what'd you think of Sonic Mania 🤔

Sonic fans be switching up opinions on games 24/7 and still won’t accept sonic eraser is better than all of them

I used to say the Sonic fandom was an echo chamber, but I've come to realize that's false. It's actually just a fucked up game of telephone, where one person says "hey, this game is great!", followed by "Hey, this game is good!", then "This game's pretty good.", "This game's alright", and it just keeps going until the community decides it's actually the worst game ever.

Criticizing Sonic Mania's story for a lack of innovation is like criticizing a movie like Schindler's List for not being funny. The story isn't the fucking point of the game.

I like Superstars, I think it's slightly above average... but saying it's better than Mania is simply blasphemy

When people say mania has reused levels there for the game is bad. I always just saw this criticism as worthless since the game essentially remakes the whole level’s concept and adds new gimmicks to make them feel fresh and new. Also the lack of bullshit that comes with classic sonic game design. With a lot of the time the mania versions being the definitive versions of theses stages especially with all the polish. Plus the music stomps

I have a kinda cool story with mania. So when I was a kid I was obsessed with sonic, as most kids are. I loved playing Sonic Colors, Unleashed and Black knight on my Wii. As I got older though I drifted away from Sonic. He became all but a memory. Until mid 2020 I went to a friend’s house and he was playing games on his pc and he let me play on his switch. That’s when I saw it. Sonic Mania. “Ooo sonic Mania what’s this?” I asked. “Omg dude it’s like the best Sonic game ever” he replied. I thought hey, I haven’t play a sonic game in almost 10 years, I’ll give it a shot. It ended up being one of the best video game experiences I have ever had. Ever since that day I’ve become an avid sonic enthusiast. I played every single game in the franchise and really got invested into the community. I started collecting Sonic merchandise and now my room is a Sonic collector’s room. I fell in love with this franchise, all thanks to Sonic mania. One of the best games in the franchise

People hate Generations and Mania both for having largely past games as their identities.... but they're taking the best parts of classic games and enhancing the gameplay 10 fold. Hydrocity in Sonic Mania is not just Hyrdocity from Sonic 3&K. It's amped up with tons of new mechanics, new boss fights, all new level layouts, an updated soundtrack, the works. These games are here to celebrate why we love Sonic, and people hate them because they remind them to much of games that they enjoy. Never understood the weird hate for these games (besides Generations which does have flaws besides gameplay) when they've largely been considered the 2 best games in the series

Mania is actually my first sonic game, and it has such a lasting impression that I really got into playing the Sonic games.

A cute detail I've always loved, but never see anyone talk about, is that the amount of levels themselves are the exact same as the number of the entry they're from. Sonic 1 has Green Hill, Sonic 2 has Chemical Plant and Oil Ocean, Sonic CD (which was originally meant to be an enhanced port of Sonic 2) has Stardust Speedway and Metallic Madness, Sonic 3 and Knuckles gets Hydrocity, Lava Reef, and Flying Battery, and Sonic Mania has 4 original stages, Studiopolis, Press Garden, Mirage Saloon, and Titanic Monarch. Yeah, technically Sonic 4 is a different game but shut up

The “Splash Dash is always negative” crowd just fell to their knees

you can argue that almost every sonic game is divisive in some way, but I think everyone (even non sonic fans) can agree that this game is a masterpiece, this and S3&K are peak

I swear I was JUST about to play Mania when I saw this. You perfectly sum up what I love about Mania. -The gimmicks don't feel intrusive but actually act as fun gameplay additions and options for the player -The boss fights and level designs expand and improve on the original games' ideas -The MUSIC is so good, I listen to it even when I'm chilling I've even been making challenges for myself such as trying to beat my best time or holding onto as many rings as I can. Just can't express how much I love this game. Now if you'll excuse me, Ima go play it right now...

"Christian Whitehead Studios" is actually known as Evening Star, the devs behind Penny's Big Breakaway!

People’s main point is “the levels are reused! It’s bad!” Which is like, NO DOY ITS A CELEBRATION GAME, what separates it from something like Sonic 4 , is how it recycles and remixes levels/mechanics. It’s FUN and well done

i still dont get why people saw mania reusing zones from classic games as a bad thing since it doesn't use a old zone without adding a new aspect or mechanic that change the experience.

