Sonic Mania Plus

Sonic Mania Plus returns the series to its roots as a two-dimensional platformer in the style of Sega Genesis games, with pixel-art graphics, fast pacing, and levels inspired by classic zones from the nineties, supplemented with new original sections and surprising boss fights. Mobile controls use virtual buttons for movement, jumping, and spin dash, which, with a bit of practice, works surprisingly accurately even without a physical gamepad, though the more demanding platforming sections noticeably benefit from support for an external controller connected via Bluetooth. The Plus version additionally adds the playable characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel with their own abilities, as well as a new Encore mode, which rearranges zones, changes the music, and adds extra lives.

The original 2017 game was created by a team of fan developers who had previously made a name for themselves modding old Sonic titles, and SEGA gave them the room to build an official continuation of the classic series with deep respect for the original design. The mobile port of the Plus version didn't arrive until 2023 as a paid app without ads, placing it alongside classic full-fledged ports rather than the modern free-to-play model common on mobile. Critics and fans alike embraced it as one of the best returns of the brand to its origins after years of experimenting with less successful 3D entries, and the mobile version let people without an old console rediscover this comeback too.

Why play: A great choice for fans of classic 2D Sonic who want an honest platformer without ads and can manage playing on touch buttons, ideally with a controller.