And since you’ll need certain heroes to take certain routes, it only adds to the almost endless replayability of the game (although you can only switch between the two heroes who are on-screen at the time). Run out of heroes, and it’s Game Over time, making it essential to keep replenishing your roster. You start off with two, grab the others from power-up TV sets and go to the next hero when you die. This matters, because Encore mode moves the focus from Sonic and drops Mania’s old-school Lives mechanic to have you working with a part of up to five Sonic stars – Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and new additions, Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the flying squirrel – and switching between them as you go.
There are new routes, new enemies, new sections and even new or revised boss encounters, with portions designed to give you room to exploit the abilities of different characters in the game. It isn’t exactly essential, as we’ll see, but if you want the definitive edition of Sonic’s renaissance, then this is it.Įncore mode is the big draw, remixing the existing Sonic Mania zones and changing how they’re played. It’s a physical release for Sonic Mania, accompanied by an art book (small, but very nice), new playable characters, some minor enhancements and the all-new Encore mode. Sonic Mania Plus is less a sequel or expansion than a victory lap. Unlike its dismal stablemate, Sonic Forces, Mania was a reminder of what a Sonic game could be.
#Sonic mania plus xbox one physical how to#
Nevertheless, Christian Whitehead and his team knew how to remix and augment the old material to build a game that felt both old and new. Of course, you could argue that Sonic Mania was pretty much constructed from the series’ best, pulling its visual style, gameplay and even some of the basic-level design from the classic 16-bit Sonics.
Here, after 20-odd years of poor, middling and occasionally half-decent Sonic games, was a 2D platformer that could stand tall with the series’ best. Sega scored a slam-dunk with last year’s Sonic Mania.
#Sonic mania plus xbox one physical Pc#
Available on Nintendo Switch (version tested), Xbox One, PS4, PC