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Sonic Mania |OT| Dreams Come True
- Thread starter Hot Coldman
- Start date
RoyaleDuke
Banned
It's actually
Dr.Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine but it is pretty much the same exact game anyway.
Now Stage 3 Act 1's boss is kicking my ass again. Welp.
Ah,
Ah,
I never played that game.
Aaron Strife
Banned
Mean Bean Machine was literally a reskin of the original Puyo Puyo for American audiences, there's no difference. Sega didn't think the game would sell so they stuck a bunch of characters from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog in there. No Sonic or Tails, though.
Nintendo did the same thing for the SNES version with Kirby's Avalanche, and I recall reading there was a PC version that oddly used Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King.
Nintendo did the same thing for the SNES version with Kirby's Avalanche, and I recall reading there was a PC version that oddly used Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King.
Any other Genesis-era Sonic fans who feel underwhelmed by Mania? Seems to be a lot of love for the game around here. I'm still not feeling it. It's like a slightly mechanically improved Sonic 2 or S&K. It sometimes feels almost exactly like those games. I guess I expected more than that. It's not bad but it doesn't feel like a big step forward for the series. I'm on act 3 now, so maybe my feelings will change as I see more.
Naked Snake
Member
Best game ever.
Assuming Mania works like 3, there are predetermined points in the ground that will spawn a powerup if the sign hits them. Nothing else matters.
Juggling it just nets you points.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
So I noticed that you can get extra Continues from special stages, but I'm not sure how. I think it has something to do with either the number of rings collected or number of rings remaining at the end, but I'm not sure. This lets you continue from act 2 instead of act 1.
It depends on where it lands. Basically there are item boxes hidden under specific tiles and the goal post reveals them.
It depends on where it lands. Basically there are item boxes hidden under specific tiles and the goal post reveals them.
Starsunder
Member
Also an entry point for relative newcomers like myself. This game is a revelation. Definitely a fan of 2D Sonic now!
Thanks guess i will just memorize the usefull item box tiles next time and juggle the goal post to em if possible.
TheCongressman1
Member
The only aspect that could be underwhelming are the reused levels, but those are better than their original counterpart, besides maybe
Hydrocity
I don't feel they need to up the ante on the gameplay, S3&K was nearly perfect. What in your mind could they have done to improve it?
I feel some stages are improved over the source material, others aren't. Not quite loving the new original stages as strongly overall as others, though none are particularly bad. Dislike that the stage transitions don't exist throughout, and most bosses follow the "tediously wait for opportunity window" approach or focus on indirect combat than direct.
I really, really like the game though and these are just minor quibbles. I played Sonic 1 and 2 a lot as a kid, but not S3 and Knuckles, which I am playing now for the first time. There is an argument for S3&K still being the stronger game and I am currently uncertain where I stand until i complete both it and Mania(close to doing so). I can say that Sonic 3 and Knuckles is REALLY goddamn good though, like why the fuck did I not play this before?
I think the reused zones are my biggest disappointment. I feel like I could be playing Sonic 2 or S3&K and enjoying myself just as much as I am with Mania. It doesn't feel like it adds much to the series I guess. The jump dash is a neat mechanical addition.
I get that this is supposed to feel like the Genesis games, but could you imagine if it released on Genesis? With such similar stages, such similar music? It would be savaged.
I get that this is supposed to feel like the Genesis games, but could you imagine if it released on Genesis? With such similar stages, such similar music? It would be savaged.
Thank you all so much! I was able to do it!
Fourth Zone Spoilers
I couldn't actually figure out what the poles were for in the boss fight! I feel so dumb haha. I thought they were more of a detriment to you, I was trying to manually boop him into the spikes 😂
I actually freaked out so much with joy. It was amazing.
Honestly I feel like every Sonic 1, 2 and CD zone improved on its source material significantly. 3K is Mania's biggest influencer, so the zones from that game don't feel quite as fresh and different but they're still full of new ideas. Or in the case of
lots of ideas from other zones mashed together.
Lava Reef,
SciencePilot
Member
Yes. You can jump at the sign and bounce it around to search for the items.
People are excited about Mania because this type of gameplay hasn't been made in years. We're happy it's the same as before because it has been so long since there was a Sonic game like this, and it's nice to have more.
Hot Coldman
Banned
OK, so I think I may be done with the game, besides replaying for fun anyway. I have:
- Beaten the game with bpth Sonic & Tails and Knuckles.
- Got all 7 Chaos Emeralds and beaten the true boss.
- Got gold medals on all the Blue Sphere bonus stages.
- Seen the secret
.
- Got all the PSN trophies.
Anyway, I absolutely adore it. Wonder if there's any secrets left to find.
- Beaten the game with bpth Sonic & Tails and Knuckles.
- Got all 7 Chaos Emeralds and beaten the true boss.
- Got gold medals on all the Blue Sphere bonus stages.
- Seen the secret
Sonic Mania & Knuckles ending
- Got all the PSN trophies.
Anyway, I absolutely adore it. Wonder if there's any secrets left to find.
