What if instead of Sonic Mania

[CupCupBaconBox]

It was called Monic Sania? hahaha

[Miraglyth]

[Crashed]

Originally posted by CupCupBaconBox:

It was called Monic Sania? hahaha

There are cut files in the game .rsdk that indicate the game's working title was Sonic Discovery.

[Axanery]

Originally posted by Crashed:

Originally posted by CupCupBaconBox:

It was called Monic Sania? hahaha

There are cut files in the game .rsdk that indicate the game's working title was Sonic Discovery.

That's not just speculation from the RSDK. It was literally confirmed by numerous places, specifically the Sonic Mania Dev Diary.

[matohin]

Stop it. Get some help.

[deadPan]

knuckles & knuckles

[mjc0961]

Real talk: it should have been called Sonic 4.

Yeah, there's already a DIMPS abomination by that name, but if we can have two DOOMs, two Ratchet and Clanks, and two Tomb Raiders just to name a few, then we can have two Sonic 4s. And unlike that DIMPS rubbish, Sonic Mania really is Sonic 4 as we truly imagined it.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by mjc0961:

Real talk: it should have been called Sonic 4.

Yeah, there's already a DIMPS abomination by that name, but if we can have two DOOMs, two Ratchet and Clanks, and two Tomb Raiders just to name a few, then we can have two Sonic 4s. And unlike that DIMPS rubbish, Sonic Mania really is Sonic 4 as we truly imagined it.

Actually no. Advance is closer to Sonic 4. Mania would have been if it wasn’t tied to nostalgia and reused levels, because the few new levels are great.

[Miraglyth]

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Actually no. Advance is closer to Sonic 4.

That's going to be an unpopular opinion. The Advance series diverges on the art style, the character design (though "classic Sonic" wasn't renewed as a character until Generations, after all Advance titles and 4), the movement physics, the level design and the use of a few more buttons for character abilities, team abilities and tricks.

Rather than being tied to nostalgia, Mania consciously decided to iterate with 2 and 3 as the basis. So we got the drop dash, we got 60 FPS and a 16:9 aspect ratio, but we kept the physics, the remastered sprites and I think even the screen pixel height. This is what a sequel does.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Miraglyth:

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Actually no. Advance is closer to Sonic 4.

That's going to be an unpopular opinion. The Advance series diverges on the art style, the character design (though "classic Sonic" wasn't renewed as a character until Generations, after all Advance titles and 4), the movement physics, the level design and the use of a few more buttons for character abilities, team abilities and tricks.

Rather than being tied to nostalgia, Mania consciously decided to iterate with 2 and 3 as the basis. So we got the drop dash, we got 60 FPS and a 16:9 aspect ratio, but we kept the physics, the remastered sprites and I think even the screen pixel height. This is what a sequel does.

Mania is closer in mechanics but then it decides to reuse old zones because Izuka can’t let go of the past (and Wisps apparently). Advance doesn’t have better level design, but it was clearly trying to evolve with the series. Adding Amy as playable, giving characters new moves, changing the art style.

[Miraglyth]

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Mania is closer in mechanics but then it decides to reuse old zones

Sonic 3 reused Death Egg Zone. I guess Advance is closer to Sonic 3 than Sonic 3 was.

Wait, Advance reused Angel Island Zone. I guess Sonic 4 is closer to Sonic 3 than both Sonic 3 AND the Advance series.

Sonic 4 is the true Sonic 3.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Miraglyth:

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Mania is closer in mechanics but then it decides to reuse old zones

Sonic 3 reused Death Egg Zone. I guess Advance is closer to Sonic 3 than Sonic 3 was.

Wait, Advance reused Angel Island Zone. I guess Sonic 4 is closer to Sonic 3 than both Sonic 3 AND the Advance series.

Sonic 4 is the true Sonic 3.

That doesn’t count because the Death Egg in Sonic 2 was only the final boss battles. In Sonic 3, the Death Egg is unrecognizable inside and is an actual zone. There is also the art style. Sonic 3 is an evolution of previous games in graphics, Advance kept changing the style to fit modern standards. Mania goes back to pixel art for nostalgia. A hand drawn Rayman Legends style or full HD 2.5 D game would have fit standards much more

[Miraglyth]

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

There is also the art style. Sonic 3 is an evolution of previous games in graphics, Advance kept changing the style to fit modern standards. Mania goes back to pixel art for nostalgia.

I'm seeing a very clunky definition for this idea of "more like a sequel". It's got to be like the previous game/s, but not too much like them or it doesn't count for some reason?

Yes Mania plays to nostalgia. It had been like 12 years since even the Advance series. That doesn't mean it's "less like a Sonic 4". It just means that after a longer gap there's more need to stick closer to the point at which it wants to continue from which - was explicitly stated to be 3&K.

With a team of basically fans there was also merit to proving they could nail the old formula in the form of a full game - which they absolutely did. If there is a Mania 2 in the works this would be the chance for them to make more dramatic refinements to that.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Miraglyth:

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

There is also the art style. Sonic 3 is an evolution of previous games in graphics, Advance kept changing the style to fit modern standards. Mania goes back to pixel art for nostalgia.

I'm seeing a very clunky definition for this idea of "more like a sequel". It's got to be like the previous game/s, but not too much like them or it doesn't count for some reason?

Yes Mania plays to nostalgia. It had been like 12 years since even the Advance series. That doesn't mean it's "less like a Sonic 4". It just means that after a longer gap there's more need to stick closer to the point at which it wants to continue from which - was explicitly stated to be 3&K.

With a team of basically fans there was also merit to proving they could nail the old formula in the form of a full game - which they absolutely did. If there is a Mania 2 in the works this would be the chance for them to make more dramatic refinements to that.

I give Mania an art style pass since it was made as a fan project at first so hey didn’t originally have a budget. But it isn’t an excuse for reused zones. The reason Death Egg didn’t count is because the Sonic 3 revolves around it being fixed and it’s he first time we got to actually explore more than 2 rooms. Advance doesn’t reuse any zones and has more originality. Sonic 2, and 3 didn’t feel the need to reuse zones for nostalgia. Mania 2 should be all original. That would be great.

[Miraglyth]

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

I give Mania an art style pass ... Advance doesn’t reuse any zones

If NEO Green Hill Zone using a new imitation tile set (largely due to the smaller screen resolution) instead of a remastered one is that important to you, that's your choice. I'm not sure it's one many will agree with.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Miraglyth:

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

I give Mania an art style pass ... Advance doesn’t reuse any zones

If NEO Green Hill Zone using a new imitation tile set (largely due to the smaller screen resolution) instead of a remastered one is that important to you, that's your choice. I'm not sure it's one many will agree with.

Neon Green Hill is closer to Emerald Coast as a beach level. It does share things with Green Hill but it’s also the first 2D Beach level in a Sonic Game. Compare that with Chemical Plant again, or Green Hill again.