I'm super tempted to check this out. I've never been a big fan of 2D Sonic or it's indie successor Freedom Planet, but the zeitgeist surrounding this games release is so damn strong. I haven't felt this kind of pressure to play a game based on reputation alone since Modern Warfare 2, or Skyrim. And I do think there's a better chance that I'll enjoy this game than past 2D entries, since this is made by independent developers with decades of perspective who are trying to make a genuinely good game, rather than a team of devs pressured to quickly make a game with enough spectacle to sell a console. Not that Sonic Team wasn't trying to make good games, just that they had a lot of outside pressure to create marketing money shots and ship consoles.

Anyway, I'm tempted to just wait for a sale, but I don't often see Sonic games go on sale. I might just bite the bullet and try it, but $20 does make me nervous about jumping in based on my past with the series. Maybe I'll give Sonic 3 and/or Knuckles another chance to impress me? I doubt my mind will be changes, and something about Mania does look more enticing.

Do you still lose all your rings upon taking damage? It's not my favorite mechanic...

@TriforceBun

You do, but other than getting them for 1ups (right?), is there any use for them?

Anyway this is actually my first Sonic game that I've bought and played so with the hype surrounding it and that it's actually a quality game, I decided to cave in and get it for Switch. It's fun so far! If a bit disorienting at times. The levels just send you flying all over the place that I often wonder if I'm even going in the right direction. That coupled with a time limit that apparently kills you without warning has made for some tense situations. But overall, I'm really enjoying it. That sense of speed you get, even if leaving me confused, is still a great feeling when you just plow through enemies and the environment. I'm probably missing a bunch of stuff but replaying through levels and beating the challenges should be fun.

The Chemical Plant Zone boss fight was brilliant.

@TriforceBun

Yes, but in some cases, they group...so you'll get, say, 16 rings with one collected.

@VofEscaflowne
There's a time limit? I play slow and never noticed a time limit.

@TriforceBun
The more you have the easier it is to gain some back though.

I was never the hugest Sonic fan, but I've definitely played my fair share over the years. I didn't really "get it" either, but I think now I finally do.

The music is great, the art is gorgeous, and the platforming is varied, different, and fun. It's rewarding to find secrets and different items.

@Hero_Of_Hyrule Sonic games actually go on sale pretty frequently, at least on PC. It may take a while, but it'll get to 25% off maybe as soon as the holidays, then 50% off at some point next year, then 75% off after that. But if you didn't like the Genesis games, Sonic Mania probably won't float your boat. It plays exactly like those games. The game is a labor of love in a way that few revivals are, but I imagine that zeitgeist appeal amounts to nothing if Sonic's not your cup of tea.

@TriforceBun You lose all your rings unless you have a shield. There's another item called the Combine Ring (from Knuckles Chaotix, wow) that groups your rings together into giant rings when you lose them, so retrieving most or even all of them is much easier.

@VofEscaflowne Rings are also the way to get into the Blue Spheres bonus stages: I think you need 30 of them when you pass a checkpoint to activate the warp. They also let you activate / prolong Super Sonic once you get all the Emeralds (I assume, anyway).

I too have never seen the rings mechanic as a bad thing, at least in 2D Sonic. I liken them to giving Small Mario an extra hit point that, in most cases, can be easily retrieved when lost. Having a stockpile of them is nice, sure, but not actually all that rewarding. So losing them isn't a huge deal, in most cases.


@carlosrox Yeah, if the timer hits ten minutes, you lose a life and go back to your last checkpoint (with the timer reset to zero). That's one tradition I wish they would have done away with: in a game where exploration and backtracking are so tantalizing, taking your time shouldn't be punished.

But if you're into Sonic Mania, you should check out the classics sometime! They might not have all the glitz and glamour of Mania, but there's a good reason why Mania is cut from their cloth.

@nate38

Oh, I didn't know that about the checkpoint/rings. Nor would I have any reason to I guess I'll be more careful about it when going for those challenges!

I'm like positive I've gone over 10 mins without dying! Whaaaaaaaat? Like I'm sure my first level was like 15 mins. I swearrrrrrrrrr.

Hmm. Will test.

I imagine Carlos starting up a level and then sitting patiently in front of the TV for ten minutes while Sonic taps his foot.

Actually, I wonder if something happens if you sit idle long enough? Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix both had, erm, Easter Eggs if you just sat idle too long.


To gush a little more about the game, I love how the Zones from past games aren't limited to their own gimmicks, and often borrow from other legacy Zones with similar themes: Flying Battery Act 2 is just as much a Wing Fortress tribute, and it even has a short segment with Wacky Workbench's infamous background coils in it (thankfully without the bounce floor that makes it such a hassle).

We made it to the second Sonic 2 returning Zone --- Oil Ocean --- before quitting time yesterday. I hear there's only a few zones left after that, so we'll probably gonna finish the game next time we get together this weekend.

