Was sonic mania a fan game
Beyond the old levels that were chosen for the game, gimmicks from various other levels were brought in for a bit of variety.
Chemical Plants turns into, well, an actual chemical plant where you can bounce off various types of gels, while Flying Battery incorporates elements of Sonic 2’s Wing Fortress. The first act of most of the returning levels share many similarities with their original counterparts, but the second acts are different enough that they could almost be considered new levels. Sonic Mania on the other hand, really mixes things up. The returning levels in Generations were fairly similar to the original versions, just with a different gameplay style. This is almost exactly like 2011’s Sonic Generations, but Sonic Mania executed the concept with a lot more style. Sonic Mania’s entire premise is old levels with new twists, with a handful of really inventive original levels sprinkled in along the way. The game’s crisp visuals are accompanied by what I believe to be one of the best Sonic soundtracks ever, special mention to Mirage Saloon Act 2, and both acts of Studiopolis. I’ve always loved the background art of the classic games, and Sonic Mania has some of the coolest ones in the franchise. The lovingly created pixel art is gorgeous, and the animations are super fluid (plus, the idle animations are super in character). Sonic Mania has amazing presentation on pretty much all fronts. From the programmers, to the level designers and lead composer, Sonic Mania was lovingly created by an all star cast of long time Sonic community members.
The history of the game’s developers is well documented on the internet, so I won’t be detailing any of that here, but I will say that it is extremely apparent that the team knew their stuff about 2d Sonic games. Every inch of this game is dripping with personality, and it truly feels like an authentic classic Sonic the Hedgehog experience that was created by fans, for fans. Sonic Mania makes me smile and it makes me happy, and those are two of the highest compliments that I can give to any medium of entertainment. Other review taglines considered: For the Mania, by the Mania, Nostalgia Ultra, Sonic Mania Review & Knuckles and pretty much any joke that references blast processing.