The power of harassing Sega and Sonic Team about minor, mostly forgotten characters has made Sonic Mania: Encore manifest. Bullying does work!!
Sonic Mania's Encore DLC is novel enough to justify its (typically) low price tag, but it should be noted that I'm psychotic and bought the entire damn game again when it launched because Sega bundled it onto a physical release, which they previously swore up and down would not be a thing. That made it the third time I bought Sonic Mania, after getting the digital version on the Switch when my PC Collector's Edition was delayed. I've since bought it physically again for the PlayStation 4 so I could experience Sonic Mania on a proper video game console, and I've been eyeballing it on my newly acquired Series X, too. I guess I'm the Sonic Mania guy now, gonna turn out like that one lunatic sucking up all the copies of Sneak King. I will not stop until I've given Christian Whitehead power of attorney.
Despite my obligation to Sonic Mania, I mostly think Encore is just kinda alright. The main mode itself remixes every level in the game and presents them with altered color pallets, but a lot of the alterations mechanically and visually fall flat. Most of the new color pallets overuse earthy tones, resulting in levels appearing drab. There are a few cases where this does work nicely, I really like the look of Encore's Stardust Speedway and Hydrocity (one word, I will tear your esophagus out if you say Hydro City), but most of my run through Encore left me pining for Mania's more vibrant colors.
The new party mechanic is a smart way to address the antiquated lives system and is something I would love to see expanded on in future games, but this does mean that every level needs to be beatable with any combination of characters. This results in zones spreading character specific pathways pretty thinly, and I believe that's part of what contributes to remixed sections feeling so tucked away. At least the new pinball bonus stages feel far better paced than Blue Spheres and more in-line with the spirit of Sonic the Hedgehog 3's bonus stages - I'm a certifiable Blue Spheres freak so I hope you respect the authority that comes with this criticism.
Encore presents some good ideas and underdelivers in almost equal measure, but it's hard to pass up when it's so frequently on sale for 2.50$. A worthwhile admission fee to play as Ray and Mighty alone, even if Encore doesn't stick the landing with as much grace as the base game. I guess just keep in mind that I'm under no fiduciary obligation here, if I've convinced you to buy more Sonic Mania and you feel that this has hurt you financially, well, that's on you. Never listen to someone who owns four, maybe five copies of the same video game.
Sonic Mania's Encore DLC is novel enough to justify its (typically) low price tag, but it should be noted that I'm psychotic and bought the entire damn game again when it launched because Sega bundled it onto a physical release, which they previously swore up and down would not be a thing. That made it the third time I bought Sonic Mania, after getting the digital version on the Switch when my PC Collector's Edition was delayed. I've since bought it physically again for the PlayStation 4 so I could experience Sonic Mania on a proper video game console, and I've been eyeballing it on my newly acquired Series X, too. I guess I'm the Sonic Mania guy now, gonna turn out like that one lunatic sucking up all the copies of Sneak King. I will not stop until I've given Christian Whitehead power of attorney.
Despite my obligation to Sonic Mania, I mostly think Encore is just kinda alright. The main mode itself remixes every level in the game and presents them with altered color pallets, but a lot of the alterations mechanically and visually fall flat. Most of the new color pallets overuse earthy tones, resulting in levels appearing drab. There are a few cases where this does work nicely, I really like the look of Encore's Stardust Speedway and Hydrocity (one word, I will tear your esophagus out if you say Hydro City), but most of my run through Encore left me pining for Mania's more vibrant colors.
The new party mechanic is a smart way to address the antiquated lives system and is something I would love to see expanded on in future games, but this does mean that every level needs to be beatable with any combination of characters. This results in zones spreading character specific pathways pretty thinly, and I believe that's part of what contributes to remixed sections feeling so tucked away. At least the new pinball bonus stages feel far better paced than Blue Spheres and more in-line with the spirit of Sonic the Hedgehog 3's bonus stages - I'm a certifiable Blue Spheres freak so I hope you respect the authority that comes with this criticism.
Encore presents some good ideas and underdelivers in almost equal measure, but it's hard to pass up when it's so frequently on sale for 2.50$. A worthwhile admission fee to play as Ray and Mighty alone, even if Encore doesn't stick the landing with as much grace as the base game. I guess just keep in mind that I'm under no fiduciary obligation here, if I've convinced you to buy more Sonic Mania and you feel that this has hurt you financially, well, that's on you. Never listen to someone who owns four, maybe five copies of the same video game.
2 Comments
@DeemonAndGames This made my stomach hurt reading it because I know you're right
DeemonAndGames
4 months ago