Oh, and the brand new Zones are at least as good as the old ones. I hear there's only four of them, and I've played three, so yeah...I wish this game were twice as long!

@nate38

Yeah, I'm talking about sales on PS3 or 4. But I probably have missed some.

Anyway, you're probably right about my thoughts on this game being similar to other 2D Sonics. I went back and played Sonic 3 and had some good fun until the game crashed in act 2 of the casino level. Probably more fun than I've ever had with the classic Sonic games. I've very slowly warmed to the 2D Sonic games., At first I didn't like them, then I only thought they were okay, and now I think Sonic 3 is good. Maybe a shiny new title may be what it takes to push me over the edge? I dunno.

The last time I had this strange, irrational urge to try a game was when I felt compelled to play Metroid Zero Mission despite not connecting with other Metroid type games (including Prime). And when I took the plunge, I adored that game and suddenly was able to enjoy Metroid. I have the gut feeling Mania may be able to work the same trick for the Sonic series, but I have to sit on the price point a bit and decide if I want to take that risk.

@Hero_Of_Hyrule Where did Sonic 3 crash for you? Do you remember what was happening when it crashed? I don't remember if the game's ever crashed on me, now that I think about it...

I was running on a downward angled pipe toward the first body of water in the stage. The game kinda stalled, then jumped ahead a bit, then froze for a couple seconds before going to a black screen. I think there were a bunch of enemies and rings and moving parts around. I'm playing on the PS2 collection with an old, beat up system, so that probably had something to do with it.

I bought a Sonic game what am I doing with my life?

It's really great.

Hope they work out the kinks though. Can't really hit the home button reliably.

@Hero_Of_Hyrule
Interesting, I can't remember the game ever crashing but it wouldn't surprise me in that spot. So much speed through an area with a lot of activity just off-screen. Anyway, glad to hear you were enjoying it until that.

Zero said:

I bought a Sonic game what am I doing with my life?

Joining the winning team:

I've had a crash and an unresponsive Home button already. It ran completely fine the first night though.

Just played through the first three full zones. I really like how the 2nd half of the old zones has remixed music and all-new design and mechanics. Chemical Plant Zone 2 was a real highlight. And the new stage I just played--the TV station one--was nuts and highly creative. Probably one of the best Sonic Zones ever!

I still find that it has some frustrating moments peppered about though; enemies that aren't visually telegraphed as well as they could be and the like. Less "what even hit me!?" things but still more than there should be. Oh well. I appreciate the sheer craziness and flow in the stages, at least.

What differentiates the types of medals in the Blue Sphere stages? Time taken?

@nate38

I went back today and finished Sonic 3. It was pretty good. I also rolled straight into Knickles and finished Sandopolis zone. It's been fun, but some levels (especially launch base) dish out a bunch of cheap hits and start to wear on my nerves. Overall I like the games, though. I probably will check out Mania sooner rather than later.

@TriforceBun Took me a while to figure that out too, but you get a Silver medal for completion and a Gold medal for getting all the rings (there's a ring countdown in the top right corner). If you run around the perimeter of a group of blue spheres, they'll turn into rings.

So my history with 2D Sonic is basically dicking around with the old games a bit but not getting super into them, and kind of getting into Sonic Rush but considering it maybe a low 8, which is to say a good game but nothing that blew me away. (History with 3D Sonic is mostly Adventure Battle 2, which I finished but really only enjoyed the Sonic parts, which were ok but not amazing...)

I played the first two acts of Mania and here are my impressions...

I still am not sure the flow of Sonic games works for me. There are a lot of paths, which is cool, but it's often confusing to me how I'd ever know why I'd choose one path over another, or when backtracking is required versus when I'm just going backwards, and half the time everything happens so fast it gets chosen for me anyway. And just generally speaking, am I supposed to be going fast? Slow? Back and forth? It sometimes seems tough to know when the game wants momentum or not until it is too late.

I'm not sure the game does a good enough job of telegraphing which enemies I can hop on and which I can't either. In the first stage there was something with a smooth top, I jumped on it, and got hit. Then later there was a crab with pointy claws, I jumped on it, and killed it? WHAT IS THE LOGIC HERE?! The bosses have been a bit confusing as well.

I really do not like underwater parts in Sonic. Weird movement, running out of air, blah. It's part of why I stopped playing Sonic 3 / Knuckles so quickly, got stuck on an underwater part early on and just said fuck it.

With that said, despite my issues, the game has been pretty fun so far. Well, Act 1 was just ok, but Act 2 seemed like a step up with some pretty creative parts (especially 2-2) and I heard it gets even better moving forward.

That boss of 2-2... ha ha. Sweet. It was way too easy because I played hours and hours of Kirby's Avalanche so I just quickly built a huge combo and pounded him. But it was still a nice touch.