SparksterMeta0
Member
This is good.
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Sonic Mania - Special Stages, Bonus Stages, & Time Attack Shown Off
- Thread starter Dusk Golem
- Start date
- Status
Kinda sad by this, as it implies that Knuckles will still be denied from certain paths by his shorter jump... But it does also leave the possibility that there might be ways to sneak into Sonic/Tails only paths.
There might even be an achievement tied to such, heh.
GabeTheGrouch76
Member
Reposting for new page:
Hands-on preview of a Mania demo featuring the bonus stages, special stages, and time-attack mode by GameCrate.
- Bonus Stages are activated by the player having at least 25 rings, and are randomly selected.
- Bonus Stages will have new layouts, as well as layouts reused from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
- Completion of the Bonus Stages by getting all of the spheres results in the player earning a Silver Medallion.
- Completion of the Bonus Stages by getting all of the spheres and all of the rings results in the player earning a Gold Medallion. (They don't know what the medallions do.)
- You can fall off the track in the Special Stages (a la Chaotix) and hitting obstacles slows down your speed.
- In order to earn the Chaos Emerald, you just need to catch up to the UFO (you don't need to attack it as in Sonic CD).
- Time Attack allows players to play through individual acts. Levels during this mode have no checkpoints, no bosses, and the clock acting as a timer.
- Completing Acts in Time Attack mode results in the game logs and saves your times. You can compare your record to your personal best times, or upload your record to an online leaderboard.
- Restarting levels during Time Attack mode is done by the player pressing and holding a single button (not specified which).
- Knuckles is said by the developers to have a slightly lower jump height than Sonic and Tails as in Sonic 3&K (though I assume we may know this already).
Really do hope so. Lack of a physical release is the only major complaint I have regarding Mania.
Hands-on preview of a Mania demo featuring the bonus stages, special stages, and time-attack mode by GameCrate.
- Bonus Stages are activated by the player having at least 25 rings, and are randomly selected.
- Bonus Stages will have new layouts, as well as layouts reused from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
- Completion of the Bonus Stages by getting all of the spheres results in the player earning a Silver Medallion.
- Completion of the Bonus Stages by getting all of the spheres and all of the rings results in the player earning a Gold Medallion. (They don't know what the medallions do.)
- You can fall off the track in the Special Stages (a la Chaotix) and hitting obstacles slows down your speed.
- In order to earn the Chaos Emerald, you just need to catch up to the UFO (you don't need to attack it as in Sonic CD).
- Time Attack allows players to play through individual acts. Levels during this mode have no checkpoints, no bosses, and the clock acting as a timer.
- Completing Acts in Time Attack mode results in the game logs and saves your times. You can compare your record to your personal best times, or upload your record to an online leaderboard.
- Restarting levels during Time Attack mode is done by the player pressing and holding a single button (not specified which).
- Knuckles is said by the developers to have a slightly lower jump height than Sonic and Tails as in Sonic 3&K (though I assume we may know this already).
Really do hope so. Lack of a physical release is the only major complaint I have regarding Mania.
Helios13
Neo Member
Worry not, fine citizen, I think a lot of people will get it. I myself am getting the Collectors Edition. Sonic was one of my first games to own growing up. Can't wait. Even if I'm not 100% sure what's included in this game, but I'm excited.
I vote this, definitely this
Ristifer
Member
Yeah, there have been some great suggestions, but that one is tops for me right now.
Ghost_Messiah
Member
Echoing everyone else, I also vote for this. Best one so far.
RoyaleDuke
Banned
This looks insane, like... I can't believe we're getting a real sonic game again.
This is the only canon.
This is the only canon.
And title.
evilromero
Member
After replaying the original games recently I have to say Sonic CD now stands as my favorite with 2 right behind. I still enjoyed playing through 3 and K but CD clicked with me way more now than it did before. Spent tons of time on the Time Attack mode, which highlighted to me how replayable the levels are. I remember not appreciating the levels too much before but now they sucked me right in. Plus, the visual aesthetic really appeals to me with its clean graphics and mysterious levels. Something I felt was a step back with 3. So it goes without saying that I'm happy to see Mania taking a lot of inspiration from CD.
IronicSonic
Member
So good
FTFY
katsubento
Member
One of my friends who says he's a Genesis Sega/Sonic fan is disappointed that Mania looks like the 16 bit ones. He said the original trailer looked "cleaner" and is wondering why it looks pixellated.
I just can't...
