Sonic Mania

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 678 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 560 out of 678
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 678
  3. Negative: 82 out of 678
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  1. SugarHBear
    Feb 17, 2018
    4
    I got this for the 2-player competitive mode that first appeared in Sonic 2. That mode remains pretty fun, with the drawback that you have to play each level in 1-player before you can play it 2-player competitively. This is dumb, particularly since this is tied to each player profile.

    The 1-player game is pretty meh. Gone are the digestible levels of Sonic 1&2 -- now the levels are    I got this for the 2-player competitive mode that first appeared in Sonic 2. That mode remains pretty fun, with the drawback that you have to play each level in 1-player before you can play it 2-player competitively. This is dumb, particularly since this is tied to each player profile.

    The 1-player game is pretty meh. Gone are the digestible levels of Sonic 1&2 -- now the levels are crazy long, and yet they kept the 10-minute timer. I don't have fun exploring these levels because they're so long, winding back and forth, so I just want to get to the end and be done with it.

    I was also hoping for the slot machines from Sonic 2 Casino Night Zone. I don't believe those have returned.    … Expand
  2. DownUnda
    Sep 6, 2017
    0
    Well, with Sonic you either like it or hate it. Back in the day there was Mario or Sonic as your 16bit platforms. Every time I played Sonic I feel so frustratedy by the cluster-fuk of the maps. It feels that you shouldn't care on the environment of level and you just need to rush to the end. That is such a shame, with nice environments that tempt you to explore, the game punishes you forWell, with Sonic you either like it or hate it. Back in the day there was Mario or Sonic as your 16bit platforms. Every time I played Sonic I feel so frustratedy by the cluster-fuk of the maps. It feels that you shouldn't care on the environment of level and you just need to rush to the end. That is such a shame, with nice environments that tempt you to explore, the game punishes you for doing it. You loose the momentum and you are stuck. There is no manual or indication on what does any buttons do and you just find bashing your controller expecting to move forward somehow. I dont understand Sonic love but for me, this looks exactly as the first Sonic game, equally frustrating. Avoid.… Expand
  3. thesafetylemur
    Sep 23, 2017
    0
    15 minutes into this heap and it is completely clear that the team that actually made the original Sonic games had nothing to do with this. Don't waste your time or money on this garbage.
  4. sharkman265
    Jun 4, 2019
    3
    Sluggish and unresponsive controls when it comes to bonus stages , it feels rigged
  5. Tekneiner
    Sep 27, 2017
    2
    Many blind Sonic fans wearing fanboy glasses haven't seen the atrocious level design that plagued the original Genesis games. Unfortunately, in an effort to recreate those games, the same bad level design is in this game. Levels like Stardust Speedway don't show you what you have to do to progress and you end up losing a life from taking too long.

    Speaking of taking too long, it's    Many blind Sonic fans wearing fanboy glasses haven't seen the atrocious level design that plagued the original Genesis games. Unfortunately, in an effort to recreate those games, the same bad level design is in this game. Levels like Stardust Speedway don't show you what you have to do to progress and you end up losing a life from taking too long.

    Speaking of taking too long, it's actually possible to die in a boss fight by not beating them fast enough. Like, seriously! How can you take them out in 8 hits? Add to that the control of the game is not the best, especially in Chemical Plant Zone's water.

    Finally I'll say, buy this game at your own risk. It may look appealing (especially Press Garden) however they messed up the most important parts to any game. Seriously, the game sucks alot.    … Expand
  6. stesproject
    Dec 5, 2022
    0
    This game is too difficult and boring, I really don't know how can be so acclaimed.
    Levels are not fun at all, the lives system is one of the worst thing someone can pick from the old games and levels are no sense of direction.
    I just had a frustrating time playing it.
  7. MetalReviewer
    Mar 7, 2022
    4
    Soulless, no substance, no passion, and no reason to exist. Sonic Mania is a disgrace to both the Classics, and the franchise as a whole. Play Sonic 1 or 3 instead, they won't waste your time or your patience.
  8. OmegaJ17
    Dec 28, 2022
    3
    I was really hoping on liking this game, and I did, until the 4th world. Then I started liking it less and less. I’m gonna anger a lot of fans, but it’s my opinion…

    My first complaint is towards the hard-boiled heavies. They have no personality. They could’ve had cutscenes that reveal their traits, but NOPE! They just reuse the same sprite but resizing and recoloring it. And this is a    I was really hoping on liking this game, and I did, until the 4th world. Then I started liking it less and less. I’m gonna anger a lot of fans, but it’s my opinion…

    My first complaint is towards the hard-boiled heavies. They have no personality. They could’ve had cutscenes that reveal their traits, but NOPE! They just reuse the same sprite but resizing and recoloring it. And this is a really minor problem I have, the first one you encounter (heavy gunner) is a mini-boss, but the other 4 are end of zone bosses, just make up your mind!

    Speaking of bosses, They feel out of place in what’s supposed to be classic Sonic. Take the boss of Hydrocity (who wanted that zone back?), You’re supposed to touch the bombs he spits out to kill him, and it takes about a minute to do that. Let’s compare it to the boss of Marble from Sonic 1, he spits out fire, and you have to hit him 8 times, Do you get the boss over with for time points, or play it safe for more ring points? That was the charm of the classic bosses, you could approach them any gamer type could handle. But here, you have to wait for their attack cycle to finish then hit them. In short the (act 2, at least) bosses just take to long for classic Sonic standards.

    And for me, the absolute worst part about the game are the special stages. WHY do people consider them the best in the franchise? AM I MISSING SOMETHING!? You have to run after this UFO that’s carrying a chaos emerald, but everything moves so fast and you move all over the place. They decide to put obstacles in the way that decrease your timer, so when you hit them with 20 or so rings left, you pretty much just lost. They seem less like special stages and more like pure luck. I wouldn’t play them twice let alone 7 TIMES. The sad part is that the other special stages aren’t all that bad. WHY DIDN’T THEY JUST SWAP THESE SPECIAL STAGES WITH THOSE ONES!?

    In short, Sonic mania was disappointing for me. With it’s flat characters, bosses that overstay their welcome and ATROCIOUS special stages. Better luck next time, Sega.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best PS4 Game of 2017
33
#33 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
46
#46 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. CD-Action
    Nov 16, 2017
    90
    With this brilliant game Sonic at last reminded us why he was once a worthy rival for Mario. [11/2017, p.56]
  2. GameOver.gr
    Sep 28, 2017
    90
    It is surprising how well the developers understood the underlining reasons Sonic was so loved in the 16bit era. Gone are the autorun, the messy 3D levels and the horrible clown characters, gone is the linear cheap thrill design of the modern 3D games. In their place, we got excellent level design with hundreds of different routes, elegant design choices and supremely balanced gameplay which bring us one of the best Sonic games since Sonic & Knuckles. Pity Sega was too afraid to budget for modern graphics because they would have had a full priced, instant classic on their hands.
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  3. DarkStation
    Sep 28, 2017
    80
    Sonic Mania is a wonderful celebration of what's made Sonic so great in the past while also striving to push it forward. This isn't to say it's perfect – it has some of the problems of the previous games as well – but it's such a perfect encapsulation of old Sonic games, it's impressive. If you've ever been curious about what makes these old games special, or if you're just interested in revisiting the series you loved as a kid, this is the best way to do it. It's the old and the new wrapped together in a way that makes both shine. I hope this team goes on to do more, and eventually break themselves away from needing to remix old levels and just make their own.
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