Sonic Mania Reviews

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.

It’s been a long while since Sonic the Hedgehog received manic praise. The once-equal rival of Nintendo’s iconic red plumber has been an empty husk arguably since Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001. Almost every classic and modern Sonic game since has been mediocre at best, with Sonic Generations providing the only glimmer of hope for the desperate franchise.

Sonic returns to his roots in this fresh throwback to Sonic's golden era in the 90s. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all return to spin-dash across 12 remixed and new zones to uproot Eggman and his maniacal desires. Nostalgia meets modern gaming in Sonic's new adventure that is sure to launch him back into gamer's hearts and budget. Zoom!

With excellent level design, smooth animations, impressive pixel art, and a bunch of brand-new twists on classic-style gameplay, Sonic Mania manages to feel both old and new at the same time in the best way possible. Whether you like the old Sonic games or the new ones, or even if you've never played one before, Sonic Mania holds plenty of fun for everyone.

Sonic Mania is a franchise's identity found. It's simple, it's straightforward, it's what Sonic should be. The developers have gone back to the drawing board and have given new life to a franchise hat was on its last legs just a few years ago. This may be new life into the series, and here's hoping that it continues to be so.

In the nearly 20 years since Sonic Adventure, it turns out all Sonic needed was a developer who actually understood what made a good Sonic game. Mania is a joyous non-stop celebration of everything you ever loved about Sonic The Hedgehog, with perfectly designed levels, and controls that feel just right.. Yes far too many of the Zones are remixes of classics rather than brand new, with a sharp difficulty spike at the end, but Sonic Mania remains fun all the way.

The best Sonic game in years.

Regardless, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Sonic Mania, and it’s a clear example of just how successful fan-created passion projects can be when they’re nurtured by a studio. I’m also hopeful that the 2D journey doesn’t end here either, but encourages Sega to continue further down this road with even more new content in the future. In the meantime, 3D fans have Sonic Forces to look forward to when it launches later this year.

Incredible levels, beautiful art, a fantastic soundtrack and classic gameplay make Sonic Mania the best Sonic game in years.

Sonic Mania is one of those games that many thought would never happen. A true sequel to Sonic and Knuckles that takes the series to new heights, this is the 2D arcade platformer that everyone who owned a Genesis has been waiting for.

Sonic Mania has everything you could ever want from a Sonic game. The levels are carefully crafted, the bosses are unique, and the fanservice is off the charts. Those looking for the second coming of SEGA's mascot have found it here.

The best Sonic game in more than a decade has arrived, packing brilliant levels both new and old.

Even though it’s not the Genesis version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or  Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Mania does a lot of good things right. Christian Whitehead and Simon Thomley put out a beautiful love letter to Sonic fans from the Genesis and Advance eras of Sonic 2D platformers. The nods to all of SEGA’s classic titles, the innovative boss fights, the merging of several classic levels, all of it proves that to capture the pure essence of Sonic the Hedgehog, sometimes it is good to simply go back to the basics…

Honestly, at this point, I think you can be forgiven for forgetting that Sonic was once, actually, incredible. The Blue Blur has had such a bad streak for major releases that many are willing to write him off entirely - perhaps understandably so. But now is the time to let bygones be bygones, for Sonic Mania is a stark reminder to absolutely everyone why Sonic became a household name in the first place.

Still, even when Sonic Mania stumbles a bit, it’s only on little speedbumps in the road. For every issue I had, it didn’t take long before I was enjoying myself again, eagerly anticipating what sort of wacky wonders the game would throw at me next. It truly is the classic throwback longtime series fans have been clamoring for, but there’s plenty to love here even if you didn’t grow up with a Genesis. Sonic Mania is a stellar example of a retro revival done right.

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Sonic Mania doesn’t necessarily mark Sonic’s return to his glory days, but there is still much to love about this game and it can easily serve as a foundation for the future of the series if the Sonic Team chooses to continue in this direction.

Sonic's first true 2D, pixelated outing since 2004's Sonic Advance 3 was well worth the wait.

Sonic Mania provides everything that players could possibly expect from a classic Sonic the Hedgehog title - for the best.

A touching, and highly playable, labour of love by fans that understand Sonic The Hedgehog better than Sega ever has in the last 20+ years.

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.

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.

Sonic Mania surpasses the Mega Drive/Genesis originals. It not only incorporates what made Sonic great, but has the inventiveness to shatter what was possible in a 2D platformer. As a nostalgia trip, it sets the bar for what comes next for the modding community. For those unexposed to what made 2D Sonic great, this is still a solid game in its own right and may create new fans in the process. If being this good took ages, it’s about damn time.

With everyone playing Crash Bandicoot, Wipeout and a spiritual Banjo-Kazooie successor, we’re starting to wonder whether we somehow passed out in a DeLorean during the New Year’s celebrations.

Following Sonic the Hedgehog's meteoric rise to prominence in the early '90s, Sega tarnished the franchise's once sterling reputation with a long string of mostly disappointing entries. With Sonic Mania, Sega wants to wipe away the last couple of decades and give fans a true successor to the beloved Genesis titles. The effort largely succeeds. Sonic Mania is a beautifully made love letter to the classic days of the franchise, and it's also the best entry in more than two decades.

A beautifully crafted love letter to Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Mania is everything a Sonic game should be and more. I'd be deliriously happy if SEGA carried on making them like they used to; if it carried on making more games like Sonic Mania.

The sound of Sonic Mania somehow manages to measure up to the visuals in every regard. Classic stages begin with subtle remixes to their original tracks that become more and more complex with each act, while new stages have music that fits right into the enormous pantheon of remarkable Sonic tunes. Even the Special Stages have their own songs that feel as though they’ve always belonged in Sonic’s library. The sound effects especially harken back to the Genesis/Sega CD age in a way that even the least-nostalgic players will notice.