Hoo boy, this is gonna be rough.
Recently, my Top 100 games list reached a point that I’m pretty satisfied with. This made me realize two things: First off, that I’m now a lot more comfortable replaying games I like rather than playing a bunch of new ones. Second, I have little reverence for games of the 1980’s and 1990’s; Of the games on the list, only two released before the year 2000, and none released before the fifth console generation. There are good games from those eras, don’t get me wrong, but I think even the best ones have long since been made obselete, either by subsequent entries, spiritual successors, or simply by the passage of time. Sure, Super Mario 64 is fine, but 90% of its good qualities are done better in Super Mario Odyssey. Yeah, I like Mega Man X, but I don’t see much reason to when Mega Man Zero is right there. And, perhaps most crucially…
I don’t like classic Sonic. I’ve tried getting into it a couple times, but it just never felt right to play. Compared to a lot of the modern games, the more limited movesets combined with less free-flowing level design always felt a lot slower and more awkward. So it’s not much of a surprise I don’t care for Sonic Mania. It’s the true Sonic 4 you’ve been waiting for. It’s a pure, classic experience just like the games of the 90’s. It’s the return to form everyone else was waiting for and I look at and think, “Well, this exists, I guess. When’s the next 3D game?” It’s classic Sonic, and that’s about it.
And in a vacuum, there’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of great games are made by sticking to what works, and if you’re a fan of the classic games, there’s plenty here to like. But this is a Sonic game, and Sonic means so much more to me than just “ fast 2D platformer gameplay”. It’s a franchise I’ve always respected for its willingness to experiment and refusal to rest on its laurels. While many will be quick to point and laugh at how it’s stumbled (and boy, has it stumbled), the series always manages to get back on its feet and keep on running. You can see this in so many entries, from Sonic Adventure 2’s confident delivery of its over-the-top story and high-octane action, to Sonic Colors’ unmatched visual and auditory spectacle, to Sonic Unleashed’s epic scale and undeniable heart, and more recently, in Sonic Frontiers’ effortless combination of all three. And even when Sonic fails, he still manages to succeed. I still get chills watching Shadow remove his limiters in Sonic ’06 or watching Sonic blast Erazor Djinn out of existence in Sonic and the Secret Rings. I love listening to the music of Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic Forces and enjoy their overly serious, yet sincere stories. Hell, even Sonic Boom spawned a great show on Cartoon Network. Despite what some people might have you believe, Sonic has been good for a long time, and I doubt he’ll ever stop.
Which is why it disheartens me to see a Sonic game content with being just okay. Even taking into account my distaste for classic Sonic and for how certain fans treat the franchise, there’s nothing about Sonic Mania that really sticks out to me. It has good spritework, good music, and some neat references, but other than that, it’s just…more classic Sonic. It’s the safest experience Sega could possibly deliver for an anniversary title, something people can look at and say “Wow, that’s neat!” while discounting every cool thing the franchise has done since the release of Sonic Adventure. I can’t call Sonic Mania a bad game, but for me, it’s the worst thing a Sonic game can be. It’s boring.
Recently, my Top 100 games list reached a point that I’m pretty satisfied with. This made me realize two things: First off, that I’m now a lot more comfortable replaying games I like rather than playing a bunch of new ones. Second, I have little reverence for games of the 1980’s and 1990’s; Of the games on the list, only two released before the year 2000, and none released before the fifth console generation. There are good games from those eras, don’t get me wrong, but I think even the best ones have long since been made obselete, either by subsequent entries, spiritual successors, or simply by the passage of time. Sure, Super Mario 64 is fine, but 90% of its good qualities are done better in Super Mario Odyssey. Yeah, I like Mega Man X, but I don’t see much reason to when Mega Man Zero is right there. And, perhaps most crucially…
I don’t like classic Sonic. I’ve tried getting into it a couple times, but it just never felt right to play. Compared to a lot of the modern games, the more limited movesets combined with less free-flowing level design always felt a lot slower and more awkward. So it’s not much of a surprise I don’t care for Sonic Mania. It’s the true Sonic 4 you’ve been waiting for. It’s a pure, classic experience just like the games of the 90’s. It’s the return to form everyone else was waiting for and I look at and think, “Well, this exists, I guess. When’s the next 3D game?” It’s classic Sonic, and that’s about it.
And in a vacuum, there’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of great games are made by sticking to what works, and if you’re a fan of the classic games, there’s plenty here to like. But this is a Sonic game, and Sonic means so much more to me than just “ fast 2D platformer gameplay”. It’s a franchise I’ve always respected for its willingness to experiment and refusal to rest on its laurels. While many will be quick to point and laugh at how it’s stumbled (and boy, has it stumbled), the series always manages to get back on its feet and keep on running. You can see this in so many entries, from Sonic Adventure 2’s confident delivery of its over-the-top story and high-octane action, to Sonic Colors’ unmatched visual and auditory spectacle, to Sonic Unleashed’s epic scale and undeniable heart, and more recently, in Sonic Frontiers’ effortless combination of all three. And even when Sonic fails, he still manages to succeed. I still get chills watching Shadow remove his limiters in Sonic ’06 or watching Sonic blast Erazor Djinn out of existence in Sonic and the Secret Rings. I love listening to the music of Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic Forces and enjoy their overly serious, yet sincere stories. Hell, even Sonic Boom spawned a great show on Cartoon Network. Despite what some people might have you believe, Sonic has been good for a long time, and I doubt he’ll ever stop.
Which is why it disheartens me to see a Sonic game content with being just okay. Even taking into account my distaste for classic Sonic and for how certain fans treat the franchise, there’s nothing about Sonic Mania that really sticks out to me. It has good spritework, good music, and some neat references, but other than that, it’s just…more classic Sonic. It’s the safest experience Sega could possibly deliver for an anniversary title, something people can look at and say “Wow, that’s neat!” while discounting every cool thing the franchise has done since the release of Sonic Adventure. I can’t call Sonic Mania a bad game, but for me, it’s the worst thing a Sonic game can be. It’s boring.