Sonic Mania (August 15th 2017, Christian Whitehead, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch) - The New Classic

[Salamander]

Thoughts from somebody slightly disappointed by the new footage:

From Mania's announcement, the existence of classic levels in the game is not the feature I have been most stoked for, not after Generations (which lest we forget was technically two games' worth of repetition, console and 3DS) and a general feeling that Sega has been milking the back catalogue a bit.  The reveal trailer sold me on a(nother) repeat of Green Hill because it had a flashy new miniboss as a clear statement of intent, and it's become clear since that Act 2 has a lot going on that has nothing to do with the original Green Hill, and later on we got that possibly ill-advised statement about Green Hill being the "tamest" revisit.  All well and good.  But that in turn meant that I kind of forgot that, yes, there will still be some very straight homages in this game, so looking upon Flying Battery Zone footage that bore a very strong resemblance to the original game felt like a letdown by comparison, even if in retrospect it's comparable to Green Hill Act 1.

With the recent Flying Battery footage, you have to bear in mind that, to the untrained eye, the graphics look exactly the same as those in the original game; to the untrained ear, the music sounds identical to the original.  I'm pretty sure I recognise half of those layouts as well, even if the latter half is more fresh (which maybe would have been a better note to start on).  I know that there are subtle refinements to the graphics and I assume the music has been remixed as well, but it's easy to look at a lot of that footage and think that I might as well just boot up my Sonic & Knuckles Collection.

I have recalibrated my expectations a little based on this, though.  The revelation especially that Mania was originally conceived of as a kind of best-of compilation of classic levels means that I have to start looking at sameness as the rule, not a deviation, and I have to tell myself that Act 2 will probably look less like something I've played before.  Still, though, I don't know if nostalgia is as effective a marketing tool when they're echoing the original so strongly.  Generations had to remake everything to modern graphical standards, so the classic levels in that were essentially new again.  Mania does its job perhaps a little too well sometimes.

A response to the question of "what were you expecting?": Strictly speaking, it is not my obligation to explain what my envisaging of a radical new take on Flying Battery Zone would look like.  That's the developers' job, and I'm not required to set out any expectations beyond a vaguely-defined "not exactly the same as what I've seen before."  But I will set out a few proposals regardless: Repaired Flying Battery; next-generation futuristic Flying Battery; night-time Flying Battery with floodlights and darkness gimmicks; low-flying Flying Battery actually attacking someplace.  Well, some of these could still happen in Act 2.

[Alienrun]

^ I'll attempt to play devil's advocate based on what @FFWF just said...

Basically, Flying Battery Zone looks more different than what Green Hill Zone Act 1 looks like in comparison to what the original looked like. (plus act 1 combines all the original acts.)

You also have to keep in mind that when the game was announced, we got to see ALL of Green Hill Act 1 shortly after.

With Flying battery they've only showed snipets of scenes which are SUPPOSED to look similar to the original for all intents and purposes. Honestly this is how you do nostalgia right, you tease it a bit, then you show the new stuff. (obviously if they wanted to surprise us they would have showed us act 2 lol)

So so far...I don't see anything to be disapointed with if you look at it mathematically.

Let me try to put it another way...

You say the untrained eye can't detect the diffrences...I don't see what your trying to get with this, as that's kind of the point of using the same zone, if it looked to different what would be the point? You'd be better off having a new zone.

Anyways...my main point is this. Green Hill Act 2 looks good, don't get me wrong. But as someone who REALLY likes Classic Sonic games, Green Hill act 1 looked a lot more interesting.

Of course my main thought was initially "why can't I just play the original instead of having new levels?" but aside from that it looks great. I liked seeing old level design reworked newly for a new game. It shows not only that the developers know how to make something look original but also feel original! It not only shows they are capable of making there own game...but they have a great understanding of what the orignal content was, and how to expand on that.

