Sonic Mania

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Sonic Mania
Studio PagodaWest Games, Headcannon
Publisher Sega
Senior Developer Jared Kasl
composer Lopes tea
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 PS4, Switch, XOne: August 15, 2017 Windows: August 29, 2017
world

world
platform Switch , Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Windows
Game engine Retro engine
genre Jump 'n' run
Game mode Single player , multiplayer
control Gamepad , keyboard
Age rating
USK released from 6
PEGI recommended from 3 years

Sonic Mania is a published 2017 platform game by Sega . The game was to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sonic -Spielereihe for Nintendo switch , Xbox One , PlayStation 4 and Windows has been commissioned. It's a throwback to the original Sonic games for the Sega Mega Drive , which offer fast-paced, sideways scrolling gameplay.

It is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012).

Gameplay

Sonic Mania is similar in principle to the early Sonic games for the Sega Mega Drive console. Players choose one of three playable characters, each with their own unique abilities: Sonic can perform a "drop dash," Tails can fly and swim, and Knuckles can slide and climb walls. As with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), players can play as Sonic and Tails at the same time, or a second player can control Tails.

Sonic Mania contains twelve levels, the so-called zones. The game offers eight “remixed” zones and four original zones. Remixed Stages are made up of both new elements and ideas from other previous Sonic games. Each zone is divided into two actions in which the player has to lead his character past various enemies and obstacles to reach the end. At the end of each zone, the player takes part in a boss fight against Doctor Eggman or one of his robots. The player collects gold rings that serve as a form of health. Players survive hits as long as they have at least one ring, but when hit, their rings disperse and disappear after a short time. Rings, shields, and power-ups like invincibility and faster running speed are scattered across each level. As in Sonic 3 & Knuckles , the story is told through short in-game cut scenes.

Huge rings, hidden in each zone and a feature of the original games, lead to special tests similar to those in Sonic CD .

In a time attack mode, players must complete the levels as quickly as possible. A split-screen multiplayer mode allows two players to race to the end of a level, similar to Sonic 2 . Players can also unlock the two-player minigame "Mean Bean", which is based on the 1993 spin-off Dr. Robotniks Mean Bean Machine based.

development

The development of Sonic Mania began in 2015 under the direction of the Australian programmer Christian Whitehead. Whitehead was a member of the Sonic fangame community and had previously been hired by Sega to develop versions of the Sonic games for mobile devices.

Sonic Mania was created to commemorate the series’s 25th birthday. It was developed using Whitehead's Retro Engine, a game engine tailored for creating two-dimensional games.

publication

Sonic Mania was announced along with Sonic Forces at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in July 2016. The game was announced for the second quarter of 2017, but Sega announced on South by Southwest that it will be delayed.

Sonic Mania was released for Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in North America and Europe on August 15, 2017 , and in Japan the following day. Four days before the release, Sega postponed the Windows version for another two weeks and released it as a download on Steam on August 29th . In return, those who pre-ordered the game received a copy of the original Sonic the Hedgehog on Steam.

In addition to the standard version, a collector's edition has also been released, which contains a 30 cm statue, a game cassette with a gold ring and a metallic collector's card with a download code for the game. To promote this Collector's Edition, Sega released a retro-style advertisement based on an American TV commercial for Sonic 2 . Record label Data Discs released a vinyl LP of the game's original music in late 2017. An enhanced soundtrack was released on digital music distribution platforms on January 17, 2018.

A five-part animated short mini-series, Sonic Mania Adventures , was released on the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel between March and July 2018, promoting the release of Sonic Mania Plus .

Sonic Mania Plus

An expanded version of the game was released in stores and as downloadable content on July 17, 2018 under the name Sonic Mania Plus . It complements the playable characters with Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel from the 1993 arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog . Both each have unique abilities: Mighty can hit the ground and is immune to spikes when in spherical shape while Ray can slide without losing height. Plus also has an "Encore Mode" with newly mixed levels and a four-player competition mode.

