LET'S PLAY SONIC MANIA - We all go fast together, and we all go fast forever

BEAT · #1 03-14-2018, 03:37 PM

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Let's Play Sonic Mania!

Sonic Mania is a 2D platformer released for all modern consoles and PCs in August 2017. Created by a team of longtime members of the Sonic hacking and fangame communities, the stated goal of the project was to create a new game that truly captured the look and feel of the original 3 (or 4?) genesis games, and my god, they actually pulled it off. The game is a gorgeous love letter to Sonic's origins, every detail carefully designed to look like what a new Genesis Sonic would look like if it didn't have to deal with any of those annoying Genesis color or sprite limitations. Also, it's really fucking fun to play. That too.

As usual, all footage was recorded live on my Smashcast channel... wait shit I mean my Twitch channel? Yeah turns out twitch finally got their stream delay back down to an acceptable few seconds while Smashcast's just kept climbing higher and higher. How about that?

Youtube Playlist

BEAT · #2 03-15-2018, 01:02 PM

SONIC MANIA 01

GREEN HILL ZONE
SHOULD I LIKE DO AN INTRO OR SHOULD WE JUST GO
FanboyMaster - GoggleBob

In which an already-drunk BEAT, is dragged by his own mad whims into yet another Let's Stream Play! But this time, it's a game he actually likes!

NOTES

THE PRESENTATION IN THIS GAME IS SO GOOD. Just look at that title screen! Man! That's a nice title screen! Also the menus look alright too I guess whatever who cares.
INTRO CUTSCENE. It's a pretty direct reference to Sonic 3's opening, right down to playing Angel Island's music. Basically Robotnik and a bunch of his little eggrobos found another COOL ROCK that's unrelated to the series' established cool rocks. Cool rocks can do literally anything, so this one turned the Eggrobos into the HARD BOILED HEAVIES And teleported the whole lot of them to Green Hill Zone. Why? BECAUSE COOL ROCKS DON'T GIVE A FUCK THAT'S WHY.
WAIT, GREEN HILL ZONE? Yeah, of the 12 levels in this game, 8 of them are based on ones from Sonic's 16 bit days. Green Hill Zone is the only level in Mania taken from Sonic 1, which is exactly the right amount of representation for Sonic's first outing. That said, it's not really accurate to say you're just playing Green hill Zone again becuase...
WHENEVER SONIC MANIA DOES AN OLD LEVEL, IT DOES IT DIFFERENT. Every time Sonic Mania gives you a level based off an old one, it will feature the following:
- Completely re-drawn graphics to make greater use of color and animation.
- The first act will start off similar to the original level, but with more divergent paths and options.
- The second act will introduce brand new elements not seen in the original game.
- Elements from other classic levels with similar themes, basically allowing each throwback level to represent multiple parts of the franchise's history. In this case, Green hill also features The Corkscrews from Emerald Hill, and the Ziplines from Angel Island.
LOLOLOL FUK U MUTEKI. MuteKi and I both wanted to do this game so bad but I started doing a dedicated recording first so I WON. In an attempt to mend the bridge between us, I instruct FanboyMaster to message MuteKi and invite him to be a part of the project. In an attempt to immediately re-burn that bridge, I follow up that request by demanding that he call Muteki a "dumbus". It's all cool he'll join us later no worries.
NEW MOVE: THE DROP DASH. Basically all you gotta do is hold jump in midair for a second and Sonic will charge up a spindash that'll take off the second he hits the ground. It's not as fast as a traditional spindash, but it's a great way to build up speed quickly, and a lot of fun to just mess around with.
SPECIAL STAGES! Yeah, unlike last time, I'm not playing from a 100% complete file, So I'm gonna need to do quite a bit of Chaos emerald collecting if we wanna see the "good" ending. Mania's Special stages are pretty cool, with their ultra-low-poly aesthetic and and CATCH THE UFO objectives, so I don't even mind. Plus the Big Rings are polygons now, so that's pretty cool.
ACT 1 MINIBOSSES ARE BACK! One of the cooler parts of S3&K makes a much-needed return! Green Hill's Act one boss is pretty simple, but gets bonus points for looking like two miniature Death Eggs chained together.
ONE-PLAYER TAILS FLIGHT IS POSSIBLE. Seen around the 6 minute mark. I mentioned in the intro post that the devs were all former Sonic Hacking/Fangame community guys, right? Shout outs to Sonic 3 Complete.
THE ELEMENTAL SHIELDS ARE BACK! The fire, bubble, and electric shield all return from Sonic 3 with all their special moves intact. They can also now effect the gameplay in less immediately obvious ways, such as when I use the fire shield to burn down a spike bridge hazard around 7:50.
ALSO THE NORMAL SHIELD I GUESS WHATEVER. I guess they wanted you to have one shield option that didn't replace your drop dash? The elemental shields are all way cooler though so who cares.
DEATH EGG ROBOT FOR FIRST BOSS. He's nowhere near as punishing as the original Death egg robot, and the fight plays out totally differently than It did in Sonic 2, but it's still TOTALLY SWEET.
LEVEL END CUTSCENE! Sonic follows Robotnik down the hole, only for the Phantom Ruby to immediately teleport him and tails... somewhere else. Also was it just me, or was Robotnik ranting and raving at the Hardboiled Heavies? How peculiar! It's almost like he's having trouble controlling them or something! /OBVIOUS FORESHADOWING

BEAT: I'm probably the only guy in the world who loves it, but have either of you guys watched 12 Oz. Mouse?
GoggleBob: For awhile I put secret 12 Oz. Mouse references in the Xenosaga Let's Play, and you never noticed them at all.
BEAT: Well they must have been REALLY FUCKING SECRET because I know that shit by heart! Just tell me one
GoggleBob: In the final final update where Jin dies? There's the scene of him dead, and I put in the caption "It's okay, I'm just drunk".
BEAT: FUCK! I KNOW I SAW THAT AND I WAS LIKE WAAAAAAIT A SECOND!
GoggleBob: That was very deliberate!

FanboyMaster: Listen, we'll combine Sonic Four and Knuckles and say Knock Knock it's Sonic & Fuckles!
BEAT: That's Five Nights at Fuckys!

