Chris Trottier on Nostr: Released in 2017, Sonic Mania is a 2D platformer. It is, in my opinion, the best ...
Released in 2017, Sonic Mania is a 2D platformer. It is, in my opinion, the best Sonic game ever made.
Previously, I believed Sonic 3 was the best Sonic game, with Sonic CD coming in 2nd place. I also believed that a good Sonic game was unlikely.
You see, with the exception of the Sonic Rush series, there hadn’t been a great Sonic game in decades. Okay, I will also say Sonic Generations was decent – but not great.
In fact, for a long time, it was far more likely for a terrible Sonic game to be released than a good one. Many people believe Sonic 2006 to be the worst video game of all time – and I think they might be right.
I think the reason Sonic Mania is so good is because an outside developer – someone who doesn’t work directly for SEGA – made the game. Sonic Mania is the brain child of Christian Whitehead, the fellow who made the widescreen adaptations of Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and Sonic CD. He took everything he knew about the Sonic franchise – which was a lot – and condensed it all into Sonic Mania.
You see, I don’t think SEGA themselves understand what originally made the Sonic franchise so great. It wasn’t the story or the “attitude”. It was always about the fantastic level design that made you feel like you were riding a rollercoaster, but still made you feel like you were in control.
And there’s so many goodies in Sonic Mania that it’s hard to keep up. There’s loop-de-loops, clever boss fights, and secrets. At one stage, I got to even face off against Dr. Eggman with Puyo-Puyo.
The art is really amazing. Yes, it’s pixel art akin to the Genesis games. But those colour palettes are really choice, and there’s tiny, subtle animations that make this game a treat. It reminded me of why I was a SEGA fanboy back in elementary school.
What’s always set Sonic apart from Mario, though, is the killer tunes. I’m not saying Mario doesn’t have memorable music, but what I am saying is that Sonic had some of the best music I had ever heard on a platformer. And what really sets it apart is how it showcased the Yamaha YM2612 sound chip – which to me is the best sounding chip of the 16-bit era. And Sonic Mania does it all justice, not just by playing those old classic tunes, but also adding new bangers to the library.
Another great thing about Sonic Mania is that it has low spec requirements. You need a dual core processor, 2GB RAM, 256MB VRAM, and 400MB space. Though Sonic Mania was designed for Windows, it works great on Linux via Proton. It’s “verified” on Steam Deck.
In addition to PC, Sonic Mania was also released on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. You can also play it on PlayStation Now.
After the release of Sonic Mania, the PC version got DLC with new levels, the addition of new characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, and a four player co-op mode. On console, the base game and DLC were released together as a physical release, known as Sonic Mania Plus. It got even better reviews than the original release.
Christian Whitehead hasn’t just made Sonic Mania and widescreen adaptions of classic Sonic Games, he’s also worked on the Sonic Origins compilation. And he also made Freedom Planet, an original game with lots of Sonic inspiration.
I don’t know if SEGA has it in them to release a Sonic game as good as Sonic Mania. However, it did provide them with a kick in the pants. While Sonic Frontiers is not as good as Sonic Mania, it is still better than most 3D Sonic games.
It’s been tough to be a Sonic fan. Not only were the games subpar for a long time, the fanbase has a certain reputation – if you know, you know. Things got so bad, I began to wonder if Sonic was ever as good as I imagined it to be, or if it was just a case of 10-year-old me having questionable taste. Well, Sonic Mania reminded me of why I ever liked the Sonic franchise in the first place.
To me, Sonic Mania is now the definitive Sonic game. Yes, I’ll always have the Genesis and Sega CD games close to my heart. But Sonic Mania is now, I’m certain, how the series should have always evolved.
Previously, I believed Sonic 3 was the best Sonic game, with Sonic CD coming in 2nd place. I also believed that a good Sonic game was unlikely.
You see, with the exception of the Sonic Rush series, there hadn’t been a great Sonic game in decades. Okay, I will also say Sonic Generations was decent – but not great.
In fact, for a long time, it was far more likely for a terrible Sonic game to be released than a good one. Many people believe Sonic 2006 to be the worst video game of all time – and I think they might be right.
I think the reason Sonic Mania is so good is because an outside developer – someone who doesn’t work directly for SEGA – made the game. Sonic Mania is the brain child of Christian Whitehead, the fellow who made the widescreen adaptations of Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and Sonic CD. He took everything he knew about the Sonic franchise – which was a lot – and condensed it all into Sonic Mania.
You see, I don’t think SEGA themselves understand what originally made the Sonic franchise so great. It wasn’t the story or the “attitude”. It was always about the fantastic level design that made you feel like you were riding a rollercoaster, but still made you feel like you were in control.
And there’s so many goodies in Sonic Mania that it’s hard to keep up. There’s loop-de-loops, clever boss fights, and secrets. At one stage, I got to even face off against Dr. Eggman with Puyo-Puyo.
The art is really amazing. Yes, it’s pixel art akin to the Genesis games. But those colour palettes are really choice, and there’s tiny, subtle animations that make this game a treat. It reminded me of why I was a SEGA fanboy back in elementary school.
What’s always set Sonic apart from Mario, though, is the killer tunes. I’m not saying Mario doesn’t have memorable music, but what I am saying is that Sonic had some of the best music I had ever heard on a platformer. And what really sets it apart is how it showcased the Yamaha YM2612 sound chip – which to me is the best sounding chip of the 16-bit era. And Sonic Mania does it all justice, not just by playing those old classic tunes, but also adding new bangers to the library.
Another great thing about Sonic Mania is that it has low spec requirements. You need a dual core processor, 2GB RAM, 256MB VRAM, and 400MB space. Though Sonic Mania was designed for Windows, it works great on Linux via Proton. It’s “verified” on Steam Deck.
In addition to PC, Sonic Mania was also released on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. You can also play it on PlayStation Now.
After the release of Sonic Mania, the PC version got DLC with new levels, the addition of new characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, and a four player co-op mode. On console, the base game and DLC were released together as a physical release, known as Sonic Mania Plus. It got even better reviews than the original release.
Christian Whitehead hasn’t just made Sonic Mania and widescreen adaptions of classic Sonic Games, he’s also worked on the Sonic Origins compilation. And he also made Freedom Planet, an original game with lots of Sonic inspiration.
I don’t know if SEGA has it in them to release a Sonic game as good as Sonic Mania. However, it did provide them with a kick in the pants. While Sonic Frontiers is not as good as Sonic Mania, it is still better than most 3D Sonic games.
It’s been tough to be a Sonic fan. Not only were the games subpar for a long time, the fanbase has a certain reputation – if you know, you know. Things got so bad, I began to wonder if Sonic was ever as good as I imagined it to be, or if it was just a case of 10-year-old me having questionable taste. Well, Sonic Mania reminded me of why I ever liked the Sonic franchise in the first place.
To me, Sonic Mania is now the definitive Sonic game. Yes, I’ll always have the Genesis and Sega CD games close to my heart. But Sonic Mania is now, I’m certain, how the series should have always evolved.