That one cheat code that lets you use all of Sonic’s moves, spin dash, super peel out, insta-shield, drop dash, has gotta be my ideal Classic Sonic play style, especially with the momentum, even if it’s from a cheat code, I don’t care that’s definitely my favorite gameplay for Classic Sonic

I love Sonic Mania. I really wanted more original stages but it’s fine. The music is great too

Sonic is just fundamentally hot EDIT: He changed the title of the video so the joke kinda doesn't work anymore. The old title was "Sonic Mania is fundamentally fun"

Your video made me realize that Sonic games immense replay value might be the reason why people change their opinion on a game When it's a game like let's say Mario that is played once and put down you can't see any issues unless it's really big and your experience is gonna be more about the feeling and the atmosphere not the actual gameplay of it But when it's a game like Sonic I feel like we play these games to the degree that the feeling or the atmosphere of the game (the taste of it if you will) is almost gone And it makes small imperfections feel like reasonable issues and small issues into a huge deal One example of a changed option through repeat playthroughs is the orca chase in SA1 the first time you go through it you lose your mind from the sheer excitement and spectacle but after many playthroughs, it becomes this section of the level where you don't do anything for 7 seconds I believe the reason for your changed option about SA2 was the fact that when you were a kid you were experiencing the game as a "spectacle" or an "experience" and now as an adult, you're experiencing it as just a game ... SA2 isn't exactly a game you can enjoy playing casually it's either you are a master of the game and love or you play it casually and don't like it and in general it does have a lot of issues one being the painful radar system I don't think the opinion on Sonic Mania has changed, there have always been these people who don't like classic Sonic and 2D in general and they are the same people who don't know how to play the classic Sonic games and these people didn't like it from the very start but their option was overshadowed by the many lovers of the game, which is something I can understand because I've been there before the game is boring if you don't know how to play it and it has a high skill sealing, it took me about 7 playthroughs to see the game for it's worth and super Sonic helped a lot The game never was overrated and no one compared it to Sonic Boom, people were comparing it to Sonic 3&K and it was praised for the fact that everything thing about was perfect and it still is to this day and the only complaint about it was the "original levels"

I got Mania last Christmas, and it was my second Sonic game after Generations. While I like Generations more, Mania is still INCREDIBLY fun and well-designed. And the thing is, if you’re new to the series, you don’t even know which zones are new and which ones are returning (I could only really tell Flying Battery and Lava Reef were returning because the original zones felt so much more creative, but it’s not like they felt out of place). Frankly, those two games were the 1-2 punch that made me a fan. The desire to celebrate the past didn’t bore me or lock me out as a newcomer, but rather drew me in because of how much love went into making it all quality.

fun fact: the original composer for the Japanese soundtrack from sonic cd actually came back to compose for metallic madness zone and stardust speedway zone. That's why those songs are exceptionally good.

do sonic fans even like sonic?

Upon replaying Mania shortly after Superstars, I really appreciate there being a sound fx slider to lower the sound of ring collecting all at once.

The Heroes remake is being CONSIDERED. That doesn’t mean it’s been confirmed.

mania was my first proper dive into a sonic game, and I loved it, so the sentiment that people only like it due to low expectations is ridiculous

16:38 Perhaps even more interesting (to me at least) is the fact that not only has the Drop Dash become a series staple in the official games, but in fan games as well. Pretty much any post-Mania fan game that’s not explicitly based on a Genesis-era title is almost guaranteed to have it. Mania really was “by the mania, for the mania.”

The 3&K | Mania and Unleashed | Generations comparison is spot on. I might not enjoy everything a game has to offer, and in some cases, genuinely despise a large portion of its required gameplay, but I think for some games and some series, the one you consider the best, or even just your favorite, comes down to whether or not you judge one as more a piece of art, or a work of science. If asked what Sonic game of each I'd consider the best overall - it's going to be 3&K, SA2 and Unleashed. But if you asked me which ones I most revisit and would replay at any given moment? I'm gonna answer with entirely different choices - those being Mania, SA1, and Generations. This sentiment is why I and I imagine many others find Sonic such a frustratingly inconsistent series to be invested in, because things like 06, Forces and now Superstars, in many cases, could very easily make these discussions and decisions easier (and in turn, better inform the direction for future titles) but an absence of either quality assurance, competence or even just focus, weaken them substantially compared to what came before.

Sonic Mania is the golden standard. Then I can't believe after 5 years we went backwards instead of forwards. Superstars is fine but that's the problem. It's just fine.

If there’s one thing Superstars has over Mania, it’s that the zone variety is very nice. No reused levels anywhere. Other than that, Mania tops Superstars in almost every way. I still like Superstars, but between the two, I’d play Mania over it any day. I bought the game 5 times so far lol.

