

You have the option to play as Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles you can even work cooperatively with another player as Sonic and Tails a la Sonic 2. On top of Sonic Mania's fantastic presentation, the game also controls like a classic-style Sonic game.

Both 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. They channel the New Jack Swing dance music stylings that heavily influenced Sonic's soundtracks in the '90s, remaining just as catchy and well-orchestrated here.

On the other end of the spectrum, the game sports an assortment of new music tracks and remixes of greatest hits. The new effects add an extra layer of personality to the iconic characters that's a joy to see in motion. While the pixelated sprites of Sonic and friends are reminiscent of their Sega Genesis' counterparts, they take on a new life with a higher degree of detail and animation quality. Its presentation replicates the charming aesthetic of Sonic's earliest games with thorough detail. Sonic Mania makes a strong first impression thanks to amazing visuals and music. But the story takes a backseat as the time honored premise endures: defeat Eggman and his baddies, and collect all the Chaos Emeralds. However, the conniving scientist isn't alone enlisting the help of the Hard-Boiled Heavies-a group of customized Eggrobos. Eggman-this time over a mysterious emerald artifact. Taking place shortly after the events of Sonic & Knuckles, the game's story sees Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles getting involved once again in a battle against Dr. Sonic Mania exceeds expectations of what a new game in the franchise can look and play like, managing to simultaneously be a charming celebration of the past and a natural progression of the series' classic 2D formula. But Sonic's latest outing isn't only concerned with reminding you of his past though it is decadent in this regard. In this jointly developed game, Sega and members of the Sonic fan-hack community have created a loving homage to the blue hedgehog's glory days. Its colorful, retro 2D graphics and vibrant '90s-inspired pop soundtrack is enough to make any Sega Genesis fan squeal in excitement. Don’t be surprised if you have a hard time stopping yourself from investing hundreds of hours into this compulsively playable creative survival game.From the opening title's splash screen, Sonic Mania's presentation is intoxicating. With imposing enemies to vanquish (the eyeball monsters are especially freaky), massive underground cavern networks to explore, and an impressive suite of creative tools, Terraria invites players to dig deep (metaphorically and literally). As in Minecraft, the world is mostly safe by day, and populated by dangerous creatures at night. Dropped into a procedurally generated world, you (and a group of friends if you want) explore fully destructible environments which can be broken down into component parts you can use to build a vast array of items, weapons, buildings (which, together, can form helpful villages) and more. Though… they certainly are recognizable parts.

It’s easy to pigeonhole Terraria as “2D Minecraft,” but Re-Logic’s side-scrolling action-platformer/sandbox survival game is more than the sum of its recognizable parts. The mood in each of those levels is set masterfully by Lena Raine, whose soundtrack contains some of the best retro-inspired music you’re likely to hear.
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Additionally, Celeste also feels great to play, with some of the best platforming you’ll find in a game not developed by Nintendo, and creative levels that take full advantage of protagonist Madeline’s jump and dash. This approach feels fitting for a game, like Celeste, that provides a sustained look at mental health and what failure and success mean for different people. On the other hand, developer Extremely OK Games is deeply committed to accessibility, allowing players to tweak the difficulty of their game experience as much or as little as they want, with the option to turn on invincibility, give yourself unlimited jumps, and more. On the one hand, it’s a tough-as-nails platformer, a la Super Meat Boy, where your death count may well climb to skyscraping heights. Celeste is an interesting lesson in how difficult games can provide the best of both worlds.
