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[The Xtortionist]

Sonic Mania has the best... as in the easiest special stages.

You don't even need to cheese them like that one Youtuber does. Just learn how to cut corners and use shortcuts

Mania's are damn good. You have a great deal of control in them, they're not too difficult, and there are some interesting decisions to make with speed vs. time. They also convey a great sense of speed, which meshes well with the rest of the game. I'd put either 3&K or CD behind them. 3&K is fair and only moderately difficult, though the amount of control in them is pretty limited. CD's are more open-ended, but that UFO AI can be random and infuriating. CD's turning controls are also quite stiff.

Mania >>> CD = 3&K (I slightly prefer CD, but whatevs) >>>>> 2 >1

 

[Linkstrikesback]

they don't feel very skill based to me. I think it was the 5th one in particular, I was annoyed so I looked up a video and in the guys video the ufo just randomly glitched and went backwards. I had lots of better runs than my successful ones where the ufo was just no where in sight. idk too much RNG for my tastes is my take on it.

What?

There's nothing random about manias special stages at all...

 

[RecRoulette]

End game spoilers I guess:

Spoiler

Would people be mad if you unlocked content in Sonic Mania if you owned Sonic Forces? The games are basically tied together, and Sonic Forces is only $40, which would make both games $60 if they decided to do a two in one package...

 

[Sami+]

End game spoilers I guess:

Spoiler

Would people be mad if you unlocked content in Sonic Mania if you owned Sonic Forces? The games are basically tied together, and Sonic Forces is only $40, which would make both games $60 if they decided to do a two in one package...

Yes? I bought Mania for full price, locking off content in the good game so that people can buy the trash Sonic Team is trying to peddle would be bullshit.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

End game spoilers I guess:

Spoiler

Would people be mad if you unlocked content in Sonic Mania if you owned Sonic Forces? The games are basically tied together, and Sonic Forces is only $40, which would make both games $60 if they decided to do a two in one package...

If I get Forces (I probably won't until it's deeply discounted), it'll probably be on the PC, because the Switch version looks like it runs terrible. I own Mania on the Switch. So I'd own both games, but not get the content.

 

[Saikyo]

End game spoilers I guess:

Spoiler

Would people be mad if you unlocked content in Sonic Mania if you owned Sonic Forces? The games are basically tied together, and Sonic Forces is only $40, which would make both games $60 if they decided to do a two in one package...

Spoiler

Maybe modern sonic with lock on could be neat but nope, let them be separated, maybe some extra acessories on forces if you have a save from mania...

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Because I've run out of other ideas yet am still enjoying the game, I've started practicing for a perfect run to see if it's feasible. I'm actually semi-consistent at getting through the entire first half of the game without taking damage, but Metal Sonic stands tall as a significant roadblock. Seems that if he happens to charge up specific attacks from specific angles while you're in the middle of a loop or incline, you're taking a guaranteed hit. The rest of the boss encounter is more than manageable.

Like I think I'd actually have to memorize the course to know when the loops are coming in order to be able to plan ahead properly here.

 

[Mistle]

Replaying as Knuckles, taking my time with the levels a bit more to get all the Chaos Emeralds and such. Man this game is even better on second playthrough.

 

[Azure Dream]

Yes? I bought Mania for full price, locking off content in the good game so that people can buy the trash Sonic Team is trying to peddle would be bullshit.

Maybe it would be the other way around, having Mania unlocks some costume pieces for the Create-a-Character.

 

[Triforce141]

Spoiler

Maybe modern sonic with lock on could be neat but nope, let them be separated, maybe some extra acessories on forces if you have a save from mania...

Spoiler

Hard Boiled Heavy outfits for your Forces Avatar if it detects a Mania save

 

[gaiadyne]

Finally beat that dang Octopus

 

[celebi23]

Does anyone know where it stores your save data on PC?

