I have a limited, yet varied experience with the Sonic franchise, across both the 2D and 3D styles. I hold a lot of love for some select titles in the series, like Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Rush, while really strongly disliking some games like Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Battle. It is a series that is notorious for its peaks and valleys. Back in 2017 though, we received one of the highest peaks that the franchise has ever seen in Sonic Mania.
Sonic Mania is certainly the best 2D Sonic game that I've ever played. It looks and feels so authentic to the Genesis era of Sonic titles, which is partially a result of the game's inclusion of several reworked and redesigned stages from previous games. But, even the new stages blend right in like they're from the older titles. Speaking of, the art style of this game is beautiful. I've always been a sucker for the Genesis era of Sonic with that wonderful early 1990s aesthetic. It's been a couple of years since I beat this, and I still think about Studiopolis and how incredible the design is of that entire stage with its bright, flashy Hollywood-inspired visuals and the ridiculously catchy soundtrack by Tee Lopes bumping in the background.
The game feels great and like a more polished version of some of the classic 2D Sonic titles. The series' signature speed is on full display here, as you're sent hurtling through stage after stage, collecting rings, defeating Eggman's robot henchman and seeking the Chaos Emeralds. I didn't have too much trouble with the majority of the levels, but I did have a hard time with Titanic Monarch, and actually quit the game for a while because of that zone, before finally returning and finishing the rest of it.
Most of the boss fights aren't difficult, but a few are pretty tough, Metal Sonic on Stardust Speedway immediately comes to mind as one that made me want to seek professional psychological help after several attempts went, let's just say, less than ideal. The fight was actually really cool and quite cinematic but infuriating at times.
The character selection in Sonic Mania was delightfully diverse, especially with the DLC characters that were added: Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. I played through the entirety of the game with Mighty, who quickly became my second favorite Sonic character in the entire franchise, which I spoke about in our "Best Characters in the Sonic Franchise" article; Shadow is my favorite, as anyone would and should expect. Mighty and Ray both possessed fun abilities that added a lot to my enjoyment of the game. Ray, being a flying squirrel, can soar across stages, which is awesome. Mighty, being an armadillo, has a hard shell that protects him from some attacks and environmental hazards, and also has access to a helpful move called the Hammer Drop, where he can crash into the ground at a high speed.
If you've never played Sonic Mania, and you're an old school fan of the series, I definitely recommend it. It's certainly one of the finest 2D Sonic titles that has ever come out. The game is chock full of dazzling art and great action-platforming sequences that I think anyone could find some fun with. Even if you never play the game, please check out the soundtrack. I still regularly jam out to some of these tracks.
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