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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Sonic Mania
8 years ago
You knew I would be doing this eventually.
Sonic Mania (Switch)
I have been waiting for this game for a while now and finally I am getting around to playing it and giving my thoughts on it. Sonic Mania has been hyped for a while, and now that it is here, it is time to see how well this one holds up as a Sonic game and as a platformer. Don’t worry, I’ll review a Sonic game fairly, unlike most out there. So let us see how this game holds up shall we?
Gameplay
The gameplay of Sonic Mania is almost exactly like the original classic Sonic games. If you have played the original three games, then this one fits right in with the bunch. I only played Sonic 4 part 1, so I don’t know much about the other half and how well the entire package fits in. This one though does seem like it fits into the original games. What I mean by this, is the game looks and plays just like the genesis games. You run from level to level, exploring the levels and their many paths to the exit. All the while you are running around, attacking enemies, gathering rings and trying to collect the bonuses that this game offers. There are two types of bonus games here. The first is when you get fifty rings and hit the sparkles that come from a checkpoint. When you get this, you play the classic Blue Sphere mini game. You can also hunt down the hidden giant rings again, which when you enter them, you have an early 3D style mini game where you have to chase down one of the chaos emeralds without running out of rings or falling off the stage. Blue Sphere is just as challenging as it was back in the day, though this new mini game isn’t a piece of cake either. You have to be paying attention as you are gathering rings to stay alive and gathering bubbles to speed up. There are spikes all around that will take your rings away if you hit them, but you need rings to keep going. The bubbles increase your speed in three intervals, and you need to usually be at level three to hope to catch the emerald. This is a neat new way of getting the emeralds, and is pretty fair as well. If you mess up, it’s clearly your fault. Yes, there is some slipperiness, but that’s to be expected with Sonic’s speed and trying to turn so quickly. Either way, the main game for the most part plays just like the original games, though they were nice enough to throw new ways of getting around in there too. Yes, these are normally level gimmicks or ways to play nostalgia on players by bringing back older gimmicks, my favorite being the babifier from what I have to call it from Sonic CD. Yes, this game plays on nostalgia a lot as it literally uses old levels from the original games. It has levels like Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Flying battery and such like that. With the zones that use original levels, Act 1 is normally the same level as before, whereas Act 2 will use new tricks, edit music a bit and be something very original. This is also where you fight the bosses, so yes, just two acts, which is fine when this game has a dozen zones at least, which does make it a lot longer than the older ones too. I have to say, that I’m pretty impressed with the game overall, as it does a lot to show that it could be part of the classic lineup of Sonic games. It does enough to show that it has a lot of original gameplay content, even bringing back with big cameos from old lost characters, and using many neat new gameplay mechanics that you could see being in the game back in the day. The best part about all those mechanics though is that you aren’t just playing as Sonic either. You get to control all three original characters. So yes, you can play as Tails and Knuckles as well, which bring new elements to all the levels. Sonic has a harder time reaching certain areas, but he can speed through levels, whereas with Tails and Knuckles, you can get to many areas much more easily, so they have easier times exploring and finding the secrets than Sonic does in many situations. Sure, Sonic can sometimes have easier times on bosses at times, or on certain other parts, but each character is better in certain areas. I’m just glad to see them bring back all three characters and do enough to pay tribute to the older games, but also showing plenty of new things as well. Believe me, I had fun with this game, and it is worth playing through several times, which is good for another category later.
Story
Honestly, this is really the only part of this game that is lacking. It isn’t terrible as there is a bit of a story here, it is just you have no clue at all what it is that is going on overall. Okay, so Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are running around. There are bad guys. Eggman and some Robot guys are fighting over what look to be a Time Stone. Something happens with the floating island. There is some fighting and it looks like you are teleported from many different zones in the past to another as things happen around you. Ummmmm, right. I’m completely lost here on what is going on. It’s original, don’t get me wrong, which I do have to bring up, which is a good thing. There just doesn’t seem to be much explanation about what is going on in the big picture of things is all.
Graphics
I have to say, they got the game right in that it looks like the original games and it looks like it could be from that era. Sure, the game is cleaned up a bit to look nicer and there are many movements and things that happen in the background and such that likely couldn’t have been done well back in the day, but really, you expect there to be new things thrown in there anyway. While nostalgia is used in many games these days that use older graphics, this game does a good job of finding that balance of using most of the original graphics from back in the day, but making it just look nicer overall. I honestly don’t have any complaints about the graphics, plus the little anime opening and closing of the game is just a little bonus thrown out there to the player. Sure, I would have liked a lot more of it and I feel those scenes could have been used to help the story element for sure, they aren’t fully needed overall. As I said, they feel like a nice little bonus really.
