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[jman2050]

I didn't "let on" anything. I said that I had no idea how to play Sonic. That's absolutely the truth and it's the reason I created this thread. If anything my elaboration of the source of my confusion throughout this thread should be illuminating as to why I was confused.

With that said, as I stated a few posts ago, the explanations from people here on the best way to approach the game were helpful, and I'll be picking Sonic Mania up tonight on Switch. Excited to play.

I want to apologize if it seems like I was rude to you specifically in any of my posts. As someone who hasn't played any of these games you obviously wouldn't be in a position to make definitive judgments on it anyway. But, as you've no doubt noticed as this thread has progressed, Sonic threads of this nature tend to bring out certain... long-standing arguments. Honestly, a thread like this is pretty doomed from the start no matter how sincere one's intentions are.

Nevertheless, on a more general level directed towards certain other posters, I stand by everything I said.

 

[TeddyShardik]

I've always seen achieving high speeds in Sonic games as a reward for mastering a level.

First you explore slowly and as you get to know enemy placements, traps etc you get faster and faster.

The fact that you CAN run fast as Sonic doesn't mean the player can use that speed without running into shit all the time.

 

[SoulUnison]

"Games hold your hand too much nowadays."

"Why won't this game tell me how to have fun!?"

You do you in Sonic games. Horde rings for extra lives and bonus stages. Do some light exploring for a chance at the Chaos Emeralds. Race around getting a feel for the Zone's gimmicks so you can get from A to B as efficiently, stylishly and safely as possible.

It seems like platformers and games in general have trained people to always be collecting something and so Sonic games feel unfulfilling to these players because they're not constantly baving their dicks stroked by a Skinner Box full of random trinkets.

You play Sonic games the same way you play Mario games before there were Dragon Coins and Red Coins and Power Stars and so on - you get to the end of the level and you get a little better every time.

 

[Jeronimo Jones]

I didn't "let on" anything. I said that I had no idea how to play Sonic. That's absolutely the truth and it's the reason I created this thread. If anything my elaboration of the source of my confusion throughout this thread should be illuminating as to why I was confused.

With that said, as I stated a few posts ago, the explanations from people here on the best way to approach the game were helpful, and I'll be picking Sonic Mania up tonight on Switch. Excited to play.

I'm not even typically a Sonic game fan, and I'll probably be checking it out too.

Surely you can see how claiming confusion over some of the things in your OP: if you should focus on picking up rings, if you should open tvs for items, extra lives, rings, etc. is laying it on a little thick. The game is in the same style as the classic ones and these are consistent mechanics.

 

[Dartastic]

The fact that this thread is even a thing shows that Sega has fundamentally mismanaged the Sonic brand over the years. Nobody "doesn't understand how to play Mario games." I'm very, very glad that they've finally made a good Sonic game that gets back to his roots again.

 

[digitalrelic]

when i first played sonic 2 I was 4 years old

i ran to the right while avoiding enemies



i finished sonic 2

Stop with the shitposting. You aren't superior because you played a game when you were 4.

The question wasn't "How do you finish a Sonic game"? The thread was created to figure out what the consensus is on the best/most fun way to experience Sonic games. Despite all the trolling from posters like you, I feel like the thread has been very helpful. Lots of good information, and I'm going to go into Sonic Mania with a much better mindset on how to go about things than I would've if I didn't read through this thread.

 

[The Xtortionist]

Going back a couple stages, I have question about the Zone 2 boss, (

Spoiler

the Puyo Puyo one

): I could've swore I beat him, but then it made me fight him again. Are there two rounds to that fight?

Shouldn't be. I kept "attacking him" and he eventually exploded. Maybe a bug?

 

[muteki]

Not sure Sonic needs to learn... anything from Rayman. Except maybe foregoing lives. Sonic's level design is built on adhering to Sonic's ability to roll and adopting pinball physics to achieve momentum in a way that protects the player from incoming obstacles. It was a proven, smart concept, and it works just fine. It's what makes it unique.

