Sonic Mania Reviews
Sonic Mania is the best Sonic game in years, and stands proudly alongside its ancestors as a great 2D platformer. The levels, both remixed classics and brand new stages, are broad and a lot of fun to speed through, while more cautious exploration is also rewarding and just as viable. The feeling of playing an old-school Sonic title is spot on and it's filled to bursting with secrets, Easter eggs, and surprises that will delight fans. If you've never enjoyed Sonic games, this certainly won't change your mind, but anyone with an affinity for the Blue Blur's seminal Mega Drive series can rest assured that this is more than worth your time.
It has taken a fan game to bring Sonic back to where he belongs – a two-dimensional platformer full of thrills, spills and 90s gaming nostalgia
Overall, Sonic Mania succeeds a lot more than it stumbles.
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.
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.
Like the Kevin Smith version of A New Hope I imagine almost daily, Sonic Mania is a game made by fans, for fans. And that's not a bad thing. Newcomers may be turned off by the intermittent difficulty spikes, but others may finally understand why many childhoods were spent looking for a kid who had a Sega Genesis.
Sonic Mania is short but sweet. It even functions as a proper Sonic 4 if you don't count the episodic Sonic 4 (remember that one?). As long as the same team is in charge I can easily deal with one of these every few years or so while Sega tries to strike Sonic Adventure gold again and again with their 3D iterations.
Sonic Mania is a brilliant return to form for the series' long-time away from traditional 2D games. Even if a few less remixed stages and more new zones would have been a nice change of pace, Sonic Mania's joyful level of ingenuity even in reimagining familiar sights is a testament to some of the franchise's best days.
A nostalgic platforming remix-o-rama made with love.
A breakneck platformer that uses classic Sonic as a foundation for something fresh and exciting.
I'm glad I lived long enough to see another great Sonic game; one that doesn't need the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. It has learned from the past and forged its own identity. It's not perfect, but it is a new standard that series needed. Believe the Mania because the Blue Blur is back.
Sonic Mania has Successfully stayed true to its roots and delivers a memorable and rapturous experience that satisfies every Sonic fan out there.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Sonia Mania is a refreshing attempt to bring the spotlight back on 2D Sonic games. It easily rivals the original Sonic trilogy in term of the level design and boss fights.
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 earns its spot next to the titles released during Sonic's golden era
Sonic Mania for as little as €20 contains everything what's best in the classic entries, and many fresh ideas. Must-have for all fans of the blue hedgehog – but only for them.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Sonic Mania is a wonderful blend of classic Sonic and new ideas, and should serve as an example of the great things that can happen when game companies embrace fan creators. There's no reason Sonic Mania shouldn't be followed by multiple sequels that continue its remixing magic.
Sonic Mania successfully takes Sonic back to the formula that saw him become a big deal to begin with. That means it does bring along the flaws in that design as well, but there's no denying this is as good as the Blue Blur has been for a long time.
A great return to the 2D platformer's roots.
Review in Spanish | Read full review