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Can’t wait for the whole fanbase to suddenly be team mania again because no one seems to be able to think for themselves.

What? Who is saying Superstars is better than Mania?! I have never heard of this

Something I like about Mania is that every time I return to it, I seem to find new areas in the game’s zones, as the gaming experience I’ve gained over the years lends to a better ability to explore and find things I never would’ve back when I struggled with the Oil Ocean Act 2 boss.

the fact 1 in 4 videos in youtube is using at least one song of the sonic mania OST is a sign that its a masterpiece.

For me, I like mania. But it is one of those games for me when I pick it up and play it once, say "that was pretty good" and never touch the game again

You probably said it best. Sonic Mania has the best gameplay, but its closest comparison, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, is the better overall experience. Truth be told, the main reason why I prefer to play S3K is because of its narrative. If I was asked to play Mania, I'd do so without complaint, but I have my preference. Mania compared to Generations though, I'll actually choose Generations. Mainly because I thought Generations was a stronger celebration of the overall series and I thought its unique spin on Classic Sonic was more exciting to me, amongst a few other reasons.

Dawg, I have like, more than 500 hours on Sonic Mania across two platforms. I love Sonic Mania so much. It's like candy to me.

I think my biggest disappointment with Superstars is that it could've had a 2D handdrawn artstyle, however they cut it early on with the reason being "The team felt that 3D format would better preserve many of the classic aspects that are important to the feel of this format" ... yeah that's just straight up corporate talk for "We don't want to spend like half a million pounds on 2D animation".

I can't believe Splash Dash will soon get the chance to realize Sonic Heroes was never good.

"You can’t top perfection" (Sees Sonic Mania Addendum) *"…I stand corrected"*

i unironically had this same exact argument before, where someone said portal 1 wasn’t as trash as portal 2 they got grilled by portal 2 fans in a matter of seconds.

sonic mania is peak gaming

Once dated a girl who said she didn’t like Mania, big red flag tbh.

sonic fans cant accept that sonic school house is the best sonic game 🤦🏾‍♂️

I love sonic mania, it was never my favorite classic sonic game (that will always be 3&K) but it's absolutely worth every penny I put into it.

Yeah this is why no one takes Sonic or the fandom seriously.

Facts! Edit: I replay over and over just to love the game itself into Mania, and the animations!

There are people who think Superstars is better than Mania? Really? REALLY?!

Saying Mania is bad is crazy because like, it's just super refined classic Sonic, and classic Sonic is fun. Like damn, the worst thing you can say about Mania is that it's like a bunch of hella fun games.

Blue Spheres, that's all I need, give me a cartridge of Sonic & Knuckles with a cartridge of Sonic 1 and a Lock-On, that's enough to make a man happy

As a non sonic fan I don't care, Sonic fans hating on Sonic games, Water be wet

Fun fact: before it was changed,the video title used to be: Sonic Mania Is Fundamentally Fun.

one thing thats always bugged me was Encore Mode's ending, as Eggman got sent through a Phantom Ruby portal, which was clearly teasing Something, but then they just never resolved it.

People thinking sonic mania is bad is one of the many reasons the franchise is what it is

I love this video i surely agree with splash dash honestly i loved this game it was amazing and the fact they decided to bring back 2 forgotten charecters is truly beutiful i like the effort put into this especially saying its 7 YEARS OLD i will always keep this game dear to my heart and i might as well like this video as i do that!

Sonic fans change their opinions like their underwear

If it wasn't for the reused zones, mania would be the best 2d sonic game of the franchise (still better than superstars lmao)

Anyone else prefer the original thumbnail? It used to say “This Game Rules (And I Love It)”, which was the perfect contrast to the Sonic Superstars thumbnail. Now it’s the same words as the Superstars thumbnail but with question marks, yeah that’s just as good.

I find it hilarious how Sonic fans have started trashing on Mania just to prop up Superstars for being less favored. The reused levels are literally a part of the game’s story and have new and different layouts and new gimmick because of the use of the reality altering abilities of the phantom ruby. Superstars may have less nostalgia bait and new levels (that are pretty unimaginative and just pul and blend together elements of classic zones while also still relying much so on nostalgia), in fact those are the only arguments if seen people use in favor of Superstars, but Mania honestly a lot more of something I felt Superstars lacked; heart, charm, and commitment. Mania knows what it wants to be and sticks with its guns from start to finish whereas Superstars I feel struggles in trying to figure what it wants to be and what it does in execution. So sorry not sorry, I’ll take Mania any day over Superstars.

