The video game series “Sonic the Hedgehog” has had trouble finding itself ever since it made the jump to 3D back in 1998 with “Sonic Adventures.” 

Fans of the classic 2D Sonic games have been trying to keep the tradition alive with fan games and modding the original games.

Sega decided to listen to its fanbase this year and bring “Sonic” back into the 2D realm. “Sonic Mania,” Sega’s new game created by those who grew up playing the original games in the franchise, lives up to the legacy. 

“Sonic Mania” has been highly anticipated since the day it was announced and it has been met with high praise across the board. It brought back the original pixelated style in a flashy, more beautiful manner. 

With the extremely detailed art and incredible animation, you can’t help but feel bad you aren’t able to admire all of it with how quickly you race through each level.

The game features twelve zones and and one additional hidden zone. Each zone features two acts, each act ending in a boss fight. Each act also has their own gimmicks to mix up the gameplay and keep players on their toes.

The first series of acts are weak in terms of level design, but the second act of the second zone was where the game dramatically increased in overall quality. The bosses at the end of each act were hit or miss, though. While most were exciting to face off against and genuinely challenging, a handful made for tedious gameplay and were poorly designed.

The gameplay as a whole was extremely satisfying. Sonic’s movements are quick and responsive to the player’s controls, as well as those of Tails and Knuckles, both of whom feature their own abilities and gameplay styles. The inclusion of such different playable characters allowed for various possible paths the player could take in each zone, making “Sonic Mania” highly replayable.

“Sonic Mania” is an incredible revival of a classic franchise and it’s available for only $20. This would be a great choice for general gamers and fans of classic platformers alike.