Well, it acts more like a simple tutorial level, but it's still nice to see. If the regular levels are like your standard assortment of fruit-flavored candy, consider Encore levels like a “mixed berry” variety.Īngel Island also gets to be a playable level, instead of just a backdrop to an intro. They do have nice palette changes, though. Yeah, they're pretty tough.įinally, the Encore levels themselves are familiar, with some subtle tweaks for some increased difficulty. I wasn't even able to beat the first special stage during my entire initial playthrough of Encore Mode. If you had a hard time with the old stages, you're gonna have an even harder time with these ones. And it's all low poly 3D, like the special stages, which is always welcome.Īnd speaking of special stages, there are 7 brand new stages to chase UFOs through. One nice little innovation is that the flippers higher up on the table are intangible until the ball passes above them, so they don't get in the way.
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If you already have a full stock of characters, then they don't really offer much. The table's pretty simple, the crane feels a bit slow to start and end, and it could maybe use a tilt function, but it's fine for a simple bonus game. Hitting the “ball” to the top of the table activates a crane game, where you can grab lost characters, shields, and rings. …the new bonus game! Hitting a goal post with 50 or more rings allows you to play a game of pinball. You can bring back characters by finding special monitors, or… This means you can continue playing right where you died, but you can only have a maximum of 5 “lives”. If a player character dies, you'll imediately swap to the other one while another random character jumps in. Unique Sonic 2-style monitors will randomly swap one or both characters when popped. Two characters can be on-screen at the same time, which you can freely switch between (as long as both are on the ground). In its place is a new system that allows you to play with all 5 characters. Though Mighty may be a more beginner-friendly character with his extra armor.Įncore Mode plays even more differently than I expected. Gliding around, finding new ways to reach higher grounds and shortcuts is a lot of fun. Personally, I find Ray a lot more fun to play as than Mighty, despite having fewer quirks. They feel fresh enough to make playing them worthwhile. Thy aren't just “another Tails” or “another Sonic”. The new characters have enough unique traits to make them feel different from the original trio. However, you can't start flying again in mid-air after dropping out of it. Ray is vulnerable in his flying state, but releasing the button reverts him to his ball form, allowing him to cause damage. After an extended period of flight, he eventually stops being able to ascend higher. But unlike Mario, Ray won't be able to fly over entire levels. Yes, this basically acts like Mario's cape from Super Mario World. Dropping downward increases momentum, which is necessary to gain height. Pressing forward makes him drop, while pressing back makes him rise. Ray's wings allow him to glide through the air, and even underwater. Unfortunately, he didn't retain his ability to walljump from Knuckles' Chaotix. It can also act as a shield while jumping or ducking, allowing him to safely deflect certain projectiles or come into contact with certain enemies. Mighty's shell allows him to bounce off of spikes unharmed. It can also be used to dislodge hidden item monitors from their perches.
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Unlike Sonic's new dropdash, this move pretty much stops you in your tracks… though I suppose it could be useful if you're overshooting your target mid-air. Mighty's signature technique here is a strong ground pound. So this is a pretty momentous return for them.
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The arcade game marked his first and last appearance, outside of occasional cameos. Ray, on the other hand, never even got that. This makes them among Sonic's oldest friends - even older than Knuckles! Mighty would later appear as a playable character in the 32X game Knuckles' Chaotix… but mysteriously disappeared from the Chaotix team in all their future appearances. Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel first appeared in the rare 1993 arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog. Combined, they form Sonic Mania Plus, an enhanced version of the highly-regarded game that has a healthy blend of old and new.įirst, let's talk about the game's “new” stars. The “Encore DLC” brings new characters, new modes, and remixed levels. Masterslider_2600.Nearly a year after Sonic Mania launched (our review of which is over here), a new DLC package has just dropped. Var masterslider_2600 = new MasterSlider()