C:\Program Files\Steam\userdata\[number]\584400\remote\SaveData.bin

Finally have it running pretty decently with Wine & Wineskin on my Mac. Extracted the SonicMania.exe icon too

 

[sonto340]

they don't feel very skill based to me. I think it was the 5th one in particular, I was annoyed so I looked up a video and in the guys video the ufo just randomly glitched and went backwards. I had lots of better runs than my successful ones where the ufo was just no where in sight. idk too much RNG for my tastes is my take on it.

Not skilled based at all sure. Totally.
not at all.

 

[jholmes]

Finally getting to play this now the PC version is out. Really loving it aside from the fact they seemed to have made Sonic extra sensitive to being crushed compared to the old games. It did happen to me in the originals but nowhere near as much as it is here.

I'm not sure if Sonic is more sensitive to that as he's always been really sensitive to it but it seems this game has a number of levels where it happens very easily. Glad I'm not the only one with this issue, it might be my big knock on the game. Really do like it though.

 

[Guess Who]

C:\Program Files\Steam\userdata\[number]\584400\remote\SaveData.bin

Finally have it running pretty decently with Wine & Wineskin on my Mac. Extracted the SonicMania.exe icon too

How'd you get it working in Wineskin? Couldn't get the latest Steam to play nice with Wineskin or WineBottler (it works in the latest CrossOver, but I'd rather not have to buy it), and I couldn't get Sonic Mania to run without Steam also running in Wine. Ideally I'd like to get it working with a DualShock 4, too.

 

[Stevey]

Sonic 2 had the best special stages along with the best special stage music.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Not skilled based at all sure. Totally.
not at all.

Nice playthrough. However this player missed a giant ring that can be found near the beginning of Chemical Plant Act 1. On the part with the four springs, after you bounce off of the second spring, you can jump over the third spring and into the wall on the right where a hidden ring can be found.

 

[Doosi]

Sonic 2 had the best special stages along with the best special stage music.

Sonic 2 isn't sonic mania

 

[Sixfortyfive]

.

 

[Guess Who]

Just got my first "purchase can't be validated" error from Denuvo, fuckin thanks Sega

 

[Boy Wander]

I guess I'm quite enjoying this game but really it's pretty much like any other 2d sonic - everything outside of green hill zone is a bit crap in terms of what a Sonic level should be.

Oil Ocean zone in particular is a total fucking drag to play. I almost stopped playing the game because I died on the boss and the game expected me to play through both zones again. Had to put it down and wait for a few hours because I didn't want to force myself to play through 2 poorly designed stages again. The second stage is worse than the first - its just frustrating to have to stop and find those levers to stop the burning effect or whatever it is. And the boss is a pain. Easily the worst levels in the game imo.

 

[AkimbO_Arcana]

I'm stuck in Chemical Plant Act 1, so basically the third level. Don't know where to go, dying over and over, drowning, getting squished by moving blocks, jumping is not precise.

I want to love this, but this isn't fun.

Spoiler

I'm good at games

 

[Tizoc]

I'm stuck in Chemical Plant Act 1, so basically the third level. Don't know where to go, dying over and over, drowning, getting squished by moving blocks, jumping is not precise.

I want to love this, but this isn't fun.

Spoiler

I'm good at games

It gets easy with time
Heck i figured it out on my 2nd replay of it and the water section wasnt that bad long as u time your jumps
Just remember than any path that is on an upper level is usually the fastest and easiet route

 

[celebi23]

How'd you get it working in Wineskin? Couldn't get the latest Steam to play nice with Wineskin or WineBottler (it works in the latest CrossOver, but I'd rather not have to buy it), and I couldn't get Sonic Mania to run without Steam also running in Wine. Ideally I'd like to get it working with a DualShock 4, too.

You have to select WS9WineStaging2.12 as the Engine for Steam to work.

Just got my first "purchase can't be validated" error from Denuvo, fuckin thanks Sega

Yep, I had one 2 days ago. Super fucking frustrating.