Rayman has fast running but a majority of the games' level design and gimmicks aren't built around the concept of momentum as an obstacle solver. It's a completely different kind of game.

It has been a while but I remember Sonic Advance....2(?) levels were much more streamlined and prioritized maintaining speed and I found them quite boring. The chase-down-the-boss fights were good though.

I don't think speed alone is fun or interesting, and I'd rather the level design be varied with plenty of stop and go and exploration. If all of your time is spent running ahead at full speed with no finesse required then it is no longer interesting.

 

[silva1991]

You know, I only played one Sonic game on Sega Mega and I loved it, but I never played any other Sonic game, because it doesn't look very compelling for me as it was back in the sega mega days.

Now I'm slightly excited for mania on PC, but I'm not actually sure if I'm gonna enjoy it....

I don't recall the last time where going fast through levels was fun for me. That's why I hate speedruns for example.

 

[Anth0ny]

Stop with the shitposting. You aren't superior because you played a game when you were 4.

The question wasn't "How do you finish a Sonic game"? The thread was created to figure out what the consensus is on the best/most fun way to experience Sonic games. Despite all the trolling from posters like you, I feel like the thread has been very helpful. Lots of good information, and I'm going to go into Sonic Mania with a much better mindset on how to go about things than I would've if I didn't read through this thread.

the best/most fun way to experience any game is to play it and see how it goes

you don't need a video game message board to tell how to play a game, especially one as simple as a sonic the hedgehog 2D platformer.

literally every question you asked in OP is answered by playing through the first two acts of any genesis sonic game, which act as tutorials.

 

[Snazzy]

The fact that this thread is even a thing shows that Sega has fundamentally mismanaged the Sonic brand over the years. Nobody "doesn't understand how to play Mario games." I'm very, very glad that they've finally made a good Sonic game that gets back to his roots again.

All it took was for Sega of America and Sega of Japan to stop cutting each other's brake lines and let modders take the wheel.

It's funny how Yuki Naka was allowed to sabotage tons of other teams so he could save face. Poor Sonic Extreme. Poor Sega Saturn. The what ifs haunt me.

 

[dlauv]

My friend who prefers Megaman games and always hated Sonic really liked Sonic Advance.

As a fan of the Genny games, I thought Sonic Advance was kind of ho hum, bland, and even shoddy towards the end -- but at least it controlled similarly. Kind of linear. Maybe it's the non-linearity that throws people off. You've got big, expansive levels and not a whole lot of immediately apparent gameplay incentive to really dig into them. It makes people think they're missing something.

.. so wha the chaoa emeralds are hidden on the levels? And they are the main objective? Or?

Bonus objective for better ending.

 

[SpokkX]

.. so wha the chaoa emeralds are hidden on the levels? And they are the main objective? Or?

 

[SoulUnison]

.. so wha the chaoa emeralds are hidden on the levels? And they are the main objective? Or?

How is this so conceptually difficult, honestly?

 

[Snarky(HEART)]

.. so wha the chaoa emeralds are hidden on the levels? And they are the main objective? Or?

The main objective is finishing the level.

Are the special coins the main objective in Mario?

 

[nekkid]

The choice is the point.

Play to survive.
Play to collect as many rings as possible.
Play to get the highest score possible.
Play to finish as fast as possible.
Play to collect all the emeralds.

These are all ways to play. See which you prefer, or play it different ways different times.

Calling it objectively bad because it doesn't hand hold you through a single objective is stupid.

 

[Snazzy]

.. so wha the chaoa emeralds are hidden on the levels? And they are the main objective? Or?

They are a reward for finding the hidden giant rings and mastering the UFO chase mini-games.

Then you get rewarded for mastering all of them. Some sonic games have extra endings when you have them all.

 

[muteki]

.. so wha the chaoa emeralds are hidden on the levels? And they are the main objective? Or?

There is usually a "good" ending and a "bad" or "incomplete" ending after finishing all the levels. Having all the emeralds by the time you finish gets you the "good" ending. And super powers. Sometimes.