PRjumpman124
Member
Any tips for the third chaos emerald? I've tried it half a dozen times and I must be missing something since you're given so little time.
Narpas Sword0
Member
How the hell do I get through the blue spheres level that starts like this?
I have gotten pretty much all layouts on my first try but I've failed this one half a dozen times. What do I do?
I have gotten pretty much all layouts on my first try but I've failed this one half a dozen times. What do I do?
Professor Beef
Banned
How the hell do I get through the blue spheres level that starts like this?
I have gotten pretty much all layouts on my first try but I've failed this one half a dozen times. What do I do?
To at least complete it, collect the blues going around, then jump over the inevitable red sphere onto the yellow one. Continue until finished.
To get all the rings, just remember to jump in the middle and collect them before launching into a new section.
This'll show you what to do, it's how I figured it out.How the hell do I get through the blue spheres level that starts like this?
I have gotten pretty much all layouts on my first try but I've failed this one half a dozen times. What do I do?
baberunisei
Member
I'm not really following this thread but I'm having tons of fun with the game. I'm starting to think it is my GOTY.
Do you guys think it has a chance to win one of the big GOTY prizes at the end of the year?
Do you guys think it has a chance to win one of the big GOTY prizes at the end of the year?
anyone know if the collectors edition will come back in stock? maybe around the pc version release? or are they done?
No chance it's winning over Mario, Zelda or some other well reviewed AAA game. It's my GOTY so far, though.
No chance it's winning over Mario, Zelda or some other well reviewed AAA game. It's my GOTY so far, though.
Narpas Sword0
Member
I felt like I tried that and the yellow ball would launch me into a red ball in the void between playable areas. I guess I'll just have to keep at it.
LordKasual
Banned
Yes, pretty much. This is my biggest problem with the game.
Sonic Mania is less of a step FORWARD for Sonic as a series than Sonic Advance 1. Those games actually added new things, tried new features. Amy in Sonic Advance 1 was essentially a completely new 2D character that has never been seen again.
My biggest problem with Sonic is how it's clearly chain shackled to nostalgia and its past "glory days". And as a result, even with an effort as amazing as Sonic Mania, it refuses to let it actually surpass anything it's paying homage to.
Everything is too familiar. Even when Mania is at its best, it still just feels like a really good lovechild, not a sequel or evolution. Sonic 2 was not like this. Neither was Sonic 3, or Sonic and Knuckles. The games pushed the formula forward every time.
I wouldn't say I'm underwhelmed, but I'm not as keen to replay it over and over as some of these people. I play Sonic 2 at least once a year and Sonic 3&K at least twice (or more) a year, for about 10 years now.
I feel like only half of the returning stages are actually improved. However, I think they do enough to differentiate themselves, and the game is overall pretty good fun anyway. I don't feel like this was the next step I was hoping for, but it's a welcome return to form with a lot of fan service. It's probably the best in the series overall tho.
Skel1ingt0n
I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
It's definitely in second place for me behind Zelda. Which, while not THE GOTY, that's tremendous praise considering all the incredible releases this year. BOTW just happens to be one of gaming's all time greats and a pivot point for games for years to come. The breadth of scope and courage in Nintendo's title is just without equal. But to even speak of a 2D Sonic Game that's a $20 DL release in the same breath is quite the achievement.
I think had Zelda not released this year (who knows about MARIO), there's enough variety in the other big hits (Yakuza, Horizon, Persona, etc) that I think Mania might have had a small chance to win somewhere, at least based on votes.
Plenty will put it high on their personal lists I would imagine, but among major sites it will be in the conversation but won't win against Zelda, Mario, or whatever else captures equal attention.
Yes, that's how I feel. At least I'm not alone. It doesn't feel like Mania pushes things forward in any real sense. It retreads a lot of old ground. Sonic 1 to 2 and 2 to 3&K were big leaps forward, each one building on and improving the formula. Mania feels kind of like a 3&K.5, like a kind of interim game or remix instead of its own, new thing. The price doesn't feel justified to me. I have the old games. I have played them many times. I didn't want to just play them over again. But you're right, Sonic feels shackled to nostalgia. But then, I guess that's what the fanbase wants, if the reception here is anything to go by.
I was thinking, wouldn't it be great to get a Sonic game with the animation style of the Mania animated opening?
yo I've been saying it from the beginning
it needed to at least somehow incorporate Super Emeralds / Hyper Mode.
Maybe a 10-15 dollar DLC that adds another game's worth of levels and it'll be close to standing toe to toe with S3&K.
Evil's Bane
Member
So I just started this today... my first old school Sonic. The only other Sonic game i played and beat was Generations -- i really enjoyed it. With Mania, i am having a really hard time figuring out how to 'git gud'. I suck!!!
Are there any videos you guys can recommend to see what a good run looks like? Feel like i am doing something wrong, or my brain is too slow to process this lol
Are there any videos you guys can recommend to see what a good run looks like? Feel like i am doing something wrong, or my brain is too slow to process this lol
Finally my PC Collector's Edition is shipping out! Been playing on PS4 in the meantime and got a complete Sonic & Tails file. Think I'll wait with my PC siblings and 100% Knuckles' and Tails' scenarios on that platform.