BEAT · #3 03-16-2018, 12:56 PM

SONIC MANIA 02

CHEMICAL PLANT ZONE
SCIENCE BOIS
GoggleBob - FanboyMaster

I'll never forgive that cutscene from Sonic Generations for calling it "purple water" instead of it's PROPER NAME, which is "Mega Mack". That shit's cannon. Look it up.

NOTES

CHEMICAL PLANT IS, OF COURSE, ORIGINALLY FROM SONIC 2. As Green hill is the series most iconic level 1, this is its most iconic level 2. And per Sonic Mania's established policy, act 1 feels very close to the original, with sliding blocks and rising purple water MEGA MACK.
ACT TWO MIXES THINGS UP QUITE A BIT. The Cityscape background from act one is replaced with what appears to be a building-sized chemistry set. Gameplay-wise, the level takes the hybrid approach by replacing the risk of drowning,with pools of bouncing chemicals that behave exactly like the floors in Sonic CD's Wacky Workbench. That might seem like a pretty deep cut, but believe me, this game is just getting started.
WE ALL GUSH ABOUT HOW GREAT THIS GAME LOOKS. Shout outs to our very own Kishi, who's Retronauts article on this game's artstyle gets mentioned around 2:20
THE ACT 1 MINIBOSS IS KINDA ANNOYING. Like it's super easy to beat him without taking a hit? But I never fucking do that. I'm just too impatient.
OH YEAH I ALSO PICK UP TWO MORE CHAOS EMERALDS. Four down three go to.
THE ACT 2 BOSS IS DOCTOR ROBOTNIK'S MEAN BEAN MACHINE! Everybody knows about this one now, but It's impossible for me to overstate just how mind-blowing it is for a first time player.
Also I'm super bad At Puyo Pop lol.
GOD BLESS @DRIL. The man's a fucking legend.

FanboyMaster: I would also like to point out Omochao screaming as he is thrust to his death.
BEAT: When did that happen?!
FanboyMaster: That's what happens! Like, you can hurt him, but you can also just throw him off a cliff!
BEAT: [In awe] I've never tried that!
FanboyMaster: Just scoop him up and throw him off a cliff!
BEAT: I must be doing something terribly wrong if I've never killed Omochao.
GoggleBob: But BEAT, come on, that's the first thing Shadow would do!
BEAT: I know right?! Like, I guess I'm just not roleplaying properly!

BEAT · #4 03-16-2018, 01:05 PM

BEAT · #5 03-16-2018, 02:49 PM

SONIC MANIA 03

STUDIOPOLIS ZONE
TV STAAAAAARS
FanboyMaster - GoggleBob

DON'T CARE ABOUT WHO YOU ARRRE.
TV STAAAAAAAARS
DON'T CARE ABOUT WHO YOU ARE.

NOTES

STUDIOPOLIS IS THE FIRST OF THE GAME'S FOUR BRAND NEW ZONES. It's a really nice one too with lots of chances to GO FAST and loads of nice little visual flourishes. It fills the Sonic level niche of zones like Spring Yard, Casino Night, or Carnival Night, but adds enough variation on the setting to stand apart as it's own separate entity. Also it's music is just great and oh my god the 1930's style animations of Robotnik in the background AAAAAAAA.
WE'RE ALL STILL TALKING ABOUT @DRIL. "It's me again, from the web site. Admit that the Berenstain Bears are for adults, or I will strategically headbutt your father."
REALLY IS POSSIBLE TO OVERSHOOT THE UFO IN THE SPECIAL STAGES. Especially in the 5th one, due to one of the shortcuts that the UFO never seems to take. It doesn't happen in this video, but I can confirm that in the past I've overshot in on purpose just to see if you can catch the UFO by effectively lapping it. Answer: you totally can.
LOLDEAD. To a bottomless pit around 3:20. this game actually has very few bottomless pits because good level design, so I have no one to blame but myself here.
SEGA REFERENCES! FanboyMaster points out the trucks with "HORNET" written on them are a direct nod to Daytona USA. Other cool references can be found for Streets of Rage, Club Sega, the ill-fated stream event where the game was announced, and perhaps most weirdly, the SegaSonic Popcorn Shop.
BEAT'S VEGAS STORY. I guess what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas!
THE ACT 1 BOSS IS OUR FIRST HARD BOILED HEAVY FIGHT. It's one of those auto-runner bosses that the Sonic series has a weird love-hate relationship with. In this one he'll fire 3 missiles at a time, but only the short blue one can be hit back. If you watch closely you can actually see Heavy Gunner escape right before he the final missile hits so gee I wonder if we'll see him again?!?
ACT TWO IS SET INSIDE THE STUDIO. The backdrop of buildings and roadways is replaced with an enormous theater spanning off into the distance, and the foreground elements now contain stage lights, clapboards and TV cameras. Have I mentioned I fucking love all the tiny details in this game?
ALSO THERE ARE LOTTERY BALL SPINNER THINGS? Because it's not a Sonic game without gambling, and they pick the lotto numbers on TV. Sure, why not.
SONIC 4? WHAT'S THAT? I think I would have heard of that before.
THE ACT 2 BOSS FEELS LIKE LESS OF AN EVENT THAN THE ACT 1 BOSS. It's got a pretty clever gimmick with a TV in the background giving weather forecasts that signal his next attack, but with Tails scoring extra hits, you'll probably take him out long before he does even half of em.
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. You can't really hear it on the video, but the low humming in the background after the boss is a reference to the infamous stream where the game was first announced. When I said this game went for deep cuts, I fucking MEANT it.
BREAKING NEWS: FLYING BATTERY RETURNS!. Wow, I wonder what the next level could possibly be?

FanboyMaster: I don't want to greet anyone in any fashion other than "It's me again, from the web site!"
BEAT: From the website! Ahaha! This is an extremely good let's play. I'm extremely on-topic.
FanboyMaster: Dril is always on-topic with Sonic.
BEAT: I'm just saying, look out The Great Clement! Because I'm coming for you!

muteKi · #6 03-19-2018, 10:34 AM

I'm slightly disappointed that the wheel of fortune bits in the second act are entirely for novelty purposes and don't get you any rings when you win

madhair60 · #7 03-19-2018, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BEAT

[*]BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. You can't really hear it on the video, but the low humming in the background after the boss is a reference to the infamous stream where the game was first announced. When I said this game went for deep cuts, I fucking MEANT it.

This makes me legit angry.

BEAT · #8 03-19-2018, 01:01 PM

SONIC MANIA 04

FLYING BATTERY ZONE
AVIATORS
FanboyMaster - GoggleBob

Are you surprised it's Flying Battery? I sure was surprised!

NOTES

SO FLYING BATTERY IS ORIGINALLY FROM SONIC & KNUCKLES. Or maybe Sonic 3, depending on who you ask. The rebuild here gets some really nice extra background layers, and a whole bunch of outdoors segments that take their design cues from 16-bit Sonic's OTHER flying battleship level, Wing Fortress Zone.
THE ELECTRIC SHIELD IS NOW MAGNETIZED. If you go under one of those magnetic ceilings with an electric shield, you'll be pulled upwards towards it, and end up walking on the ceiling, which is required to get to some of the level's alternate paths. This is one of the added gameplay gimmicks I don't actually like very much. The upside-down controls feel kinda weird and floaty, the speed at which you "fall" upwards never feels quite right, and the areas with the magnetic ceilings are often just a little too cramped and difficult to navigate. It's never a big deal and you get used to it quick enough, I just wish they'd given it a little more fine-tuning is all.
ACT 1 BOSS IS A TOTAL PUSHOVER. He can actually be annoyingly slow if you're playing as Sonic alone, because you have to wait for the garbage getting compacted to fill the room enough for you to actually reach him. That said, if you come prepared with an electric shield for double-jumping and have Tails onhand to rack up extra hits, He goes down like a chump.
WE BRIEFLY DISCUSS THE SONIC AND ARBY'S TWITTER ACCOUNTS. They're both clearly cases where some Total nerd got their hands on the wheel and just started posting whatever nerd thing that came to mind and somehow got away with it. Arby's in particular strikes me as the work of some nerd who loves anime and papercraft, and realized he could get paid to indulge those vices as long as there was a branded placemat in the background. If you can get paid to do something you love, fucking go for it.
SOMEHOW THAT LEADS US TO DISCUSSING BREASTAURANTS. "Wait, people eat at Hooters?!"
SPIDERBOSS. You gotta bounce him into the spike walls by either timing your jumps SUPER GOOD, or using the spinning poles that the rising floor will periodically scroll past. Probably my least favorite boss in the game. I get hit a ton of times, but still somehow make it through without dying.
NO COOL POST-LEVEL CUTSCENE THIS TIME. It's kind of a shame how the game occasionally forgets to do the S3&K style transitional cutscenes. I mean you just trashed a giant airship! Would it be too much to have sonic running off to the side as a bunch of explosions go off, and then have the next level start with him in midair instead of just standing still? It's a really minor gripe, but hey, the little things matter!

BEAT: Look, whoever's running the Arby's twitter... my theory is their boss just doesn't check on them enough.
GoggleBob: They've clearly found their niche.
FanboyMaster: They're an arts and crafts project at this point.
BEAT: It's literally just some dude who enjoys papercraft and someone's giving him money to do it as long as he keeps an Arby's plate in the background.
FanboyMaster: IT SHOWS ENGAGEMENT THE KIDS LOVE IT!
GoggleBob: Yeah see we want to believe that but you know they've got like like an entire line of like 30 people that are constantly cranking out Eva papercraft.

BEAT · #9 03-19-2018, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muteKi

I'm slightly disappointed that the wheel of fortune bits in the second act are entirely for novelty purposes and don't get you any rings when you win

I'm reasonably sure they do but I don't care enough to go back and check.

Quote:

Originally Posted by madhair60

This makes me legit angry.

It's fine.

Torzelbaum · #10 03-19-2018, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BEAT

[*]SOMEHOW THAT LEADS US TO DISCUSSING BREASTAURANTS. "Wait, people eat at Hooters?!"

Maybe next time you can phone in your order and get it to go? (Of course you will have to stare at the floor the entire time while you are picking up your order.

BEAT · #11 03-21-2018, 12:30 PM

Since Youtube HEARTLESSLY KILLED Youtube editor, I've been making these videos by using Youtube's enhancements menu to chop out the chunk I want from the raw recording, and saving it as a new video.

Unfortunately the next level will require some ACTUAL EDITING past just picking new start and end times, so now I gotta actually learn to use that editor program I downloaded back when YT committed murder most foul.

So hopefully next update this evening sometime after work? If I can figure it out? And also if I don't just say SCREW IT I'M GONNA BE LAZY THIS EVENING".

Hopefully.

BEAT · #12 03-22-2018, 01:06 PM

Well I'm DEFINITELY not going to be able to put out an update this afternoon. Might be able to get it done once I'm home for the night. Fingers crossed.

In the meantime please enjoy this image I made, which I assure you is not cursed.

Matto · #13 03-22-2018, 06:38 PM

A free to use video editor? Tell me, is it not crap?

BEAT · #14 03-22-2018, 10:18 PM

IT'S CRAP.

BEAT · #15 03-23-2018, 04:03 PM

SONIC MANIA 05

PRESS GARDEN ZONE
NEWSBOYS
MuteKi - GoggleBob - FanboyMaster

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT! EGG-SHAPED MAD SCIENTIST WEIRDO COMBINES FOUR STANDARD SONIC THEME LEVELS INTO ONE COHESIVE WHOLE SOMEHOW!

