Sonic Mania Plus (Switch) - Review

   Protocol demands that I label Sonic Mania as the best game in the series and suggest it’s the only good Sonic game that’s been released in the last 20 years. But to be honest, I’m one of those weirdoes that actually enjoys the likes of Lost World and Generations. Seriously, why don’t more people acknowledge the brilliance of Generations? Still, there’s no denying that Mania captured the hearts of Sonic fans and tingled their nostalgic glands. So naturally, Sega is captialising on the game’s success with a physical release, brimming with new content that is also available as DLC for those who took the digital route. But is Mania still worth playing in 2018 and what does the DLC bring to the table? Let’s find out.

   Sonic Mania is the collaboration of multiple Sonic fans taking the series back to its 2D roots. As you don the older, cuter Sonic, you do what he does best, manoeuvring various obstacles at a blistering speed. The core gameplay is basically identical to previous outings, but it’s done extremely well with a high degree of polish. Of course the star of the show is game’s level design and each stage with brimming with neat ideas. Every level also ends with a boss encounter and each one feels unique. A match of Puyo Pop against Eggman, anyone? But the game isn’t exactly a bed of roses, my biggest bug bear is the reliance of recycled zones from previous games. Yes, they’ve been redesigned and tweaked in some areas. But when the number of older zones outweigh the newer ones, there’s just too much déjà vu for my liking

    The DLC adds the new Encore mode which features remixed levels from the main campaign. It also adds two brand characters, Mighty and Ray. The difficulty has also been raised with extra lives being replaced with a new character system, when all the characters in your party die, it’s game over.  To be honest, I wasn’t impressed with the DLC and would have preferred some new levels. Especially when the base game already relies on recycled content.

   A single run of the game will take less than 3 hours and you can revisit any of the levels in the time Attack or race against a friend in the competition mode. Bearing in mind its local two split-screen with no online available. There’s also a tonne of secrets to unlock like a debug mode, alternative endings and a few extra mini games. Sadly I’m not skilful enough to unlock all these.

    Every facet of Sonic Mania’s presentation feels like a labour of love. Not only did the developers capture the look of the old Megadrive games with bold, rich colours. But the beautiful introduction and stylish menus are a work of art. This is all complimented by the amazing soundtrack with remixes of familiar tunes and brand news ones with a strong 90s vibes. Speaking of the 90s, you can also apply CRT filters to the game’s visuals.

   Sonic Mania Plus is basically the same great game but with new content and features. Admittedly, the DLC doesn’t bring a lot to the table and I’m not overly keen of the reliance of older zones. But I can’t argue the core gameplay and presentation of Mania is top notch. If you longing to relive the days of playing Sonic on the Megadrive or simply, a connesucor of 2D platformers. There’s no denying this is something that should be in your collection.