Sonic Mania Plus - Nintendo Switch

This is the best Sonic game yet! Great throw backs and new additions. Good amount of characters and unlocks!

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.

very fun game a throwback to the 90s. i would definitely reccomend this game.

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.

This port of the game is the best you can likely get right now. For 30 bucks you get a decent artbook and the cart. The game itself is very solid and this version comes with extra characters. It runs smoothly on the switch and has increased eye appeal in the handheld mode. Controls are tight and the characters handle like a dream. I've already sank more hours into this version than I have my other and I'm not even that big of a sonic fan. I'd say it's a must own for any switch owner who likes platformers.

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 have always preferred Sonic games in 2D and Sonic Mania does not disappoint. Great game, fun, responsive controls. Perfect for Sonic fans and those not invested into the franchise. It's a great entry in the series.

Great game brought back good memories of playing it on drag as a kid