Sonic Mania Plus is the best way to play one of last year’s absolute best games. The inclusion of Mighty, Ray, and Encore mode make this already robust package even more worth your time, while collectors will love the physical copy’s included artbook and Genesis-style cover. If you passed up on Sonic Mania last year, this is your chance to play one of the generation’s best platformers in its best form.
Sonic Mania Plus
Developer: Headcannon, PagodaWest Games, Sega
Price: $29.99
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review.
My love for Sonic Mania is well-known, as I went so far as to say that “Sonic Mania will remind the game industry why it loved Sonic in the first place” in my review. Sonic Forces came out shortly after, so that wasn’t my best prediction, but the main point still stands. Sonic Mania is so well-made and fun to play that it made Sonic cool again, even if it was only for a few months. When Sonic Mania Plus was announced, I hoped it would once again restore the hedgehog’s name for the time being. Thankfully, Plus has done just that.
The biggest draw of Plus is the addition of Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying-Squirrel as playable characters. Last seen in Knuckles Chaotix and SegaSonic the Hedgehog respectively, Mighty and Ray fit right into the world of Sonic Mania. They’re fully developed characters in their own right, as each has their own unique abilities to set them apart from Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Mighty can slam into the ground and avoid spike damage with his shell, while Ray can fly at ridiculous speeds by using momentum (think of the cape from Mario). Mighty and Ray add a new layer of depth to the entirety of Sonic Mania, and I hope to see a couple more characters added in the future (Mighty is my favorite Sonic character, but Espio and Fang wouldn’t go unappreciated).
The other major addition to Sonic Mania Plus is Encore mode, which can make Plus feel like an entirely new game. Levels are redesigned in both minor and major ways to take advantage of Mighty and Ray’s new abilities, a new Sonic Spinball-inspired minigame can be played at checkpoints, and you can swap between different characters on the fly. There are so many changes, both big and small, in Encore mode that even my heightened expectations for Plus were surpassed.
The physical version of Sonic Mania Plus includes some neat goodies for longtime Sonic and Sega fans. The small art book provides collectors with an insightful look at the visual design of Mania, while the reversible Genesis cover will pull at even the most hardened Sega kid’s heartstrings.
The Final Word
Sonic Mania Plus does the impossible by making Sonic Mania even better. Mighty and Ray are a ton of fun to play as, while Encore mode is essentially an entirely new game by itself. Don’t miss out on Sonic Mania Plus, as it’s the best way to play one of the best platformers out there.
– MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent
