Sonic Mania ANALYSIS - Release Date Reveal Trailer (Secrets & Hidden Details)

Sonic Mania finally has an official release date thanks to its newest trailer.
And while this trailer could be considered short, especially on gameplay footage, it
perfectly captures the pure fun aesthetic of Sonic the Hedgehog and his world.
So we can’t wait.
It’s time to break out the old Analysis Machine to see what secrets and hidden details
this trailer holds.
So let’s get right to it.
The first bit of gameplay we see is in Mirage Saloon Zone.
But before we even begin, we just have to marvel at how sharp this game looks.
You can see the details of a huge gathering of rocks in the desert leading out to a set
of plateaus.
Looking good is nothing new for Mania, but we still wanted to highlight it.
That’s not to say there’s nothing new here as we can see that Sonic is being chased
by a new kind of Roller Badnik.
This one is quite a bit different though, besides the red paintjob.
The Roller looks to be chasing Sonic through the level which may be its gimmick.
After all, we can see that less than 20 seconds has passed since it began.
It seems a little intense for something so early.
Especially since it even goes through the loop with Sonic.
But he is able to throw it off his trail, at least temporarily, as he completes the
loop and it collapses into sand, giving Sonic a chance to get ahead.
But the scene then shifts to show Tails and Knuckles in this same section, except the
time is over 50 seconds.
That’s a pretty big difference for so early in the level, but the two of them might’ve
spent more time exploring since they can fly and climb respectively.
But the Roller is still after them as we see it attack Sonic, but a last second jump actually
prevents damage.
Instead, it throws off the Roller and causes it to unfurl.
We wonder if Sonic could then turn around and finish it off or if it would return to
its ball form too quickly for this tactic.
Unfortunately we don’t see any more of it, but we do see a Caterkiller-like Badnik pop
in from above indicating that there’s likely some kind of upper path to find.
Before we move on though, we wanted to return to that loop.
It’s obviously made of sand thanks to its eventual collapse, but it’s also designed
a bit like a totem pole with bird figurines at the top.
More interesting though is the pair of ring monitors.
Strangely, the right monitor’s screen begins to flicker and get fuzzy as Sonic runs past.
Is it possible that it’s actually a mirage?
I mean, it would fit the name of the Zone.
Although we do see other levels from the game, it’s mostly things we’ve seen before,
with the exception of the newly revealed Stardust Speedway from Sonic CD.
The level has seen a pretty major overall with plants overrunning the entirety of the
Zone.
And they’re not all nice as there’s a hedgehog-eating plant front and center that
Sonic just jumps over, which could mean that it’s invulnerable or at the very least,
you don’t want to get anywhere near those teeth and are better off attacking from behind.
What we want to know is what the heck is this thing?
It has some huge eyes and looks like kind of a bird.
It also has some kind of afterimage behind it, but we have no idea what its significance
could be.
Maybe it’s just a really freaky animal that Sonic rescued from a Badnik.
We really don’t know.
But we do see another Badnik as Sonic continues on, this one shaped like some kind of bug
though there’s nothing else to note about it.
More interesting is the metallic object on the ground that seems to act as a kind of
boost pad though its design is quite different.
It almost seems like some kind of gun or cannon as we can see a bullet casing pop out.
That in itself is a bit weird since it looks nothing like a gun or cannon, but that shape
is definitely a casing.
For the rest of Stardust Speedway, we can see random overgrown vines nearby as well
as city lights in the distance alongside a Greek-like building that rests a little closer.
There are even instruments lining the platforms like before although this time it’s a harp.
Finally, as Sonic runs through this loop, we can see a spring on the left side that
likely leads to a new area.
Above is a pair of animal statues with a spring vine from Sonic 3 & Knuckles’ Mushroom Hill
Zone that will probably flip Sonic forward as he runs across it.
We can’t say we ever expected it to return in Stardust Speedway!
It’s not just Sonic we’ll be playing as in Mania though.
We see both Tails and Knuckles in action doing what they do best, but it’s also incredible
to see just how fast Knuckles is moving through Studiopolis Zone.
Something must have really launched him.
Knuckles also has a funny moment within the trailer itself.
While it talks about how Sonic can run and Tails can fly, it also mentions how Knuckles
can climb with little addendums for both “& Glide” as well as “& Punch Too.”
It’s a little surprising how they didn’t add “& Knuckles.!”
Even better is how they follow this up with what appears to be his idle animations where
he punches the air before doing his laugh from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Tails’ big moment is this scene in what looks to be a trash compactor on Flying Battery
Zone.
Inside we can see broken monitors, Eggman signs, Grounders, Motobugs, Choppers, and
a few other Badniks.
Why would anyone want to through Tails in the trash?
That’s just not right.
But it does appear that this is the miniboss for Flying Battery, a kind of reference to
the Barrier Contraption Eggman used in both Sonic 2 and the original Flying Battery Zone.
It definitely has a different twist though we think we know how Tails will reach the
core to damage it.
There’s a Flicky flying past Tails indicating that other Badniks will likely be dropped
in here allowing the player to use them as a springboard to attack the core.
It really shows how Sonic Mania is classic Sonic with a clever new twist.
That’s not the only boss the trailer showed though as we saw Heavy Gunner’s fight in
Studiopolis.
This member of the Hard Boiled Heavies is riding on Eggman’s Eggmobile, which is currently
designed more like a helicopter with thin mech legs.
And while he’s hard to see, Eggman is indeed inside the vehicle.
We can just make out his red shirt and yellow lapel despite his face being covered.
That’s not a problem though as Sega has released official artwork of Sonic Mania’s
Eggman, and he’s pretty much what you’d expect.
As for Heavy Gunner, he’s flanked by 3 Egg Robos.
Two of them are carrying police billy clubs while the one in front has Heavy Gunner’s
rocket launcher that he eventually throws away and Heavy Gunner catches.
The flash that occurs seems designed to easily change Heavy Gunner’s model to holding the
weapon without having to animate the change.
As for the boss fight itself, we’re not sure if we’ll fight the other 3 Egg Robos,
but the Heavy Gunner seems like a fight on the run rather than something stationary.
Okay, we’re almost done here but there’s still a few fun things to note about the Sonic
animation.
For one, when it’s going through the process of drawing Sonic, it initially gives him bunny
ears which is a fun reference to Sonic being considered as a rabbit rather than a hedgehog
when Sega was designing him.
And at the end, when Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are entering the elevator, there are five
button choices: 1, 2, 3, K, and M. Or rather: Sonic 1, 2, 3, & Knuckles, and now Mania.
In addition, the panel’s speaker is shaped like an emerald while another emerald, perhaps
the Master Emerald, is on top, surrounded by half a ring.
Is this just a fun nod, or could the Master Emerald really be part of the game?
It’d be pretty awesome to see the return of Hyper Sonic, Super Tails, and Super Knuckles
though we’d also need the return of the Super Emeralds as well.
We’ll just have to wait and see, but it won’t be much longer as Sonic Mania is released
on August 15th.
This looks to be an amazing send-up of classic Sonic that we can’t wait to play.
Everything about this game just leaves us hyped.
Of course, let us know if we missed anything in the comments.
Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe to GameXplain for more on Sonic and other
things gaming.

Sonic Mania ANALYSIS - Release Date Reveal Trailer (Secrets & Hidden Details)

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