Sonic Mania review — Sonic’s best game in over two decades

After years of disappointments, with only a few decent games offering a small reprieve from an onslaught of garbage, the Sonic series has its first great entry in years. Sonic Mania, which comes out on August 15 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch (the PC version follows on August 29), goes back to the franchise’s roots, both aesthetically and gameplay-wise.

Most modern Sonic games focus on pure speed. Sonic Mania is, finally, a true platformer. It also brings back Sonic and friends’ charming 16-bit looks, while sparing us from the awkward cutscenes with poor voice acting that have become a fixture in the franchise.

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Mike Minotti

Mike Minotti has been with GamesBeat since 2012, starting as an intern. Based near Youngstown, Ohio, he now manages GamesBeat's editorial team. He's also a prolific podcaster, appearing on multiple shows covering the gaming industry.