, a brand-new mode known as "Encore Mode" was added that let players experience the entire game over again with remixed stages. Encore Mode came with a challenging rule attached where a player could only have up to five lives at a time. The reason for this was that Encore Mode used all five characters, the three from the original and two new characters to Mania Plus, as an interchangeable team. To the delight of fans, the two new characters were Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel.
To newcomers, Mighty and Ray are new, welcome faces to the Classic Sonic cast for a bit more variety. To veterans, it was extremely wonderful to see these characters return after decades of being unused. With the two new characters available in the normal Mania Mode along with Encore Mode, the game's replayability was extended immensely. Even after fans clear Mania Mode two more times, Encore Mode's constant switching of characters almost invites players to try and clear it by getting all seven Chaos Emeralds while also keeping all five characters at their disposal. It gives a whole new challenge to a formula that players have already mastered years ago, which is most definitely welcomed.
Sonic Mania is Complete With Sonic Origins
When Sonic Mania was released onto every major platform in 2017, some of those platforms weren't able to provide its users with the other four Classic Sonic titles, which considering how heavily referential Mania was, didn't bode well for many new players. While Mania is a game that can be played without understanding the games that came before it, if newer fans wanted more to play, they'd be out of luck. Outside new players, Sonic Mania was meant to follow where Sonic 3 & Knuckles left off, and series loyalists on certain platforms had no way to marathon all the titles if they desired to.
Now with Sonic Origins on every console that has Mania in its lineup of games, the series feels rather complete as the collection title brings Sonic 1, 2, CD, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles as one full game to stand next to Mania on fans' shelves. On top of that, Origins is specifically a collection of remastered versions of Sonic 1, 2, and CD that were originally found on mobile devices. These remasters were made by Christian Whitehead, the project lead of Mania, meaning that every Classic Sonic game has been re-tooled to match the latest title. Sonic 3 & Knuckles had never been remastered prior to Mania, but Whitehead had passed the baton to Simon Thomley and Headcannon to allow his team to finish the set for Origins. After over ten years without a re-release for S3&K, the remaster was more than overdue. Origins also comes packaged with the Sonic Mania Adventures shorts as a nice bonus for collectors.
However, as great as Origins is for 2D Sonic fans who wanted more alongside Mania, things are still a bit skewed in Mania's favor due to a rocky launch for the compilation title. Headcannon has publicly stated that the team was "unhappy" with the state of the game at launch, saying Sega meddled with the version it submitted according to strict deadlines. Following this statement, Sega worked with Headcannon to issue a patch to fix important bugs such as the AI-controlled Tails partner not respawning properly, but fans have commented on some important issues like the muffled music in S3&K not yet being adjusted. Sonic Origins could have felt just as great as Mania, but sadly these issues hold the collection back.
There is also the fact that even though the titles found in Origins are considered classics, parts of them have not aged well compared to the new techniques used in Mania. With more recent game design techniques behind it, Mania may stand against the classics as a better title both cosmetically, and in terms of balance. However, some may feel that Mania isn't as difficult as the older titles while to other players that may be seen as more of a blessing. Regardless, Mania was successful for both old and new fans, which led Sonic Team to decide to keep 2D and 3D games separate. Even though there is reportedly no Sonic Mania 2 in the works, Mania has at the very least brought a small renaissance for 2D Sonic, and its success may eventually bring another 2D Classic Sonic game to fans in the future.
Sonic Mania is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.