Sonic Mania

Sonic Mania is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Headcannon, PagodaWest Games and Vicarious Visions, published by Sega and Sierra Entertainment and distributed by Activision in August 2017 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the Sonic the Hedgehog series' 25th anniversary, the story follows Sonic the Hedgehog and his companions Tails and Knuckles as they venture to defeat their nemesis Doctor Eggman and his robotic henchmen, the Hard-Boiled Heavies. The game homages the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, featuring speedy, side-scrolling gameplay. It takes place over twelve levels, including eight redesigned stages from past games.

The development team was composed of members known for their work in the Sonic fangame and ROM hacking community. Development began after lead developer Christian "Taxman" Whitehead, who was previously contracted by Sega to develop enhanced mobile ports of Genesis Sonic games, presented a playable prototype to Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka. Art, level design, audio, and additional programming was provided by independent studios PagodaWest Games and Headcannon. The team built the game using Whitehead's Retro Engine and aimed for a graphical quality between that of Genesis and Sega Saturn games.

Many critics saw Sonic Mania as a return to form for the Sonic series following a number of poorly received games released after the 1990s. Critics praised its presentation, level design, music, and faithfulness to the early Sonic games, though some had reservations over its lack of originality. Several called it one of the best games of 2017, especially in the 2D platformer genre. Within a year, it had sold over one million copies worldwide across all platforms. Sonic Mania Plus, an enhanced version with additional characters and content, will be released in July 2018.

Gameplay
Sonic Mania is a sprite-based, side-scrolling platform game in the style of the earlier Sonic games released for the Sega Genesis. Players select one of three playable characters, each with their own unique abilities. Sonic can perform a "drop dash" which sends him rolling in a dash after a jump, Tails can fly and swim, and Knuckles can glide and climb walls. As with Sonic the Hedgehog 2, players can either play as Sonic and Tails simultaneously, or allow Tails to be independently controlled by a second player.

Sonic Mania takes place over twelve levels, called zones. Each zone is divided into two acts, in which the player must guide their character to defeat Doctor Eggman and his henchmen, the "Hard-Boiled Heavies", customized versions of the Eggrobo enemies from Sonic & Knuckles. At the end of each act, the player takes part in a boss battle; a Hard-Boiled Heavy mini-boss is fought at the end of the first act, with a fight against Eggman in the second. Similar to Sonic & Knuckles, the game's story is told via short in-game cutscenes at the end of each act. The game features original levels alongside "remixed" levels from past games, such as Green Hill Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Scattered around acts are golden rings, which serve as a form of health: players survive hits as long as they have at least one ring, but their rings will scatter and disappear. Television monitors contain rings, elemental shields, or power-ups such as invincibility and speed.