 

[Stencil]

I struggled with this for a bit until I beat Sonic 2 and realized, despite rushing through the levels and getting bonuses for my speed, Dr. Robotnik just laughed at me for my lack of Chaos Emeralds.

You need to get all the Chaos Emeralds on your way to defeating the last boss. How you want to do it is up to you.

 

[NotLiquid]

It has been a while but I remember Sonic Advance....2(?) levels were much more streamlined and prioritized maintaining speed and I found them quite boring. The chase-down-the-boss fights were good though.

I don't think speed alone is fun or interesting, and I'd rather the level design be varied with plenty of stop and go and exploration. If all of your time is spent running ahead at full speed with no finesse required then it is no longer interesting.

Sonic Advance 2 was very speed-dependent, yes. It was basically the start of 2D Sonic games moving towards the Rush formula of making speed feel more like a gimmick rather than a mechanic.

The more you're constantly given speed in a game like this the more numb you get to it. The classics, particularly 3&K and now Mania, were perfect at pacing themselves.

 

[TGO]

It's a platformer with a score system, you collect and go from A to B without losing all your life's.
You also get a bonus for emeralds and bonus stages.
Its not hard to understand, it's not like you can skip a bunch of levels by going down a drain pipe and still complete it.
There is a structure and rules to it.

 

[MugiwaraCole]

The fact that this thread is even a thing shows that Sega has fundamentally mismanaged the Sonic brand over the years. Nobody "doesn't understand how to play Mario games." I'm very, very glad that they've finally made a good Sonic game that gets back to his roots again.

This thread doesn't have anything to do with sega though. The OP just "doesn't know" how to play classic Sonic games. Which, lmao. That's not a mismanagement on Sega's part.

 

[Okami Haundo]

I hope we get one of these for literally every game that comes out.

 

[Skiptastic]

With all the hype and positive words said about Sonic Mania, I'm seriously considering picking it up. However, I have no idea how to play a Sonic game.

They've always been confusing to me. Are you trying to acquire and hang onto as many rings as possible, or do they not really matter outside of lives? Rings can get you extra lives when you get to 100, but they are mostly important because if you get hit with 0 rings, you die. If you get hit with more than 0 rings, you lose the rings and have to find more or you risk getting killed. They also tend to be important if you want the Chaos Emeralds (see below).

Are you trying to complete levels as fast as possible or are you supposed to regularly stop and explore? The focus on speed in the game is a little confusing to me, as it seems like you'll be quickly ushered through gigantic parts of the game in the name of speed. Are you expected to kind of backtrack and explore the area that you just zoomed through? Depends on what you want to do. Do you want to get all the Chaos Emeralds? There are different ways to get them in each game, but typically you need to have 50 rings then trigger a special stage. In Sonic 1, that means having 50 rings at the end and jumping into the big ring. In Sonic 2, that means having 50 rings and getting to a check point then jumping in the star ring that appears.

Otherwise, your main goal is to get from one end of the stage to the other. Sometimes that's the end of the level, sometimes you fight a Robotnik boss.

Should you be seeking out every TV to smash? What rewards do these garner? What about enemies? Should you be trying to kill them all or is it okay to just run past them? TVs have special abilities, like invincibility and speed shoes. They are almost always helpful. You can fight or ignore enemies at your discretion.

What do you need to do to acquire the giant ring (no idea if that's what it's called)? What makes it invisible/unattainable and what unlocks the ability to acquire it? What's the benefit of acquiring the giant ring? See above. The Giant Ring usually leads to Chaos Emeralds.

I have other questions, but I guess I'll just leave it at that for now.

Answers in bold (though I'm sure I'm way late, but I tried to do it without snark). I grew up with Sonic so it's not that strange to me.

You go fast to get to places more quickly, but you can also use your speed to reach new areas to get more rings to get the Chaos Emeralds or simply to have a different path to the end of the level.

