Review for Sonic Mania Plus. Game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 17/07/2018
Almost a year after the release of Sonic Mania, Sega has decided to ride the wave of success with the publication of Sonic Mania Plus, which goes to fulfill the requests from fans for a retail version of the latest adventure of the blue hedgehog. .
Undeniable is the excellent result of both criticism and sales achieved by Sonic Mania and, thanks to this winning formula, the new title takes full advantage of its predecessor, but adding a new one. Bis mode and two new playable characters: Ray the Flying Squirrel e Mighty the Armadillo. Will these differences be enough to once again capture the attention of fans of the SEGA mascot?
Ray and Mighty arrive!
Few pairs are comparable to the entrancing marriage generated by Sonic and his levels in two dimensions. The insane speed with which the characters move allows you to take full advantage of one of the most successful level design ever, and that's it level design the heart of the new mode featured in Sonic Mania Plus, the Bis mode, which we'll talk about later, which plunges us into an alternative story to the events of Sonic Mania. This new adventure begins in a familiar place, for longtime fans, coming straight from S, namely Angel Island Zone. Here Sonic meets the two adventure companions Ray e Mighty, which are added to the loyalists Tails e Knuckles.
The two new characters have special abilities that keep faith with the animals they are inspired by: Ray can glide with his Air Glide thanks to the pressure of the button used to jump while it is already in the air, going to hover in flight for long distances and thus avoiding the obstacles placed on the path; its power proves to be very useful but a bit complex to use in the tightest spaces, which we often find in front of us. Mighty can count on his Hammer Drop, which allows him to move downwards with such power as to destroy different elements of the scenario and to tear apart even enemies that seem apparently invulnerable. This move also grants him invulnerability to contact with traps which, otherwise, would steal rings from the player.
Well done! BIS!
The unprecedented Bis mode proposes a whole new challenge, going to present yes scenarios we already know, but with made several changes to the layer structure that allow you to explore hidden areas, full of bonuses, only by using special skills of the members available. On screen we have two characters at the same time and, thanks to the press of a button, we can switch the controls from one member to another. The remaining three characters come into play one at a time as soon as the ones we have on the screen lose all the rings available. The characters we have in reserve can be obtained both from the classic TVs of the brand, which have always been used to contain upgrades and bonuses for the player, and by going to win them as a prize during a minigame unlockable (in case you have at least 50 rings) when cutting a checkpoint. Here we will be engaged in one game of pinball where it will be necessary to send the ball as high as possible; after that you can get additional characters to join the team or any power-up. Unfortunately in the long run the pinball machine alone can be boring and most likely the inclusion of some different minigame would have given more variety to the whole.
Finally, it can be noted as some boss fight have been revised compared to Sonic Mania, making slight changes or even one total reinterpretation of the boss in some cases, sending a breath of fresh air in this sense as well. Particular of the Bis Mode is the fact that, in case you lose all the characters in the team, you will have to restart the level from the beginning and with only one team member available, which often makes difficult to walk in some levels.
Another pleasant surprise is a change in the competitive mode, which this time allows the simultaneous challenge of four players who will compete in split-screen to try to collect more rings than others and get to the finish first. In short, fun is guaranteed.
Sonic Mania Plus is on sale with a physical edition containing, in addition to the disc, a collectible artbook 32 pages, a reversible cover inspired by the style of the SEGA Mega Drive games e a holographic packaging. In addition, for those who already own Sonic Mania, all the new features included in Sonic Mania Plus can be purchased from the stores as a simple DLC.
Sonic Mania Plus is the result of the great success of its predecessor and goes to reiterate once more, if needed, that Sonic gives his best in the world of two dimensions. The game is fun and sparkling, it offers the best levels of the series, along with some new entries that had already been able to be admired in Sonic Mania. The purchase is highly recommended for those who love Sonic and even more so for those who still have to approach the brand; those who already own Sonic Mania can instead jump on the DLC sold at an attractive price. The upgrade, also in this case, is really attractive and valid, waiting to understand what new features await the blue porcupine in the future.
► Sonic Mania Plus is a Platform-type game developed by Christian Whitehead Headcannon PagodaWest Games Sonic Team and published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 17/07/2018
