Sonic Mania (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC...Netflix?)

I'll take a different path. I'll list the levels I'd rather not see in Mania!

• Sonic 1

Spring Yard Zone - I cannot really say why, but I've never seen much on this level. It's pretty and all that, but... It didn't stand out, I guess.
Scrap Brain Zone - Everything I see in this level, Metropolis did better. (Maybe not the fact of having 3 acts, but that's it.)

• Sonic 2

Casino Night Zone - I don't like Casino levels... Sue me.
Hill Top Zone - Too much like GHZ to be here.

• Sonic 3

Angel Island Zone - Another initial level like GHZ. Nah.
Carnival Night Zone - No. Casino. Levels. Period.

• Sonic & Knuckles

Sky Sanctuary Zone - Same as Spring Yard, I don't really hate it, but I don't really care about it.

• Sonic CD

Wacky Workbench Zone - Please God, no.

 

Really really hoping for Lava Reef instead of Sky Sanctuary. So far we've seen no lava-oriented themes and you can't do much better than LR.

I seriously doubt we'll see a S3&K Death Egg, though. There may be a Death Egg Zone in Mania, but it will probably be a brand new Mania zone instead of a remake.

 

"The other Death Egg Mk. II zone"

 

Death Egg Mk. II Ver. 3 :specialed:

 

Lava Reef Act 1 is my all time favorite genesis stage. It's just so fucking awesome. If it was included, I'd hope for an Act 2 where hot and cold combine- instead of 3K where it just freezes over and that's the end of it.

Other Zones I wouldn't mind returning:

Sonic 1:

None. Seriously, the primitive level designs and less appealing tropes just don't blend well with the improved designs of the sequels. They can get away with it for GHZ, but all the other zones have not aged well IMO.

Sonic 2:

-Some homage to Casino Night. That's a popular trope we haven't really seen represented so far, unless you count Studiopolis, which I don't.
-Hill Top Zone Mystic Cave Zone. Largely under-utilized trope that many others have also expressed a desire for.

Sonic CD:

-None. Stardust Speedway is more than enough for me to represent this game. I just really don't care for CD. The level design can be shit at several intervals, and I'm one of the few who don't understand the passion for the soundtrack. Sorry.

Sonic 3&K:

-Hydrocity Zone. Outlook appears good on that one. Best water level, hands down. Get that Labyrinth and Aquatic Ruin shit outta here.
-Mushroom Hill Zone. This stage has grown a lot on me. I like the aesthetics, I like the gimmicks, I like everything about it.
-Lava Reef Zone. Like I said before, awesome level. Give it some love.

New Zones:

-Fire/Ice mashup. Not that stupid shit like in the recent Boom game, something that actually has a dynamic and goes in tandem with level progression.
-Something with a Beach Theme
-Something with a Digital Theme similar to that zone from Sonic Advance 2

 

Since they have Chemical Plant, I think it would be a neat opportunity to make a proper level out of Sonic 2's death egg incorporating elements from Death Egg in Sonic 3&K. The original level seemed incomplete, so this would be a good opportunity to remedy that.

 

But.... The original remedy was a two Act Death Egg zone as seen in S&K. Kind of like the two Hidden Palace zones we've already gotten. Its time for some NEW legends. I just don't think a Death Egg reusing Chemical Plant textures at this point is necessary, nor appropriate.

A third version of the Death Egg Mk. II would make slightly more sense because...why not? :v:

I think we will be getting something original at the end of Mania. We've all gotten used to the whole Air Ship ---> Space Ship ---> Doomsday/Space battle order of things (something Sonic 4 changed up....a little). Imagine a true final boss in the special stage dimension or something. THAT has never been done before.

 

Had a dream that Toxic Cave Zone was in this game, reimagined as a normal sonic Zone (that wasn't HPZ), complete with scorion-robotnik boss.

Kinda sad that won't be the case, haha.

 

We may be pleasantly surprised.

On another note, I think Stardust Speerdway now tops all other Zones for canon remixes:

Past
Present
Good Future
Bad Future
Sonic Generations Metal Sonic Race (BF)
Sonic 4 Metal Sonic Race (BF)
Mania's Act 1
Mania's Act 2

I swear, if Act 2 is the US version, I'm going to rage quit.

 

Had a dream Sonic Mania had a bunch of Labyrinth Zone recolors, with one of them being called "Tragedy Zone".

Pretty glad that won't be the case, haha. :v:

 

Don't lie to yourself, the US Bad Future track is hella nice, it actually sounds like a race is actually going on in the level =V

 

Fixed your list with the missing 4 versions

Edit: and as soon as I post, I realize you're talking about the tracks that sound alike for the stage. (Note to self, don't post at 2:30 am)

 

I really, really like the US Present future, too. It's such a chill track. It and the Special Stage music are my favorite songs in the US Version.

My favorite Nilsen track is St Gabriel's Mask from Ecco: The Tides of Time, which I always thought would have made a really awesome and eerie future track in Sonic CD.

 

Ooooh. This, and The Showdown... The Showdown as a level, I would even cry, no kidding.

 

I'll have to listen to that one.

The thing about the US Stardust Speedway future tracks is that I'm still confused as to which one is GF and BF. I burned a CD of the US music once and thought I swapped the two by accident in my playlist (It was Present, BF, GF). This is one of the many reasons I find the JP tracks to be far superior. I also believe that Generations and Sonic 4 ep 2 transitioned the world to the correct JP soundtrack. In Sonic 4 the first Metal Sonic sequence transitions Sonic Boom to Toot Toot Sonic Watrior as he flies from Little Planet to Mirage Island. I've always understood this as a course correction (yes, I know I'm talking about Sonic 4, which is most likely retconned by Mania, but whatev).

 

Remember in one of the XG trailers there was brief glimpse of the destroyed Death Egg submerged underwater? That would be cool as a replacement for it in Mania. Also, a final boss fight has already been done on Sonic After The Sequel with EGGATS, it was alright but I'd prefer to fight a massive Egg Mech head on and freak out hoping to not die. I don't think I'd collect all the emeralds on my first playthrough as the only thing annoying about the classics is that once you get all 7 and become super, everything lost its challenge as you could insta kill badniks and double jump everywhere with almost full invincibility.

 

I'm kinda sad that Mania's Stardust Speedway isn't a remix of Spencer Nielsen's stardust speedway music (which I actually prefer to its European & Japanese version counterpart), but the Act 1 theme is very very nice, and I can't wait to hear the Act 2 music!

 

I saw someone unironically comment on a YT video that he won't buy Mania because Knuckles isn't a dark enough shade of red :v:

 

That's so weird, I REALLY like his color palette in this game tbh. AS someone that usually plays Knuckles only in the old games I think they got the hues just right, I really like the slightly lightened reddish pink he has in this game.

 

Knuckles was always a bright shade of red on the classic games. Some won't buy due to graphics difference, some won't buy because there are no puns, some won't buy because it apparently doesn't play how Sonic originally did even though this is how Sonic began. Let's drop the game to 30 fps to annoy the fake fans some more. xD

If those things make you come to the decision that the game is "Unplayable" then you are just a fake hurt fanboy who is never happy with anything, I'm suprised they have not complained about how square everything is, sharp edges, they should be happy.