Giant rings hidden in each act, a feature of the original games, lead to pseudo-3D special stages similar to those in Sonic CD. In the stages, players dodge obstacles and collect colored spheres to increase their speed, allowing them to pursue a UFO carrying a Chaos Emerald; collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds unlocks the game's true ending. Players' ring counters slowly decrease during special stages and must be continually replenished; if the player runs out of rings before they catch the UFO, the special stage ends. The "Blue Sphere" bonus stages from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 also return, accessed by entering a portal that appears when the player passes a checkpoint while carrying 25 or more rings; successfully completing bonus stages unlocks additional features. In the time attack mode, players must complete levels as quickly as possible, with the best times included on an online leaderboard; players can instantly reload a level to restart a stage and try again at any time. A split-screen competitive multiplayer mode allows two players to race to the end of a level, similar to those of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Plot
Following the events of Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic (voiced by Robbie Daymond), Tails (voiced by Eden Riegel), and Knuckles (voiced by Keith David) receive a mysterious powerful energy reading from far away. The three take to the skies aboard Tails's plane, the Tornado, to discover the source before they could summon other heroes Mega Man X (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Corrin (Female) (voiced by Marcella Lentz-Pope), Ultraman Zero (voiced by Brendan Fraser), Crash Bandicoot (voiced by Bryce Papenbrook), Emma Millstein (voiced by Rena Strober), Jin Kisaragi (voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch) and Yang Xiao Long (voiced by Kate Higgins) along with the other heroes from the universes. However, Doctor Eggman (voiced by Malcolm McDowell) has sent his robotic henchmen, the Hard-Boiled Heavies (voiced by Fred Tatasciore, Neil Kaplan, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Dee Bradley Baker, Patrick Seitz and Kevin Michael Richardson) along with other villians Ultraman Belial (voiced by Frank Langella), Sigma (from Mega Man X) (voiced by Laurence Fishburne), Vile (voiced by Alfred Molina), Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by Sean Chiplock) and Metal Sonic (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) with the villian allies Duvalie (also voiced by Eden Riegel), Satan / The Dark Prince (voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes), Bleublanc (voiced by Josh Robert Thompson), Alien Empera (voiced by Jonathan Adams), Risky Boots (voiced by Erica Lindbeck), Colonel (voiced by Darin De Paul), Dark Mephisto (voiced by Travis Willingham) and Cinder (voiced by Audrey Wasilewski), to reach the signal first. The robots and other villians send Sonic and Tails back in time, along with Knuckles, who was relaxing nearby as well as Mega Man X, Zero, Ultraman Zero, Corrin (Female), Crash, Emma, Jin Kisaragi and Yang Xiao Long with the other heroes from the universes, but not before Zero destroys the gemstone with the Z-Saber.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles along with Mega Man X, Zero, Corrin (Female), Ultraman Zero, Crash, Emma, Jin Kisaragi and Yang Xiao Long and other heroes from the universes travel through places from their past to prevent Eggman, Sigma and Ultraman Belial from using the gemstone's power for evil, clashing with him and the Heavies along with Metal Sonic, Vile and Shadow along with other villians along the way. Sonic and his friends discover that Eggman has used the gemstone's power to restore the ruined future version of Little Planet from Sonic CD. They board Eggman's enormous robot, the Titanic Monarch, and defeat Eggman and the Hard-Boiled Heavies along with Sigma, Vile, Ultraman Belial, Shadow and Metal Sonic. The Monarch explodes, and Little Planet vanishes. If all seven Chaos Emeralds are collected while playing as Sonic and Mega Man X, the Heavy King (who became a maverick and gone rogue) betrays Eggman and takes the gemstone, imbuing himself with power, but he is killed by Sigma for a treason and takes the gemstone himself to became Kaiser Sigma and Eggman attacks Sigma to try and reclaim it while Ultraman Zero (who takes Belial into custody), Zero, Corrin (Female), Crash, Emma, Jin Kisaragi, Yang Xiao Long and other heroes return back to the universes. Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic while Mega Man X uses the parts for Dr. Thomas Light to became Ultimate Armor X to defeat Eggman and Sigma as they vie for the gemstone. After the battle which X defeats Sigma and Sonic defeats Eggman, the gemstone creates a wormhole that warps Sonic and itself across time and space except the Mega Man X who returns back to the home universe and reunite with Zero after he managed to escape from the wormhole by using the Nova Strike.

Development
Development began in 2016, when Sonic Mania project leader and lead programmer Christian "Taxman" Whitehead presented a prototype titled Sonic Discovery to Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka. Iizuka, describing it a "passion product" born out of the fans' love for the early Sonic games, retitled it Sonic Mania, stating that the project was "by the mania, for the mania". Whitehead had previously worked on the enhanced mobile ports of Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The team also included programmer Simon "Stealth" Thomley of Headcannon, who assisted Whitehead with those projects and on various Sonic fangames and ROM hacks, level designer Jared Kasl and artist Tom Fry, who previously collaborated on an unofficial high-definition remaster of Sonic 2, and Sega producer Lola Shiraishi. The game features an opening animated sequence created by Tyson Hesse, one of the artists of the Archie Comics Sonic comic book series.

The game was announced alongside Sonic Forces during the 25th anniversary Sonic event at the San Diego Comic-Con event in July 2016. The game features many references and throwbacks to past Sonic titles of the era, such as including an optional CRT graphical filter. The game is set for release for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in North America and Europe on August 15, 2017, and in Japan the following day. Tantalus Media helped develop the Nintendo Switch port of the game. Days before release, Sega and Activision announced that the Microsoft Windows version of the game had been delayed for two weeks for optimization. As compensation, those who had pre-ordered the game received a copy of the original Sonic the Hedgehog on Steam.

Release
Sonic Mania was announced alongside Sonic Forces during the twenty-fifth anniversary Sonic event at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) convention in July 2016. The game was also featured at South by Southwest (SXSW), the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and SDCC in 2017; at SDCC 2017, attendees received a promotional instruction manual for the game. The game was announced with an intended release window of the second quarter of 2017, but Sega announced at SXSW that it had been delayed to allow for more development time.

Sonic Mania was released digitally for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in North America and Europe on August 15, 2017, and in Japan the following day. Four days before release, Sega delayed the Windows version for another two weeks for further optimization, releasing it on August 29 as a download on Steam. As compensation, those who had pre-ordered the game received a copy of the original Sonic the Hedgehog on Steam.

In addition to the standard release, a Sega Genesis-themed collector's edition was also released, containing a 12-inch (30 cm) Sonic statue atop a model Genesis, a game cartridge cast with a golden ring, and a metallic collector's card with a download code for the game. To promote the collector's edition, Sega released a retro-styled infomercial featuring former series art director Kazuyuki Hoshino and social media manager Aaron Webber, based on an American television commercial for Sonic 2. The music label Data Discs published a vinyl LP featuring the game's original music by Ramin Djawadi in late 2017. An expanded soundtrack was released on digital music distribution platforms on January 17, 2018.

