He also praised the game's level design, with numerous routes through levels at high speeds, with no particular path ever feeling wrong. GameSpot's Matt Espineli described Sonic Mania's presentation as 'intoxicating' in his 9 out of 10 review, saying the revamped visuals and music 'work together in Sonic Mania to build up an aesthetic that's evocative of earlier games, but in a pleasing style that feels contemporary all on its own.' In IGN's 8.7 out of 10 review, Heidi Kamps calls it 'a stellar example of a retro revival done right.' Kotaku's Heather Alexander characterized it as 'a celebration, a digitized block party of blistering speeds and bright worlds' that clearly articulates the mascot's true appeal. That may not sound terribly ambitious, but the result is drawing raves from across the gaming press. Mania is a new 2D Sonic game that includes remixed versions of classic levels from the original Genesis/Mega Drive-era Sonic games along with a host of new boss battles and some original stages to boot.

However, this week's launch of Sonic Mania looks to reverse that trend. Sega's speedy 2D platformer mascot struggled to adjust to the advent of 3D gaming, and a series of mediocre games interspersed with empty promises to take the series back to its roots has eroded the franchise's reputation over the past couple of decades. Few stars of the 16-bit era are as frequently maligned as Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic 3d fan game kotaku