This provides a perfect way of storytelling without the use of voice actors, but makes it difficult to interpret the story at times. The story uses cinematics similar to those present in Sonic CD. One of the bosses breaks the mold entirely while paying homage to another game within the franchise. This makes each battle more interesting as the player spends time learning the patterns. A number of different challenges are used to break up the traditional “hit 8 times” model. The bosses are a great example of this done well. The problem with this mechanic is I get fed up quickly with trying to find the switch rather than exploring the level or reaching the goal, and you may too. Grabbing onto switches clears this fog, which drains your ring count if it gets too thick. A good example of this is act 2 of Oil Ocean zone where a thick layer of fog builds up over time. Some of the more frustrating mechanics are back in Sonic Mania. Simply put, if a feature was in an earlier Sonic game, chances are it’s here as well. Essentially what makes the game enjoyable is also it’s downfall in places. Not everything in the game is perfect though, although nostalgia does alter the perspective sometimes. Combine this with each act featuring its own boss and adding in a few new mechanics, and you have a game that mimics the challenge of 90s platformers. Each of the original levels has been remastered in some way, including slight changes to the level itself, the re-positioning of items or enemies, or the reworking of end level bosses. There are however a lot of differences between Sonic Mania and the original gameplay, mostly within the level design. The rings released while “blue” are much larger and replenish more rings when collected. Opening this changes the color of your ring counter to blue but the bigger benefit comes when hit by an enemy. There is an interesting addition in the form of the blue ring box. Another, graphical advantage of the fire shield is that it ignites the oil of the Oil Ocean zone. A perfect example is the fire shield, which can open up new areas by burning away trees. But in the spirit of improvement, there are some minor additions that will only become apparent at certain times. The first shield from Sonic 1 works alongside the elemental shields from later games. The power-ups haven’t changed much from the 90’s. Whilst the basics are quick to learn, newer players, particularly those who aren’t familiar with more challenging retro titles may be put off by this. It’s a throwback to the 90’s with trial and error providing the learning curve. But it also assumes this by having no real tutorial or explanation of what the various power-ups or enemies do. Collect rings to stay alive, jump on enemies and reach the goal as quickly as possible. Review The basic gameplay is familiar for those who have played the original Sonic games. Positive Content The associated lore aligns characters toward good and evil values and there are final bosses that are represented as being evil in nature. When enemies are damaged their robotic shells are broken and usually living creatures are released. Characters will rebound off enemies when hit or fall off screen. Violence in game is described as children’s cartoon in style. Produced was a back-to-basics 2D adventure that is the true successor to Sonic 3 and Knuckles. When Sega gave him the green light, he enlisted the help of others within the fan community. Sonic Mania began as a project of Christian Whitehead, who had already worked on bringing Sonic games to mobile platforms. With Sega’s latest title tied into the 25th Anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog, expectations were high that Sega would deliver a modern title that would earn universal acclaim. It is difficult to know whether a new title is actually worth investing time and money into. Price: $19.99 Much has been written about Sonic games in recent years, whether it is the negative reviews of Sonic ’06, or the optimistic reviews of Sonic Generations. Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One
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