Can Sonic Mania get any better?
You bet your left Chaos Emerald it can!. Alongside the base Sonic Mania game, Sonic Mania Plus brings a plethora of features.
There is a new Encore mode, a four-player Challenge mode — a sort of Sonic meets Trials — and leaderboards have been added with the ability to watch replays and to view other peoples’ speed runs.
Sonic Mania Plus Review
Encore mode is the icing on the cake here with the true tried and tested gameplay of Sonic given a minor remix. This new mode makes the levels from Mania mode new enough that it feels closer to a new game and not just DLC.
The way lives work has been changed in Encore. Instead of getting more lives as the game goes on you unlock the other characters (five in total now) and can switch between them at the press of a button.
The character you’re on at the time of a death will be removed from your line up effectively costing you a life. However, they are re-obtainable through power-up boxes as lives were in the other games.
It’s Sonic Mania… PLUS!
Challenge mode is the multiplayer ‘love-hate’ couch co-op we needed. The aim here is to get to the end as fast as you can. Although other players are not interactive, any changes that happen to the level will also happen in their run.
The aim is to pick up coins or steal the power up before they can. A tactical run of Sonic suddenly becomes a more prominent option over speed. Every one of the Sonic Mania Plus levels is available to use in this mode unlocking as you pass them in the single-player modes.
Two new playable characters, Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel are featured in Sonic Mania Plus. Might hasn’t been in a game since Knuckles Chaotix in 1995, while Ray has been absent since Sonic the Hedgehog in 1993.
Both characters play similarly to Sonic, Tails or Knuckles and both have their own unique move. Mighty can slam the ground, breaking objects and opening hidden paths and Ray has a long glide.
Much the same as Mario with the cape power-up from Super Mario World. You would think flying through a level in this would be easy but with how levels are designed, it’s not that simple. Rarely are you at a safe distance from anything, stopping prolonged flight.
If you are looking at grabbing the Sonic Mania Plus as DLC or picking up the full copy of the game it looks to be a brilliant addition for any Sonic fan.
Sonic Mania Plus was reviewed using an Xbox One retail copy, provided by SEGA.
PowerUp! Reviews
Game Title: Sonic Mania Plus
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2D platformer at its best - 10/1010/10
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Challenge mode is way too much fun - 9/109/10
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Looks great for an old game - 8/108/10
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The soundtrack from your childhood - 8/108/10