NOTES

THIS IS THE GAME'S SECOND BRAND NEW ZONE! The setting for this level is actually pretty difficult to explain. Not that the name's doing it any favors. "Press Garden?" What the hell could that possibly mean?
ACT ONE IS SET INSIDE A BIG FACTORY AREA. The green color scheme, conveyor belts and crushing hazards are all very reminiscent of Metropolis Zone. but the walls all look very old and have bits of plants growing through them, giving the whole place a sort of Launch Base "old buildings crammed full of new technology" vibe. Also some of the enemies seem to be splattering ink around, and the disappearing blocks all have big typesetting letters on them and WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE IS THAT WHAT THEY MEANT BY "PRESS".
YEAH, IT'S PRESS AS IN PRINTING PRESS. As in newspapers and journalism and shit. You can actually see the finished papers flying by in some of the background layers and all the conveyor belts are actually paper rolls. Easily one of the most out-there ideas for a Sonic level theme to date.
I MOMENTARILY SHOW OFF THE GET BLUE SPHERES BONUS STAGES. These are accessed by jumping into the stars that appear over a checkpoint lamppost when you pass under it with 50 rings or more. I've always liked the Blue Sphere stages! They're by far the best way to get cool rocks in the 16-bit games! That said, I think Sonic Mania's use of these stages was one of the game's few major missteps. But I'll save that rant for a video where I don't end the special stage 2 second after I enter it.
MORE ELEMENTAL SHIELD SHENANIGANS. You can break the brown boxes by air-dashing with the fire shield. That's pretty rad.
THE ACT 1 BOSS IS KINDA ANNOYING. You can only safely attack it after it breaks one of it's Buzzsaw arms on one of the brown boxes scattered about the level. I would have whined about it on the video, but I was too busy saying hi to MuteKi, who FINALLY deigns to grace us with his presence after we invited him way back in the first video. Hi MuteKi!
ACT 2 TAKES US OUTDOORS, WHERE WE FIND AN ORNATE JAPANESE GARDEN- OH NOW IT MAKES SENSE. So that's where they were going with the name! The weather-worn and slowly crumbling walls feel like a callback to zones like Aquatic Ruin or Marble Garden but with Greco-Roman ruins swapped out for Japanese ones. Also it's snowing, meaning that this level can follow the Ice Cap tradition of looking FUCKING GORGEOUS I mean look at those torches in the background and all the petals in the snow and the trees spanning off into the distance oh my god.
ICE CUBES. There are plenty of ice cubes dotted around the level, some of which contain rings or item boxes. You can break them by jumping on top of them, or by hitting them from any side with a fire shield, meaning that some routes through the level will be completely blocked off unless you came prepared. You can also get through them by freezing Sonic into his own ice cube and then slide along the ground until you have enough momentum to crash right through them! This is a fun game, you guys.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRAGONBALL NOW. Ahahahaha Dragonball is awesome. Also I cut out a chunk of the recording where I paused the video to go talk to my wife about popcorn and lent. No, seriously.
THE ACT TWO BOSS IS OUR SECOND HARD-BOILED HEAVY FIGHT. It's Heavy Shinobi! His sword can freeze you in an ice cube, but won't actually hurt you. Instead of Ninja stars he throws those exploding stars from Metropolis Zone, because Sonic. We're so busy talking about Dragonball we don't even mention him.
POST-LEVEL CUTSCENE! Sonic and Tails interrupt Robotnick from his screen saver, which is displaying pictures of a Sonic if he were made out of metal, and a planet which appears to be quite little. Robotnik responds to this rude introduction by warping them somewhere else with his COOL ROCK. But where?! WHERE!?! Find out next time lol.

STUPID VIDEO QUALITY SHIT NOBODY SHOULD CARE ABOUT.


*BONUS ROUND: DID THIS VIDEO LOOK DIFFERENT* TO YOU?** I typically record/stream at 480p resolution and 60 frames per second. I say typically because for the first session of this game, I actually forgot I'd knocked my resolution down to 360 in an ill-fated attempt to get a weird artgame to not run so agonizingly slowly, and forgot to fix it when I started recording. And because I just upload the raw video straight to youtube, and use stupid tricks to chop it into individual level videos in my browser, The result is a 480p youtube that runs at 30 fps, because youtube. But for this level's video, I had to cut out some actual dead air, something I can no longer do in Youtube! And while fucking around with my new (awful) freeware editor, I discovered that I could make my chopped up video export as 720p video instead of the 360p source! Since I had already recorded at the wrong resolution for NICE SHARP PIXELS like I like, just went "eh fuck it why not" and gave it a shot. The double sized video didn't look any better, because It's just a 2x blowup, but when I loaded it into youtube I found that it preserved the 60 frames per second instead of knocking it down to 30! Meaning that if you watch it in HD, (which most computers default to) you get a nice smooth video instead of one that's missing literally half the frames, because youtube has stupid arbitrary rules about what resolutions get what framerates, and 720 is the cutoff for 60fps. Actually streaming/recording at 720 to begin with isn't really a viable option for me. Too much bandwith for my shitty internet. But just re-encoding my 480 raw recording into a 720 video isn't exactly something I'm wild about doing either, as it's not a clean doubling of the size and as such it'll probably lose a shit-load of the NICE SHARP PIXELS I like so much. But a chance to do these things in 60fps is pretty tempting. So what do you guys think? If anything, because "I don't give a fuck" is a perfectly valid response. So is "Who the fuck do you think you're kidding BEAT, you're way too lazy to go to that kind of extra effort" for that matter.

aturtledoesbite · #16 03-24-2018, 12:06 PM

PIXELS SHARP ENOUGH TO CUT MY EYES, PLEASE

Torzelbaum · #17 03-24-2018, 03:57 PM

My shitty over-priced result of America's fucked-up capitalist system internet does not really allow me to view videos in anything higher than 480p so it doesn't really matter to me.

Wendell · #18 03-25-2018, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matto

A free to use video editor? Tell me, is it not crap?

I use Hit Film Express, which is free, and quite good in my opinion.

muteKi · #19 03-26-2018, 09:25 AM

It is a surprisingly good editor considering the price

BEAT · #20 03-27-2018, 12:35 PM

SONIC MANIA 06

STARDUST SPEEDWAY ZONE
ASSOCIATES ATTENTIVELY AVOIDING ALLITERATION
GoggleBob - MuteKi - FanboyMaster

YEAH I GOT SPEED BIG STUPID SPEED DUMB FUCKING SPEED.