 

[MaxiLive]

Ick..

Granted, the Sonic Mania

Spoiler

dunkey review

probably resulted in a boatload of sales.

Still though...it's just...ew.

I don't think it would be related to that as it would of been implemented before that, way before more than likely. He either knows some of the devs, or was contacted as he is a known Sonic fan.

Funny little Easter egg either way and doesn't harm anyone!

 

[Jazzem]

Started to very much get into time trialling on this, even watching videos for optimal runs and everything! As much as I desperately hope they add friend leaderboards down the line, it is still satisfying to climb the global rankings. Pro tip: Do any of the later Knuckles+Tails trials well enough and you'll likely crack the top 100.

So grateful for the instant restart button too, such an appreciated time saving feature

 

[13ruce]

.

 

[Weilthain]

Just finished sonic mania last night. My favourite sonic game hands down, I was a huge sonic fan back in the sonic 1 - sonic & knuckles days, this takes all the best elements and perfects it.

Absolutely superb level designs and I like how it's not too hard.

 

[sixteen-bit]

.

so cute!

 

[Finalizer]

.

Got this bug too. Guess I should figure out how to get screens off the Switch some time...

"The Adventures of Knuckles & 'Lil Knux

Spoiler

& Knuckles

"

 

[Linkstrikesback]

I'm stuck in Chemical Plant Act 1, so basically the third level. Don't know where to go, dying over and over, drowning, getting squished by moving blocks, jumping is not precise.

I want to love this, but this isn't fun.

Spoiler

I'm good at games

If in doubt, head right unless there is a spring/speed boosters in the other direction.

When underwater, you refill your air by grabbing bubbles that appear from cracks in the ground. Don't stand on top of them though, as it seems to prevent the bubbles spawning for me.

 

[Berordn]

Got this bug too. Guess I should figure out how to get screens off the Switch some time...

"The Adventures of Knuckles & 'Lil Knux

Spoiler

& Knuckles

"

I don't think it's a bug so much as an oversight. &Knuckles's AI is extremely rudimentary and just duplicates button presses. Tails seems to keep his state changes in memory, but Knuckles just resets every time he pops up on screen.

 

[SonicXtreme]

What?

There's nothing random about manias special stages at all...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwVKdeJzZsY

ive had a lot of glitches on pc ruin nice runs, i haven't died much at all but frustratingly the majority of my deaths so far have been the physics glitching up. certain levels are much more consistent with doing this than others. moving platforms are the biggest culprit but that's on the PC version which varies between person, i havent had any in switch version

 

[Vidiot]

It's surprising seeing so many people have such a difficult time with this game. I literally breezed through the game first try. Sure there were a few deaths here and there but no where close to a game over. Finished with like twenty something lives too. I guess it's because I still play the classics once or twice a year.

Still, I never considered Sonic to be a "hard" series. Now Megaman on the other hand....

 

[jedezel]

It's surprising seeing so many people have such a difficult time with this game. I literally breezed through the game first try. Sure there were a few deaths here and there but no where close to a game over. Finished with like twenty something lives too. I guess it's because I still play the classics once or twice a year.

Still, I never considered Sonic to be a "hard" series. Now Megaman on the other hand....

It is my feeling also, but I played a lot of Sonic 3 & Knuckles back in the days.

However, I have a hard time with the bonus stages to get chaos emeralds. I need each time several tries before achieving to catch the UFO.

 

[Saikyo]

.

"Dont talk to me or my son ever again."

 

[StarCreator]

"Dont talk to me or my son ever again."

That was literally the title of his post lol

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

That was literally the title of his post lol

"That was literally the title of this post lol"

 

[Linkstrikesback]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwVKdeJzZsY

ive had a lot of glitches on pc ruin nice runs, i haven't died much at all but frustratingly the majority of my deaths so far have been the physics glitching up. certain levels are much more consistent with doing this than others. moving platforms are the biggest culprit but that's on the PC version which varies between person, i havent had any in switch version

...

