"Do I recommend Sonic Mania?"

Is the sky blue?

This is one of the best Classic Sonic games you will ever play! For years, Sonic CD and Sonic 3 & Knuckles have remained my favorite 2D entries, but this game is so refined, so polished, and the music is so, so magnificent, that I'd be hard-pressed to do anything but recommend it! The returning levels aren't just one-to-one rips from their debut games, they feature new level design and gimmicks that make them stand out, yet feature familiar enough setpieces to act as a great rush of "Oh! I remember that!" whenever you encounter them. Where the game truly shines, however, is with its original levels. If Mania consisted only of original levels, it'd probably be my favorite Sonic game, period. That's how good these new levels are.

Everyone and their grandmother have talked about how great Studiopolis is, but I've got to give massive props to Press Garden and Titanic Monarch. I'm a huge sucker for songs that contain sounds of machinery in them, and Press Garden Act 1 has that in spades. You're going through a newspaper factory run by Eggman and the whole place is bustling and a blast to speed through. The music is just the icing on the cake!

Titanic Monarch, however, man alive, I can't get enough of Titanic Monarch! The whole level is this giant climb to reach the inner workings of a colossal robot Eggman created in an effort to stop it from activating, and to make it even better, the music that plays here is some of the most intimidating, yet catchy music this franchise has to offer. It's phenomenal for the purpose of build-up and gets even better when you finally get inside. Navigating the interior of the robot leads to the music getting more tense and slow-paced, to set in place the feeling of how dangerous the task is. On top of that, the level is full of warps, some of which are there to act as secret shortcuts and it all culminates in a perfect climax that leads to a final clash with Eggman and the Hard-boiled Heavies, the game's new antagonists and aids to Eggman.

I could probably write 6 or 7 more paragraphs about how excellent of a game Sonic Mania is, it's just that good of an experience. If you're a Sonic fan, this should be in your library. There's simply no question to it.

"Do I recommend Sonic Mania?" Is the sky blue? This is one of the best Classic Sonic games you will ever play! For years, Sonic CD and Sonic 3 & Knuckles have remained my favorite 2D entries, but this game is so refined, so polished, and the music is so, so magnificent, that I'd be hard-pressed to do anything but recommend it! The returning levels aren't just one-to-one rips from their debut games, they feature new level design and gimmicks that make them stand out, yet feature familiar enough setpieces to act as a great rush of "Oh! I remember that!" whenever you encounter them. Where the game truly shines, however, is with its original levels. If Mania consisted only of original levels, it'd probably be my favorite Sonic game, period. That's how good these new levels are. Everyone and their grandmother have talked about how great Studiopolis is, but I've got to give massive props to Press Garden and Titanic Monarch. I'm a huge sucker for songs that contain sounds of machinery in them, and Press Garden Act 1 has that in spades. You're going through a newspaper factory run by Eggman and the whole place is bustling and a blast to speed through. The music is just the icing on the cake! Titanic Monarch, however, man alive, I can't get enough of Titanic Monarch! The whole level is this giant climb to reach the inner workings of a colossal robot Eggman created in an effort to stop it from activating, and to make it even better, the music that plays here is some of the most intimidating, yet catchy music this franchise has to offer. It's phenomenal for the purpose of build-up and gets even better when you finally get inside. Navigating the interior of the robot leads to the music getting more tense and slow-paced, to set in place the feeling of how dangerous the task is. On top of that, the level is full of warps, some of which are there to act as secret shortcuts and it all culminates in a perfect climax that leads to a final clash with Eggman and the Hard-boiled Heavies, the game's new antagonists and aids to Eggman. I could probably write 6 or 7 more paragraphs about how excellent of a game Sonic Mania is, it's just that good of an experience. If you're a Sonic fan, this should be in your library. There's simply no question to it.