SDCC 2017: A Blast From The Past! ‘Sonic Mania’ Panel Recap!

Even though 2016 marked Sonic’s 25th anniversary, it’s 2017 that’s really the year of Sonic.

We’re not only getting one, but TWO Sonic games this year. One of them is the next 3D entry titled Sonic Forces, but the other has much more people talking. It’s a brand new 2D pixel art tribute to the blue blur’s early days. I’m of course talking about Sonic Mania. I got the chance to play Mania at E3 this year and really enjoyed. Now just 3 weeks out from release, Sonic Mania is speeding toward the finish line with one final stop to make in the form of San Diego Comic-Con. I was lucky enough to get invited to the panel, and it didn’t disappoint. 

Moderated by everyone’s favorite video game Social Media, Aaron Webber took to the stage to introduce the panel for the evening which included Takashi Iizuka (Head of Sonic Team), Christian Whitehead (Lead Dev & Programmer), Tee Lopes (Composer), Tom Fry (Art Director), and Simon Thomley (Programmer). After everyone was introduced, they went on to talk about the origins of the game. Sonic Mania began development in early 2016 and was code-named Sonic Discovery.

They were very nervous about initially presenting the game to Iizuka, but after they showed him Studiopolis Zone, Iizuka absolutely  loved it. He had always wanted to make another 2D Sonic game, and after seeing what was presented to him, he had great faith that the team would do it justice. He even went as far as to pull out a whiteboard and write it’s name right besides the original 3, and Knuckles. And so, Sonic Mania was born!

Next, the team moved onto programming. They talked about how they loved chronicling their favorite glitches as they made the game. They started making a top 10 list, but that quickly expanded to 20, and then 30, etc. They even showcased some of them. One was of Tails stuck in the ground, and another one called to mind the infinite Knuckles jump from Sonic Boom. Then Webber presented his favorite of all the glitches, and that was this.

 Next, Tom and Tee talked for a bit about their contributions and history with Sonic. Tom talked about how Mania was his first time spiriting for a game. He stated that even though the game is meant to be a send-up to the Genesis era of Sonic, the game is a bit beefier than that and would need something more along the lines of the Sega Saturn to run it. Tom had always wanted a Sonic game for the Saturn, and said that the designs for the characters are what he’d think they’d look like on that console.

Tee also commented about how he wanted the Saturn, but had to keep his good grades in school according to his dad. He ended up maintaining the grades, but found out that his dad accidentally bought him a Sega Master System instead. No need for disappointment, this sparked his love for the hedgehog! 

Finally, they decided to end the panel with 3 big bangs! The first was our first look at the special stages! No longer will fans have to suffer through the dreaded half pipe, but instead a revised version of the UFO from Sonic CD. There’s now only one UFO, and to catch him, you must collect blue orbs to increase your speed. Once you reach Mach 3, you’ll be able to catch him. Rings are also very important as they extend the time that you can be in the area. 

The next 2 things were also big surprises for fans. Remember that awesome Pre-order trailer  a couple of months back? Turns out that the same guy who made that trailer also made an intro for the game in the same Sonic CD style! Finally, the 3rd and final reveal was that the dev crew created a special introduction manual for the game, and everyone at the panel got a copy of it! What a great way to celebrate 26 years of everyone’s favorite blue Hedgehog. The best part is that this is only a pit stop. We’re still 3 weeks out from the main course. Sonic Mania will release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC on August 15th.