That's clearly not supposed to happen. Don't be daft, if you mean "too many glitches", just say it, not something arbitrary that has nothing to do with the game at all. Nothing in that video involves deliberately random behaviour, because there isn't any in the special stages.

That being said, maybe the pc version did need some extra time too.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Don't chuckle at me or my son ever again.

 

[Brandon F]

Finally finished the game and nothing unlocked. All the Extras are still ????. I did not get all Chaos Emeralds, so does that open things up? I also only have about a dozen medals(mix of gold and silver).

Just curious as to what needs to be done. I will at least go back and get the remaining emeralds and the true ending first.

 

[GameplayWhore]

Doing a second run-through as Knuckles, I took too much time exploring and hit the ten minute mark.... while transformed into a radio signal by those television broadcast vans in Studiopolis. I am now immortal, as the timer is stuck at 9:59.99 without actually triggering a TIme Over. Is that a known bug?

(for reference, running around with time maxed out)


By the way, this is the first Sonic game that ever really clicked for me. I've never gone more than a couple levels in any other one, 2D or 3D. Pretty great game, arguable QC issues aside.

 

[SonicXtreme]

...

That's clearly not supposed to happen. Don't be daft, if you mean "too many glitches", just say it, not something arbitrary that has nothing to do with the game at all. Nothing in that video involves deliberately random behaviour, because there isn't any in the special stages.

That being said, maybe the pc version did need some extra time too.

on some levels it happened so often that it was frustratingly consistent enough to just be random whether my run would be randomly ruined or not. i imagine it's a pc thing. the game just launched. the DRM we have can suck it too. but i hope they get to carry on these games, i'd love to see some 32x chaotix flashbacks in a sequel, very underrated in the series

 

[Saikyo]

That was literally the title of his post lol

Titles doesnt show in mobile I think

 

[Linkstrikesback]

Finally finished the game and nothing unlocked. All the Extras are still ????. I did not get all Chaos Emeralds, so does that open things up? I also only have about a dozen medals(mix of gold and silver).

Just curious as to what needs to be done. I will at least go back and get the remaining emeralds and the true ending first.

The extras are from beating the blue spheres stages.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Titles doesnt show in mobile I think

It does.

 

[Ash735]

I'm stuck in Chemical Plant Act 1, so basically the third level. Don't know where to go, dying over and over, drowning, getting squished by moving blocks, jumping is not precise.

I want to love this, but this isn't fun.

Spoiler

I'm good at games

Here's a bunch of random people who don't really play Video Games much getting further than you:
https://youtu.be/EGK2P1cOJJc

I love how some people on NeoGAF have this mental block when it comes to Sonic that the game is just not clear enough and too difficult,

 

[shiyrley]

So, if I want to get all chaos emeralds I'm supposed to play through all the stages without missing any? Or can I revisit specific stages to get the emerald? What's the easiest way?

 

[Bauer91]

Saying this game isn't hard and then casually dropping that you still play the Mega Drive/Genesis games once a week is hilarious. I've played a lot of Mario, DKC, Rayman, Super Meat Boy etc. and I saw a bunch of Game Over screens on my first playthrough.

Second one though, got to act 10 before seeing one. So it's mostly a matter of getting comfortable with the game, which takes some time if you aren't already familiar with the old ones. First couple of zones, probably even the first half of the game isn't very challenging. But after that, the difficulty quickly ramps up.

 

[Saikyo]

So, if I want to get all chaos emeralds I'm supposed to play through all the stages without missing any? Or can I revisit specific stages to get the emerald? What's the easiest way?

Try to find giant rings but dont stress about it too much, finish the game. If you havent found all emeralds in that clear file just repeat the same ring from green hill (right side of the first colapsing floor) exiting after doing the special stage and repeat until you are done.