Two Sonic games are coming out this year. Sonic Forces is a modern game, with a large cast of woodland creatures that look like no living thing and many 3D sections. Sonic Mania, though, is an homage to the early ‘90s 2D platformers that made the blue hedgehog a legend, and if it’s received well, it might have a bigger impact than you’d think.
You can check out our own impressions of Sonic Mania and Sonic Boom here.
Metro UK’s gaming column spoke with the boss of Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, about the two different approaches on each game. It’s been a while since an exclusively 2D Sonic was made – and he’s uncertain about the reception. Yet, if things go well, it seems Mania could affect the entire course of the franchise:
“For Mania it’s kind of like a new approach – to target specifically 2D fans,” he says. “So we don’t know whether it’ll be accepted positively in the market. We’ll find out after the game’s released, and we can figure out the direction of future titles after seeing the reaction.”
That’s slightly surprising, as Mania is made by an indie team plucked from the Sonic fan community. You’d be called cynical, but probably forgiven, if you assumed that the Sonic Team view it as a sop to the old-school fans while they get on with another flashy 3D title. Not so, apparently, and that’s encouraging.
You can read Metro’s preview in full here – it’s a fun read with lots of other details, and well worth a look.