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

My reason for loving Mania!SSZ is simple: it's pretty much pure Sonic distilled down into a single level. It's a chaotic morass of routes, not do much a cleanly split collection of two or three linear routes, it's a complete fucking mess where you fly between all sorts of short pathways interconnected into a maze--yet it works. You never feel lost or like the level's fighting you like in CD. It's a insane surreal pinball table. It's the kind of level that could ONLY exist in a Sonic game.

 

SSZ1 is great but SSZ2 always felt like a notable downgrade. It's disappointingly short, its visuals and design are way too cluttered, and the boss sucks. I can also think of one time where the speed pads thrust me into the air and right into a flying enemy.
I love speedrunning Oil Ocean and Lava Reef and Press Garden but Stardust Speedway never felt good to speedrun.

 

I do love Mania's SSZ as well, but I wouldn't go as far as to say this. Whilst it's certainly to a lesser degree than CD, I did still feel at times I was having to fight my way out of the momentum to explore around.
Not complaining though, it's a helluva ride.

Also, I noticed every time I come back to this topic, there's a new 'least favourite' stage. Can we all just agree it's <your favourite zone> and move on? :v:

 

I love the visuals of SS2, more so than SS1's, as well as the epic Metal Sonic boss. A big improvement over the (IMO) disappointing and slow Metal Sonic race in CD. The act's length did feel underwhelming, though.

 

You folks wanna have fun with opinions?

Flying Battery is the worst zone in the game. And that's a really soft worst, because there's not a zone in this game I don't enjoy at least a little. I don't think there's a zone in this game that's bad on any objective level. BUT, Flying Battery is still the zone I have the least fun with on every playthrough.

Compared to all the other zones, Flying Battery feels to me the most “I'm still here? This isn't over yet?!” And I don't really know why, even? I thought it was that it dragged on longer than other zones up until Titanic Monarch, with playthroughs of act 2 with NO diversions just taking the top route lasting 5+ minutes before I even got to the boss, but I realized during a recent stream I did that other zones like Press Garden or Oil Ocean sometimes take that much time to get through, and in those instances I don't even bat an eye.

I dunno what it is, but Flying Battery is consistently an “I could stop playing here if I wanted” zone. Maybe I just need to play it separate from a full playthrough a few times.

 

Mania is still on the Switch best sellers list which updates every week.

1. Mario Odyssey
2. Stardew Valley
3. Fire Emblem Warriors
4. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
5. Sonic Mania
6. Golf Story
7. Mario Kart 8
8. Overcooked
9. Minecraft
10. Breath of the Wild

The Switch version has to be doing them so well according to this weekly listing, at this point I'd be shocked if the attach rate per Switch owners isn't 75%.

 

Now that's just lovely. I can't wait to hear what the sales numbers for this game are.

 

I feel that way about every zone in the game, save Green Hill, Mirage Saloon, Hydrocity 1, and Lava Reef.

 

There are no "bad" levels in Mania but in my opinion, I too think Stardust speedway is among the lower tier. (CD is fun but in terms of level design it's not nearly as coherent as Sonic 2 or 3.)
I would say the same about flying battery but even after about 10 complete playthroughs so far I don't feel as though I've given that level justice yet. It's not one I have thoroughly explored compared to others.
I basically thought all the sonic 3 levels and stardust speedway were the bottom four Mania levels.

Oil Ocean did a lot to surprise me in the opposite direction and was near the top of my first playthrough. And I knew instantly upon playing studiopolis and mirage saloon that they'd be near the top overall (especially the former as the best zone in the game). Mirage only loses points for being too short and sonic/tails act 1 being "ok". I did appreciate the creativity shown even with Act 1 though and don't think it a bad idea in a vacuum.

 

I'd like to point out how I love to see people uploading random videos with their Switch showing they own Sonic Mania. The other day one guy tweeted how the Gamecube controller compatibility worked casually with, dun dun dun, Sonic Mania.

 

I wonder how the game is doing in sales as well. At the end of the day, it got good reviews so that should be enough to pursue a sequel or another project with the Mania team.

 

And thus ends the remix of Sonic the hedgehog. The new zones have been gorgeous, my thanks to everyone involved.

 

I've done like 5 or 6 playthroughs now, but can someone tell me, in Flying Battery Act 2, there's a secion near the end, outside ( I believe its before you travel around the long path around the right end and underneath the ship ) . There's a long path of floating propellors and rotating blades. Just before that, there's a section you can reach with the electric bubble that has a few enemies and spikes, the entire roof is electric.

There's a hole in the top left of this section, but i cant hop up to it or use tails to fly into it. How do you get to the path above there?

 

I think my least favorite zone is probably Chemical Plant Act 1. I've never liked the Mega Mack trap and the Mania version comes with an increased likelihood of a crush death. I dread every time I visit this act...

I'm not fond of Stardust Speedway's acts either. It feels way too much like a pinball machine and my sense of control feels gone more or less during many parts. Also, I just plain suck at the Metal Sonic fight, so that's icing on the cake.

 

late to the discussion, but:

Are you talking specifically act 1 or is 2 not good either?

 

Especially 1, although I don't think much of 2 either.

 

Mirage Saloon is a tad unfortunate (with the exception of Knuckles Act 1, that act is great). Mirage Saloon has been kicked around forever, and this is what we get? Sky Chase and an act that can be beat in a minute more than half way through the game? I'd rather that have been fully realized and had Metallic Madness get the Sky Chase act, as pacing wise for me anyway the end of the game is exhausting. You get 2 final levels back to back. If Act 1 of Metallic Madness was Sky Chase it might have been kinda neat and broken up the pace a bit more. Then again pacing wise this game is kinda off anyway. As is, Mirage Saloon and Flying Battery probably should have changed places level order wise.

 

Maybe you've just been playing for too long at that point? I mean, it's just the fourth one but the acts are pretty long now.

Or perhaps the previous level annoys you and is the one to blame... No need to say it out loud since Studiopolis is sacred. =P

 

No offense, but it's weird that your only suggestions try to shift the focus off of Flying Battery? Probably not your intent, it's just weird. Studiopolis is a ton of fun, imo. And I doubt it's fatigue; that's more of why I lose steam at Titanic Monarch. Oil Ocean through Metallic Madness is the highlight of every playthrough I do.

I fumbled around with the zone in time attack, and I think my issue is that its design isn't conducive to my impatient, can't-stop-won't-stop nature as a gamer than other zones. The pit near the beginning of act 1 gets me more and more often as I get increasingly bored replaying the zone with the same caution and carefulness, and the Wacky Workbench gimmicks in act 2 feel more like they're impeding my ability to Get On With Things rather than fun stuff to bounce off of and deal with. Of course, you can avoid those gimmicks, but then you end up more on the top path, which takes way longer to get through. Moving up the rotating propeller poles is also kinda slow, for reasons I understand but am still mildly irritated with.

Yyyyyou get the picture. This is definitely a "me" problem. Probably explains why Stardust Speedway is my favorite zone in the game when a lot of other people in this thread are saying nearly the opposite.

 

I agree, flying battery zone is also my least favorite zone in the game. Maybe it's because of the sudden difficulty spike, going from studiopolis to this is like night and day. It would've been better if the zone was closer to the end of the game, I think. That and act 2 is just too long