Sonic Mania: The Joowz Review

													Sonic Mania: The Joowz Review
															By Dyingisfunny



	“Sonic has never had a good game,” this or a variant of this statement has been made by numerous games media individuals in the past few years. No one knows why this revisionist and simplistic belief has become popular in recent history, but if there's one truth to be garnered from this, it's that those people are fucking idiots. If Sonic has never had a good game, then why is Sonic Mania getting so much praise and attention for being a true successor to the Genesis games, from the same asshats that have been lambasting the series no less? Either they're hypocrites, or they just spew shit in order to garner clicks.

	Sonic Mania comes out as the de facto successor of the Genesis era formula, featuring the trademark sense of linear speed as well as a constantly rising complexity to its structure. It comes out at just the right time to show people that Sonic is good, that playing Sonic is good. It hits that sweet spot where you experience the feeling of going fast and the accomplishment that going fast had meaning behind it. It's pure nostalgia bait, and it's real fucking proud to be one.

	The translation from Genesis to Mania is not exact, but still respectful to the momentumn-based gameplay found in the originals. Other Sonic games in the past have been unsuccessful in replicating the way Sonic moves from moment to moment, and usually you'll end up either barreling at a constant speed or come to a dead stop. Mania delivers on this by ensuring that no matter which path you take in a level, you're going to be looping and zipping about like on a roller-coaster ride, with varying degrees of speed to ensure that when you actually do hit max it actually feels like you're going way too fast.

	The new Drop Dash solves a lot of the problems the old era had by letting you keep your momentum high going from platform to platform, so you no longer have to sacrifice speed for precision and thus you can continue through the level without any breaks, but ensures you won't abuse it by inserting tricky platforming sections or sneaky enemy placement throughout the level. It's the type of mechanic that a lot of good sequels add without straying too far from the original's formula. And it is evoking these memories and experiences of the originals that plays a constant theme throughout the game, while at the same time introducing little changes here and there in order to justify a brand new existence.

	These levels are much more complex than they appear, even Green Hill Zone, the first level in the game, has been sized up so trying to plan a route through it is like how the levels are arranged in Shadow the Hedgehog. You have incentive to get out there and explore as much as you want without feeling pressured to do so like you would in CD, while reward those willing to take those extra steps to seek out what Mania has hidden in store for them. Taking the default path laid out for you in Flying Battery Zone is relatively safe compared to the outside path you can go through, being buffeted by the hard winds and having to make use of turbines and spinning fans to avoid being tossed off into the void rather than hopping over fire-spitting springs and running through loops both vertical and horizontal.

	The real treat however, comes from the presentation. This is what makes the game for me. Every zone has two acts, and with every act comes new scenery and new music to jam out to. Just when you finish clearing one the next one begins immediately, the cycle repeats at a fast pace to match Sonic's and you are constantly bombarded with stimulation that enhances your playing experience. The levels both before and after contrast heavily to ensure that what you see next will be fresh and stimulating. 95% of the graphics in the game are brand new, hand-made sprites arranged so you never grow bored of seeing the same small section of landscape in a level over and over on repeat playthroughs.

	Now I've just been blowing my load all the time but just like its predecessors it's not a perfect game, it has its share of mars and downcomings. For one the game uses a lot of sprite rotation, which wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't constantly used on large, prominent elements where it shoves its ugly jagged ass mess in your face. The level choices the game uses is questionable because as far as the overall content goes, it doesn't throw in enough of the new stuff out there. Only about a quarter of the game has you going through new stages with new gimmicks, the rest is comprised of the old shit or slightly changed old shit, your enjoyment of which depends on if you like playing through Chemical Plant for the umpteenth time.

	It's a game that's meant to be taken in its entirety and one to be taken several times. Repeat playthroughs aren't going to diminish the value in the game, but choosing only to play certain bits of it is doing it a disservice. Sonic Mania is the most consistent, and most balanced Sonic game a person can find. Its faults can be chalked up to personal opinion and it does a great job to make even the oldest experiences in the series feel new again. It is definitely worth playing in my opinion even if you've never played a Sonic game before, and for those who are coming back to the series after a long hiatus you're going to spend a lot of time appreciating all the small details the game throws your way. Even after you beat this game, you're going to find yourself coming back to it again and again and again just to relive that experience. It's that good.

Verdict: What are you, gay? Hurry up and play it you little bitch.

Aside:	This review was made after playing the PC version of Sonic Mania, purchased at full MSRP. The PC version of the game was delayed by two weeks in order to incorporate the use of Denuvo, a volatile and invasive form of DRM which prevented owners from being able to play the game unless they were constantly connected online through Steam. Sega has since apologized to its PC playerbase and scaled back Denuvo's intrusiveness, but as of now is adamant of continuing its usage. The PC version also does not support non-XInput controllers, which can be a problem for those having difficulty setting up their controller through Steam's generic keymapper. I myself was unable to configure my Buffalo USB SNES controller for Sonic Mania this way, even when using x360ce or joy2key. Please keep these in mind when purchasing the PC version of Sonic Mania.