TL;DR if Green Hill act 1 looked like Green Hill...why would Flying battery not? Do you really want every level to look almost indistinguishable from its original counterpart?

Lastly (and I hate saying this) but we haven't seen the level itself in action the way its meant to be played, so there's that to consider.

 

Like you need to understand that I'm the kind of guy that usually doesn't tolerate fanservice, especially when its done cheaply...but this is THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THAT! It feels like the same level with new crap in it! (and on top of that act 2 will be completely different! It's the best of both worlds!)

 

Nevermind the fact that flying battery is one of the best sonic levels in existence! The real question is how are you not hyped?! lol

[Gemster312]

I don't get why people automatically assume that since old levels are being revisited, that they would be dramatically different.

When was that ever established?

This isn't sonic coming back to a zone 300 years after it has crashed and overgrew new looks.

They said re-imagined old stages. Key terms being "old stages". They aren't MAKING A NEW LEVEL BASED OFF AN OLD STAGE. They are literally bringing back an old stage, and changing some minor things to make it feel fresh and new WHILE STILL BEING TECHNICALLY THE SAME STAGE.

And please please PLEASE understand this: I get it that we want NEW STAGES, NEW LAYERS OF PAINT, NEW EVERYTHING, but that's not what these levels are meant to be. They are like "modded old stages". They aren't supposed to be 100% different with hints of old stages. Yes Green Hill Zone is the most tame. Flying Battery zone so far has been violently different (in terms of object placement and level design, even if some general route structure is pretty similar)

People need to stop confusing that "re-imagined" doesn't mean a whole new layer of paint, or a completely new stage.

We are getting FLYING BATTERY, not BROKEN BATTERY, not NIGHT BATTERY.

We are getting GREEN HILL, not BURNING HILL, not NIGHT HILL.

Yes, more original would be cooler. Did they ever claim that the REIMAGINED zones would be radically different AESTHETICALLY? No, they literally said the ZONES ARE RETURNING, not the theme. The level itself IS RETURNING, and things are being changed.

If you don't like it, that is your own fault for not listening to what's been told. They never promised brand new stages. They promised the return of SPECIFIC levels (layout, art, music, structure, etc included), with changes in them to make them FEEL and PLAY differently. Almost as if you found a "New Route" to the end of the original level.

[JosepHenry]

Oh, so people cannot dislike stuff in Mania?

[Gemster312]

1 minute ago, Joseph Mello said:

Oh, so people cannot dislike stuff in Mania?

People can dislike it, it just gets frustrating when people act like they have been lied to.

Complaining about how you are "disappointed" because you expected something that wasn't ever promised is different than just "disliking" something.

[Bobnik]

Just now, Joseph Mello said:

Oh, so people cannot dislike stuff in Mania?

Of course, why are you even asking that? 

 

On topic, I did like what was shown of Flying Battery and the the elctric shield interacting with a level layout is really cool, buuuuuuuut I feel a little bit of "I played this before, what's so different about it?" and I feel like I'll have this feeling while playing the game. I don't really want that. That said, it's Act 1, so I'll give it a pass. Now where's mah pre-order page so I can give money to Taxman

[JosepHenry]

I like everything of what I saw (Minus the remix), but I'm not going to ignore the problems that the game could have just because is Mania. Just saying.

[Gemster312]

Just now, Joseph Mello said:

I like everything of what I saw (Minus the remix), but I'm not going to ignore the problems that the game could have just because is Mania. Just saying.

And that's fair, I getcha, everything can (and should) be criticized.

I know Sonic Mania has things that aren't perfect, and that's totally fine to discuss them.

But it's like as if I assumed Sonic Mania will include "Labyrinth Zone" and then they claim it won't be in the game, yet every time they show footage that is not "Labyrinth Zone" I complain that Labyrinth Zone isn't in the game.

They made a claim -> Person misinterprets the claim -> Creators make it very apparent what they are doing -> Person continues to complain that their claim isn't coming true and thus feel disappointed and lied to.

