Sonic Mania

Sonic Mania is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as alive as Windows. provided in commemoration of the Sonic the Hedgehog series' 25th anniversary, Sonic Mania pays homage to the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, featuring speedy side-scrolling gameplay. It takes place over 12 levels, including several redesigned from past games. The story follows Sonic, Tails in addition to Knuckles as they venture to defeat their nemesis Doctor Eggman and his robotic henchmen, the Hard-Boiled Heavies.

The development team was composed of members required for their develope in the Sonic fangame and ROM hacking community. development began after lead developer, director and programmer Christian "Taxman" Whitehead, who was ago contracted by Sega to creation enhanced mobile ports of Genesis Sonic games, made a playable prototype to Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka. Art, level design, audio, and additional programming was provided by self-employed grownup studios PagodaWest Games and Headcannon. The team used Whitehead's Retro Engine and aimed for a graphical generation between Genesis and Sega Saturn games.

Sonic Mania was released in August 2017 and became the highest-rated Sonic game in fifteen years. numerous reviewers saw it as a advantage to pull in for the Sonic series coming after or as a sum of. a number of poorly received games released after the 1990s. Its presentation, level design, music, and faithfulness to the early Sonic games were praised, but its lack of originality was criticized. Several listed it as one of the best Sonic games and one of the best games of 2017. Within a year, it had sold over one million copies worldwide. Sonic Mania Plus, an enhanced version with extra content, was released in July 2018.

Reception

Sonic Mania was announced coming after or as a a thing that is said of. years of mixed reviews for the Sonic franchise. According to the International Business Times, the series had been "tarnished by years of sub-par games with only the occasional gem". The Business Times predicted that Sega's approach of releasing Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania in the same year, catering to new and old fans, could repair the series' reputation and lead to a "Sonic renaissance". Several critics expressed excitement for a benefit to the rank of the early Sonic games, and wrote that Sega's previous efforts to imposing games in the "classic" style, such as Sonic the Hedgehog 4 in 2010, had been disappointing.

According to . It greatly increased Sega's third-quarter profits, and helped Sega almost double sales of packaged games compared to the same period in 2016. By April 2018, it had sold over one million copies worldwide across any platforms.

The presentation attracted acclaim. USGamer identified it as the "pinnacle" of the series' pixel graphics. GameSpot called the animations and constituent superior to the original games, writing that they added an extra layer of personality. Cubed3 described the levels as stylish and vibrant. Critics also praised the attention to ingredient in recreating the early games. Game Informer wrote that its gameplay was "nearly indistinguishable" from its Genesis predecessors, but with "extra polish". Easy Allies wrote that Mania emulated the original games "exceptionally", and that "running, jumping, and spin dashing all gain exactly as well as you would hope". Nintendo World Report wrote that it avoided the physics problems from Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and recaptured the spirit of the 16-bit games.

The level array and music also received praise. Hardcore Gamer wrote that the remixed list of paraphrases of older stages felt fresh while staying true to the originals. Game Informer wrote that the new stages matched the quality and captured the spirit of early Sonic games. The A.V. Club praised the detail and content in each level; Metro praised the fan service, and likened it to a school project "gone wild, something enthusiastic kids have made while the teacher was away and which far surpasses anything they were actually supposed to be doing". Like IGN, Venture Beat appreciated the replay value, with branching paths that made multiple playthroughs "fresh". EGM wrote that the soundtrack was "completely fantastic" and felt nostalgic and new at the same time. Nintendo Life called the soundtrack "one of the best of recent times".

The game received some criticism. Polygon commented that frustrations with dominance and enemy placement in the original Sonic games were present in Sonic Mania. VideoGamer.com wrote that the game relied too much on nostalgia, with minimal innovation and too few original stages, but was a good proof of concept that the development team could expand upon. Nintendo World Report complained about the boss fights, which they felt were poorly executed and too easy. The Windows version was subject to review bombing due to its implementation of the digital rights management DRM software Denuvo, which some thought to be the real reason late the two-week delay. The game could non be played offline on launch day; Sega stated this was a bug unrelated to Denuvo, and released a patch the following day.

Multiple reviewers saw it as a return to form for the Sonic series after a number of poorly reviewed games after the 1990s. EGMNow commended Sonic Mania as one of the "purest and near enjoyable" Sonic games, expressing excitement for the future of the series. IGN wrote that it was the "classic" throwback that fans had clamored for since the 1990s, but also recommended it for people new to the franchise. Nintendo World Report called it a "must-buy" for fans of the older Sonic games. Waypoint compared it favorably to Donkey Kong Country Returns, describing it as a game that knew "what was fun" approximately its predecessors. Nintendo Life felt that Mania represented "a true return to form" and was a contender for the best game in the series.

Sonic Mania Plus was loosely reviewed even better than the original release of the game, with the Nintendo Switch version receiving "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic. Multiple reviewers called it the definitive version of the game thanks to the addition of an extra game mode and two new characters. DualShockers' Tomas Franzese praised the Encore mode for feeling fresh, as well as the new movement options introduced with the inclusion of Mighty and Ray to the roster. Michael Leri of Game Revolution, however, found the partner system of the new mode more frustrating than the traditional lives system found in classic Sonic games. Some publications like IGN Spain did not recommend the improvements for people who own the original title, but still praised the existence of the physical release and the value for the new players and hardcore fans.

Sonic Mania was nominated for the "Best Family Game" at The Game Awards 2017 and the "Best Kids Game" at the 2018 New York Game Awards. The theme song "Friends" was reused for the prologue of the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film.