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Sonic Mania |OT| Dreams Come True

A

Azure Dream

Member
FSLink said:
Huh, isn't one of the Blue Sphere layouts in this game based off the inaccessible one in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Been reading tcrf and saw this layout and I think I played this layout in Mania as one of the last ones I finished.

https://tcrf.net/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3#Eighth_Special_Stage
Click to expand...

That's most likely the case. The remakes loved digging up unused assets and concepts and repurposing them.
Splats
first appeared as a cameo hidden in GHZ in the Sonic 1 remake, and was repurposed in Mania into
an enemy in Press Garden in a really clever way
.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
PepsimanVsJoe said:
That happened to me as well.

All of a sudden Sonic just fell through the "floor" and died. I think it happened right after I destroyed the second gatling tentacle.
Click to expand...

It literally just happened to me again.
As its arms were rising up I jumped on top because before i'd been able to bounce on it until the main body came up, but this time after one bounce Sonic just fell into the oil and died. The boss itself isn't even hard, it's just everything around it isn't consistent.
 
F

FSLink

Banned
Azure Dream said:
That's most likely the case. The remakes loved digging up unused assets and concepts and repurposing them.
Splats
first appeared as a cameo hidden in GHZ in the Sonic 1 remake, and was repurposed in Mania into
an enemy in Press Garden in a really clever way
.
Click to expand...

Yep figured but haven't seen the Blue Spheres reference mentioned anywhere so thought I'd say something lol
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
Sixfortyfive said:
4 playthroughs done:
Click to expand...
Say I don't really know shit about Sonic games - which character should I start out with for a first playthrough?

Which characters would you consider to be different enough to warrant an additional playthrough if I were to go for a second one after that?



Also, are those Mario Kart-esque Chaos Emerald stages optional or are they required to beat the game? They're so prominently displayed on the save select screen, but also seem missable.
 
R

Rlan

Member
Sixfortyfive said:
I really need to go against the grain and say that I think the bosses as a whole in this game are far and away better than any of the classics.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of the bosses are great, if anything the issue I have is down to personality. Sonic 3's mini bosses are super forgettable, ie:

Iczsubboss.png
Cnzsubboss.png


They completely lack a personality. Meanwhile, Sonic & Knuckles has some really great mini bosses with a lot of personality:

Fbzsubboss.png
Mhzsubboss.png


Sonic Mania goes a bit half and half. The Hard-boiled heavies are great, the Eggman fights are great, but some of the bosses
Chemical Plant Sub-Boss, Flying Battery sub-boss
could have been a bit more interesting visually.

It's also a bit confusing, because Sub-Bosses and Bosses are also wildly inconsistant. Hard Boil Heavies can be Sub-Bosses OR Bosses. Eggman can be a Sub-Boss AND a Boss. Eggman can be not involved in either
Stardust Speedway
.

Additionally for the final boss
The hard boiled heavies seem to have a completely unique set of boss battles that were made for 10 seconds, which feels like a lot of work for such a tiny thing. They're not even Megaman-esque replays,
they're completely different. I mean really, they probably made 30+ boss battles and cut a bunch that wern't that fun, and half kept in some bits.
.

I think some could be made to be easier to understand
OOZ probably shouldn't kill if you're near or on the platform, Hydrocity is kind of crap with Knuckles since he can't jump up and hit the thing in water, Press Garden Miniboss is probably the most boring because it's so slow. It could have charged at you to destroy its blades.
But hey, it's still fantastic :)
 
A

Azure Dream

Member
So... what does the
Oil Ocean Zone
Act 1 boss... do? I even watched some videos online to see. In my playthrough and most others, people just hammer it with hits and it goes down after maybe
one wrench throw. Does he turn bolts to launch the green platforms up or something?

It doesn't help it takes only 6 hits, and Tails is pretty good at hitting it too.
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Haunted said:
Say I don't really know shit about Sonic games - which character should I start out with for a first playthrough?