That's what's kind of cool about Sonic compared to most 2D Mario games: there are multi-tiered paths to get to the goal instead of one direct route. There have always been some secrets in Mario, usually for level skips, but it isn't as ingrained into the fabric of nearly every level like Sonic tends to be.

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

I've only played Sonic Advance 1 & 2 extensively, to me the point was trying to go on the highest route without falling. That, and collecting the Chaos Emeralds in replays.

Was never a huge fan of the franchise, but I did quite enjoy the Super Famicom platformer Twinbee Rainbow Bell Adventures which is speed-based too.

 

[MugiwaraCole]

I hope we get one of these for literally every game that comes out.

I could've used one for Horizon ZD. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to get all the collectibles or not. And do you have to use the sling, or was that optional? Like, could I have just stuck with the war bow instead? Did I have to tie down enemies to take them out, or should I have focused on tearing off their crucial components?

It was all so confusing.

 

[Snazzy]

This thread doesn't have anything to do with sega though. The OP just "doesn't know" how to play classic Sonic games. Which, lmao. That's not a mismanagement on Sega's part.

I think SOA and SOJ stifled each other a lot and sent out a ton of confusing contradictory marketing. Then you let that snowball for a few years. This thread is like a carbon copy of recent conversations with my fiance about why she doesn't understand sonic games. Nintendo controlled the mindspace of the time, and their particular definition of platformers became the defacto "platformer".

Tell people that Gran Turismo and Cruising USA are both racers and it's fine. Tell people Sonic and Mario are both platformers and people lose their goddamn minds. Many players here are apparently experiencing having to redefine platforming.

 

[Khrno]

With all the hype and positive words said about Sonic Mania, I'm seriously considering picking it up.

It's ok OP, Sonic games are not supposed to be played.

 

[MoneyLaunderer]

Never thought I'd see so much overthinking when it comes to a Sonic game. But here we are.

 

[muteki]

Sonic Advance 2 was very speed-dependent, yes. It was basically the start of 2D Sonic games moving towards the Rush formula of making speed feel more like a gimmick rather than a mechanic.

The more you're constantly given speed in a game like this the more numb you get to it. The classics, particularly 3&K and now Mania, were perfect at pacing themselves.

That is a better way of putting it, thank you.

 

[Glass Shark]

I played a fair bit of Sonic 1 & 2 on Genesis as a kid and I don’t think I have ever seen the giant rings or UFO levels mentioned in this thread.

 

[Hallowed]

OP's questions seem like nonsense to me.

But reading this thread, it is interesting how some don't like that you can't go full speed all the time.

It's actually what put me off newer 3D Sonic titles after loving the classics. I remember thinking, while playing the 3D sonics, "So this is it? I just keep going fast in this narrow line. This is boring."

I grew up loving sonic and mario, although SNES was my favourite console. 6 year old me figured out how to play a game like sonic then, so not sure anyone has an excuse these days.

 

[MugiwaraCole]

OP's questions seem like nonsense to me.

But reading this thread, it is interesting how some don't like that you can't go full speed all the time.

It's actually what put me off newer 3D Sonic titles after loving the classics. I remember thinking, while playing the 3D sonics, "So this is it? I just keep going fast in this narrow line. This is boring."

I grew up loving sonic and mario, although SNES was my favourite console. 6 year old me figured out how to play a game like sonic then, so not sure anyone has an excuse these days.

Yep. It's because the real draw of Sonic games (the classic ones) is speed as a reward. You get to go fast when you've mastered a specific area.

 

[L Thammy]

You're supposed to play the game, watch the cartoons, familiarize yourself with the characters, and then post cartoons about the abusive but romantic relationship between a kindergarten-age Sonic and Bartleby to YouTube.

But seriously, as far as my unskilled self can tell:

Are you trying to acquire and hang onto as many rings as possible, or do they not really matter outside of lives?

Rings make you not die if you have them, so yeah, but they can also get you extra lives. It's a little easier to grab them back when you have a lot.

Are you trying to complete levels as fast as possible or are you supposed to regularly stop and explore? The focus on speed in the game is a little confusing to me, as it seems like you'll be quickly ushered through gigantic parts of the game in the name of speed. Are you expected to kind of backtrack and explore the area that you just zoomed through?

I think this is up to you. It's not really about speed as much as you'd think it is. But the exploration, at least as far as the old 2D games, is also about multiple playthroughs. You don't have to take the same route every time.

Should you be seeking out every TV to smash? What rewards do these garner?

Yes. You can get shields (which give you different air jumps in the third game), rings, super speed, invincibility, and extra lives.

What about enemies? Should you be trying to kill them all or is it okay to just run past them?

I don't think there's any real advantage to killing them, but I might be wrong.

What do you need to do to acquire the giant ring (no idea if that's what it's called)? What makes it invisible/unattainable and what unlocks the ability to acquire it? What's the benefit of acquiring the giant ring?

I haven't played Mania, but I'd assume that leads you to a bonus level which give you get a chance to get a Chaos Emerald, which you need to get to the final level and true ending.

 

[pswii60]

Sonic 1 was all about the chaos emeralds. You needed to get enough rings to get to the bonus levels and then enough chaos emeralds to do the final boss IIRC. It wasn't complicated and the 11 year old me in 1992 worked it out straight away and enjoyed the hell out of it. So not sure if people are trolling or genuinely this stupid.

 

[xochipiltontli]

I have to say that I was sort of having the same problem as OP. My favorite Sonic game is actually the first one because it seems to care less about speed than the later ones did (at least that's how I saw it). However I really ended up enjoying

Spoiler

Flying Battery Zone

in Mania so idk.

 

[Puruzi]

Jesus christ what the hell is this

You just beat the levels and the bonus stages, that's it. The gameplay is fun.

 

[Vashzaron]

You're supposed to play the game, watch the cartoons, familiarize yourself with the characters, and then post cartoons about the abusive but romantic relationship between a kindergarten-age Sonic and Bartleby to YouTube.

Nah man that only happens if you exclusively and obsessively watched Sonic Underground and never played any of the games.

 

[Jinfash]

All approaches are valid, and I've always followed the "play however you want" mantra. However, it's what I accepted that growing up, and never reevaluated whether that's good, focused design or not. So there's merit to the questions in the op.

 

[JackelZXA]

With all the hype and positive words said about Sonic Mania, I'm seriously considering picking it up. However, I have no idea how to play a Sonic game.

They've always been confusing to me. Are you trying to acquire and hang onto as many rings as possible, or do they not really matter outside of lives?

Are you trying to complete levels as fast as possible or are you supposed to regularly stop and explore? The focus on speed in the game is a little confusing to me, as it seems like you'll be quickly ushered through gigantic parts of the game in the name of speed. Are you expected to kind of backtrack and explore the area that you just zoomed through?

Should you be seeking out every TV to smash? What rewards do these garner? What about enemies? Should you be trying to kill them all or is it okay to just run past them?

What do you need to do to acquire the giant ring (no idea if that's what it's called)? What makes it invisible/unattainable and what unlocks the ability to acquire it? What's the benefit of acquiring the giant ring?

I have other questions, but I guess I'll just leave it at that for now.

You go around cool colorful levels and smash robots and beat robotnik!

You can go through multiple paths per zone that give you a different experience every time you play, allowing you to play the game 3 times and still not see everything.

You can get rings to get 1ups and go into blue spheres stages to get medals to unlock extra content.

You can go to time attack and try to get perfect speed runs.

You can just kind of fuck around with the physics and see if you can launch sonic 3 stories into the air by doing a fun trick with the spindash.

You just play it because playing games are fun. You go around and explore, you platform and find stuff and smoosh robots, you go fast and try to find ways to play more efficiently or just deal with your current ingame situation. Sonic is about freedom. You have so many options to play efficiently or goof around or just beat the game. Playing games for the joy of playing.

