I went in expecting to like Sonic Mania more than I actually did. For all it's incredible presentation and music, it still manages to feel dated in its design.

It's without question the best classic Sonic game, but even then, it's not much more than that. Of course, it didn't need to be anything else, but it doesn't do much for anyone who doesn't already love that style. The biggest step forward here arguably is the use of widescreen, which admitedly does make a huge difference, but it's not an innovation as much as it is a necessity.

I may be coming off as negative of the game, but I wanna stress that this really is the very best title you can experience in the franchise on pretty much all regards. However, there are others that further innovate on the genre and generally have more to offer. For all its faults on its story, I'd still take Freedom Planet over Sonic Mania.