The nostalgia for the Sonic the Hedgehog of the early-to-mid 1990s has always been strong – and why wouldn't it be? Sega's speedy mascot was in his prime on the Genesis console. But for the last decade-plus, the blue blur has seen some fairly consistently less-than-stellar reviews. However, with Sonic Mania arriving, it seems as though Sega is finally ready to right the ship. 

Sonic Mania is a side-scrolling platformer in the same style of earlier Sonic games; it takes cues from a number of different early titles, and includes the bonus stages from Sonic 3, split-screen co-op from Sonic 2, and emerald chase stages clearly inspired by Sonic CD. New power-ups are present and old favorites return, and at the end of each stage bosses present a wealth of new challenges.  

The story follows Sonic and Tails, who are investigating a power reading from Angel Island. However, Doctor Eggman and his Eggrobo forces have arrived first and unearthed the Phantom Ruby. Sonic and Tails are sent back in time by the Ruby's powers, and the duo (along with Knuckles) must travel through a number of familiar stages in order to find and defeat Eggman.  

This game is what happens when Sega allows the fandom to make an official game. The lead developer, Christian Whitehead, got his start in the business by porting old Sonic games to new systems and developing his own fangames. I attended the Sonic Mania panel at Comic-Con and it’s clear that he and the rest of the development team from Headcannon and PagodaWest Games have an incredible fondness for the Sonic games of old. And that fondness really comes through in Sonic Mania. The game is a love letter to the Genesis era of gaming, to the colorful sprites and quick action of 1990s platformers.  

The result is a Sonic game that is just honestly delightful to play. The game manages to be challenging without becoming frustrating, and the music and remixed stages from earlier games in the franchise present familiar settings with new things to watch out for. It’s simply the Sonic the Hedgehog game I’ve been waiting for. The fact that it has become the best-reviewed Sonic in 15 years should say a lot. By giving the fans exactly what they've been asking for, Sega has managed to make a side-scrolling Sonic the Hedgehog adventure relevant in 2017, which is honestly incredible. 

Sonic Mania is now available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; a Windows PC release will be arriving in a couple of weeks, on August 29. 

-Carrie Wood