Thoughts on the Special Stage: Spoiler Glad to see we're not only getting a legit new special stage format (even if it is more of a mashup rather than a wholly original one), it's also a genuine 3D one! \o/ And that 3D Sonic model...hard to tell if it's reused or it's made from scratch. For comparison's sake, here are the 3D models for 3D Blast (Special Stage), Jam (Sonic World), and R: Also, pages about the game's synopsis / story have been posted too: Spoiler So we ARE getting a game not based on the Chaos Emeralds! A concept I thought would be held off for future Sonic games, so for me, it's awesome to see Mania doing it IMO. I believe Iizuka did said something to the effect that Mania would be set around a new object back in the GDC panel for Mania from March. This must had been what he's referring to.
Soft museum for the arches and color gradients, yeah, but I mean the actual background itself reminds me of twin seeds, with the purple twilight over the black mountains and city lights. Conceptually, they sound quite a bit like Journey into Dreams, too.
Here are more people that covered the panel, maybe they have more info: https://twitter.com/SonicNewsNow/status/888989074148732928
So now we have two games that follow directly after S3&K. Is this going to turn into a running joke now? Was Sonic 4 just a dream? I demand answers! Granted in fine with Sonic Mania erasing Sonic 4 from existence (perhaps this is a job for Sonic Forces??).
Had NO idea my tweets (steventhepage) were going to be seen all around the fanbase. It was an amazing event. Mania is going to soar.
Woah, I'm kinda surprised how great that music track is. It actually doesn't sound a lot like its Sonic CD equivalent for once!
The story's a *tad* confusing in continuity terms (I must stress 'tad', because it's only a little and even that's overstating it) Spoiler It talks about Knuckles being the newest ally, so it must come straight after Sonic 3 & Knuckles. But then we've seen those posters of Bark, Bean and Fang. Sonic didn't meet these characters until StF*, so shouldn't Mania take place after that? There's also that Japanese interview which talks about Espio being in the game (although I get the feeling that's an error by the interviewer), so Mania should probably take place after Chaotix too (especially as StF seems to). The again, there's nothing say that StF/Chaotix was the first time Sonic met Bark, Bean, Fang and Espio, so I guess Mania could get away with coming before. Also, 'newest ally' is a relative term. Sonic might consider Knuckles to be 'new' even after the events of Stf and Chaotix (especially as he didn't really interact with Knuckles in those games). Sonic 4's another tricky one as it's supposed to show how Metal Sonic was resurrected from Little Planet (although I guess we don't know if Metal is in Mania). I know they originally talked about Sonic 4 take placing after Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but there's nothing in the story that requires it to do so. (*Iizuka is very dismissive of the GG games, implying they are in a separate continuity, so StF was probably Fang's first true appearance).
This also implies the 1/CD/2/3K/M order. I prefer 1/2/3K/CD/M, but oh well. I suppose there's the off chance it could be 1/2/3K/M/CD.
Spoiler I always like the idea of Sonic Chaos taking place during Sonic 3&K sometime, considering the similarities in some of the zones and Knuckles' attitude. :v:/> Though the posters just imply a greater world around Sonic, not that Sonic knows Fang, Bean or Bark yet. As for Sonic 4, so long as Mania doesn't feature Metal Sonic then it can stand after Mania.
I don't like that to happen. Spoiler It's a logical step to take; there are a lot of jewels and mystic powers out there waiting for their Sonic game, and Chaos Emerealds are pretty much covered in the original saga. Any new plot items will probably be related to classic Sonic visiting Forces dimension, though. :/
Spoiler Well I feel there's a few ways you could work it. For example, having posters of Bean, Bark and Fang around doesn't have any bearing on whether Sonic and the crew have personally met them yet. In the same way we see people on billboards that we might never meet. I feel like Fang especially might be an infamous dude so seeing him Wanted wouldn't be unusual. If anything, from a continuity point of view could be seen as teasing 'future' characters. The 'newest ally' thing is also a bit of a loose term. I always felt like from S3&K until Sonic Heroes, Knuckles had more of a Piccolo-esque truce with Sonic (ie 'our interests just happen to line up this time') before being his side-bro in the later modern games. So I don't feel that necessarily cements as being 'nothing can happen between S3K and Mania either. I feel like the current order is going to put this game as either 'S3K, Mania, S4' or 'S3K, S4, Mania' depending on how or if Metal Sonic is handled. Either way, I don't anything too contradictory has appeared in the game just yet. Personally I'm just happy that Mania is being treated as a story based main-series game.
Leading multiverse scientist Prof. Dumphuk has already solved this conundrum in his extensive and exhaustive research, of which is currently behind a very expensive paywall. Here is the main takeaway from his papers: http://imgur.com/a/KYq0U As you know, science is fact and can never be questioned. I'm sure if you could read the papers, that totally exist, it would all make sense and is not merely a reason to push the bad games into separate timelines so as to avoid having to face the fact that a good chunk of the Sonic franchise has been complete trash.
