If Mania had a boss rush mode, I’d ignore it, and that’s probably why it is absent.īonus and Special Stages make a return and while they aren’t poorly designed, they sure are frustrating. I just wish there was a little bit more touch up on the bosses to give them some kind of scaling. And maybe that’s the point- you spend most of the game in the stages as opposed to fighting bosses so I can understand why the levels get more focus. I don’t need Sonic bosses to be hard, but I generally don’t like a shutting my brain off when I get to a boss battle in a game where there’s so much going on in the stage. I can name maybe 3 bosses I actually enjoyed fighting, while the rest were routine and felt lazily slapped together during a 3am meeting two days before the game went gold. New stages mean new bosses, and that is kind of Mania‘ s weak spot. There’s so much to take in and enjoy at every loop, bumper, and booster that when you get to the end you’ll almost be disappointed that it wasn’t longer. It’s entirely welcomed and prevents anything from getting stale- because you’ll spend less than 10 minutes on each act, you have a constantly changing environment and never really lose the feeling of excitement. Again, the second act amps things up a bit, each time almost feeling like a new zone.
The multitude of paths, the colors and imagery are just as well made as the classic stages, and of course, the music will follow you happily to the grave. A less seasoned player wouldn’t know where the classics end and the new stages begin. That just hasn’t happened because the designs are just that solid. I’m on my 4th run through and I still haven’t gotten to any zone and said “eh… I kinda wanna skip this one”. Each one feels right at home with the classics, and are near perfect in design. Then, of course, there are the new levels. You’re chances of scoring a date with me got worse, that’s for sure. please.) on the stage, and they’re just a blast from start to finish. Old enough to give you that healthy dosage of nostalgia, and fresh enough to give you that rush that will push you at breakneck speeds for hours as you crave more and more new experiences. And come on, if you don’t love Chemical Plant, I just don’t know what to say. Each one puts an entirely new spin (let me have that. The older levels are largely unchanged in their design so there’s very little to say there, save for how much I LOVE CHEMICAL PLANT, but the second acts are where this title shines. Mania feels like SEGA never missed a beat. Sonic games never failed to give me a sense of wonder no matter how many times I play through them, and Sonic Mania is absolutely no exception. The sounds of springs and rings, whether they be falling out of my hammer space stash or getting picked up colorful and stunning path.
The feeling of speed, the loops and twists.