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Sonic Mania |OT| Dreams Come True

L

Loz246789

Member
Finished the game with the regular ending, have been replaying as knuckles since both the special stages are kicking my ass. A lot.

Replaying as knuckles is totally worth it, if only for
Mirage Saloon act 1. New music, new stage gimmicks, good stuff. Act 2 may also be a little different design wise, but it's a testament to how big the levels are that I'm not entirely sure.

I'm sure I'll get all the chaos emeralds eventually, but I may have to admit defeat in regards to getting all the gold medals, depending on how many you need for the good rewards. Heck, maybe even just getting all the silver medals may be tricky.
 
T

tim_pkmn89

Member
Is it just me, or do zone transitions sort of disappear in the later half of the game? It's just been fading to black after I beat Act 2.
 
S

sonto340

Member
Rambaldi said:
Same. I heard about the Switch “bugs” but I think I want it for the portability. I assume it runs exactly the same but I can’t find anything conclusive on it.
Click to expand...
DF has an analysis out.
It runs at a solid 60 with weird minor drops in the bonus and special stages.
 
O

OrbitalBeard

Member
sonto340 said:
DF has an analysis out.
It runs at a solid 60 with weird minor drops in the bonus and special stages.
Click to expand...

And they are very minor. Sometimes it drops from 60 to the low-mid 50's, but I haven't noticed it personally.

The Switch version is amazing. It's my second favorite game on the system now, after Zelda.
 
B

BassForever

Member
Got to flying battery zone with knuckles second play through 5 emeralds already though I could have had all 7 if not for choking.

Is it just me or is the 4th emerald special stage the hardest? There's this specific hole that I always go flying into.

I was worried about chemical plant act 2 boss
redoing the puyo puyo boss
not because it's hard but for how much of a pacing change it is... and honestly it's not an issue at all. Only issue is sometimes the game seems to bug and act like you lost so I make sure to mash the jump button.

Honestly I'm surprised with all the call backs to weird niche things that
there wasn't a sonic spinball esque boss. Guess they gotta save some stuff for mania 2
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
Just beat the main game (sans emeralds, got consistently blocked at special stage 4) as Sonic.

That was some dope as fuck platforming, I'm ready to go right back in as Knuckles.

edit: I like that this post is now bookended by the woes of special stage 4, I'm not mad!
 
D

delta_reg

Member
Finished the game earlier today, but working on a second playthrough as Tails now. There are so many alternate paths in this game that I'm actually having even more fun on the second playthrough cause I can explore a little better and find more special stages, though they're still kicking my butt and I can't get the fourth emerald. This game is at least a 9/10 to me so far imo. A great game.
 
J

JoeyJoeyJoey

Neo Member
First post on here after 8 years of lurking.
This game! I've had a smile smacked across my face all day cause of this. S3&K is up there with Final Fantasy IX as my all time favourite game. Mania just hits all the right notes. It's referential without being stuck in the past, the music is a delight and the presentation is absolutely charming.
There are a few things that aren't sitting right with me just yet... bosses are incredibly easy, some zones are slightly too long (Mirage Saloon for me is the perfect length, both acts are snappy and have great pace),
blue spheres stages
also feel slightly too meaty and intrusive to be quick checkpoint bonus stages and a few parts of Green Hill zone feel unfinished
(odd part in act 2 with spikes floating in mid air and fish badniks appearing and reappearing in the waterfalls just make it feel a little rom-hacky)
All of those are minor though compared to the joy it has given me today. Replaying certain zones again just to hear the music through headphones... need them tunes directly into my eardrums!
 
N

NimbusD

Member
My only negative about this so far is the switch home menu icon. Another face-only smart phone looking icon. This is really annoying, especially when the main menu logo would have looked so fucking nice.
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
So there's an unlockable Blue Sphere game in the Extras menu, which seems to have even more stages than the main 32 used in the main campaign.

