Sonic mania switch
These branching paths make multiple playthroughs feel fresh, since you can still discover new areas of a stage even after beating it several times.Īt first, Sonic Mania might just look like an HD version of one of the older games. Generally, you want to stick to the higher routes to beat stages quickly, but a single mistake can send you plummeting to lower areas of the level. The mix between the running and platforming is what keeps Sonic Mania interesting. Levels will have plenty of sections that force you to slow down and carefully maneuver around enemies or tricky platforms. But he’s able to build up a lot of speed, so the challenge comes from trying to keep your momentum while avoiding enemies.īut, and this is a lesson so many modern Sonic games never learned, it’s not all about speed. Sonic usually only has one move, jump, so it’s pretty simple. It’s actually closest to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, as it has many of that entries powerups (like an electric shield that lets you double jump and attract rings). It still feels very weird to say that I like playing as Ray more than playing as Sonic because it’s so much fun flying around levels as a flying squirrel.If you ever played the original Sonic games on Genesis or Sega CD, Sonic Mania will feel familiar. The new content seems a little more geared for the superfan rather than the newcomer, which at the end of the day, is totally okay because whether you bought Mania last year or you’re only just getting to it now, it is still worth checking out.
SONIC MANIA SWITCH PLUS
Sonic Mania Plus took a well-made game and made it even better, with two interesting new characters and remixed levels.
Encore’s more punishing design does not make up for that and Sonic Mania as a whole would be a way more pleasant and accessible experience without game overs. The original Mania mode still relies on an outdated yet nostalgic lives mechanic that, frankly, doesn’t need to be there.
SONIC MANIA SWITCH TRIAL
Lastly for the Time Trial mode, replays can be saved. Some of the ornery boss fights in the original are a little less absurd and the multiplayer Competition mode can now handle up to four players, which makes the race to the finish wacky.
It’s a harder, slightly more punishing twist, but it’s perfect for people who want to check out Mighty and Ray but might not want to just replay the same old game. You can also play through the game in Encore Mode, which loses the concept of lives and instead you rescue the five different characters and cycle between them, hitting a game over when all of your heroes are defeated. Having not played Sonic Mania since last fall, the differences were mostly something that I had to replay the original versions to really notice. The general flow and layout is mostly the same, but a few new obstacles and ways to make use of Mighty and Ray’s abilities are included. In addition to the new characters, every level has an Encore Mode that changes up the levels slightly.
Much like how you could break old Sonic games by throwing Knuckles into them, Ray feels like a fun way to explore each area. Mighty is generally a very helpful character to play as but Ray is a lot more fun to tool around with. Ray requires a little more finesse as his novel twist is that he can fly in a way reminiscent of Mario’s cape power-up from Super Mario World. Mighty is a bruiser and can charge straight down with a second tap of the jump button in the air. I know - more of Sonic’s friends are usually a bad thing for the franchise, but here, Mighty and Ray are brilliant additions that tease out more fun and depth to the branching levels. The Encore additions are focused around two new characters: Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel.