



Zip-lines in Green Hill





They call him Knuckles - unlike Sonic he doesn't chuckle. 10 points if you know what's next

Another year, another E3. Lots of games were shown, many of which I am quite looking forward to and may do some posts on them separately.But the one I am perhaps most excited about is Sonic Mania. Having watched some of the gameplay videos I thought I'd share my thoughts on a few of the levels shown so far and my hopes for the game as a whole. I'd be delighted to hear your views below too, so feel free to comment!First of all, it is great to see the developers taking the series back to what made it so good. As I've said before, I don't think all 3D Sonic games are bad, but our spiky blue friend just seems to work so much better in the old format.Perhaps it is the countless hours I spent at a time on the Megadrive playing through what I still feel are some of the best platformers ever made but nostalgia aside, it seems most players and critics have also found Sonic titles over recent years to be hit and miss.Turning to Sonic Mania, despite the fact some of the classic Sonic levels have been rehashed a great many times over the years - yes Green Hill, I'm looking at you - the game appears to have made some interesting new additions to those levels it reuses.Green Hill looks fairly similar in terms of its enemies and obstacles, though they seem to have added is a zip-line and a nice twist on a familiar Sonic boss I wasn't expecting to see in this zone (I won't say too much in case you've not seen it).Chemical Plant zone looks like it has some very interesting new mechanics.While it keeps classic assets such as the sloping chemical pipes, grabbers which descend on you from the ceiling and the deadly blue chemical jets, it seems to have introduced some kind of jelly substance which can be manipulated by injecting other chemicals to change its consistency.Other interesting new changes include sticky pads which look like you can cling to as they move along surfaces and kick off for a bit of a boost, as well as some kind of DNA-looking lift which propels you into the air and shatters beneath you.Check out a couple of those new features in this gameplay video:This is what I used to love about Sonic games, like 2 on the Megadrive which is probably my all time favourite - each level brought its own distinctly unique set of enemies, obstacles and mechanics so nothing got too repetitive.Of course I've not played any of Sonic Mania for myself but the platforming looks both fast and precise, level design looks interesting, music sounds absolutely great and the visuals are stunning - both in terms of animation of the characters and the settings.If the tweaks made to the old levels - and the gameplay we have seen on new levels like Mirage Saloon and Studiopolis - are anything to go by, Sonic Mania may just be the best Sonic game for quite some time.Another thing I love is the return to the classic art style Sonic, Knuckles and Tails. They look great and if they are the only playable characters in the game I am more than ok with that.Something I think Sonic games of recent years got wrong was packing in too many new characters and thus too many gameplay types, which took the focus away from what Sonic became such an icon for: solid platforming.I really hope this game is a success because it could mean more classic style Sonic, which in my opinion is something the series could really do with.Not only that but it might bring more people to enjoy some plain fun 2d platforming in general.Sonic Mania is set for release on August 15 and I'm sure there will be a lot more to discover before then.Are you excited for Sonic Mania? Let me know what you think below!