Sega’s flagship franchise has undergone something of an identity crisis in recent years, with the critically panned Sonic Boom spinoff series encapsulating all that has been wrong with the blue hedgehog in the 21st century. Convoluted gameplay, poor character development and lackluster visuals have sadly been a staple of the franchise ever since the demise of the Dreamcast. With that in mind, it has been little wonder that long-suffering fans of the iconic character have long been calling for a return to his 1990s glory days. For their part, Sega has attempted to appease them over the past few years, with Sonic Generations and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 being released with fan service at the forefront of their mind.
However, following a mixed critical reception for such titles, the Japanese gaming giant eventually relented to the most popular request of all: to create a game in the same style and tone as the original Genesis trilogy, with the gameplay engine and visuals to match. Employing the services of longtime fan community members Christian “The Taxman” Whitehead and Simon “Stealth” Thomley as developers, Sega unveiled upcoming cross-platform title Sonic Mania last summer, a 2D side-scrolling platform game set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the blue hedgehog by revisiting the acclaimed gameplay and visual style of the initial titles in the franchise.
In addition to a number of new stages, Sonic Mania will also see the return of some classic stages – albeit in a “remixed” form. With Flying Battery Zone and Green Hill Zone already being announced for the title, today we’re taking a look at three levels we’d most like to see return for the nostalgia-filled game of the summer.
Chemical Plant Zone
Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s Chemical Plant Zone is arguably one of the most memorable levels from the initial Genesis series. Set in a futuristic, industrial city, the stage is one of the better paced in Sonic history, with fast-paced loop-de-loops and manic tube transportation sections giving way to delicate platforming segments later on in which the player is forced to precariously traverse moving blocks. Blue sludge and mechanical enemies present challenging obstacles, while the perilous rising pink chemical waters – especially in act two – provide Sonic with an ever-present drowning risk and are a perfect step up from the relative comfort of Emerald Hill Zone.
Chemical Plant Zone was one of the first Sonic stages to effectively make use of multiple branching routes, with players being rewarded for finding one of the numerous hidden shortcuts or taking the slightly riskier, albeit quicker, route through either act. The end-of-level boss fight, featuring danger from both Robotnik and the ground itself, is one of the finest of the Genesis era – although perhaps a little too easy once you worked out the basic strategy to defeat him – with the stage’s iconic music being amongst many players’ favorite tracks from the series.
Casino Night Zone
Players were spoiled for choice in terms of memorable levels in Sonic 2, with Casino Night Zone also representing one the series’ greatest ever stages. Taking place on a neon-filled night-time casino strip – clearly inspired by Las Vegas – the level is largely remembered for its pinball-esque segments, with giant bumpers and flippers being used to launch Sonic around the sprawling stage. Casino Night Zone also plays host to a number of slot machines, which can either provide Sonic with various jackpots of rings or see him lose them to Dr Robotnik.
The casino trope has remained endearingly popular in video games, particularly buoyed in recent years by the rise of online casinos. For example, casino information and comparison site Casino UK collates the best online casino offers and welcome bonuses, with the 43 sites it provides reviews for going some way to illustrate the popularity of casino gaming in the present day. Casino Night Zone has gone on to influence a number of other game developers since its first appearance in 1992, with the most recent example being Yooka-Laylee’s inclusion of the Capital Cashino level, a stage clearly inspired by the music, gameplay and visuals of Sega’s classic.
Ice Cap Zone
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is widely regarded as one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time, and stages such as Ice Cap Zone went a long way to cementing its place in gaming history. The first winter-themed Sonic level, Ice Cap Zone has it all: a fantastic soundtrack, cutesy but deadly penguin enemies, slick platforming – not to mention a snowboarding section. Rather than taking place in one location throughout the stage as with previous titles, Ice Cap alternates between an Alps-inspired mountainside and beautiful wintry ice cave throughout its two acts.
With added touches like item boxes and switches being hidden within frozen icicles, along with the usual spikes giving way to sharpened stalagmites, Ice Cap Zone successfully immerses the player to an extent no Sonic stage that came either before or after has arguably managed to achieve. Ice Cap also features a number of hidden passages and caverns, with players often being rewarded with access to a Special Stage or extra lives. The stage also features memorable and challenging sub and main bosses, and presents the perfect opportunity for players to hone their skills prior to Sonic 3’s final level.
With a number of iconic stages to select from the original Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, narrowing our list down to three entries was no easy feat. It will be interesting to see if the Sonic Mania development team ultimately decide to include any, or all, of these stages – and how they plan to “remix” them in new ways.
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