Sonic Mania Plus - Nintendo Switch

Alright, so Sonic Mania by itself is a gloriously great title. It's got 3 characters and a lot of really well designed levels that are both inspired and new from old levels (no, Green Hill from Sonic 1 doesn't have anywhere near the same layout as it does in Mania) . It has a lot of charm and a lot of obvious passion put into it. It's a must have as is this game for sure. I have both the PC and Switch versions and have played both a ton. (Filled all the character slots, with emeralds on every save slot) So, Sonic Mania Plus then. It adds 2 new characters, a 4 way competition mode and an encore mode as well as some other extras. Short: Is it worth it? Yes. As good as Mania? Yes but needs a patch. Okay so if you have the digital version already and were thinking about this? Don't bother. It's not worth the money vs the upgrade cost. The artbook is nice, there's no manual and it's nice n' all to have a physical cart but...I'll get to it. There's a good amount of content as an expansion but it's not perfect. The Encore mode is a remix of Mania mode, levels have slightly different layouts and way harder special stages and a new bonus stage that replaces Blue Sphere. The mechanics are different in that, you have no lives and instead you have the characters you've rescued. You find them in TVs or the bonus stages and can ONLY switch between characters via TV's with a ? on it or a switch icon....or if you die with a character. While this is interesting, this does leave you in a bit of a pickle since all of the characters have different perks so it can be hard to mentally adjust but also some paths are specifically made for Knuckles and if you die you get kicked back to a checkpoint. Rescuing the characters is a bit of a pain, the boxes to rescue them are a bit rare in later levels and the new bonus game? Needs a patch at the time of this review. Badly. The hit detection is really, really janky. It's a pinball table but it doesn't seem to work as intended in a lot of ways, there's rescue bumper between the flippers and I've shot straight through it 4/5 times and when playing the 'rescue mini game' I've been way off and succeeded and close and missed when trying to get characters/power ups. Hopefully that'll be patched. Encore mode as a whole I'm not super into, it's good but I'd rather stick to Mania mode- thankfully the new characters work in that 100%. The short: -Do you like Sonic games from the Genesis / Mega Drive? You'll really enjoy this, it's accurate to the old games but improves upon them in many ways. -Do you have the digital version of Mania and were thinking about this? Unless you're an avid collector I'd say avoid. The digital version is much cheaper and the extras aren't worth the cost even when discounted by the GCU. -Are you new to Sonic but like platformers? Grab this, it's a really good platformer with a lot of variety and it's easy to learn and has a lot of tricks to master.

Admittedly, I'm not the biggest Sonic The Hedgehog fan out there given the quality of his games tend to be too sporadic in the modern era. To me, Sonic's strength has always been in his 2D outings. The 3D games in his arsenal (even the critically acclaimed ones) never sat well with me, so when I heard that the blue hedgehog was returning to its roots, that caught my interest. Thankfully, Sonic Mania Plus is an excellent comeback that actually improves upon the formula in some ways. The simple addition of the drop dash mechanic is a standout in particular. Gameplay, music, and level design are as tight as ever but the visuals have gone through a bit of an improvement. The best way I can describe the graphics in this game compared to the old Sega Genesis titles is by saying that this is what I imagine a 2D Sonic game would have looked like if one was released for the ill-fated Sega Saturn. Also, the extra screen real-estate from the game's 16:9 aspect ratio is put to good use, which makes levels not only feel more full but also helps you get a better feeling for for stage layout. If you're a fan of old-school Sonic, then this will surely be a treat for you. All all, while Sonic 3 & Knuckles will forever remain my favorite entry in the series, I've gotta say that Sonic Mania plus is the best game since Sonic Advance 3 way back in 2004.