NOTES

STARDUST SPEEDWAY ORIGINATES FROM SONIC CD. It might not be immediately obvious, especially in act one, but the level's secret theme is actually musical instruments, like harps and flutes and the like. In keeping with Sonic Mania style, a whole bunch of elements are added from Marble Garden.
ALSO THIS LEVEL IS FUCKING FAST. By far the fastest in the whole game, with loads of straightaways and speed boosters. This is ironic, as Sonic CD is is set apart from the rest of the 16-bit Sonic games by it's focus on carefully exploring levels to find secret objectives, which made it the slowest of the classic series.
OBVIOUSLY WE'RE ALL STILL TALKING ABOUT DRAGONBALL. Obviously.
THE ACT ONE BOSS IS THE BIG VERSION OF THOSE ANNOYING FIREFLY ENEMIES. The ones that sort of pick a spot on the screen for fading into existence in, shoot a laser, and then vanish. I always hated those guys.
THE CUTSCENE BETWEEN THE ACTS IS A LITTLE NOD TO SONIC CD'S TIME TRAVEL MECHANICS. Sonic destroys the generator, hits the future signpost, and then hits top speed to time travel! That's a nice touch!
SUDDENLY METAL SONIC! Because Sonic CD and because FUCK YEAH METAL SONIC! Rather than just being a standard six hits to win boss, this one has four full phases to battle your way through! Let's count em down!
- The part where you gotta make it to the end of a long track while Metal throws a few attacks at you.
- The part where Metal attaches himself to the wall and sends out a bunch of 8-bit Metal Sonics from the Game Gear Sonic 1 to attack you and you gotta spindash into them to bounce them into Metal.
- The part where you do the first part again.
- The part where you you run around a big loop and can actually attack him.
IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE A KIND OF ANNOYING AND OVERLONG BOSS... WELL, YEAH. The terrible secret of Metal Sonic is that most Metal Sonic fights are kinda not great. Not all of them! But most of them. This one's not bad, and it's way way better than the one found in the original Sonic CD version of Stardust Speedway, but it's always been one of those things that just way cooler in concept than it is in execution. More's the pity.
HEY WHERE THE HELL IS MY POST-LEVEL CUTSCENE? I LIKE THE POST-LEVEL CUTSCENES WHY AREN'T THERE MORE OF THEM >: (

MuteKi: Midboss of uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh video world.

BEAT · #21 03-28-2018, 11:51 AM

SONIC MANIA 07

HYDROCITY ZONE
MARINE BIOLOGISTS
GoggleBob - MuteKi - FanboyMaster

THE_LITTLE_MERMAID_UNDER_DA_SEA.flac

NOTES

HYDROCITY ZONE FIRST APPEARED IN SONIC 3. Up till now, all the levels based on classic ones have had a first act that stuck pretty close to the original, then put all their crazy new ideas in the second. Hydrocity brazenly ignores this pattern by cramming all of it's weird new ideas into Act 1, and then following it up with a relatively standard level for Act 2. I've heard rumors that this inversion was the result of the making the two acts as they normally would, but then had to swap the two around later in development. I don't have anything to back that rumor up, but I gotta admit, it sounds pretty believable.
SO WHAT ARE THE CRAZY NEW IDEAS THAT ARE FOUND IN ACT 1 INSTEAD OF ACT 2? Well first of all the water level now frequently changes, a concept first introduced in Labyrinth Zone. They also added in a bunch of levers hanging from the ceiling that you grab and pull down to progress, which is an idea lifted from Mystic Cave. There are also boats floating on the surface of the water, which you can ride around on, which as far as I can tell is an original idea that's not inspired by any classic Sonic level!
Oh, and then there's uh, the um...the bubbles.
THE BUBBLES LIKE THE ONES YOU GRAB TO BREATH IN WHILE UNDERWATER? God I wish. No I'm talking about the BAD KIND of bubbles. I'm talking about the Game Gear bubbles.

FUCK THESE THINGS

OH THOSE BUBBLES. While it's pretty cool to see Aqua Lake and Tidal Plant get a shout out after so many years, the bubbles suck and I hate them and I hope they never show up in another game ever again.
WE DISCUSS SONIC 3D BLAST DIRECTOR'S CUT. Jon Burton is a hero. Hey, wait a second, wasn't there an LP of the original version of that game on this very forum? Hmm...
THE ACT 1 BOSS IS WONDERFUL. It's basically the same Hydrocity's original robotnik fight, only you're the one driving the egg-mobile around instead of Robotnik! It's hilarious and wonderful and I love it.
I DON'T HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT ACT 2. It's Hydrocity Zone. It's a lot closer to the original than Act 1, meaning it's way faster and I like it a lot. That's all I got.
ACT 2 HAS TWO BOSSES AND THE FIRST IS REALLY COOL. It's this giant obstacle course where you get chased down these underwater tunnels and have to crash into these bombs scattered around the course to hurt Robotnik and get air bubbles! It's unique and exciting and would have served as an excellent note to end the level on, which is why it's such a shame that...
THE SECOND IS A STRAIGHT RECREATION OF THE ORIGINAL HYDROCITY'S ACT 1 BOSS. The one where you're stuck in a bowl and it spins you around. Nobody likes that boss. It's presence here is what I consider the final piece of evidence that Acts 1 and 2 of this level got swapped around. I mean, why else would it even be here? Nobody likes it!

FanboyMaster: Amiga Demo scene!
BEAT: That's a weird scene to be into. And I say this as a member of the Orlando Nerdcore scene for quite awhile.
FanboyMaster: It's one of those things that- like, you get into it because like, you're a kid with a computer. In Britain. In the 1980s.
BEAT: It's a very English thing to be into.

BEAT · #22 03-28-2018, 01:41 PM

SONIC MANIA 08

MIRAGE SALOON
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
FanboyMaster - GoggleBob - MuteKi

"Two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. We're gonna have to earn it."