Also....was the PS4 version disabled as far as streaming went on launch day? I haven't tried since.
Also....was the PS4 version disabled as far as streaming went on launch day? I haven't tried since.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Here's a run I posted to Youtube, if you want to glance at something better than "competent" but worse than a speedrun. EDIT: Although the very first thing I do is glitch past a kill boundary to get a giant ring that Sonic isn't supposed to access, lol.
But in general:
1) There's tons of branching paths, but don't worry about skipping over secrets. There's plenty of time to come back to shit you missed on either a "new game +" (Clear file) or a 2nd playthrough.
2) When the stage decides to start bouncing you between springs and bumpers, just curl into a ball and enjoy the pinball machine until things slow down again.
3) Extra lives matter. Make sure to grab shields and the blue ring item whenever they crop up.
Skel1ingt0n
I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
Going back to previous zones after completion, if you get a new chaos emerald, must you still finish both acts for it to "save?"
Thanks a lot... really appreciate it -- this in fact did help. Now to put it to practice!
Not really. I was going to Studiopolis Act 1's first ring again and again till I got them all.
Edit: That is the case...with a completed save file anyway.
Thequietone
Member
I just exited the stage after the score for the special stage is over and it let me bring up the pause menu to exit. Might have waited a few seconds but it worked for me.
Elfforkusu
Member
No, it'll auto-save when you complete the special stage.
The big ring will respawn if you exit to the options screen -> come back, but not if you "restart" via the menu.
(there's one that takes about 25 seconds to get to in CPZ act 1)
It seems highly disingenuous to detach the circumstances of the game's release from the game itself. It's been over 20 years since Sonic and Knuckles came out.
Even ignoring that, I will never begrudge a good game for being too much like a good game, that's crazy thinking right there.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
It's also disingenuous to argue that it felt like S&K "pushed things forward" when it was released.
While time has been rightfully kind to it, I spent $80 of my own money in 1994 to buy what was basically the second half of a game.
While time has been rightfully kind to it, I spent $80 of my own money in 1994 to buy what was basically the second half of a game.
Elfforkusu
Member
I'm inclined to agree with this, but only as a response to the "Mania: Great Sonic game or greatest Sonic game?" reasoning. It's a fantastic, incredibly well done game, but one that's inherently derivative. It has QOL improvements (save slots, etc) over Sonic 2, but I'm not convinced it's actually a better game. I am convinced that it's not as good as S3&K.
BUT-- with all that said, it's an incredible achievement. Members of the Mania team made fangames and ports, but a game of this quality for their first combined effort as a team is pretty staggering. This is pretty clearly in the top 3 Sonic games ever made, despite everything in the paragraph above. It's better than 1, it's better than CD. I played the fangames, I remember when the first Retro Sonic demo hit, I expected good things from this game. But what they pulled off was well beyond my expectations.
If Sega gives them a little more leash with the next one (and the one after that...?), the sky's the limit. In comparison, what was the limit for the past 15 years? 7.9/10?
e: All that said, I do actually think Mania has improved things in one key area: the blue ring box is a subtly big deal. It adds an extra layer of protection without screwing up the formula. Now, if we could just remove OHKO smush deaths from Mania 2...
Finished all Blue Sphere stages. I thought I'd get a Blue Sphere level select from what I'd read, but it seems to be
Also unlocked Super Sonic in my main game slot (I promised I wouldn't use the same big ring for all emeralds, so what I did was venture into other stages and find a ring, but if I didn't get it in the first attempt I'd just go into CPZ's first ring since I can get there in like 25 secs lol). The fourth special stage was awful, didn't have much trouble doing any of the others.
Super Sonic is so much fun to play as, specially after a regular non-super run. I just kind of did a victory lap through most of the stages as Super Sonic.
Time to go for that true ending.
Gotta say, I've always liked and understood Sonic, but I've never had the hang of it like I do now. I remember playing the PC version of Sonic & Knuckles in my highschool's computer lab and absolutely sucking at it, never being able to get past the third zone or grabbing at least one of the emeralds. I still suck, but at least I got this far now. What a great game.
a button that spawns you into randomly generated Blue Sphere stages? Alright I guess. Also, are the Mania stages exactly the same except they have those green orbs you have to go through twice?
Also unlocked Super Sonic in my main game slot (I promised I wouldn't use the same big ring for all emeralds, so what I did was venture into other stages and find a ring, but if I didn't get it in the first attempt I'd just go into CPZ's first ring since I can get there in like 25 secs lol). The fourth special stage was awful, didn't have much trouble doing any of the others.
Super Sonic is so much fun to play as, specially after a regular non-super run. I just kind of did a victory lap through most of the stages as Super Sonic.
Time to go for that true ending.
Gotta say, I've always liked and understood Sonic, but I've never had the hang of it like I do now. I remember playing the PC version of Sonic & Knuckles in my highschool's computer lab and absolutely sucking at it, never being able to get past the third zone or grabbing at least one of the emeralds. I still suck, but at least I got this far now. What a great game.