 

[Sou Da]

Sonic was never good
Crash was never good
Spyro was never good
Onlynintendomakesgoodgames

Nah, Spyro was decent.

 

[L Thammy]

You get S in all stages.

In Adventure and Adventure 2 you play to rise Chao and get attached to them forever. ��

Sonic Adventure 2 requires special strategies which I don't think apply to other games in the series. These include:

- Ignoring the actual game and just do the versus Sonic/Shadow stuff
- Punching your friend in the face if they pick either Metal Sonic or Amy Rose
- Ignoring the actual game to focus on Chao Garden
- Use Eggman in Chao Garden and jump a lot so he says "yosh"
- Finding any excuse to quote the cutscenes. I find that "YOU'RE NOT EVEN GOOD ENOUGH TO BE MY FAKE" is the most widely applicable
- Trying to repress the memories of Knuckles/Rouge stages

 

[jackal27]

1. Go fast

2. Do a platform

3. Go fast

4. Fight the boss

The end

(maybe explore and do some special stages along the way if you want the true ending)

 

[Puruzi]

No i'm legit confused as to how many people seemingly don't understand classic Sonic. Like you beat levels while doing whatever you feel like in them.

Can you not just play a platformer to beat the levels?

Is this bait

 

[Snazzy]

I finally remembered what this reminds me of.

 

[The ๖ۜBronx]

Can you not just play a platformer to beat the levels?

Sure, but literally no one is arguing this.

 

[L Thammy]

No i'm legit confused as to how many people seemingly don't understand classic Sonic. Like you beat levels while doing whatever you feel like in them.

Can you not just play a platformer to beat the levels?

Is this bait

I've heard this before, so I don't think it is. I mean, if you're used to

Blue streak speeds by
Sonic the Hedgehog!
Too fast for the naked eye
Sonic the Hedgehog!

Sonic
He can really move
Sonic
He's got an attitude
Sonic
He's the fastest thing alive!​

then it might surprise you that you get stopped so often in the actual game.

 

[Puruzi]

Sure, but literally no one is arguing this.

The thread is asking about all this extra shit like smashing all the TVs and getting all the rings when all you need to do is complete the level. It's weird.

 

[Glass Shark]

No i'm legit confused as to how many people seemingly don't understand classic Sonic. Like you beat levels while doing whatever you feel like in them.

Can you not just play a platformer to beat the levels?

Is this bait

Sonic fans in this thread need to understand the questions are not literally “how do I play this game?”

It’s more like “How does this game want to be played?”

Yes, you can plod methodically through each level, but many people find that doesn’t feel good, and then you can’t take advantage of obvious paths it seems the game wants you to take.

And yes, you can zoom through levels and take advantage of all loops, boosters, jumps, springs, etc. if you are familiar with how the level works. But it takes time to get comfortable enough to do that.

It’s not that I don’t get the buttons or controls or physics of the games. It’s that they give me a general sense of unease to where no matter how I approach a level, things don’t feel quite right. And so it’s logical to come up with the question “Am I doing something wrong?”

 

[Mammoth Jones]

You can explore, you can go fast, you can collect rings, or you can ignore them. Play how you want.

why do people's brains turn off when they encounter anything sonic-related.

Exactly. The way I played them originally on Genesis was take my time when things get hectic. Open up when it looks like I have room to go fast. Save as many rings as I can to get dat Super Sonic.

Sonic fans in this thread need to understand the questions are not literally "how do I play this game?"

It's more like "How does this game want to be played?"

Yes, you can plod methodically through each level, but many people find that doesn't feel good, and then you can't take advantage of obvious paths it seems the game wants you to take.

And yes, you can zoom through levels and take advantage of all loops, boosters, jumps, springs, etc. if you are familiar with how the level works. But it takes time to get comfortable enough to do that.

It's not that I don't get the buttons or controls or physics of the games. It's that they give me a general sense of unease to where no matter how I approach a level, things don't feel quite right. And so it's logical to come up with the question "Am I doing something wrong?"

If you didn't die and you beat the level you playing it correctly....