NOTES

MIRAGE SALOON IS MANIA'S 3RD BRAND NEW ZONE. It's actually based on a Zone that developer Christian Whitehead wanted to put into the recent remake of Sonic CD called Desert Dazzle, but the idea got shot down because SEGA didn't want to deviate too far from the original game. Desert Dazzle was itself inspired by the scrapped Sonic 2 level Dust Hill, which is something the Sonic fangame/romhacking community has had a weird fixation on for ages, so it's kind of cool to see all those years of obsession finally form into something tangible.
HI KNUCKLES! BYE KNUCKLES! Knuckles shows up riding on the back of the plane! And then he's immediately knocked off by Heavy Magician, our next Hard Boiled Heavy opponent. I'm sure he'll be fine.
ACT 1 IS JUST SKY CHASE ZONE. That's it. Just Sky Chase Zone. You ride around on the airplane wings and jump into enemies and can spindash off the wings if you're not careful. And that's fine! Sky chase is pretty cool.
WELL OKAY THEY ALSO ADDED A LITTLE BIT IN THE MIDDLE WHERE TAILS DROPS SONIC OFF ON SOME KIND OF ROBOTNIKTRAIN. I love Robotnik's little conductor's hat, and I flip the fuck out over how the light on the train is a reference to the lights scattered around Spring Yard, but when I try to point it out I repeatedly say Star Light instead, because I'm an idiot.
OH ALSO I GET THE LAST CHAOS EMERALD. So I guess I can now turn into super sonic or whatever who cares. I'm still thinking about that light. Man, that light is cool.
ACT 1'S BOSS IS AN ENORMOUS CATERKILLER, BECAUSE MAGIC. It's a fun idea and it looks cool as hell, but the actual fight can be kind of frustrating. The way it scales as it jumps in and out of the background makes it difficult to know when you can actually score hits on it, and you inevitably spend just a little too much time waiting around for it to jump into place. But wait, didn't I just get Super Sonic? Surely nothing could go wrong if I quickly transform and cheese the boss that way! This could not possibly backfire!
LOLDEAD. Aahahahahahahhah oh my gog that backfired so hard ahahahahah holy shit
ANYWAYS THEN I GET BACK TO THE BOSS AND BEAT IT PROPERLY. The reward for doing so is probably my favorite end-of-act cutscene in the game, what with the sign landing on Heavy Magician's magnificent top hat, and how a popgun shot from a suspiciously familiar-looking weasel turns the Tornado into a burning wreck plummeting to earth. This is a fun game, you guys.
ACT 2 IS AN ACTUAL SONIC LEVEL. It's one with a ton of awesome little touches like the loops made out of sand that crumble into dust after you run around them, the giant cartoon handguns, the spray bottles that temporarily create bridges made of water you can run down, and the little bar areas complete with spinning barstools. Sadly I rush past almost all of it and make it to the boss in record time.
THE ACT 2 BOSS IS OUR THIRD HARD-BOILED HEAVY FIGHT! Heavy Magician turns herself into various characters from that weird Sonic fighting game, and can only be hurt after you knock her back into her base form, and only for like a second before she retreats back to her Magic Box. Super Sonic makes short work of her.
POST-LEVEL CUTSCENES ARE BACK! Sonic jumps into a giant gun, and gets fired off into the distance, landing near some sort of massive industrial complex! What could this be? Find out... next time!

FanboyMaster: This sort of level could only exist in the fashion that it does when it's made by someone who's obsessed with Sonic 2 Betas. Like, it clearly has Dusty Desert DNA in it.
MuteKi: Oh yeah.
BEAT: The Sonic 2 Beta... I'm not sure if there's any word for it other than thirst? Yeah, thirst is a good word.
FanboyMaster: People are horny on main for the Sonic 2 Beta.
BEAT: Back in the 90s? They absolutely were!

BEAT · #23 03-28-2018, 04:09 PM

SONIC MANIA 09

OIL OCEAN ZONE
CAPTAIN PLANET VILLAINS.
FanboyMaster - GoggleBob

Quote:

Originally Posted by madhair60

NOTES

OIL OCEAN IS ANOTHER SONIC 2 LEVEL. The original version is probably one of the most disliked levels by series fans in the whole game. I get the feeling the devs knew this, because when it came time to add new elements for Act 2 they went straight for Sandopolis's timed switches, which are often cited as the worst part of S3&K. It's like they wanted to really double down on making this level the one the nerds would would scream "ruined the game". Well joke's on them, because I really like all those levels, and I happy for Mania's crazy mashup take on them! Eat it nerds!
"YOU GUYS CAN RESUME TALKING ABOUT WILD ARMS, LIKE YOU DO." Did you know that Gogglebob is doing a Let's Play of Wild Arms 2? It's really good! You should read it!
THE FIRE SHIELD CAN NOW SET THE OIL ON FIRE! YOU CAN SET EVERYTHING ON FIRE! FIRE GOOD EVERYONE LOVE FIRE! BEST GAME EVER!
SHOUT OUTS TO SOYSUS15! I can't remember the last time I actually had viewers on a recording that weren't also on the call. Hi SoySus15! What's good?!
THIS WAS RECORDED THE DAY AFTER SONIC MANIA PLUS GOT ANNOUNCED. Seriously, what the fuck are they gonna do with Mighty and Ray? I mean, mighty is just a sprite edit of Sonic! I guess Ray could conceivably glide, but that just make him Knuckles, but without an excuse to have him crash through walls! Where the fuck are they going with this?!
THE ACT 1 BOSS IS SOME ROBOT NERD WITH A WRENCH. I cheese him with Super Sonic before he can even finish his first attack cycle. Supposedly his design is a reference to Mushroom Hill's Valley's act 1 boss, but I just don't see the resemblance. I do however read the massive wall of flame that goes up after beating him as a pretty clear reference to the way Angel Island gets torched, where I'm sure some people would just see, you know, fire, so maybe the problem is on my end.
ACT 2 INTRODUCES THE TIMER SWITCHES I MENTIONED WAY BACK IN THE FIRST BULLET POINT. Basically the stage will get more and more dark and cloudy over time untill it hits MAXIMUM CLOUDY, at which point you can barely see anything. This also causes your ring count to go down at a rate of one per second, because reasons. To clear the air and reset the timer, hit any of the random switches scattered about the stage. I personally think it adds a fun element of tension to the stage, but apparently that's a minority opinion.
FANBOY DROPS SOME SICC KNOWLEDGE ON THE RELEASE HISTORY OF SONIC GAMES. Did you know Mighty and Ray actually predate Knuckles? And that Sonic CD was originally planned to be released before Sonic 2? Knowledge is power!
SUBMARINES IN THE OIL WHY NOT. Because why wouldn't you want an Oil Submarine for your ocean of oil!?! This is a fun video game you guys.
THE ACT 2 BOSS IS A PRETTY COOL VARIATION ON THE ONE IN OIL OCEAN CLASSIC. It keeps the laser gun and the thrown... claw... thing from the original, but now the platforms you could stand on periodically get dragged under and you gotta act fast or get pulled down with them. Also, it added the ball-shaped turrets on the way high tentacles from the Lava Reef Act 1 boss! Also, Eggman traded out his submarine thing for a giant robot octopus head and oh my god you guys I love this game.
THE POST-LEVEL CUTSCENE IS CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT. AGAIN. Like, how cool would it have been if Robotnik's exploding octopus robot set off a chain reaction that caused the entire refinery to explode, blowing Sonic and Tails all the way to the next level!? What's with this fade to black bullshit? You got my hopes up too high, Sonic Mania. You got my hopes too high.