I just can't...
Gamecocks625
Member
Please let this be real
AetherZX
Member
Bad fix and loses the speed pun.
katsubento
Member
Why would the collector's only be digital if there was a cart one though...
4 doesn't exist in the timeline.
Solid SOAP
Member
Time attack mode sounds fking perfect
ProgenitorCastle
Banned
Ehh...don't like the 3D graphics for the main Special Stages...looks like DS-level graphics...would've rather them stuck to sprites for that
Nice to see Blue Spheres back in some form!
Nice to see Blue Spheres back in some form!
They are suppose to be sega saturn graphics
They don't look Sega Saturn. They look like someone stuck a bunch of horsepower in a 16-bit graphics engine or something. Like, I like it, but there's color dithering and it just looks closer to something like Virtua Racing 32X with some of the tricks Sonic CD used. DS is kind of apt, but kind of not. I'm shooting in the dark a bit.
I cant say they did a good job emulating saturn but im pretty sure that's what they said it was.
It's something between a 32X and Saturn, but honestly, definitely closer to Saturn - 32X couldn't have pushed the polygons these special stages are (not just Sonic, but the UFO, emerald, and a lot of the scenery are polygonal).
If we want to be really pedantic, though, neither system could've probably pushed this at 60fps.
MAtgS
Member
Things that should've been in the 3DS Generations. The line starts behind that train.
This would be awesome.
Claude Augario
Member
I'm still salty they ignored the GG games.
Yeah, nor had near the quality of animation. It being on either system wasn't exactly my point. I was just wondering what the limitations of the engine are, because if they were making a Saturn-styled game, I don't doubt they would have gone with a more faithful look, without color dithering and all of that. Or maybe not.
ThatsMytrunks
Member
I love the art, but I would prefer a ~new~ design rather than a throwback to the US Sonic 1 Box Art.
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
I love the art, but I would prefer a ~new~ design rather than a throwback to the US Sonic 1 Box Art.
I love it. It just feels like they can do no wrong.
CopperPuppy
Member
Perfection.
I love the art, but I would prefer a ~new~ design rather than a throwback to the US Sonic 1 Box Art.
For the love of everything that's good I hope this is real.
Even if this ends up being Europe exclusive, I don't give a shit and I import, no matter the price.
LordKasual
Banned
To be fair, the Sonic Fangaming community is something a little special.
They've dissected the inner workings of the classic games down to the absolute lowest level. Determination to do so has probably been fueled extra by Sega's incompetence.
Pretty much. The advertising team is self aware. Sonic Team absolutely isn't.
I hated Blue Sphere in S3K but that was mainly because it was required to get the chaos emeralds, which in that case I thought was a little too hard for something that was mandatory for Super Sonic (One mistake and it's over was too harsh IMO). The way they're implementing it here is MUCH better since it's just for extra lives/continues/powerups, which will go a long way in making me like Blue Sphere much more.
As for the Special Stage itself.... fucking perfect. It's got that perfect old school 3D look, and the way you get the emerald is original, while still being a shout out to CD's special stages. It's brilliant.
Seriously, these guys can do no wrong with Sonic. I cannot wait for this game, my hype is through the roof at this point.
As for the Special Stage itself.... fucking perfect. It's got that perfect old school 3D look, and the way you get the emerald is original, while still being a shout out to CD's special stages. It's brilliant.
Seriously, these guys can do no wrong with Sonic. I cannot wait for this game, my hype is through the roof at this point.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
So is there co-op in this game? Traditional Sonic & Tails style or otherwise? Online or couch-only?
More often than not, I prefer to replay Sonic 1 over any other game in the series.
Sonic 3K is too bloated and easy. If you're already familiar with the game, then you can just sort of sleepwalk through the first 75% of it. The stages in that game are a lot bigger than those in the previous games, especially vertically, but that's often achieved from just padding them out with long ramps, loops, and slides than with obstacle layouts that make good use of that space. The game's still godlike just due to pretty much everything from the Lava Reef boss onward, but I wished it spun its wheels a little less during the build-up.
Sonic 2 is a little more focused in that regard, but I still prefer Sonic 1 mostly due to the absence of the spin dash. Sonic 1 is virtually the only game in the series where you actually "have to play it like a Sonic game," really knowing how to maintain your inertia and make use of the environment to do so. I also think it has the most "purpose" in its level design; the odd numbered zones are built with lots of loops, hills, springs, and bumpers to make use of Sonic's unique gameplay style, while the even numbered zones are more methodical, hazardous platformer stages. It strikes a nice balance as a result with some peaks and valleys in the difficulty curve.
