#SONIC MANIA ENCORE MODE HOW TO#
#SONIC MANIA ENCORE MODE PC#
#SONIC MANIA ENCORE MODE PLUS#
#SONIC MANIA ENCORE MODE TV#

That said, Mania had its share of difficulty spikes, and Encore mode is no different. Encore mode keeps pulling off the same trick, level after level.

All you needed to bring was the right level of skill. The new gizmos, such as the weird gels in the chemical factory, felt touched by genius.Īt it’s best, Sonic Mania made you feel like you were playing your part in some intricate construction designed to move you through the level as quickly and thrillingly as possible. And, in a way, that’s a big compliment.įor me, Mania’s great achievement was in the way it married classic, responsive Sonic controls with superb level design that emphasised the speed and whizzy gadgets – the springs, tubeways, lave flows, pinball mechanisms, and so on – of the original Sonics. I wouldn’t even say that it’s better or worse than the standard Mania solo mode – just different. In fact, some of the most frustrating stretches have been altered or removed.

The good news about Encore mode is that it isn’t simply a harder version of Mania. For another, where the levels are particularly constrained or hazardous, it takes more skill than you’d think to push on through. For one thing, it takes a while to master. It’s a great flying mechanic, but not one that delivers a quick pass through the level. Ray has a slightly odd glide move, where you can double-jump and twitch the stick in the opposite direction from the way you’re travelling to slow down and glide upwards, or push in the direction of travel to glide down and pick up speed. What do the new stars bring to the party? Well, Mighty has a downward smash and slam move that takes out enemies below and can smash through destructible surfaces. 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.

#SONIC MANIA ENCORE MODE TV#

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 ENCORE MODE PLUS#

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 ENCORE MODE 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 ENCORE MODE PC#

Available on Nintendo Switch (version tested), Xbox One, PS4, PC

Sonic mania encore mode