BEAT: [FUMBLES OVER WORDS LIKE A MORON] Shut up! I'm drunk.
FanboyMaster: You're not even drunk yet! You don't get to say that!
BEAT: I'm working on it! It's a work in progress.
FanboyMaster: "Working on it" isn't the same as "already drunk"!
BEAT: Okay like, does a writer say they're not a writer until they've finished their book?!
FanboyMaster: Excuse me I'm just going to say, you've just said the equivalent of saying "Don't worry I can drive." "You have a license?" "I'm working on it!"

muteKi · #24 03-28-2018, 05:30 PM

Also fun (just reading the description, haven't seen the video) sonic history fact: Sonic CD was initially described as being an enhanced port to Sega CD of the original Sonic 1. Judging by a number of segments that are almost as close to the original Sonic 1 layouts in that game as the layouts in this game as they are to their source, I'd buy that was actually the plan (rather than some magazine editor misunderstanding a brief exchange from the floor of a trade show as sometimes happens). Presumably the project just kept getting features added and levels revised until it became a new game a la Mario vs. Donkey Kong (compared to Donkey Kong '94 for original GB).

madhair60 · #25 03-28-2018, 06:21 PM

Even though I'm saying little, I'm enjoying this LP

BEAT · #26 03-29-2018, 12:20 PM

SONIC MANIA 10

LAVA REEF ZONE
VOLCANOLOGISTS
GoggleBob - FanboyMaster

I can't think of anything clever to write here because I keep thinking back to how I went to Hawaii with my wife and we walked through a bunch of lava tubes. Man, lava tubes are so fucking cool. You don't even know.

NOTES

LAVA REEF COMES FROM SONIC & KNUCKLES. The original is one of my all-time favorite Sonic levels. Mania's re-creation of it is a damn fine re-imagining that adds plenty of welcome elements, most notably a rising lava room challenge straight from Hill Top and loads of switch-controlled conveyor belts from Quartz Quadrant. That said part of the reason I love the original so much is the way it builds up the feeling of getting closer and closer to the Death Egg, which is something Mania's version can't recreate. It's a minor gripe, and not something that could be fixed without forcing the devs to make an entirely different game, but I the whole level just has a little less OOMPH as a result.
SOME PARTS OF THIS LEVEL AREN'T UNDERGROUND. As in you can see the sky and mountains in the background and stuff. That's a pretty great little touch!
TINY LOOPS? So the devs wanted to add loops to Laval reef (the original didn't have any) but instead of just making one, they decided to base them off the ones found in Endless Mine, which is one of the courses in Sonic 3's multiplayer race mode! Said 2-player mode featured half-sized graphics for everything, so Lava Reef gets half-sized loops!
ACT 1 BOSS IS AN ARMORED VERSION OF THE DRILL-BOT FROM THE ORIGINAL LAVA REEF. To beat him you gotta get him to hurt himself with lava geysers a few times to make him lose a layer of armor, at which point you can start hitting him. Or you can just cheese him with Super Sonic, as I do. Also, fun fact: you never actually fight this particular robot In OG Lava Reef! The in-game reason is because it destroys itself by falling into lava midway through the stage, but the real reason is because you already fought it way back in Marble Garden! Yeah it's the same robot, just got a little upgrade!
ACT 2 TRADES OUT LAVA TUBES FOR CRYSTAL CAVES, JUST LIKE IN THE ORIGINAL. That said unlike in the original, the two are separated by a little cutscene where sonic goes deeper underground on one of those spindash elevator things. This is purely my bias talking, but I kind of prefer the original transition, where you just walk a little to the right and crash right into this totally different environment, like it was there the whole time. Also dam, that has to be the nit-pickiest thing I've ever written.
HEY, GUESS WHICH LP COMMENTARY TEAM IS TALKING ABOUT GOGDAM DRAGONBALL AGAIN?! WHAT'S THAT YOU SAY? YOU THINK IT'S US? HMPH, LUCKY GUESS.
LAVA REEF ACT 2 ALWAYS LOOKED COOL, BUT IN SONIC MANIA IT LOOKS EVEN COOLER. There's much more machinery installed into the environment in this version than in the regular version, but it fits in really nicely. Also when you get to catch a glimpse into the distant background you can see all kinds of awesome details that weren't present before, such as an enormous power plant built on top of the magma that makes up the floor. Also when you get near the top of the level you can see the giant holes in the ceiling, one of which was left by the Death Egg in S3&K. from most angles, all you can see through them is the night sky, but near the end of the level you can catch a glimpse of Sonic CD's the Little Planet and OMG THIS GAME YOU GUYS.
LOLDEAD. Right around 8:50 I mistime a jump and get crushed between some moving blocks. I think this is only my third death in the entire playthrough! Pretty damn good considering I'm ME hahahahah BEAT sucks at video games.
THE ACT 2 BOSS IS OUR FOURTH HARD-BOILED HEAVY FIGHT. Heavy Rider crusies around it's boss arena on a jumping motobug, swinging around her giant chainspike and doing sick jumps off ramps. She's one of the more frustrating fights thanks to her relatively difficult-to-hit hitbox, but only if you don't cheese her with Super Sonic which, spoiler alert, I totally do. Honestly though, I kind of wish I'd taken the long way to beat her, so I could have caught some of her more rediculous patterns, like when she jumps over a pillar of fire, causing an unseen crowd to scream "YAY" and throw confetti. Guess I'll have to save that one for my inevitable Mania Plus encore mode playthrough.
ALSO I GOTTA POINT OUT THE MOST GENUINELY TOUCHING EASTER EGG. Sonic Mania's digital manual describes Heavy Rider as "A thrill-seeking robot that pulls of daring stunts. Better watch out for her dangerous jumps and her trusted Motobug, Jimmy." While one might be tempted to write that off as the manual writer giving a robot beetle a cute name, the entire boss is actually a digital memorial to Polygon Jim, a member of the Sonic Hacking community who was tragically killed in a car accident in 2013. He was best known in the scene for his hack Motobug the Badnik in Sonic the Hedgehog, which all of Sonic Mania Jimmy's animations are based off on. It's a beautiful little gesture that doesn't detract from anyone's game experience, but allowed the developers to say how much their departed friend meant to them, and was received joyfully by Jimmy's Survivors.
Rest in Peace Polygon Jim. You were, and still are, dearly loved.