The fact that this thumbnail mirrors the superstars one is hilarious 😂

Sonic Mania reinvigorated my fondness for Sonic and Puyo Puyo. Any game that can do both at the same time is clearly a masterpiece.

I've never finished Mania but I do think it's pretty good. My favorite track is Lights, Camera, Action.

My only issue with Mania is that it has a lack of bababooey! (Nah fr tho mania is my favourite classic game, just above sonic 2)

The worst part of Sonic Mania is that I loved it so much I had to check out the shitty sonic games but they just left me feeling empty

Hated Sonic Heros as a kid, but to be fair a remake could fix the jank and make the game really good. Probably the best candidate for a remake

i love sonic mania, but the main complaint i've seen about this game is that there aren't enough new levels personally i think that's bs bringing back old levels and doing new things with them is a great idea also 4:17 act 2 is stardust speedway present, not the future, act 1 just takes place in the past

Am I the only one that doesn't care if we keep going to Green Hill? Like I totally get the reusing the same level design critic, but aesthetically it looks dope and don't care at all if we keep revisiting it.

I have not seen mania hate at all. People have complained about mania reusing old levels but the thing is that is uses them in cool ways instead of just being a lifeless rehash like a certain 2D platformer from 2010 from this franchise.

I think that saying Mania is bad is dumb because is "best of classic sonic compilation", and because of that, is going to be good. But that's the reason why I got bored of it after some time, because it has not personality. Playing levels out of context is just shallow and incoherent. Like, I prefer playing the original games than Mania

Honestly Sonic Mania was what got me back into Sonic. I did play it around release but wasn't really feeling the gameplay until probably a couple years later, where I tried it again and got addicted on the gameplay and zones. This even caused me to go into playing more 2D Sonic games again, playing Sonic 1 + 2 for the first time (Beat Sonic 1, Sonic 2 I got stuck on the Final Boss and never went back to beat it) and realise that my childhood game of Sonic Advance, was a TRILOGY!!! (Played Advance 1+2, started 3 but only beat the first world and never went back) and even made me try Freedom Planet (after buying it once on Wii U, not playing it, and then got it on Switch) where I LOVED IT!!! despite it's flaws... While I funnily enough, more use Sonic Mania to fuel my Puyo Puyo addiction, where that is where most of my gametime was spent on it, I think it's an amazing game I would easily replay again and again. Zones are fun to playthrough with so much variety with each act, fun bosses to fight, a nice variety of characters to playthrough. Overall, it's my favourite Sonic game. Still I do want to try Sonic Superstars at some point to see how I would feel about the game.

16:20 I'VE BEEN PLAYING THIS GAME FOR THE LAST 7 YEARS AND HAD NO IDEA YOU COULD DO THIS, THIS S GAME IS SO COOOOOOL!!!

idk why anyone would complain about Sandopolis and it's Ghosts. It's basically a good version of underwater mechanics, you just have to hit a lamp switch instead of waiting for a bubble and the lamps last WAY longer than your breath underwater does. The timing is extremely generous and in the 20+ times I've beaten that stage I don't think I've been killed by a ghost a single time so I don't really understand what makes it "an annoying gimmick" it's more just like an additional challenge to the stage that is very easily surmountable.

Honestly, I want to see more smaller stuff from Sonic. More stuff like Mania and Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog. Maybe something like an official version of SRB2, with a 3d Classic-styled game, even. It's just kind of nice to see more variety from Sonic, and Mania gave the series something somewhat fresh for the time.

Sonic mania is without a doubt, the best 2D sonic game ever, change my mind

in my opinion, Unleashed has the better gameplay, in Day Stages, the werehog is fine but not my cup of tea and should not have been in the game to begin with, Day Stages however, I love them, the drift can be loose but satisfying to master, QTEs need quick reaction times and are quite satisfying to pull off, and honestly in Unleashed the skill floor is way higher making it way more fun when you get good at it, which is why I prefer it over Generations. Content is also a difference, Generations average stage is 2 minutes long, while Unleashed the first stages are 2 minutes but then go to 5 minutes, and Classic Sonic is kind of boring for me, because I understand the momentum on the Classic games and can do satisfying stuff that Generations lacks. Generations is still a decent game, but Unleashed in my opinion is above it.