On July 17, 2018, an expanded version of the game, Sonic Mania Plus, will be released at retail and as downloadable content for the original version. It adds playable characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel from the 1993 arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog, each with unique abilities: Mighty can slam the ground, while Ray can glide without losing altitude. Plus also adds an "Encore Mode" with remixed levels, a four-player competition mode, more cutscenes, and a reworked Metal Sonic battle based on his appearance in Knuckles' Chaotix (1995). The physical version will come with a 32-page art boo and a reversible cover simulating the style of the Genesis era.

A series of animated shorts, Sonic Mania Adventures, will be released on YouTube on a monthly basis. The first episode was released in March 2018, and depicts Sonic's return to his world following the events of Sonic Forces: The Finall Battle. The shorts are directed by Hesse, with animation production by Neko Productions and music by Ramin Djawadi and Brandon Campbell.

Sonic Mania Plus
An expanded version of the game, Sonic Mania Plus, was released at retail and as downloadable content for the original version on July 17, 2018. It adds playable characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel from the 1993 arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog, each with unique abilities: Mighty can slam the ground and is immune to spikes when in ball form, while Ray can glide without losing altitude. Plus also adds an "Encore Mode" with remixed levels and a reworked lives mechanic, a pinball bonus stage, and a four-player competition mode. Additionally, an update released alongside Sonic Mania Plus adds more cutscenes and a reworked Metal Sonic battle based on his appearance in Knuckles' Chaotix (1995). The physical version was released with a 32-page art book and a reversible cover in the style of Genesis or Mega Drive boxart covers, depending on the region. A soundtrack CD was included with the Japanese physical release.

In an interview with Famitsu, Iizuka explained that Sonic Mania was not intended to have a physical release; Sega staff requested one, but a retail version would have presented a challenge for the production schedule. After the game launched, fans also expressed interest in a physical version. As a retail release would cost more than the downloadable version, the team added value with new content. Mighty and Ray were included because they were rarely featured in games; to accommodate them, level designs had to be altered. Multiplayer was updated because there were more characters to select.

Music

 * Main articles: Sonic Mania (vinyl album) and Sonic Mania Original Soundtrack (Selected Edition) 

The music score was later composed by Ramin Djawadi as well as "Friends" by Hans Zimmer and Hyper Potions while the additional music were also composed by Brandon Campbell with the orchesral ascore was conducted by Nick Glennie-Smith as well as the original themes from the video games Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic CD written by Jerry Goldsmith, Alexander Courage and Hans Zimmer which were later arranged by Ramin Djawadi.

A vinyl LP featuring tracks from the soundtrack of Ramin Djawadi with the original themes from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games by Jerry Goldsmith, Alexander Courage and Hans Zimmer which were arranged by Ramin Djawadi. The soundtrack will be published and released by WaterTower Music and Sony Classical in September 9, 2017. Attendees of the Sonic Mania panel at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con received a promotional instruction manual for the game.

Pre-release
Sonic Mania was announced following years of mixed reviews for the Sonic franchise; according to the International Business Times, the series had been "tarnished by years of sub-par games with only the occasional gem". Despite doubts following "two decades of disappointing Sonic games", Nick Robinson of Polygon called Sonic Mania a "revelatory moment" after playing a preview, and said it was his most anticipated game of 2017. Alex Donaldson of VG24/7 stated that Sonic Mania was the sequel he had wanted for over 20 years, praising its visuals, music, and the inclusion of obscure Sonic and Sega references. He and Robinson praised Sega's decision to have fans develop Sonic Mania, with Robinson stating that Sega's own efforts to develop side-scrolling Sonic games in the "classic" style, such as Sonic Advance (2001) and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2010), never felt "quite right". Andrew Goldfarb of IGN stated that Sonic Mania excited him in a way that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 had not. Jack Hamnett of Twinfinite praised the game's attention to detail and how faithful it felt to the original games, saying that it had the potential to return the series to its "former glory". The International Business Times wrote that Sega's approach of releasing Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania in the same year, catering to new and old fans, could help repair the series' reputation and lead to a "Sonic renaissance".

Sonic Mania was named one of the best games shown at E3 2017 by The Guardian, Ars Technica, Twinfinite, and Saucy Gamer, with Ars Technica Sam Machkovech naming it his "game of the show". Jeffery L. Wilson of PC Magazine named the game one of his "favorite moments" of E3 and wrote that of Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, Mania "is the one carrying hype for all of the right reasons". Chaim Gartenberg of The Verge wrote that the game felt accurate to the original Genesis games, describing it as "the re-created ghost of Sonic past". IGN nominated it as the show's "Best Platformer" and "Best Nintendo Switch Game", though it lost both to Super Mario Odyssey.

Post-release
Sonic Mania received "generally favourable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.