BEAT: Like, what are they even gonna do with Mighty [in Sonic Mania Plus]? Why?
FanboyMaster: Uh... He will spread leprosy?
BEAT: I mean- You've been talking about leprosy a lot today! Why is leprosy on your mind?
FanboyMaster: You keep bringing up armadillos!
GoggleBob: Do not touch Mighty.
FanboyMaster: Please do not touch Mighty.
BEAT [Genuinely shocked]: Is that what armadillos do?!

BEAT · #27 03-29-2018, 03:39 PM

SONIC MANIA 11

METALLIC MADNESS ZONE
MEDDLING MISCREANTS
FanboyMaster - GoggleBob

Miniature mammals meander and make their merry way through a menacing maze of misfortune, motivated by their massive dislike of the malajusted malcontent on the other end.

NOTES

METALLIC MADNESS IS FROM SONIC CD. Truth time: I honestly have no idea how close or far this version of the level diverges from the original. I haven't played Sonic CD nearly as much as I have the Genesis Games, and very few parts of this level immediately struck me as obvious references to other Sonic levels. Gogglebob and Fanboy mention Scrap Brain and Metropolis as a possible influences, and you can definitely see the resemblance with the buzz saws and spinning platforms, but I'm pretty sure those were all elements in the original to begin with.
OF ALL THE LEVELS IN SONIC MANIA, I PROBABLY LIKE THIS ONE THE LEAST. It's still fun to play, because all of Mania's are fun to play. I also still absolutely love all the delightful little touches and details, because Mania is super fucking good at that shit. But if one level has to be the dreaded unfavorite, then this is the one.
ACT 1'S NEW GIMMICK IS PARTS OF THE STAGE THAT THROW SONIC WAY INTO THE BACKGROUND LAYERS. Sonic Retro claims this is a callback to Sky Babylon from Sonic Rush Adventure on the Nintendo DS. Don't get me wrong, I love the Rush series with all my heart, no lie, but I'd be just as willing to believe that Mania's devs just came up with that gimmick on their own instead of it being a deliberate reference. 2007 is just a little too far away on the timeline.
THE ACT 1 BOSS SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZABLE. It's basically a completely recreation of Sonic 1's final boss, only with one extra piston and a slightly more hectic second phase. If the acts in this zone are taking it easy on references to the series's history, the bosses are picking up the slack.
ACT 2 BRINGS BACK THE LASER THAT MAKES YOU TINY. The laser that makes you tiny serves no real pressing purpose other than allowing you to play as the continue icon. It's the dumbest gameplay addition any series has ever had in the history of ever. It's so stupid, which also makes it so awesome. I fucking love it.
THERE ARE ALSO SEGMENTS THAT SPIN YOU INTO LIKE, A BACKGROUND LAYER OR SOMETHING. Not the far background that we saw in act one, they just you'll be behind a little wall for a screen or two, and then you gotta find another spinny thing so you can play the same few screens again in front of the wall. They're kind of annoying, but also very forgettable, so whatever.
TINY SUPER SONIC! ғᴜᴄᴋ ʏᴇᴀ ʟᴇᴛ's ɢᴏ ғᴀsᴛ
THE ACT 2 BOSS IS JUST WONDERFUL. It's a capsule machine, and every time you spin the crank a toy enemy comes out! There's a toy Emerald Hill boss and a toy Marble Zone boss and a toy Amy Rose who counts as a boss because Sonic hates her and oh man this fucking game you guys!

GoggleBob: Yeah that Robotnik juggling thing.
FanboyMaster: He loves it. It's his second love. His second career: juggling.
BEAT: That's his third career! his second career is a carny.
FanboyMaster: I feel like that's his first career.
BEAT: You think that like, the scientist thing is just something he does on the side?
FanboyMaster: The scientist thing is just something he does so he can make the frickin' amusement park!

muteKi · #28 03-29-2018, 04:14 PM

Metallic Madness is by far the weakest stage -- it's one of the more frustrating to play due to how cramped most of the pathways are, it's based on a level that we've already gotten the chance to play on modern(ish) home consoles since Sonic CD actually got a round of ports outside of mobile unlike Sonic 1 and 2, and also tends to bump up conceptually with all the other "Robotnik's Iron Fortress" stages we've seen in the game (Chemical Plant, Flying Battery, Oil Ocean) so it winds up feeling the most redundant.

On the other hand, TINY SONIC

SoySus15 · #29 03-29-2018, 10:25 PM

The whole jumping into the background mechanic reminds me a great deal of those sections in Donkey Kong Country: Returns. I think it's a neat idea, being able to interact with the foreground and background.

fanboymaster · #30 03-30-2018, 05:53 PM

Wahey what's this

probably unrelated