Which characters would you consider to be different enough to warrant an additional playthrough if I were to go for a second one after that?



Also, are those Mario Kart-esque Chaos Emerald stages optional or are they required to beat the game? They're so prominently displayed on the save select screen, but also seem missable.
Click to expand...

There's not a huge reason to pick one character or another, but for a first-timer I'd probably go with Sonic & Tails. Tails' flight ability is really great for exploring (and can also be used as an attack in itself by hitting enemies from below). Sonic's special ability (Drop Dash) isn't as useful until you're already familiar with the stage layouts imo, but on the other hand, he's the only character who can fight the true final boss. When using Sonic & Tails together, you can make Tails fly and carry Sonic by holding up and tapping jump a couple of times. S&T first, then Knuckles second is probably the best way to see as much of the game that it has to offer quickly, as a few stages are different when playing as Knuckles.

Collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds is necessary for Sonic to fight the true final boss, and they also give you access to a hugely significant power-up. If you fail to collect them on your first play, you can use the Cleared save file to jump back into previous stages and try again, as the giant rings respawn after beating the game.
 
B

Branduil

Member
Azure Dream said:
So... what does the
Oil Ocean Zone
Act 1 boss... do? I even watched some videos online to see. In my playthrough and most others, people just hammer it with hits and it goes down after maybe
one wrench throw. Does he turn bolts to launch the green platforms up or something?

It doesn't help it takes only 6 hits, and Tails is pretty good at hitting it too.
Click to expand...

He makes the green plates shoot up and
all but two are insta-kills into spikes.
 
F

FSLink

Banned
Sixfortyfive said:
There's not a huge reason to pick one character or another, but for a first-timer I'd probably go with Sonic & Tails. Tails' flight ability is really great for exploring (and can also be used as an attack in itself by hitting enemies from below). Sonic's special ability (Drop Dash) isn't as useful until you're already familiar with the stage layouts imo, but on the other hand, he's the only character who can fight the true final boss. When using Sonic & Tails together, you can make Tails fly and carry Sonic by holding up and tapping jump a couple of times. S&T first, then Knuckles second is probably the best way to see as much of the game that it has to offer quickly, as a few stages are different when playing as Knuckles.
Click to expand...
I would second Sonic & Tails.

Tails can also sometimes get additional hits in on bosses and help grab some rings when you get hit. Additionally Sonic & Tails adds co-op if you want a friend to help you out during gameplay. This was actually how I finished Sonic 2 for the first time as a little kid with my older cousin.
 
M

MillionVolts

Member
While playing tonight I kept encountering an audio bug where the music would cut out at seemingly random moments. One time I was Super Sonic and ran out of rings and the music came back but it was still the Super Sonic theme, lol. Anyone else reported this yet?
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
MillionVolts said:
While playing tonight I kept encountering an audio bug where the music would cut out at seemingly random moments. One time I was Super Sonic and ran out of rings and the music came back but it was still the Super Sonic theme, lol. Anyone else reported this yet?
Click to expand...

Only when getting multiple 1UPs in quick succession.

Something seems to glitch when the game has to run multiple audio cues at once or something.
 
K

Kain-Nosgoth

Member
so i've never been a huge sonic fan, even the 2D ones (except the music, they were always gorgeous)

but this is hand down the best sonic game i ever played! And this was made by fans, not sega.... I hope other developpers would do the same!

now i hope this sell well and that they do a sonic mania 2, this time only with new zones!
 
R

Razzer

Member
Alright, the unlockable
Knock Knock & Knuckles
was very funny.

Really enjoying the game so far. Gonna echo the sentiment that these are easily the best boss fights ever for the series, though a couple do miss the mark.
 
N

Net_Wrecker

Member
SciencePilot said:
OMG.

I did my first playthrough without really using the drop dash. I didn't understand how to use it correctly. I thought you had to hold down while in the air, but that's not the case. You just hold the jump button.

