Sonic Mania is easily one of the most vibrant and joyous games around, accurately recreating the 16-bit era visual style. However, the colorful visuals and beautiful pixel art are what truly seals the deal. The controls are super tight, the game flows incredibly well, and there's a great amount of gameplay variety.

Generally speaking, Sonic Mania plays like a dream. There are both classic zones and “remixed” zones to play through, offering a mixture of nostalgia and more modern mechanics. As is tradition, you can also discover a hidden mini-game in each stage by locating a giant golden ring. Like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a second player can join in and control Tails in cooperative play. Each character has a handful of special abilities, allowing you to reach different areas and unlock new content. There are three playable characters: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. In order to retrieve the Phantom Ruby and defeat Doctor Robotnik, you must travel through 12 different zones with wicked speed, collecting rings and defeating enemies. Sonic Mania strips away the more modern mechanics and features that have dominated the Sonic franchise and opts for a retro gameplay formula instead.

As the robots attempt to bring the ruby back to Doctor Robotnik, Sonic, Tails, and their pal Knuckles give chase. By the time the pair reach Angel Island, the robots have already discovered the source of the energy, a crystal of immense power known as the Phantom Ruby. On the way, their trip is delayed by Doctor Robotnik's evil horde of robots, who attempt to stop their arrival. One day, Sonic and Tails hop on their plane to investigate a curious energy reading from the nearby Angel Island. Like in the early Genesis games, the story in Sonic Mania is straightforward and appropriately retro in nature.

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