Sound
The sound here is excellent. There are many tunes from the original game, plus remixes of many of them as well when you get to the second acts of zones. There are original zones, so you have lots of new music thrown out there as well for you to listen to. It has that strong memorable factor I’m always on about and you will be humming the music from this game. Heck, I took a bit to write this review and still can remember at least some of the music from the game. That’s a really good sign your music is good if people can remember it even after a while of playing the game. I could see myself wanting to listen to the soundtrack at some point if I was bored, so yes, I can’t recommend the music enough. The sound effects are fine and do the job as well, as they are mostly sounds from the original games, aka, the classic sounds. Nothing wrong with reusing what works in my opinion really. So yeah, I have no complaints in this department.
Control
The game controls like the original games as well. I know I’m bringing that stuff up a lot, but really, that is what a big part of this game is. You are sort of throwing this game out there to become a part of the classic series of Sonic games. You run around as Sonic, Tails or Knuckles, using the same abilities as you did back in the day. Yeah, there isn’t much new to add here. I was surprised that you could make the computer controlled Tails lift Sonic up into the air, which I don’t remember from the original games that much. That was a nice little touch. Other than that though, everything else is just pretty much the same control wise. If it was in the original games, it’s here. Simple as that.
Replay Value
The replay value is pretty good here as well. You can play through the game three different times if you want to beat the game as the other characters, then there is the fact you can collect the emeralds as well to try and get the final ending and boss as Sonic, or just trying to play through the game as the super versions of the three characters. Yes, you don’t need sixteen for Tails this time, he can go super with normal seven. There are several different paths through each level as well, so you can try various different ways to get to the goal if you wish. You have all the blue sphere games you can try and play through as well. You first need to try and just complete them all, but then you also want to try and perfect them all as well, aka get all the rings and complete the level. Heck, you even get a chance to play puyo puyo in this game, which is a neat way to do a boss battle and also allow you to play it on your own later. Remember, I played a Puyo game not long ago, so I am pretty well versed in the game right now, so it was neat to try it again. Still, I enjoyed how much there is in this game really. Sure, I would like a little more added in if possible or for there to be more branched paths for different characters, but that’s just me. Either way, this game will get you a good amount of hours out of it, especially if you are going for completion.
Overall, I have to say that Sonia Mania is a pretty good Sonic game and platformer that looks like it belongs in the original series of games. It has good gameplay, great soundtrack and great replayability that will keep you playing for quite some time. Sure, the story is still lacking, which is my main complaint with the original games as well, but it has more than they did for sure. I would recommend giving this game a try on whichever system you want to try it on. It’s only $20, so it is worth trying out at the very least. I do believe this game is worth that price, and it does easily fit in with the original Sonic series of games. Go give this game a try I would say.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Sonic Mania an eight point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 10
Story: 5
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Control: 9
Replay Value: 9
Overall: 8.5
Sonic Mania (Switch)
I have been waiting for this game for a while now and finally I am getting around to playing it and giving my thoughts on it. Sonic Mania has been hyped for a while, and now that it is here, it is time to see how well this one holds up as a Sonic game and as a platformer. Don’t worry, I’ll review a Sonic game fairly, unlike most out there. So let us see how this game holds up shall we?
Gameplay
The gameplay of Sonic Mania is almost exactly like the original classic Sonic games. If you have played the original three games, then this one fits right in with the bunch. I only played Sonic 4 part 1, so I don’t know much about the other half and how well the entire package fits in. This one though does seem like it fits into the original games. What I mean by this, is the game looks and plays just like the genesis games. You run from level to level, exploring the levels and their many paths to the exit. All the while you are running around, attacking enemies, gathering rings and trying to collect the bonuses that this game offers. There are two types of bonus games here. The first is when you get fifty rings and hit the sparkles that come from a checkpoint. When you get this, you play the classic Blue Sphere mini game. You can also hunt down the hidden giant rings again, which when you enter them, you have an early 3D style mini game where you have to chase down one of the chaos emeralds without running out of rings or falling off the stage. Blue Sphere is just as challenging as it was back in the day, though this new mini game isn’t a piece of cake either. You have to be paying attention as you are gathering rings to stay alive and gathering bubbles to speed up. There are spikes all around that will take your rings away if you hit them, but you need rings to keep going. The bubbles increase your speed in three intervals, and you need to usually be at level three to hope to catch the emerald. This is a neat new way of getting the emeralds, and is pretty fair as well. If you mess up, it’s clearly your fault. Yes, there is some slipperiness, but that’s to be expected with Sonic’s speed and trying to turn so quickly. Either way, the main game for the most part plays just like the original games, though they were nice enough to throw new ways of getting around in there too. Yes, these are normally level gimmicks or ways to play nostalgia on players by bringing back older gimmicks, my favorite being the babifier from what I have to call it from Sonic CD. Yes, this game plays on nostalgia a lot as it literally uses old levels from the original games. It has levels like Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Flying battery and such like that. With the zones that use original levels, Act 1 is normally the same level as before, whereas Act 2 will use new tricks, edit music a bit and be something very original. This is also where you fight the bosses, so yes, just two acts, which is fine when this game has a dozen zones at least, which does make it a lot longer than the older ones too. I have to say, that I’m pretty impressed with the game overall, as it does a lot to show that it could be part of the classic lineup of Sonic games. It does enough to show that it has a lot of original gameplay content, even bringing back with big cameos from old lost characters, and using many neat new gameplay mechanics that you could see being in the game back in the day. The best part about all those mechanics though is that you aren’t just playing as Sonic either. You get to control all three original characters. So yes, you can play as Tails and Knuckles as well, which bring new elements to all the levels. Sonic has a harder time reaching certain areas, but he can speed through levels, whereas with Tails and Knuckles, you can get to many areas much more easily, so they have easier times exploring and finding the secrets than Sonic does in many situations. Sure, Sonic can sometimes have easier times on bosses at times, or on certain other parts, but each character is better in certain areas. I’m just glad to see them bring back all three characters and do enough to pay tribute to the older games, but also showing plenty of new things as well. Believe me, I had fun with this game, and it is worth playing through several times, which is good for another category later.
