Sonic Mania Reviews

Sonic Mania is ranked in the 96th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Andy Kelly
Top Critic
82 / 100
Sep 1, 2017

A breakneck platformer that uses classic Sonic as a foundation for something fresh and exciting.

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IGN
Top Critic
8.7 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic Mania is the classic throwback longtime series fans have been clamoring for.

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Essential
Aug 14, 2017

1992 is alive and well. Christian Whitehead and team turn in a beautiful rewrite of the 16-bit Sonic games with all-new stages.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic Mania succeeds in paying homage to the classic '90s entries that so many fans remember fondly, and in the process delivers the best Sonic game in decades

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9 / 10
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic Mania is both an evolution of the series' iconic formula and the best Sonic game ever made.

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Polygon
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2017

If more of what Sonic is what you want, then this is very much that, but more, and bigger, and faster. But for me, as someone with fond memories but key criticisms, Sonic Mania seems content to paint over some of the series' problems rather than fix them, making for a game that falls a little short of what might have been.

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Unscored
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic Mania clearly articulates Sonic's true appeal: Sonic is pure joy, a spinning ball of fun blazing a trail towards the next adventure.

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Alex Donaldson
Top Critic
Unscored
Aug 14, 2017

They actually did it. They nailed it. Sonic is back.

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Unscored
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic fans should buy. Curious onlookers should try.

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4.5 / 5.0
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic Mania is one of those games that your childhood has always dreamed of.

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Aug 15, 2017
Sonic Mania - Easy Allies Review video thumbnail
9 / 10
Aug 16, 2017

Sonic Mania is a true return to form for the mascot, in his 2D 'Classic' guise at least. It celebrates the glory days of the original games while also enhancing their qualities and taking on new ideas. From new areas, imaginative second acts and some delightful boss encounters, the development team has poured a lot of passion and talent into the project. The occasional bug and a couple of brief and cheap areas deprive it of Sonic-style perfection, but it's pretty darn close.Is it the best Sonic game ever? It's in the conversation, though the classics it's honouring may stake a claim for slightly greater 'flow' in the campaigns. Frankly, it's better just to call it a dead heat and skip the argument - Sonic Mania belongs in the company of the games to which it pays tribute - the Blue Blur is back.

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93 / 100
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic's best game in over two decades

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8 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2017

Sonic Mania is both fluid and fun, and reminds us all of what a Sonic game should be. This is a game by Sonic fans, for Sonic fans.

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7 / 10
Aug 14, 2017

It took two decades and change, but a team of developers has shown they understand what made the old Sonic games great with Sonic Mania, even if nostalgia is sometimes too much of a driving force.

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Ollie Barder
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2017

Overall, Sonic Mania is probably one of the best Sonic games ever made and is a very carefully and thoughtfully crafted game.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2017

A great return to the 2D platformer's roots.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2017

From the beginning to the end, I couldn't seem to put Sonic Mania down. One playthrough, without collecting all the Chaos Emeralds took me about six hours, I never said I was the fastest Sonic player. Sonic Mania has helped me rediscover what it was I loved about Sonic when growing up and it took me back to a time where I could just pick up a game and have fun. This if for Sonic fans everywhere and it will not disappoint.

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8 / 10
Aug 14, 2017

Retro fever has been burning brightly for years, resulting in a glut of shameless nostalgia grabs. As someone who was ambivalent toward Sonic the Hedgehog, I can safely say Sonic Mania isn't one of those. Rather than being the game's centerpiece, nostalgia is a foundation built to support the character, visual, audio, and design tropes that made Sonic great instead of forcing the franchise to be something it wasn't and never should have been.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2017

A fantastic entry and a long awaited proper comeback for Sonic. The new levels are fresh and full of ideas and the tuning in the "old" levels is nothing short of amazing. A must for all the 2D Sonic fans.

Review in Italian | Read full review