Now that I understand it, I realized it's the greatest thing ever. You can basically use it after any bad jump. It's by far the best way to build momentum in the game. Now I'm doing it constantly, and it makes the game way more fluid. A lot less stop-and-go.

I kind of don't want to play as Tails or Knuckles anymore. They're just going to feel so slow compared to drop dash Sonic.
Click to expand...

+1000000000000000000000

The Drop Dash is not getting enough love. As good as the levels, bosses, and music are in this game, the Drop Dash is my single favorite thing. It honestly makes Knuckles and Tails feel boring in comparison. I'm shocked at how quickly I got used to having the ability.

Oh and mfw seeing that all the secret stuff is "No Save" only :/
 
E

Elfforkusu

Member
Haunted said:
Say I don't really know shit about Sonic games - which character should I start out with for a first playthrough?

Which characters would you consider to be different enough to warrant an additional playthrough if I were to go for a second one after that?



Also, are those Mario Kart-esque Chaos Emerald stages optional or are they required to beat the game? They're so prominently displayed on the save select screen, but also seem missable.
Click to expand...
The special stages (for emeralds) are required for super sonic/the true ending. They're very missable, though you can go back and farm for them after you clear a save.

Re: characters, sonic and tails together is the canon way to play, tails alone is easy mode (unless you have a local co-op buddy), knuckles is the most distinct.
 
dolabla

dolabla

Member
So can you not play with the pro controller/8bitdo controller with the joycons still attached to the switch in table top mode? I can't get it to work. They do work in docked mode though.
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
Sixfortyfive said:
There's not a huge reason to pick one character or another, but for a first-timer I'd probably go with Sonic & Tails. Tails' flight ability is really great for exploring (and can also be used as an attack in itself by hitting enemies from below). Sonic's special ability (Drop Dash) isn't as useful until you're already familiar with the stage layouts imo, but on the other hand, he's the only character who can fight the true final boss. When using Sonic & Tails together, you can make Tails fly and carry Sonic by holding up and tapping jump a couple of times. S&T first, then Knuckles second is probably the best way to see as much of the game that it has to offer quickly, as a few stages are different when playing as Knuckles.

Collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds is necessary for Sonic to fight the true final boss, and they also give you access to a hugely significant power-up. If you fail to collect them on your first play, you can use the Cleared save file to jump back into previous stages and try again, as the giant rings respawn after beating the game.
Click to expand...

Elfforkusu said:
The special stages (for emeralds) are required for super sonic/the true ending. They're very missable, though you can go back and farm for them after you clear a save.

Re: characters, sonic and tails together is the canon way to play, tails alone is easy mode (unless you have a local co-op buddy), knuckles is the most distinct.
Click to expand...
Awesome, thanks for the advice. :)
 
A

Android18a

Member
Arc Christelle said:
I'm so tired of getting crushed. The moving platforms are a greater threat than anything Eggman could've imagined.
Click to expand...

I don't think I ever drowned or got outright killed by regular Badniks at all during my main playthrough, but I died a lot from being crushed. Particularly in Chemical Plant act 1 where the 'water' rises, those yellow blocks. It shouldn't really boost you into them because it almost always results in a squash death.
 
A

Arc Christelle

Member
Android18a said:
I don't think I ever drowned or got outright killed by regular Badniks at all during my main playthrough, but I died a lot from being crushed. Particularly in Chemical Plant act 1 where the 'water' rises, those yellow blocks. It shouldn't really boost you into them because it almost always results in a squash death.
Click to expand...

Those blocks have a really weird hitbox where they will even crush you as they pass above you.

I'm currently getting my Super Sonic run in Titanic Monarch ruined by these damn platforms back to back.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
dreamcastfan said:
I would have thought 60fps on sega CD, especially with the extra 68000 processor.. Regarding the bonus leves,I know the Sega CD had much more powerful scaling/rotation built into the hardware (Batman Returns, anyone?), so for a mode 7 type bonus stage, I can't see why it would have been a problem. I guess it was rushed?
Click to expand...
I think the issue is pretty clear.