Story
Honestly, this is really the only part of this game that is lacking. It isn’t terrible as there is a bit of a story here, it is just you have no clue at all what it is that is going on overall. Okay, so Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are running around. There are bad guys. Eggman and some Robot guys are fighting over what look to be a Time Stone. Something happens with the floating island. There is some fighting and it looks like you are teleported from many different zones in the past to another as things happen around you. Ummmmm, right. I’m completely lost here on what is going on. It’s original, don’t get me wrong, which I do have to bring up, which is a good thing. There just doesn’t seem to be much explanation about what is going on in the big picture of things is all.
Graphics
I have to say, they got the game right in that it looks like the original games and it looks like it could be from that era. Sure, the game is cleaned up a bit to look nicer and there are many movements and things that happen in the background and such that likely couldn’t have been done well back in the day, but really, you expect there to be new things thrown in there anyway. While nostalgia is used in many games these days that use older graphics, this game does a good job of finding that balance of using most of the original graphics from back in the day, but making it just look nicer overall. I honestly don’t have any complaints about the graphics, plus the little anime opening and closing of the game is just a little bonus thrown out there to the player. Sure, I would have liked a lot more of it and I feel those scenes could have been used to help the story element for sure, they aren’t fully needed overall. As I said, they feel like a nice little bonus really.
Sound
The sound here is excellent. There are many tunes from the original game, plus remixes of many of them as well when you get to the second acts of zones. There are original zones, so you have lots of new music thrown out there as well for you to listen to. It has that strong memorable factor I’m always on about and you will be humming the music from this game. Heck, I took a bit to write this review and still can remember at least some of the music from the game. That’s a really good sign your music is good if people can remember it even after a while of playing the game. I could see myself wanting to listen to the soundtrack at some point if I was bored, so yes, I can’t recommend the music enough. The sound effects are fine and do the job as well, as they are mostly sounds from the original games, aka, the classic sounds. Nothing wrong with reusing what works in my opinion really. So yeah, I have no complaints in this department.
Control
The game controls like the original games as well. I know I’m bringing that stuff up a lot, but really, that is what a big part of this game is. You are sort of throwing this game out there to become a part of the classic series of Sonic games. You run around as Sonic, Tails or Knuckles, using the same abilities as you did back in the day. Yeah, there isn’t much new to add here. I was surprised that you could make the computer controlled Tails lift Sonic up into the air, which I don’t remember from the original games that much. That was a nice little touch. Other than that though, everything else is just pretty much the same control wise. If it was in the original games, it’s here. Simple as that.
Replay Value
The replay value is pretty good here as well. You can play through the game three different times if you want to beat the game as the other characters, then there is the fact you can collect the emeralds as well to try and get the final ending and boss as Sonic, or just trying to play through the game as the super versions of the three characters. Yes, you don’t need sixteen for Tails this time, he can go super with normal seven. There are several different paths through each level as well, so you can try various different ways to get to the goal if you wish. You have all the blue sphere games you can try and play through as well. You first need to try and just complete them all, but then you also want to try and perfect them all as well, aka get all the rings and complete the level. Heck, you even get a chance to play puyo puyo in this game, which is a neat way to do a boss battle and also allow you to play it on your own later. Remember, I played a Puyo game not long ago, so I am pretty well versed in the game right now, so it was neat to try it again. Still, I enjoyed how much there is in this game really. Sure, I would like a little more added in if possible or for there to be more branched paths for different characters, but that’s just me. Either way, this game will get you a good amount of hours out of it, especially if you are going for completion.
Overall, I have to say that Sonia Mania is a pretty good Sonic game and platformer that looks like it belongs in the original series of games. It has good gameplay, great soundtrack and great replayability that will keep you playing for quite some time. Sure, the story is still lacking, which is my main complaint with the original games as well, but it has more than they did for sure. I would recommend giving this game a try on whichever system you want to try it on. It’s only $20, so it is worth trying out at the very least. I do believe this game is worth that price, and it does easily fit in with the original Sonic series of games. Go give this game a try I would say.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Sonic Mania an eight point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 10
Story: 5
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Control: 9
Replay Value: 9
Overall: 8.5
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i can't get past hydrocity.
