Sonic mania is the best sonic game4/10/2024 The modern "boost gameplay" of 3D Sonic games traded the physics gameplay of 2D Sonic titles out for a flatter level design that presented obstacles and enemies almost like notes on the digital fretboard of a Guitar Hero game. The reason why the move skipped the 3D gameplay of Sonic Forces is pretty straightforward - Sonic hasn't had momentum-based gameplay in a 3D title in years. Until Frontiers, the Drop Dash has been exclusively paired with 2D Sonic, available only to Classic Sonic in Forces before retroactively finding itself jammed into the anniversary mode of Sonic Origins. I guess the Drop Dash could be useful here? It's that last detail that makes the addition of the Drop Dash to Sonic Frontiers a quietly fascinating addition - so long as you stretch the definition of the word fascinating, at least. Mania's Drop Dash also paired well with 2D Sonic's classic momentum as it not only offered players a handy way to overcome steep inclines but also worked to let them ramp up speed quickly on the decline. Getting an instant burst of speed every time Sonic jumps to a new platform suddenly offered a solution to the pace-killing platform sections that have haunted each and every 2D Sonic game since Sonic 1. The quiet genius of the Drop Dash's utility went well beyond simply helping new fans out, as long-time Sonic players soon found it just flat-out made Sonic games feel better. Instead of grinding forward motion to a halt in order to plot Sonic down somewhere and perform a Spin Dash (like in Sonic 2), players could instead more intuitively jump, hold the jump button, and land with a burst of speed that would push Sonic past each obstacle. The Drop Dash was introduced to Sonic Mania by its lead developer Christian Whitehead, who conceived the move as a workaround for new 2D Sonic players who struggled with overcoming the steep curves in each level. The fact that Big the Cat has any bearing on Sonic Frontiers' gameplay would have seen every Sonic fan simultaneously slam the eject button on this future plane wreck - yet today, as a neat little minigame with a side of Monster Hunter DLC, why not let Sonic fish? The same goes for Sonic Mania's Drop Dash - a new ability that was not introduced to the franchise by Sonic Team itself, and its pointless appearance in Sonic Forces' flat 2D levels suggests they might not even have really understood its purpose at the time. Why is Sonic always punching things and never racing things? That said, one benefit of that amalgamated approach is that some ideas that didn't quite gel in a previous Sonic Team effort can get a second look here. Between Shadow the Hedgehog's levels in Sonic '06 and the Werehog in Sonic Unleashed, you would think the developers would try their hand at an alternative gameplay style that's more on-brand - like racing. It's got Sonic Adventure-esque open areas with Sonic Generations' refined boost gameplay and another crack at the parkour system from the Wii U exclusive Sonic Lost World - that's all good - but once again we see Sonic Team shoehorning an awkward-looking combat system into a Sonic game. How Sonic Mania changed Sonic Frontiers gameplay for the betterMuch as Sonic Mania felt like a culmination of every lesson learned by 2D Sonic game design when it launched, Sonic Frontiers seems to be an amalgamation of the last 20 years of 3D Sonic game design. Once you reach the top of the level, you find an unexpected night sky, but it works so well it feels natural.Īs there's currently no way to edit or add in new bosses, you're using the same one from Hydrocity Zone Act 1, but it still fits the brief, and it makes you wonder how a new boss could work in this remixed Labyrinth Zone.Sonic Frontiers x Sonic Mania. As you try to jump and run to the top of the level, you see cracks of light in the background, reminiscent of a scrapped idea for the zone that was found in a leaked beta build of Sonic 1. The music is a big highlight here, where the drums and percussion make the track pop as you run for an oxygen bubble or jump across risky platforms.īut what makes this zone a highlight, is how much the level doesn't stay in the underground parts of the Mega Drive version. Released as part of the Misfits Pack, you also get three other zones as part of a demo that remixes established and cut levels from past Sonic games. This zone is a great example of building on what made the level memorable while expanding upon its design.
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