That's reassuring. I can perfect sonic cd's bonus stages and these are SO HARD.
I'm stuck on 5.
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Sonic Mania |OT| Dreams Come True
- Thread starter Hot Coldman
- Start date
That's reassuring. I can perfect sonic cd's bonus stages and these are SO HARD.
I'm stuck on 5.
Kor of Memory
Member
Emerald vs attempts:
1 - 1
2 - 1
3 - 1
4 - 6
5 - 2
6 - 2
7 - 1
Once I learned to spend the entire first lap focusing on rings first, these all became a lot easier.
I beat the game with Sonic only having 3 emeralds
balladofwindfishes
Member
I've never been able to even get one, and I must have 20+ hours in that game. It was my go to game for road trips (along with Pokemon Ruby)
Good game otherwise, though
I've actually gotten them all with all four characters. No one should ever put themselves through that pain.
The Sum of Zero
Member
I did it when I was in middle school. They were a bitch but not impossible.
The Moon Zone was great.
I somehow got most of em as a kid not all tho.
balladofwindfishes
Member
So someone more familiar with Sonic CD, what ages do the stages take place in? I've beaten CD before, but I mostly skipped the time travel stuff. And even though it was only a few years ago, I can't really remember much about it.
SkylineRKR
Member
In 1995, this was my jam:
Too bad this won't get the Sonic CD treatment. I'd love to have that one version on PSN, that has the options to choose for OG Sonic 3 boss music and a billion of other little things.
Too bad this won't get the Sonic CD treatment. I'd love to have that one version on PSN, that has the options to choose for OG Sonic 3 boss music and a billion of other little things.
Stardust is Past first and then present. Metallic Madness seems to be present.
Skel1ingt0n
I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
I got to Oil Ocean last night and made a post gushing about this game.
That said, while thinking on the individual zones, I really put Chemical Plant in a league way below the others. Lots of cheap deaths and stupid things that pinch you. There were two moments I thought I could jump and I fell to my death. Lots of little things that were frustrating I think mostly because it came so early. Don't see a lot of complaining about CPZ; but I believe it was significantly harder than any other Zone since... so I think it's frustrating for a new player. I'm curious what my thoughts will be when I come back for a second play through.
***
And funny to hear people not loving Press Garden - that might be my favorite in the game after Studiopolis.
Mirage Zone was just too damn short. Beat both zones in under 5 min each on first try.
That said, while thinking on the individual zones, I really put Chemical Plant in a league way below the others. Lots of cheap deaths and stupid things that pinch you. There were two moments I thought I could jump and I fell to my death. Lots of little things that were frustrating I think mostly because it came so early. Don't see a lot of complaining about CPZ; but I believe it was significantly harder than any other Zone since... so I think it's frustrating for a new player. I'm curious what my thoughts will be when I come back for a second play through.
***
And funny to hear people not loving Press Garden - that might be my favorite in the game after Studiopolis.
Mirage Zone was just too damn short. Beat both zones in under 5 min each on first try.
SkylineRKR
Member
I honestly never fell to my death in CPZ. In Sonic 2 however it was rather brutal. I love CPZ Act 2, its one of my faves.
I like Press Garden a lot also, though its rather confined. But that and Studio show the team can make a worthy Sonic successor. Mirage is better if you play Knuckles, though its nowhere near as good as those other 2 newcomers imo.
I like Press Garden a lot also, though its rather confined. But that and Studio show the team can make a worthy Sonic successor. Mirage is better if you play Knuckles, though its nowhere near as good as those other 2 newcomers imo.
Kor of Memory
Member
I didn't say it earlier, but all the bosses were absolutely amazing in this game except for the very last two.
Those were not great. Not bad, just not great.
Those were not great. Not bad, just not great.
That's kind of true of the original CPZ too imho.
Fun fact, during Sonic 2's original development, Chemical Plant was supposed to be a later game stage and was shuffled around when they started cutting stages closer to release. It certainly shows.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Probably the only reason why I don't have beef with Chemical Plant is because I'm already very experienced with overcoming that one part from my trials and tribulations as an 8 year old.
