So, it’s time that I revisit, Sonic Mania, and give my new thoughts on this game. As you know, Sonic Mania is praised as “the best Sonic game.”, and, the like and such.
It has been a month, since I reviewed Sonic Mania, and, at the time, I did enjoy the game, even, during the DRM backlash. I had a blast. But, over the past few months of playing and “speedrunning,” and time attacks, I started not to enjoy the game a bit.
Each playthrough of Sonic Mania I did, started to grow sour. There are things in Mania; I do like, but, there is a lot that, I don’t want or grown to dislike. I will be writing this, the best I can and hope you can see my side of things.
What I didn’t like the most is that Sonic Mania, feels like a fan game of Sonic The Hedgehog 3, It is a mash-up of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic CD, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The worst thing about Sonic Mania is that it relies heavily on nostalgia and I feel that where the game kind of falls on its ass.
If you need to use nostalgia, as a buffer for a game, it won’t be such a good idea. I like nostalgia, and when some games use it, as a call back here and there, it’s okay. But when your game is based around or on nostalgia, not to mention, that there are remasters or remakes of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Sonic CD.
Let’s look at some at a stage. Stardust Speedway in Sonic Mania
Most of the level layout is new but, then, you get into the latter half of the stage, it uses set pieces and level bits from Marble Garden, in Sonic 3. But for 75 % of this zone, it is Stardust Speedway.
Look, I get it. This is the 25th anniversary of Sonic, and they want to give the fans, a brand new game. That is all fine and well. But, if the original game relies heavily on Nostalgia, It’s not a new game is it?
I mean, when fans have the ports made from the ground up of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Sonic CD, Sonic Mania loses that charm, it once had or was going for? If we didn’t have these ports remastered of Sonic, then, Sonic Mania could get away with it.
But, if we didn’t have those ports, most likely, Mania wouldn’t be a thing now.
Sonic Generations did the same thing as Sonic Mania where it was a nostalgia trip. Again, I am not saying these games are bad. But, when you take off your Nostalgia glasses, you might not like what you will see. Sonic Mania panders to the Sonic fans, and more so, to the nostalgia sonic fans of the classic days.
When I look at Sonic Mania, it seems to be 25 % new things, four new zones, and the final zone. Seven new Special Stages and Sonic’s Drop Dash. Those are worth noting here. And there are eight old zones, Blue spheres (Yes, I am adding this here, as it adds nothing new), Mean Beans or Puyo Puyo.
From what I saw. There are 20 new bosses and six old bosses. While having new bosses is great and all. It doesn’t make up for the rest of the game.
There is more OLD, then new here. If there should be “Sonic Mania 2” They need to drop the nostalgia safety net, they need to make some new levels. Adding back an old stage or two, for Sonic Mania 2, is fine, so long, if you create the new game have nothing but more new levels, otherwise, at that point, it would be Sonic Mania DLC.
If you enjoy Sonic Mania and just don’t care, that is fine. But, playing Sonic Mania, for me, over these few months, I still think Sonic Mania is a good game. But, again, there is a lot of old and new.
Sonic Mania doesn’t know what it wants to be. Is it trying to be Sonic 2? Is it trying to be Sonic 1? Or does it want to be like, Sonic CD? Sonic Mania, is all over the place. Sonic Mania feels like an incomplete Sonic 3, that is trying to mash other elements from the other classic Sonic titles into one game. It does not work and to me, makes mania feel like an Official fan game, rather than a new Sonic game.
And the whole DRM and patching out things is not helping, but, eh. What can you do? But that’s it for me here.
Thanks for reading. You are free to disagree :P
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