Do you get anything from clearing/perfecting those as well? I'd like to know before I dump days into it like I did with Sonic 1 lock-on back in the day. (Somewhere in my parents' house, there is an old notebook that contains passwords for the first ~5000 stages of that game...)
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Chemical Plant Boss 2:
"Oh haha this is cute I wonder what we're actually....oh wait I'm actually playing Puyo Puyo,
but I guess I just need to out last hi-wait he's sending garbage at me wait shot I actually need to play Puyo Puyo"
 
Warnen

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
Think Sonic Mania and Destiny 2 gonna have to duke it out for my game of the year.
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
I really hope playing Knuckles circumvents a certain homage in one of the later zones.
he got knocked off the plane at the start of mirage saloon act 1 so come on standard stage and no sky chase 2.0
 
N

Nintendoga

Member
Beat the game with Sonic and Tails. Was pretty great, some levels dragged on a bit and it started losin steam near the end but overall super solid. Screw Special Stage 5 tho.

Makes me sad thinking how this is the best Sonic game in 20 something years and it wasn't even made by Sonic Team.

Gonna do Knuckles' run now.
 
goldenpp72

goldenpp72

Member
Curious, does anyone else feel there is input lag for both sorts of special stages? The normal game seems to run just fine to me but, I do notice some delay in the controls in those.
 
M

Menitta

Member
This is one of few 2D platformers that made me smile to things that are happening on screen. Just beat
Metal Sonic.
I'm hoping the other new stages are as good as Studiopolis.
 
P

Professor Lexicovermis

Member
Wow, this was so worth the wait!

Loving the soundtrack; glad every zone seems to have a unique boss theme from what I've heard!

Really loved Heavy Gunner's fight; his panicking really gave me Dynamite Headdy vibes! Also loved Mean Bean Machine, even though that was spoiled for me...
 
N

nowarning

Member
Professor Lexicovermis said:
Wow, this was so worth the wait!

Loving the soundtrack; glad every zone seems to have a unique boss theme from what I've heard!

Really loved Heavy Gunner's fight; his panicking really gave me Dynamite Headdy vibes! Also loved Mean Bean Machine, even though that was spoiled for me...
Click to expand...

Have you finished it?
There's a few bits later and one in particular that really reminds me of Dynamite Headdy
 
K

Kinsei

Banned
I finished it.

Pros
The level design is amazing.
Sonic controls like a dream.
The drop dash is an amazing addition.
Secrets are hidden quite well.
There are a ton of alternate routes and shortcuts through the levels.
The special stages are a lot of fun.
Blue Sphere is as great as it was back in S3&K

Cons
The instant death glitch during the Oil Ocean act 2 boss.
The camera glitch in the special stages (If you see a ring box over a pit don't go for it)
Most of the bosses are either boring and outstay their welcome or just flat out bad. There were only three bosses I actually enjoyed fighting.
No playable Amy. It's a really strange omission considering all the Sonic CD love in this game.

I'm going to get the remaining emeralds tomorrow then I'll start up a Tails playthrough.
 
G

gafneo

Banned
Beat the game on Switch. Died over a glitch during the last stage. At first, barriers where not closing and it had me looping through sections I had already beat. For a second I thought the stage became non-linear and I had to find a secret exist. Luckly it only happened once because final stage was long and hard. Chaos emeralds seem important so there is probably a longer, more epic boss if you find them. Just going by Sonic & Knuckles end where you fight egg man with Super Sonic.
 
B

BassForever

Member
Kinsei said:
I finished it.

Pros
The level design is amazing.
Sonic controls like a dream.
The drop dash is an amazing addition.
Secrets are hidden quite well.
There are a ton of alternate routes and shortcuts through the levels.
The special stages are a lot of fun.
Blue Sphere is as great as it was back in S3&K

Cons
The instant death glitch during the Oil Ocean act 2 boss.
The camera glitch in the special stages (If you see a ring box over a pit don't go for it)
Most of the bosses are either boring and outstay their welcome or just flat out bad. There were only three bosses I actually enjoyed fighting.
No playable Amy. It's a really strange omission considering all the Sonic CD love in this game.

I'm going to get the remaining emeralds tomorrow then I'll start up a Tails playthrough.
Click to expand...

Wat?

If there is any issue with the bosses it's that there a bit too easy and die quickly. Some of the more clever fights you can stomp before the boss can really do much which is unfortunate.
 
N

NotLiquid

Member
Even with my slight grievances regarding the game's narrative (which I only raise because it uses Sonic 3&K as a template) and wishing it did have a few more unique zones I don't think I'd hesitate in calling this possibly the best Sonic game ever made.

Every single level piles it on with new and innovative concepts that take advantage of familiarity not just as a way of embracing the things we loved about them but to also subvert them. Very, very few levels feel like they're low on the idea pool. It takes the best elements of previous games to combine them into the best of everything involved and they all adhere to the strengths of the classic formula.

