Sonic Mania Reviews
The best Sonic game in more than a decade has arrived, packing brilliant levels both new and old
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.
Hell has frozen over, Sega managed to release the best entry in the Sonic franchise in years. To achieve this, the developers effectively captured what made Sonic the best console mascot in the 90s, resulting in a nostalgia fueled trip to the past.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sonic Mania is more than a love letter for the loyal fans, it makes the series magical again, it is full of love and care, but we wish it didn't focus this much on boss fights.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
It's hard to write a bad word about Sonic Mania. It's a complete, classic package, at a great price. Each character you play as feels just as you remember it, but sharper. Each classic stage starts as you remember it, and then transforms into something completely new. Sonic Mania is a love letter to fans and a testament to the Blue Blur himself - a modern classic that Sonic fans old and new have to experience.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles left the 2D series at such a high point, that it would be difficult to find a way to top it. Yet Whitehead and PagodaWest Games, found a way to do it.
Everyone will find something to love about the hedgehog's latest outing.
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.
The blue blur returns in Sonic Mania, the hedgehog's crowning achievement
The '90s are alive and better than ever in Sonic Mania
Anyone who was Team Sega in the 90s remembers the "Sonic" series fondly. "Sonic Mania" is tailor made for this audience. Sonic's first spin dash through a loop of rings brings a wave of nostalgia that Sonic hasn't been able to muster in decades. This game makes up for lost time and reminds gamers why the Blue Blur is one of the most beloved game characters in the medium.
Sega took a chance in letting a longtime Sonic fan and a few smaller dev teams bring the original 16-bit iteration of their mascot back into the modern era, and the result is Sonic Mania, one of the purest and most enjoyable Sonic games we've ever been given. The question isn't if this experiment in reviving classic Sonic was successful or not—the question is what happens next.
Sonic Mania provides everything that players could possibly expect from a classic Sonic the Hedgehog title - for the best.
If you've been waiting for Sonic to become relevant for some time, you don't have to wait anymore. Mania has righted all those wrongs and then some.
Sonic Mania is still a long, wonderful return to form for the series that fans and newcomers alike should enjoy. Hopefully the upcoming Sonic Forces can maintain this level of quality, like Sonic deserves.
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.
They actually did it. They nailed it. Sonic is back.
Fast-paced best-of all the classic Sonic Games with Megadrive flair, some new levels and boss battles.
Review in German | Read full review