(repost of my original review on Steam with some minor edits. you can read the original review here: https://steamcommunity.com/id/huuishuu/recommended/584400)
As a massive fan of all 3 Mega Drive classics, Sonic Mania is truly an incredible experience. More so with the Encore mode in the Plus DLC. It's got everything the old games had - fantastic level design, amazingly catchy tunes and references for those classic folk who grew up with this sort of thing. I loved it. Is it my nostalgia talking? Definitely. But that doesn't change the fact I think Sonic Mania is an amazing time to be had, and, for the first time in a really long time - a Sonic game I can genuinely recommend to non-Sonic fans. I think it's just that good.
Are there negatives? Of course there are. While the level design for the most part is great, there are bits and pieces that I do not enjoy, such as the abundance of bottomless pits in Flying Battery Zone and the sheer length of Titanic Monarch Zone. Bit more of a common criticism, but the lack of variety in the levels is also a huge missed opportunity. A lot of the best parts of the game are in those original stages, including the music (Press Garden Zone is literally the best stage in the game, design & song wise). I'm not saying the remixed levels are bad at all, but it's just that...we already had this sort of thing with Sonic Generations in 2011. This makes Mania feel like a 2D Sonic Generations at times, except with much more intuitive Classic Sonic controls and a more accurate art-style. Also the lackluster tie-in with Sonic Forces was, pardon the pun, forced.* You'll get what I mean by that if you've played Forces.
But despite that - are you looking for a great 2D platformer to sink your time into? Sonic Mania is for you. It's got a boat-load of replayability too - medals, special stages, different characters with unique play styles and their own unique level design, time attack, Encore Mode with the Plus DLC, achievements...what else would you want?
As a massive fan of all 3 Mega Drive classics, Sonic Mania is truly an incredible experience. More so with the Encore mode in the Plus DLC. It's got everything the old games had - fantastic level design, amazingly catchy tunes and references for those classic folk who grew up with this sort of thing. I loved it. Is it my nostalgia talking? Definitely. But that doesn't change the fact I think Sonic Mania is an amazing time to be had, and, for the first time in a really long time - a Sonic game I can genuinely recommend to non-Sonic fans. I think it's just that good.
Are there negatives? Of course there are. While the level design for the most part is great, there are bits and pieces that I do not enjoy, such as the abundance of bottomless pits in Flying Battery Zone and the sheer length of Titanic Monarch Zone. Bit more of a common criticism, but the lack of variety in the levels is also a huge missed opportunity. A lot of the best parts of the game are in those original stages, including the music (Press Garden Zone is literally the best stage in the game, design & song wise). I'm not saying the remixed levels are bad at all, but it's just that...we already had this sort of thing with Sonic Generations in 2011. This makes Mania feel like a 2D Sonic Generations at times, except with much more intuitive Classic Sonic controls and a more accurate art-style. Also the lackluster tie-in with Sonic Forces was, pardon the pun, forced.* You'll get what I mean by that if you've played Forces.
But despite that - are you looking for a great 2D platformer to sink your time into? Sonic Mania is for you. It's got a boat-load of replayability too - medals, special stages, different characters with unique play styles and their own unique level design, time attack, Encore Mode with the Plus DLC, achievements...what else would you want?