JaiGuru
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Review of Sonic Mania for the Nintendo Switch
By JaiGuru
Date: 10/6/2017
Game Information
Software: Nintendo Switch E-Shop
Company: Developed by Christian Whitehead for SEGA
Release Date: 8/15/2017
Introduction
Sonic Mania is a return to form for the little blue hedgehog who...well, who couldn't, most of the time. The Sonic franchise has been a mess of poorly conceived 3D games and a few 2D throwbacks which never quite captured the spirit and controls of the original series on the Sega Genesis. Sonic Mania bucks the trend by going back to the franchizes roots. It looks, sounds, and most importantly plays like an old Sonic game. It would have been right at home in 1993 as a sequel to the series' last truly great entry, Sonic and Knuckles.
Getting Started
The game begins witht he typical Sonic screen we've all come to love and enters into a quick introduction in which we see the eponymous blue hedgehog riding Tail's prop plane back to Angel Island. Robotnick (eggman) is toying with a Chaos Emerald and uleashes a time vortex which transforms his basic robot henchment into super powered variants of themselves and sends Sonic hurtling back in time. He revisits old zones made new, and new zones that take place in that time period as he works his way forward to put an end to Robotnick's evil schemes.
Game Play
If you've ever played an old 2D Sonic game on the Genesis, then you know exactly what to expect. It's high speed running, jumping, loop-de-loops and sudden painful stops! You move from point a to point b, collecting rings and chaos emeralds when you can to get the best ending possible. Bosses await you at the end of each stage, and they are the most creative baddies the series has ever seen! Much will feel familiar about this game to long time fans, but that familiarity gets thrown on its head as the developers flex their creative muscles by creating new tricks for you to figure out.
Graphics
The graphics are pure 16-bit joy. A few new animation cycles have been added, along with a crispness you wouldn't have gotten in the old days of fuzzy CRT screens. Beyond that, it looks as though a Genesis game had been ported to modern systems in all its pixelated glory.
Re-Play Value
The replay value of the game will depend entirely on whether you enjoyed your first run through or not. It's hard to imagine a person who doesn't know what a SOnic game is all about so you probably already know if it's going to be a multi-run through proposition before even trying it. There are multiple paths through each stage, lots of little corners to explore, and chaos emeralds to collect in order to see the best ending. Returning form Sonic 3 and Knuckles is the multi character select screen in which you can choose from Sonic, Sonic and Tails, just Tails, and Knuckles. Each brings their unique move set which lends even more replay value as some characters have access to unique paths through the stages that the others cannot travel. It's not the longest game in the world, in terms of play time from beginning to end, but there's enough content there to keep any old school Sonic fan busy for days or weeks of serious play sessions.
Overall Rating
4.5/5 - A near-perfect return to form for a game franchise many thought would never have a great entry again. Don't miss it!
By JaiGuru
Date: 10/6/2017
Game Information
Software: Nintendo Switch E-Shop
Company: Developed by Christian Whitehead for SEGA
Release Date: 8/15/2017
Introduction
Sonic Mania is a return to form for the little blue hedgehog who...well, who couldn't, most of the time. The Sonic franchise has been a mess of poorly conceived 3D games and a few 2D throwbacks which never quite captured the spirit and controls of the original series on the Sega Genesis. Sonic Mania bucks the trend by going back to the franchizes roots. It looks, sounds, and most importantly plays like an old Sonic game. It would have been right at home in 1993 as a sequel to the series' last truly great entry, Sonic and Knuckles.
Getting Started
The game begins witht he typical Sonic screen we've all come to love and enters into a quick introduction in which we see the eponymous blue hedgehog riding Tail's prop plane back to Angel Island. Robotnick (eggman) is toying with a Chaos Emerald and uleashes a time vortex which transforms his basic robot henchment into super powered variants of themselves and sends Sonic hurtling back in time. He revisits old zones made new, and new zones that take place in that time period as he works his way forward to put an end to Robotnick's evil schemes.
Game Play
If you've ever played an old 2D Sonic game on the Genesis, then you know exactly what to expect. It's high speed running, jumping, loop-de-loops and sudden painful stops! You move from point a to point b, collecting rings and chaos emeralds when you can to get the best ending possible. Bosses await you at the end of each stage, and they are the most creative baddies the series has ever seen! Much will feel familiar about this game to long time fans, but that familiarity gets thrown on its head as the developers flex their creative muscles by creating new tricks for you to figure out.
Graphics
The graphics are pure 16-bit joy. A few new animation cycles have been added, along with a crispness you wouldn't have gotten in the old days of fuzzy CRT screens. Beyond that, it looks as though a Genesis game had been ported to modern systems in all its pixelated glory.
Re-Play Value
The replay value of the game will depend entirely on whether you enjoyed your first run through or not. It's hard to imagine a person who doesn't know what a SOnic game is all about so you probably already know if it's going to be a multi-run through proposition before even trying it. There are multiple paths through each stage, lots of little corners to explore, and chaos emeralds to collect in order to see the best ending. Returning form Sonic 3 and Knuckles is the multi character select screen in which you can choose from Sonic, Sonic and Tails, just Tails, and Knuckles. Each brings their unique move set which lends even more replay value as some characters have access to unique paths through the stages that the others cannot travel. It's not the longest game in the world, in terms of play time from beginning to end, but there's enough content there to keep any old school Sonic fan busy for days or weeks of serious play sessions.
Overall Rating
4.5/5 - A near-perfect return to form for a game franchise many thought would never have a great entry again. Don't miss it!