In an interview with Famitsu , Iizuka stated that Sonic Mania is not intended for a physical version for retail; Sega employees requested one, but a retail version could have posed a challenge to the production schedule. After the game launched, fans also showed interest in a physical version. Since a retail version would cost more than the downloadable version, the team added value with Sonic Mania Plus . Mighty and Ray were included because they were rarely found in games. The level designs had to be changed to accommodate them. In addition, the multiplayer mode has been updated due to the increased number of selectable characters.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Elton Jones: Sonic Mania: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. In: Heavy.com. July 12, 2017, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Sonic Mania is still great, Tails continues to suck. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Sonic Mania Footage Shows Knuckles In Flying Battery Zone. In: Siliconera. May 11, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Sonic Mania review - Sonic's best game in over two decades. In: VentureBeat. August 14, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  5. ↑ Tails Can Carry You When Playing Alone In Sonic Mania. In: Siliconera. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Heidi Kemps: Sonic Mania Review. In: IGN. August 14, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  7. ↑ a b Andrew Goldfarb: Comic-Con 2016: Sonic Mania Announced. In: IGN. July 22, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  8. ↑ Sonic Mania Shows Off Green Hill Zone Act 2 Plus A Brand-New Boss, The "Heavy Gunner". In: Siliconera. March 10, 2017, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Some rushed first impressions after a fast Sonic Mania demo. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  10. ^ Sonic Mania Web Manual. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  11. ↑ a b c Watch The Full Sonic Mania Panel From San Diego Comic-Con. In: Siliconera. July 31, 2017, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Sonic Mania Will Have Special Stages In The Style Of Sonic CD. In: Siliconera. July 25, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Sonic Mania has its Bonus Stages and Time Attack Mode. In: Gematsu. August 3, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  14. ↑ Ollie Barder: 'Sonic Mania' Shows Off Its Special Stages And Competition Mode. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Matthew Reynolds: Sonic Mania cheats: Level Select, Debug mode, Super Peel Out, and other secrets explained. In: Eurogamer. July 27, 2018, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  16. ^ Allegra Frank: Watch the debut trailer for Sonic Mania, Sonic the Hedgehog's next game. July 22, 2016, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Do fan games have a future? AM2R, Sonic Mania, and the creative process. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Interview with Pagoda West's Jared Kasl and Tom Fry - GameCritics.com. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Chris Pereira: Sonic Mania Delayed; Project Sonic 2017 Gets A Name. In: GameSpot. March 17, 2017, Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  20. ↑ Chaim Gartenberg: Sonic Mania gets an August release date and an adorably animated trailer. May 30, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  21. ↑ (C) SEGA: 『ソ ニ ッ ク マ ニ ア』 公式 サ イ ト | SEGA. Retrieved June 17, 2019 .
  22. ^ Sonic Mania announced for Switch. In: Gematsu. January 13, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  23. ↑ a b Chris Pereira: Four Days Before Release, Sonic Mania PC Delayed, But Sega Is Offering Fans A Freebie. In: GameSpot. August 11, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  24. ↑ Seth G. Macy: Sonic Mania Collector's Edition Hits All the Nostalgia Notes. In: IGN. September 13, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  25. ↑ Wesley Yin-Poole: Sega's brilliant Sonic Mania Collector's Edition is coming to Europe after all. In: Eurogamer. October 17, 2016, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  26. ↑ Chris Pereira: 90s-Style Trailer for Sonic Mania Collector's Edition Is Perfect. In: GameSpot. September 21, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  27. ↑ Sonic Mania vinyl album announced. In: Gematsu. June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  28. ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog: The Sonic Mania Official Select Soundtrack is now available on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon! In: @sonic_hedgehog. January 17, 2018, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  29. ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog: To celebrate the launch of Sonic Mania Plus, Part 5 of Sonic Mania Adventures arrives next Tuesday, July 17th! Pic.twitter.com/I7k2F8JcaP. In: @sonic_hedgehog. July 13, 2018, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  30. ↑ Steve Watts: Sonic Mania Plus Gets A Release Date And New Trailer. In: GameSpot. July 12, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
  31. ↑ Sonic Mania Plus Famitsu Interview With Takashi Iizuka. April 26, 2018, accessed June 17, 2019 .
  32. ↑ Sonic Mania Plus Producer On How Mighty And Ray Made It In; No Plans For A Sequel. In: Siliconera. May 1, 2018, accessed June 17, 2019 .