Yuji Naka was the main programmer for Sonic but he left to work on Sonic 2 in the US while Sonic CD was made in Japan. Clearly, Sonic CD was created using the original work done on Sonic 1.

Sonic 1's code is less efficient and more prone to slowdown. Various homebrew projects using it as a base also have severe slowdown. I think they simply tried to do too much with it. So I wouldn't blame the Sega CD for the slowdown, rather, the inexperience of the coders working on the game. If it had been based on Sonic 2's code it would likely have run much faster.

As for scaling and rotation, well, the Sega CD isn't very fast with those operations. Batman Returns also runs slowly as does every other scaled sprite game on the system. Couldn't have been done at 60fps.
 
O

Oresama

Member
Playing this on my Switch.

Feels like the Sega Nomad I always wanted as a kid

PS4 version wouldn't of given me the same feels.
 
SkylineRKR

SkylineRKR

Member
Beat the game with 4 emeralds. Then I grabbed the remaining ones early in my second run. Special stage 5 and 6 are completely shit. 7 however is very easy.

The game is very good, but not sure if I like it more than 3K. What I found lacking in the second half was the way stages connected. I also didnt like
Lava Reef and Metallic Madness much.
But even 3K had some weak stages such as Marble Garden.
 
R

RagnarokX

Member
Rlan said:
Additionally for the final boss
The hard boiled heavies seem to have a completely unique set of boss battles that were made for 10 seconds, which feels like a lot of work for such a tiny thing. They're not even Megaman-esque replays,
they're completely different. I mean really, they probably made 30+ boss battles and cut a bunch that wern't that fun, and half kept in some bits.
.
Click to expand...

It seems very likely that
their original vision for Titanic Monarch Act 2 was to have you take on all 4 of the subordinate heavies once more before the final showdown.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHa4G7JUwAA61GH.jpg

The act dumps you into this central room early on and you have to take each of the 4 paths that branch from it. Each path is represented by one of the 4 heavies in the windows in the background. Likely you originally had to fight a heavy at the end of each path, but they decided that was too much and instead each path just dumps you back in the central room once you reach the end.
 
B

Branduil

Member
RagnarokX said:
It seems very likely that
their original vision for Titanic Monarch Act 2 was to have you take on all 4 of the subordinate heavies once more before the final showdown.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHa4G7JUwAA61GH.jpg

The act dumps you into this central room early on and you have to take each of the 4 paths that branch from it. Each path is represented by one of the 4 heavies in the windows in the background. Likely you originally had to fight a heavy at the end of each path, but they decided that was too much and instead each path just dumps you back in the central room once you reach the end.
Click to expand...
Good catch.
They should have kept their original plan and made the final fight its own zone, IMO. Obviously they'd have to add more to the final boss for that, though.
 
R

Rlan

Member
RagnarokX said:
It seems very likely that
their original vision for Titanic Monarch Act 2 was to have you take on all 4 of the subordinate heavies once more before the final showdown.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHa4G7JUwAA61GH.jpg

The act dumps you into this central room early on and you have to take each of the 4 paths that branch from it. Each path is represented by one of the 4 heavies in the windows in the background. Likely you originally had to fight a heavy at the end of each path, but they decided that was too much and instead each path just dumps you back in the central room once you reach the end.
Click to expand...

True. The other thing is that the Heavy King in the Super Sonic fight looks dramatically different to his previous self too. Just finished my Knuckles playthrough - the little and big differences are really cool.
 
taku

taku

Member
Bought it for my Nintendo Switch. I played up to
Press Garden
before the game crashed on me. "An error has occurred..". I haven't really followed the Switch discussion but is this one of the issues people have been experiencing?
 
Y

Yukinari

Member
I wish we'd get a patch to let us assign stuff to other buttons.

Why doesnt grabbing onto tails or super sonic have its own button in 2017.
 
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