If someone were trying to prove that there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing, they could probably use Sonic Mania Plus as an example to back up their case. While Ray’s gliding ability does seem a bit derivative of Tail’s ability to fly, Mighty’s ground smashing skill opens the door to discovering new routes hidden below the sneakers of our anthropomorphic animal heroes. Along with the freshly remade levels, the two new characters, Ray the flying squirrel and Mighty the armadillo, add their own unique twists to the series.
The new level remixes leave plenty to explore and lend themselves well to multiple playthroughs. Sonic Mania Plus delivers the same experience as last year’s release and adds it own spicy flavor to the mix. Levels also feature classic boss matchups as well as brand-new bosses to challenge. Many of the game’s levels are either remakes of familiar areas like the Green Hill Zone, and the Chemical Plant or they’re inspired by several classic level themes, like underwater areas and an airship. It makes the experience feel more spontaneous and fresh.For those not familiar with the latest iteration of Sonic, it is essentially an old-school, super-retro homage that harkens back to the classic Sega Genesis titles that made the hedgehog a household name. This is where you can replenish your supply of characters though a crane game (another callback to Knuckles’ Chaotix) inside the pinball machine.Įncore Mode gives you a way to play as every character in a single playthrough. Instead of bonus stages that award you Chaos Emeralds, you unlock a new pinball-like minigame if you have at least 50 rings and reach a checkpoint. You only lose if you run out of characters. The other three wait to jump in if you die. You can control one of them while the other follows, and you can switch between the two with the press of a button. Instead of having a bank, you can instead collect all of the five playable characters. It’s not a huge thing you’ll notice.īut Encore Mode has a unique way of handling your lives. This just means that some of colors and layout has changed. You go through remixed versions of the original levels. Encore Mode gives you a new way to experience Sonic Mania. If you love Sonic Mania, it’s worth playing through it again as each of these new heroes.īut you don’t have to just play the regular campaign.
The sprites and animations are expressive and full of character. The new abilities open up different strategies for getting through levels and fighting bosses. Playing as both of these characters give you a new way to appreciate Sonic Mania. You need to alternate between the two to maintain speed and height. Moving against your momentum gives you lift but slows you down, while moving forward has you quickly diving.
Think of Ray’s flight kind of like how Mario’s cape works in Super Mario World. Like Tails, Ray can fly, but his mechanics work differently. That title had players control characters with a trackball. He debuted, along with Mighty, in SegaSonic the Hedgehog, a three-player arcade game that only came out in Japan in 1993. Ray is playable for the first time ever in a traditional Sonic game. It gives him a lot of vertical speed and helps you attack enemies on the ground with more precision. Mighty can do a ground pound if he’s in the air.
Tails can fly short distances, for example, while Knuckles can glide and climb walls. Each character in Sonic Mania has a special ability. This is Mighty’s first playable appearance since 1995’s Knuckles’ Chaotic for the 32X. Now we get access to Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. The original release of Sonic Mania included Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as playable characters.