And even then, I still got crushed around there once.
Press Garden is magical.
And even then, I still got crushed around there once.
Press Garden is magical.
balladofwindfishes
Member
Sonic 1
Sonic 2
Sonic 3
Sonic and Knuckles
Sonic CD
I believe are all of the classic games referenced?
RIP Sonic Schoolhouse and 3D Blast
Well, Bad Future Stardust is at least referenced in Metal Sonic's boss song. Kind of wish it quickly changed to bad future's background for just that fight, though.
Sonic 2
Sonic 3
Sonic and Knuckles
Sonic CD
Mean Bean Machine
Sonic R
Sonic Triple Trouble
Sonic the Fighters
Sonic 2 Game Gear
Sonic R
Sonic Triple Trouble
Sonic the Fighters
Sonic 2 Game Gear
I believe are all of the classic games referenced?
RIP Sonic Schoolhouse and 3D Blast
Well, Bad Future Stardust is at least referenced in Metal Sonic's boss song. Kind of wish it quickly changed to bad future's background for just that fight, though.
Studiopolis and Press Garden are the strongest arguments for why we need a Mania 2 with all original content. The former especially surprised me considering Act 1 was basically all over the place in terms of the game's pre-release media and hype and yet playing it myself, I never felt burnt out on it. Then Act 2 happened and it was immediately like I saw the face of God.
Ah the passion of this game you can sniff and feel it. Games with this amount of passion are rare these days. Only Nintendo dev studios, Sony dev studios, and some other great devs/pulishers/western and indies/japanese devs can do that these days.
Those yearly AAA like COD etc releases have no soul or passion in em at all. Just a money sign.
Those yearly AAA like COD etc releases have no soul or passion in em at all. Just a money sign.
EarlyEarly
Member
About to finish my first playthrough with Knuckles. People came in here pumping this let the momentum take you play style but this game feels slower than the previous Sonics aside from Sonic 1 so far. Some stages do run kind of long. Maybe it's the rust or the unfamiliarity with the stages. Love all the new gimmicks on the old stages or old gimmicks on new stages. Even the old bosses coming back in some shape. The music was whatever. Remixes weren't anything mindblowing. Liked MMZ though.
And I'm surprised that so many people hate Sonic 2's bonus stages. I found them to be the easiest bonus stages by far with or without Tails.
And I'm surprised that so many people hate Sonic 2's bonus stages. I found them to be the easiest bonus stages by far with or without Tails.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
This game has far more auto-pilot pinball setpieces than Sonic 1 or 2 ever did. But the stages also feel larger than any prior game in the first place, so it's hard for me to nail down the ratio right now.
I don't hate the half-pipe Special Stage but I agree with those who say that they're far too played out.
Diablohead
Member
Press Garden act 1 is exactly like how a remixed Marble Garden zone would feel if it was in mania, a few tight spaces and jumps to progress, only thing missing is riding platforms on lava.
I Wanna Be The Guy
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Just finished the game with Knuckles. Disappointed that the game didn't differentiate itself the way Sonic 3&K did with the separate stories. There are small exclusives between characters but they didn't feel like true separate stories the way 3&K did.
goldenpp72
Member
I think a lot of people forget that special stages are meant to take awhile to master. Very few people get all the chaos emeralds on their first go in the older games, but replaying them makes them seem easy now. I have obtained all the emeralds as knuckles and just finished oil ocean, and as tails I have 3 and just got to the second world. In contrast I beat the game as sonic and only had 4 emeralds by then end which was my first run. Once you practice they become manageable, which is really the spirit of these. They are easily the best in the Genesis style stages.
cireza
Member
Finished this game 100% the day after release lol. Loved it.
I have a number of things to say about it.
First of all, the game is great in every aspects. It controls perfectly well, level-design is up there with the best games of the series, music and graphics are awesome.
The special stages for the emeralds are well implemented and offer a good progression margin. It is difficult at first, but in the end I always succeed, and pretty easily.
Concerning the checkpoint special stages, I like that they put a ton of different stages. They offer a good challenge, but they tend to distract the player from the normal flow of the game because they quite a lot of time to complete.