As someone who's played a lot of fan games the Sonic community has put out throughout the years, there's been no shortage of imaginative ideas and gimmicks - sometimes a little too much of it, so much to the point that I was actively worried whether Mania was a game I'd even be excited for after already having such a fill of what the community can offer, but the game proved me wrong in a way because aside from just raw production quality, budget and talent involved, I think Mania sets itself apart from just feeling like a fan game because the designers recognized the need for restraint and pacing. Incorporate subtle elements a little at a time and expand upon them rather than piling on an abstract quantity of outlandish tropes and gimmicks.

The mad men actually did it, and went beyond what I ever expected.
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
My main gripe with some of the bosses is one I've found to be recurring across the entire classic series and that's some damn unclear or inconsistent targets when it comes to dealing damage.

Sometimes exasperated further here by areas which you bounce off of but aren't damaging the boss. In general while some bosses are quite fiddly I appreciate that they mixed things up a fair amount, shades of Sonic CD.
 
Z

ZangBa

Member
Besides a glitch on the 6th stage Act 1 boss that forced me to restart, game was great. I don't love the bosses, but otherwise I'm happy. Might be a little on the easy side though, there's like no chance to game over.
 
nicoga3000

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
So do you have to get all the choas emeralds on one play through? I got one in the first world, but in the second I never found one.

Also, blue spheres get nuts holy shit. I forgot about some of these later stages.
 
K

Kinsei

Banned
BassForever said:
Wat?

If there is any issue with the bosses it's that there a bit too easy and die quickly. Some of the more clever fights you can stomp before the boss can really do much which is unfortunate.
Click to expand...

Studiopolis act 1:
A boring auto scroller that takes too long
Flying Battery act 1:
You have to wait an obnoxious amount of time doing nothing but killing the same enemy repeatedly until the trash is high enough to let you start hitting the boss
Flying Battery act 2:
You have to keep waiting for the spikes.
Lava Reef act 1
Breaking the armor on the robot takes for-fucking-ever.

Those are just a few examples.
 
J

Jonneh3003

Banned
My only complaint is the boss in
Stardust Speedway Act 2
though I'm sure that won't be a problem when I learn how to properly exploit it in later playthroughs. Mania might just be my favourite Sonic game. It innovates on everything that made the original trilogy great and has a vision for how to make it even better. I love it.
 
G

Ginger Hail

Member
Just finished up my first playthrough. So many amazing nods and bits, like
Mean Bean Machine, Fang and the Fighters characters, Game Gear Silver Sonic, the Gatchapon sprites, and the final stage paying homage to 3K's bonus stages.
Can't wait to play through again, probably gonna go Knuckles next time.
 
T

Totofogo

Neo Member
Hit a bug after the
puyo puyo
boss fight, I was able to control Sonic in what was supposed to be a cutscene, and then disappeared. Had to restart the stage... luckily it was no real trouble to replay!!

However, is
puyo puyo unlockable as an mode outside of that fight at all? I'd love to play it more, but I guess it might be a nudge to buy Puyo Puyo Tetris.
 
E

EmiPrime

Member
I love how good the scrolling is. So many retro inspired games become a smeary mess in motion (Blaster Master Zero on the Switch is a recent example with its awful scaling) but Sonic Mania in 4K scales really nicely.
 
G

Guess Who

Banned
Kinsei said:
Studiopolis act 1:
A boring auto scroller that takes too long
Flying Battery act 1:
You have to wait an obnoxious amount of time doing nothing but killing the same enemy repeatedly until the trash is high enough to let you start hitting the boss
Flying Battery act 2:
You have to keep waiting for the spikes.
Lava Reef act 1
Breaking the armor on the robot takes for-fucking-ever.

Those are just a few examples.
Click to expand...

You're fighting at least two of these a harder way than needed:

Flying Battery Act 1 is full of lightning shields - if you're Sonic, a lightning shield double-jump will hit the boss easily right from the start. Tails and I presume Knuckles can just fly and climb.

When the Lava Reef act 1 boss drops down, it not only shows you where the boss is targeting, but where you are relative to the "middle" of the boss. You can hit the boss's middle right away when it drops, and if you stay ducked, you can just stay in the middle until it goes back up.
 
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