#SONIC MANIA GAME ONLY SWITCH TRIAL#
#SONIC MANIA GAME ONLY SWITCH PLUS#

The game emulates the gameplay and 2D sprite animation of the original Sega Mega Drive Sonic games. Sonic Mania was developed by Christian Whitehead, who had previously worked on enhanced ports of early Sonic games, with the aid of Headcannon and PagodaWest Games, who were chosen for their work in the Sonic fangame community and was published by Sega. The storyline of the game also ties into the events of Sonic Forces. Eggman and his Hard Boiled Heavies from harnessing a mysterious energy source known as the Phantom Ruby. The game is shortly set after the conclusion of the Death Egg saga and follows Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as they try to keep Dr. It still feels very weird to say that I like playing as Ray more than playing as Sonic because it’s so much fun flying around levels as a flying squirrel.Sonic Mania ( ソニックマニア, Sonikku Mania ?) is a side-scrolling platformer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise which acts as a celebration of the series' 25th anniversary. The new content seems a little more geared for the superfan rather than the newcomer, which at the end of the day, is totally okay because whether you bought Mania last year or you’re only just getting to it now, it is still worth checking out.

#SONIC MANIA GAME ONLY SWITCH PLUS#

Sonic Mania Plus took a well-made game and made it even better, with two interesting new characters and remixed levels. Encore’s more punishing design does not make up for that and Sonic Mania as a whole would be a way more pleasant and accessible experience without game overs. The original Mania mode still relies on an outdated yet nostalgic lives mechanic that, frankly, doesn’t need to be there.

#SONIC MANIA GAME ONLY SWITCH TRIAL#

Lastly for the Time Trial mode, replays can be saved. Some of the ornery boss fights in the original are a little less absurd and the multiplayer Competition mode can now handle up to four players, which makes the race to the finish wacky. It’s a harder, slightly more punishing twist, but it’s perfect for people who want to check out Mighty and Ray but might not want to just replay the same old game.

You can also play through the game in Encore Mode, which loses the concept of lives and instead you rescue the five different characters and cycle between them, hitting a game over when all of your heroes are defeated. Having not played Sonic Mania since last fall, the differences were mostly something that I had to replay the original versions to really notice. The general flow and layout is mostly the same, but a few new obstacles and ways to make use of Mighty and Ray’s abilities are included. In addition to the new characters, every level has an Encore Mode that changes up the levels slightly. Much like how you could break old Sonic games by throwing Knuckles into them, Ray feels like a fun way to explore each area. Mighty is generally a very helpful character to play as but Ray is a lot more fun to tool around with.

Ray requires a little more finesse as his novel twist is that he can fly in a way reminiscent of Mario’s cape power-up from Super Mario World. Mighty is a bruiser and can charge straight down with a second tap of the jump button in the air. I know - more of Sonic’s friends are usually a bad thing for the franchise, but here, Mighty and Ray are brilliant additions that tease out more fun and depth to the branching levels.

The Encore additions are focused around two new characters: Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel.

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