Sonic Mania’s bonus stages are nostalgic as heck

The spheres are back!

When we got word that special stages would return for Sonic Mania, I tried to name my favorite type and came up short. I couldn’t name a winner, even just taking the classic games into consideration. I liked each of the special stages for different reasons. Turns out Sonic Mania is not only doing Sonic CD-style 3D running stages, but also bonus stages that look straight out of Sonic 3. That’s so great!

Love ’em or hate ’em, the blue and red spheres are back. They’re tricky little suckers, especially when you’re only a handful of spheres away from reaching the goal and your nerves start getting the better of you. “Where the hell are they? I’ve looked everywhere!” It’s such a good feeling when you finally track down that last set, collect them all, and get the eff out of there. You can breathe again.

As a lapsed fan, it sure is nice to be genuinely excited about a Sonic game.