Sonic Mania Reviews
The fantastic stage design, gorgeous visuals and inspiring music of the early Sonic games have been brilliantly translated, with all the new additions seamlessly gelling with the old. Mania is an absolute must for any self-proclaimed Sonic fan and ranks high even just as a platformer in this generations of consoles. The blue blur has truly returned to his former glory.
A prime example of how retro console gaming can still be fun AND relevant. Cracking good fun...
Sonic fans have been waiting for a game that finally built on the legacy of the Genesis era Sonic games and Sonic Mania has finally captured that magic that has been missing. Bringing in a true Sonic fan to take the reigns of the series was very much the right decision and you can tell the level of loving detail put into every aspect of the game. It may have taken a long time, but everybody’s favorite Blue Blur is finally back in Sonic Mania and it feels so good.
Best Sonic 2D of all times.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sonic Mania is a thoroughly enjoyable throwback to the original games and a must have game in anyone's collection. Christian Whitehead and his team at Headcannon and Pagodawest have definitely set themselves apart as the team to hopefully take 2D sonic games forward.
Great Sonic games are a novelty these days. Fortunately, the novelty doesn’t wear off in a hurry. Sonic Mania is fast, fun, and full of surprises, from the first level until the last.
What are you doing reading the Review description? Get yourself to the eShop, the PSN store or Steam and pick up this beautiful game. It's not even full price. Beautiful art, music and level design works to enhance the nostalgic glory of 90's sonic, and results in a hedgehog Tour de Force. Buy Sonic Mania and don't look back. Gotta go fast.
If you’ve been waiting for Sonic’s grand return to the spotlight, your wish has finally been granted. Sonic Mania is as good as it gets, proving that sometimes a franchise needs to rediscover its roots to move forward.
The nostalgia felt when playing Sonic Mania means that SEGA have done a fantastic job. It looks the part, sounds the part and most importantly plays the part. It’s more challenging than I remember, but this is quite possibly due to there being a lot of new elements to the levels to learn, and my muscle memory from the old games counts for nothing here. There is plenty of replayability here though, so maybe one day those memories will return.
If Christian Whitehead just keeps making new Sonic levels, and SEGA lets him head more games, then the future of Sonic will be bright. Hats off to you, Mr. Whitehead.
Sonic Mania is quite possibly the best blue blur experience in over twenty years. What Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, and Pagoda West Games have accomplished is nothing short of breathtaking, and it most certainly steers the Sonic franchise back on course. Now, we can only cross our fingers that both the flawless quality and overwhelming success of Sonic Mania will result in a series of future franchise entries within this style.
It’s clear that Sonic Mania was made with a lot of tender loving care, and with all the fans this game is set to please in addition to finding new ones, it would be a shame if Sega doesn’t name Christian Whitehead and company the new Sonic Team.
Even with the small issues, Sonic Mania is a love letter to Sonic fans. As it should be though, it was designed by fans for the fans. Sonic Mania is right up there with the best Sonic titles and an excellent throwback that longtime fans have been hoping and waiting for – myself included.
Sonic Mania brings the best that the classics had to offer and then goes Super Sonic on you.
If you’re a fan of the classic games you’re going to be in platforming heaven with Sonic Mania. On the flipside, if you’ve been living under a rock for the last twenty five years and haven’t played a single Sonic the Hedgehog game, Sonic Mania is an absolutely fantastic place to start. You might not appreciate the nostalgic elements as much as a long-time fan, but you’ll certainly appreciate the incredibly fun gameplay that’s on offer from start to end.
Sonic Mania proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sonic is better in 2D. Mania cleverly leans on the best of Sonic’s past while also carving its own path for a bright future for the blue blur. Welcome back Sonic.
So is Sonic Mania good? Yeah, it’s awesome. Is it the best Sonic game ever? No, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is. Is the Sonic Cycle broken? Probably not, Sonic Forces is due out later this year and looks like more of the third-person rubbish that we’re now so sadly used to.
The bugs and glitches betray its modern gaming background, but otherwise Sonic Mania is an absolute masterclass in how to rejuvenate an iconic series without either straying too far from its roots or essentially repeating a stale and tired formula.