Finally, something we can all agree on

Sonic Mania is by far the better game than Superstar and I say this thinking Superstar was fine. It has way more replay value and the game play is perfect. Also good for SD on his Heroes getting a remake. Maybe hopefully Adventure will get one too one day.

Btw the Sonic Heroes remake was in fact not announced and it was Zippo

Well Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric solos both of those games

Sonic Mania is my favourite 2D platformer, i'm so happy I got it as a gift or else I probably would have never tried this gem of a game.

This channel is perfect for me (Ive only ever played the first 3 sonic games)

Man I love sonic mania so much. I remember being so excited when I got it on my switch back in 2017 and it brings the first classic sonic game I actually finished because I was really bad about that when I was younger. I swear I come back to the game at least once or twice a year. That's sound track oh man that's sound track I still listen to that sound track to this day in Spotify to the point tee lopes stays in my top 5 artist for the past few Spotify wraps

LS Ma, wait I mean Splash Dash, what should Sonic Hero’s remake on Unreal Engine 5 do to be better than the orignal?

Mania is my favorite Sonic game of all time, and I’m always saddened how it’s generally ignored by the community. Perhaps it’s because I played Mania before the other Genesis titles, but I feel like the Mania iterations of each zone are significantly better than their originals, and the lack of original themes is more than made up for with its reinvention of their mechanics and design. I guess it’s also how I approach games as well: you have a discussion of Generations vs. Unleashed and whether consistently good gameplay is more valuable than an immersive experience, and I tend to lean more towards the consistently good gameplay. I’d much rather play a game that lacks some in story/presentation if it feels incredible to play, and I think that’s why I click with Mania so much. Great video, and I appreciated your nuanced take on the subject! Keep bashing on those Superstars boss fights!

I played Mania and Superstars, and Mania had that.. "something" maybe the fact it re-imagines the old scenarios making them looking beautifull, and the movements actually feels like Classic Sonic, instead of Superstars's one, also the theme is actually like a classic Sonic Game, while Superstars feels more childish I guess (? Superstars is very forgiveable, and makes me sad that the fact that it has cool level themes, but the mid music and the controls feeling kinda heavier than in other Sonic Games.

mania was the game that convinced me that the "sonic was never good"-tubers were wrong

I find it hard to believe people were saying superstars was better than mania. Not that I've played superstars but I thought Mania was one of the few games we could all agree was good at the very least. Now Gens feels like the only game I've never seen any major hate for.

Am I going crazy, or did the title and thumbnail change?

14:20 Oil Ocean as a whole. And Flying Battery Act 2. And Titanic Monarch Act 2. I do think Mania is better than Superstars for reasons that aren't the gameplay necessarily. Like the cheats list and fun little easter eggs. That's a staple of classic Sonic games. Like letting fans fly as Super Sonic in normal levels. Superstars has some really cool level design and ideas that aren't in other games though. 20:05 Anyone who loves Tee Lopes OSTs should play Berserk Boy because that whole soundtrack is TOP TIER.

0:15 Lets goooo. As a Sonic fan who owned a wii but only ever got Sonic Colors cuz I didnt know you could online shop as a kid. I'm excited to play these great classics with a modern look

Thank you Sonic Mania OST for providing video gamer KZfaqrs with background music for their videos. I hear Mania's music everywhere

Sonic Mania doesn't suck, and it never will.

I love sonic mania and sonic super starts equally those both games mean a lot to me in my heart lol

18:52 the music in the background just stopping for a second is perfect

The only problem mania has are how some bosses drag for way too long, and are a chore to replay through, once you've beaten the game dozens of times Studiopolis' Atc 1 boss for example is a total drag each and every time, and often makes me quit the game when I'm just having a casual playthrough to decompress In the classic games you were offered the chance to master each and every boss, and eventually learn how to kill them fast. This would make subsequent playthroughs much more enjoyable, as you'd just blaze through the bosses, with no semi-auto play gimmicks (like in hu-hydrocity act 2) that make you feel stuck for a minute or 2

ristar is the best sonic game

I think Mania is alright but definitely can't take my attention away from the original trilogy. Too much level remasters and too little change and innovation for me to like it anymore than 1, 2 or 3.

The only genuine complaint I really hear people use against Mania is the returning stages. I’ve never really seen anyone bring anything else up, that’s always the only critique they have.

I see what you did with the title change >:) I didn't click on this video when the title was positive, but when you changed it to be negative, I was interested. This is a successful experiment.

What?! But Splash Dash, how could Sonic Mania be bad now if it's fundamentally fun?!