The few remarks I have for this game are :
There were also some glitches that should have not made it to the final version. Hope they patch some of those problems.
I have a number of things to say about it.
First of all, the game is great in every aspects. It controls perfectly well, level-design is up there with the best games of the series, music and graphics are awesome.
The special stages for the emeralds are well implemented and offer a good progression margin. It is difficult at first, but in the end I always succeed, and pretty easily.
Concerning the checkpoint special stages, I like that they put a ton of different stages. They offer a good challenge, but they tend to distract the player from the normal flow of the game because they quite a lot of time to complete.
The few remarks I have for this game are :
1) Level and overall game design feels a lot closer to Sonic CD than Sonic 3&K. A lot of very fast sections, and not a single level that is about pure platforming (like Labyrinth zone or Sandopolis Act 2).
2) The transitions between the stages are lacking. Sometimes you have them and they are good, and sometimes you don't have anything and it sucks a lot.
3) The way the stages are visited makes no real sense. Sonic 3&K had a cohesive way of visiting them with transitions every single time. Here the selection is extremely diverse and it makes no sense.
4) Game feels more like a celebration of old-school Sonic with various stages to please everyone (and not make anyone angry), than the new epic 2D game that Sonic 3&K was.
5) Bosses are awesome and a lot of work was put into them. However, some of them still have problems (ones with automatic scrolling). Metal Sonic battle sucked and the race felt unneeded.
6) I feel that there wasn't enough stuff dedicated to Knuckles. There was a full act with a different boss, and some sections in other stages : that's not enough. Tails also does not have anything really specific, but that was the case before.
7) Some levels are extremely hard to read. After playing the game a lot, the only one that still annoys me is Metallic Madness. The foreground is not different enough from the background (colors), and Act 2 makes it even worse with those spinning panels sections.
8) You can actually play a game of Knuckles and Knuckles lol.
9) New levels were amazing and I loved them.
10) Concerning the level design, I think that they tried to put to many new elements. Stardust Act 2 feels like an almost entirely different stages than 1. By reducing the amount of work needed on the graphic side (with all the new mechanics and stuff), they could have a made more tighter levels. What I mean is that it changes almost too much. Make the acts change less, and take more time to finish other aspects of the game.
2) The transitions between the stages are lacking. Sometimes you have them and they are good, and sometimes you don't have anything and it sucks a lot.
3) The way the stages are visited makes no real sense. Sonic 3&K had a cohesive way of visiting them with transitions every single time. Here the selection is extremely diverse and it makes no sense.
4) Game feels more like a celebration of old-school Sonic with various stages to please everyone (and not make anyone angry), than the new epic 2D game that Sonic 3&K was.
5) Bosses are awesome and a lot of work was put into them. However, some of them still have problems (ones with automatic scrolling). Metal Sonic battle sucked and the race felt unneeded.
6) I feel that there wasn't enough stuff dedicated to Knuckles. There was a full act with a different boss, and some sections in other stages : that's not enough. Tails also does not have anything really specific, but that was the case before.
7) Some levels are extremely hard to read. After playing the game a lot, the only one that still annoys me is Metallic Madness. The foreground is not different enough from the background (colors), and Act 2 makes it even worse with those spinning panels sections.
8) You can actually play a game of Knuckles and Knuckles lol.
9) New levels were amazing and I loved them.
10) Concerning the level design, I think that they tried to put to many new elements. Stardust Act 2 feels like an almost entirely different stages than 1. By reducing the amount of work needed on the graphic side (with all the new mechanics and stuff), they could have a made more tighter levels. What I mean is that it changes almost too much. Make the acts change less, and take more time to finish other aspects of the game.
There were also some glitches that should have not made it to the final version. Hope they patch some of those problems.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Personally I dislike all the bonus stages besides the ones in Sonic 1. Those are piss easy.
Diablohead
Member
sonic 1 8bit, there is one area in green hill zone act 2 which uses the indoor cave tiles from the 8bit game.