The spin dash is so much of a crutch that I actually think it takes away from the stage design in later games a little bit as a result.
Super Sonic is also a negative. Breaks the game. In the later games I either hold off on the last emerald until the last possible moment or just play as Tails in Sonic 2 instead.
We've all got our opinions... but...
Sonic 2 improves on nearly everything Sonic 1 did. Better, more consistent level design (that plays to the strengths of Sonic), more levels, an actual reward for nabbing the Chaos Emeralds, Tails, etc.
I can sort of understand if you preferred Sonic 2 over 3&K since 3&K has a bigger emphasis on exploration that you may not be interested in but Sonic 2 is just straight up better than Sonic 1. It's similar to how SMB3 took what SMB1 did and improved on it in nearly every aspect.
More often than not, I prefer to replay Sonic 1 over any other game in the series.
Sonic 3K is too bloated and easy. If you're already familiar with the game, then you can just sort of sleepwalk through the first 75% of it. The stages in that game are a lot bigger than those in the previous games, especially vertically, but that's often achieved from just padding them out with long ramps, loops, and slides than with obstacle layouts that make good use of that space. The game's still godlike just due to pretty much everything from the Lava Reef boss onward, but I wished it spun its wheels a little less during the build-up.
Sonic 2 is a little more focused in that regard, but I still prefer Sonic 1 mostly due to the absence of the spin dash. Sonic 1 is virtually the only game in the series where you actually "have to play it like a Sonic game," really knowing how to maintain your inertia and make use of the environment to do so. I also think it has the most "purpose" in its level design; the odd numbered zones are built with lots of loops, hills, springs, and bumpers to make use of Sonic's unique gameplay style, while the even numbered zones are more methodical, hazardous platformer stages. It strikes a nice balance as a result with some peaks and valleys in the difficulty curve.
The spin dash is so much of a crutch that I actually think it takes away from the stage design in later games a little bit as a result.
Super Sonic is also a negative. Breaks the game. In the later games I either hold off on the last emerald until the last possible moment or just play as Tails in Sonic 2 instead.
This is honestly how I've felt about every decision they've made. It's like this team is literally one with the fanbase of the classic titles.
From picking some of the best stages to remix and include, to having Tee Lopes lend his talents for the OST, to the drop dash (which is a fucking amazing addition - something so subtle yet so profound cannot be overstated - it is NOT easy to add something to a simple formula), the elemental shields, the new zones, the price point, the hand drawn animation and intro sequence reminiscent of Sonic CD (!), and now the special/bonus stage and time attack details...it's all been a masterclass of how to handle a nostalgia trip and modernize it.
I cannot wait. I will be buying this twice, once on PS4 and once on Switch, come release day. And then I will triple dip if a physical version drops.
MAtgS
Member
With all of the other past stuff referenced in this game, it'd be surprising if it didn't have that.
I've probably spent half my posts in this thread gushing about the brilliance of the drop dash, and I've probably said this before in another post even, but the stunning thing to me about the drop dash is I've never seen it done before in like 15-20 years of fan games and ROM hacks.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Well yeah, but I'd like some confirmation.
It'd be cool to do some co-op runs with my siblings for old times' sake, but I wanna know if I can do that online or if I'll have to wait until we meet up during the holidays or something.
Did we know about those blue ring monitors before? I just read up on it in a reddit comment, and I can't believe I hadn't known about it up to this point...
I really hope Mania sells well. Time for Sonic's revival.
Seriously, it's a wonder as to how it's completely original yet makes so much goddamn sense. It's that originality that breathes new life into a series.
I really hope Mania sells well. Time for Sonic's revival.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
There's some videos of people playing Sonic Mania with someone controlling Tails. The store pages for the game also list local co-op/multiplayer.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
Do we know if Mania will have multiplayer levels?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuPehC5Uq7M
I wasted so much time on these with my brother. Lot of fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuPehC5Uq7M
I wasted so much time on these with my brother. Lot of fun.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Yup! Local only iirc...will be perfect for the two joycons on the Switch.
Not that I've heard...it would be a nice surprise.
Yeah, from the Steam store page:
It also categorises it as "Local Mult-Player", "Local Co-op" and "Shared/Split Screen".
Man I'd forgotten how ruthless the Special Stages are in Vs Mode.
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