For $30, getting the entirety of Sonic Mania, the new Encore Mode, and the artbook is a great value. However, I would recommend against the purchase if you already have the original Sonic Mania on your system. The Encore Mode is priced at $5 separately, so you're essentially paying $25 for the physical version and the artbook (and although it's a neat addition, it's just a small paper book, not something that will look great on a shelf). I honestly wouldn't recommend Encore Mode for even the $5 asking price individually. It is extremely similar to the main game, so much so that you'll just feel like you played the same game a second time rather than a new experience. It changes things up a bit, so you might as well try it if just want to play the game again anyway, but it really feels like it should be part of the base game rather than paid DLC. So in short; an excellent purchase if you do not have Sonic Mania, but not so much if you do (and if you really, really want Encore Mode, it would be a better idea to simply pay the $5 digitally rather than paying for the entire game all over again, and then some). I took off a star because of how disappointing the new Encore Mode was (which is the only real "new" feature of Plus aside from the four-player competitive mode), but the game altogether definitely gets a solid five from me.

After years of mediocre Sonic games, the blue hedgehog has been downgraded to meme status these days, with most people expecting each release to get worse and worse. Some people even question if older sonic games were even good in the first place. Let me tell you, this game proves that the old formula still works better than ever. Sonic and friends return to their 2D roots and it' glorious. Blast through well designed classic stages at sonic speed, find hidden bonus levels to collect Chaos emeralds, and unravel the mystery of the Phantom Ruby. Sonic isn't alone in this endeavor. Knuckles and Tails return, their classic gameplay intact, along with old retro throwbacks of Mighy the Armadillo and Ray the flying squirrel. All five character control wonderfully and are quite fun. After you beat the main game? You have a Encore mode to playthrough with revised levels and even harder bonus stages. This mode has a added feature of being able to switch between characters during levels to change up how you progress. The only downside, the boss's are kinda easy and your able to spam them. But the levels more then make up for this. Now if only we could get 3D Sonic games to this caliber.

I held off getting Sonic Mania digitally because I was hoping for a physical version like this, and it was worth the wait. Sonic Mania Plus is the best Sonic game since the original three games on the Sega Genesis. It has a mix of old and new stages and brings back all your favorite characters. The nice thing about this "Plus" version is all the DLC is on the cart, which includes remixed levels and extra characters for even more content. My only criticisms of the game are that the special stages where you get the chaos emeralds are very tough and I would've liked even more new stages/worlds. Currently the split is about 50/50 and the game definitely relies on pushing your nostalgia buttons, without doing too much new stuff. Also the boss battles were okay, but not terribly memorable, though I have not yet fought the FINAL final boss since I still need more chaos emeralds!

Sonic Mania Plus is an enhanced version of the Sonic Mania game that released digitally last year. For this release not only have they made the game physical with an old school Genesis reversible cover but they have included an art book with characters and designs from the game. The game now has Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel as playable characters and a new Encore mode which can be played with any character and they added Angel Island Zone to the game. There are several improvements and other features added to the game including new bonus levels. Overall Sonic Mania Plus is the type of game I wish the 3D Sonic games would take notes from. If you are an old school Sonic Fan you will love this game. It is a love letter to all things 2D Sonic.

Sonic the Hedgehog games has had a mix of good and bad titles over the years. Most the Sonic games have deviated from the formula that made Sonic the Hedgehog a fan favorite in the past. Sonic Mania brings back classic levels and new ones to the mix. It is an easy game to pick up and play with no real learning curve, just run as fast as you can, collect rings, avoid dangerous obstacles and bosses (the real challenge is finding and collecting all of the chaos emeralds). Sonic Mania Plus adds a little bit more of replay value with new playable characters, and a few other modes like time attack, and mirror mode. The switch version runs great, and the advantage it has over the other console versions is that you can play it on the go.

Sonic games have been hit or miss (mostly miss) over the last 15 years or so. Sega hasn't been treating their blue mascot all that well. But look what happens when they let a fan studio take a crack at it! This is a return to classic Sonic. This game is as good, and often better than the best Sonic games from his old Sega Genesis days. With classic zones from the original games, to brand new imaginative levels. The music is great, the controls spot on, and the level design fantastic. If you think Sonic "got bad" when he went 3D, this is the game for you. And this version has additional characters and modes, plus, if you're a collector, it has a physical edition. Grab it now.