I Wanna Be The Guy
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
They are not as good as blue spheres, and have problems that involve tricking the player. The special stages don't immediately communicate well when something is a barrier, and they'll often give the player options where they can take the wrong path without the player possibly knowing that. These stages are absolutely not as well designed as blue spheres, which manage to be a reasonable level of difficulty but never feel unfair.
cireza
Member
Switch is perfectly fine.
Diablohead
Member
All versions are the same, ps4 has a few crashes looking at some leaderboard times, switch has a few frame drops in the special stages (mostly the first special stage) and can't say if the xbox has issues but someone had a weird slowdown issue and achievements cause stutter.
Buy it for the console you will enjoy it the most on honestly.
Foxtastical
Member
Haha, Oil Ocean boss is pretty dumb.
Otherwise, game is great so far. 5th Special Stage was a little goofy.
Otherwise, game is great so far. 5th Special Stage was a little goofy.
Kor of Memory
Member
Spend the first lap looking for Rings and Rings boxes to get your time up as high as you can. This will also help you familiarize yourself with the level more because you'll be going at a slower pace. Once you've gotten the larger ring chunks and boxes, then focus on the larger blue orbs for speed increases. Always choose safety over risk because hitting anything losses a lot of rings, and falling off is instant finish. After your third or fourth time around the map you'll start seeing the easy corners to take to really gain speed.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
I don't really agree with this. The UFO doesn't have rubberband AI, so if you spend a lot of time prioritizing rings over spheres at the beginning then you're just going to lose more and more ground.
I think it's generally wiser to prioritize reaching Mach 2 quickly, then just taking as many shortcuts as you can throughout the track, only focusing on rings in the stages that you really need them.
ForkNetwork
Banned
Finished it with all characters and got every gold medal. I love this game. Im not sure if it edges out S3&K for me, but its certainly on the same level (or even higher) than Generations.
Amazing job by everyone involved. A more polished Mania 2 with a bit more content would be absolutely perfect.
Amazing job by everyone involved. A more polished Mania 2 with a bit more content would be absolutely perfect.
balladofwindfishes
Member
Oh yea, forgot about that.
Sonic Chaos is referenced during Knuckles' Mirage Saloon boss fight. It's a copy of Gigalopolis Zone's boss.
I started playing the game earlier and I'm enjoying it a lot. The various new mechanics that they add are cool and I hope that they reuse some of them in the final zone, like the gel parts. I wish there wasn't so many blue orb stages as I don't think they're that good but I'll work on those gradually. The emerald stages are a lot of fun though.
Vampirolol
Member
I can't stop playing this game, it makes me feel so good. Beat the first run with Sonic and Tails, now I've just collected all the emeralds. Can I just select TMZ to reach the ending with Super Sonic?
Yep.
Friend of Sonic
Member
Can the hardboiled Heavies be defeated in the Titanic Monarch boss? I've never let the battle run long enough.
Generally the shortcuts have rings along the way too, so it's best to go those routes anyway.
Usually first lap = get to mach 2, second lap = chase after UFO in the fastest route I can while touching any Blue Spheres and Rings on the way. Usually end up getting Mach 3 while doing this as well.
I don't think so, after hitting them a few times it throws me back to the boss.
Streets of rage
goldenpp72
Member
The only barrier is the ground with the bumpers, which could be made more obvious yes. Other than that, it plays out like a race would, you have to pick and choose your best route, and there isn't really a wrong route as much as there is a less ideal one. As example, one of the stages that gives people a lot of trouble, it also has a 'instant level up' power up, this requires being tactical and memorizing the paths a bit, as if you get it when you're almost mach 2, it will simply bring you to mach 2, but if you hit mach 2 then get it, you'll become mach 3 faster than what is usually possible. You can alternatively focus on just rings and then get the power up to hit mach 2, then go for spheres for mach 3, or whatever.
It's important to simply note, any action you do, the UFO is going to keep progressing, there is no rubber banding, so you have to choose your poison. It's not a perfect mini game but it's pretty dang good when you get the hang of it. I'd still suggest some improvements to the formula, but blue spheres is far more limited and basic, and after the excessive amount I played of it in this game (all gold medals) I don't want to do them again for a long time.