![]() ![]() When they throw things in from other games, it’s always in a way that will surprise and delight you. This is the highest praise I can give developers Christian Whitehead (an Aussie, bless his heart), Headcannon Games, PagodaWest Games and even composer Tee Lopez - even when they bring something entirely of their own invention to the table, it is completely in sync with the design, look, feel and spirit of the originals. When the game did throw a new level at me, despite never having played them before, I wondered for quite a while if I had because they all felt so intuitive. Act 2 then remixes the level with their own modern design and mechanics. When it pulls levels from classic titles, Act 1 is typically a flawless recreation of the original to ease you back in. Over the course of its fourteen stages, Sonic Mania follows a fairly tight script - each level is two acts (ala Sonic 3) with a miniboss fight at the end of Act 1 and a fully-fledged boss fight at the end of Act 2. The way it recreates those old levels in such minute detail that you are instantly transported back to your parents living room at the age of eight. The impeccable sprite and background work that flawlessly evokes the Mega Drive colour palette while performing subtle animations that hardware could have only dreamed of. The way the game remixes enemies, devices and mechanics from each of the four games in different ways to create startlingly well-crafted new levels. The intro pulled from Sonic 3 that ties the game’s story to the end of Sonic & Knuckles. ![]() What it does instead is look critically at the original four games and studies them inside and out, looking at what made them work, and seeks to not only replicate it but iterate logically on it as well.įor those who, like me, spent hundreds of hours playing these games in their youth, there is so much that is recognisable about Sonic Mania. In using the Mega Drive era titles as its springboard Sonic Mania makes it clear that, much like the vast majority of Sonic fans, it doesn’t give a shit about anything Sega have done with the series since 1994. And so began the long dark period of Sega fundamentally misunderstanding what made their landmark character so great, a period that has yet to actually come to an end. That was the early-to-mid 2000’s, though - flush with powerful new hardware that let us leave the graphics and mechanics of old behind, we weren’t looking back, only forward. It is not the first game to try plumbing the nostalgic depths of the 16-bit era Sonic titles - the passable Sonic Advance and Sonic the Hedgehog 4, a game utterly unworthy of the number it placed upon its own head, both gave it a go and failed to measure up. Sonic Mania is equal parts spiritual successor, loving homage and a fresh take on the Mega Drive era material, wisely eschewing every game to come out of the Sonic franchise since 1994’s Sonic & Knuckles. After nearly 25 years of Sonic games that made me want to forget he ever existed, I can’t tell you how good it is to have the Sonic I know and love returned to me. It is proof that the Sonic the Hedgehog formula, abandoned in the Saturn era, is as fun, interesting and engaging as it was in the early 90’s. For long-suffering Sonic fans, it is a well overdue homecoming. For Sega kids everywhere, it is a portal to your childhood. Rex!“Īfter the comic series was officially confirmed to be cancelled, Tracy Yardley released the only three pages of the issue (that had only made it as far as the pencilling stages) online and subsequently auctioned them off, alongside the twenty fully inked pages of the previous issue.Sonic Mania is a gift. Don’t miss out on the beginning of a whole new era of Sonic stories! Featuring cover art by Sonic comics veteran Tracy Yardley and a “Epic Movie Poster” variant by T. It was cancelled on 19 April 2017.ĮVERYTHING CHANGES when SONIC and friends go down their “Branching Paths”: The Shattered World Crisis is behind us, and the 25th Anniversary was well celebrated! So what’s next for Sonic and his friends? That’s up to them to decide! Sonic is racing around Westside Island on a mission-but for whom? And while Sonic’s away, each of his friends make decisions that will plot the course of their lives. Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 292 was the intended two hundred ninety second issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics.
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