Criticism of whats in the game and what could be in the game? Fair.
Criticism of something that was never promised and because of that you feel disappointed because you didn't understand what's exactly in the product and aren't bothering to take the time to figure out? Sad.

[Salamander]

Before I begin, I just want to state that I am and have always been a big supporter of Sonic Mania.  I wanted a new game in the classic style, and they are going to give that to me.  My sole complaint is that it doesn't go far enough.  I am grateful that it is already going farther than its initial proposal as a best-of compilation, but that does not mean that I am not able to regret that it was not proposed as and is not being created as an all-new game.

Now then:

38 minutes ago, Gemster312 said:

I don't get why people automatically assume that since old levels are being revisited, that they would be dramatically different.

When was that ever established?

For starters, right here in Exhibit A, emphasis mine:

Quote

"There will certainly be other re-imagined versions of levels that we’ve seen in previous Sonic games. There will also be levels you haven’t seen before or have been altered so much that they are almost completely unrecognizable"

-SEGA Product Manager, Jim Dyer, on Sonic Mania.  Source.

Exhibit B:

And for completeness's sake, Exhibit C:

Quote

"GHZ Act 1 is probably the tamest classic level of the lot"

-Christian "Taxman" Whitehead, Sonic Mania Programmer.  Source.

We have been promised classic levels which are "almost completely unrecognizable," we've been shown Green Hill Zone Act 2 with new level gimmicks, background features, and general setting adjustment, and we've been informed that GHZ Act 1 is relatively "tame" as a reworking (but not necessarily the tamest, so perhaps FBZ Act 1 has also had its claws clipped).  I believe that should be sufficient to defeat the claim that we were never told that old levels would be dramatically different; not only were we told it, we were shown an example of a classic level which has been redecorated.

Disappointment at the FBZ Act 1 trailer exists in the context of the above Exhibits A, B, and C.  We have been guaranteed something, and we have not received it yet.  We will do so in the future, but the existence of the evidence above legitimises the conceptualisation of a radically different Flying Battery Zone Act 1.  And we may yet see that in Flying Battery Zone Act 2.

[Gemster312]

1 minute ago, FFWF said:

Before I begin, I just want to state that I am and have always been a big supporter of Sonic Mania.  I wanted a new game in the classic style, and they are going to give that to me.  My sole complaint is that it doesn't go far enough.  I am grateful that it is already going farther than its initial proposal as a best-of compilation, but that does not mean that I am not able to regret that it was not proposed as and is not being created as an all-new game.

Now then:

For starters, right here in Exhibit A, emphasis mine:

-SEGA Product Manager, Jim Dyer, on Sonic Mania.  Source.

Exhibit B:

And for completeness's sake, Exhibit C:

-Christian "Taxman" Whitehead, Sonic Mania Programmer.  Source.

We have been promised classic levels which are "almost completely unrecognizable," we've been shown Green Hill Zone Act 2 with new level gimmicks, background features, and general setting adjustment, and we've been informed that GHZ Act 1 is relatively "tame" as a reworking (but not necessarily the tamest, so perhaps FBZ Act 1 has also had its claws clipped).  I believe that should be sufficient to defeat the claim that we were never told that old levels would be dramatically different; not only were we told it, we were shown an example of a classic level which has been redecorated.

Disappointment at the FBZ Act 1 trailer exists in the context of the above Exhibits A, B, and C.  We have been guaranteed something, and we have not received it yet.  We will do so in the future, but the existence of the evidence above legitimises the conceptualisation of a radically different Flying Battery Zone Act 1.  And we may yet see that in Flying Battery Zone Act 2.

Please re-read the quote. You aren't promised that all the classic levels will be "almost completely unrecognizable".

"There will certainly be other re-imagined versions of levels that we’ve seen in previous Sonic games. There will also be levels you haven’t seen before or have been altered so much that they are almost completely unrecognizable"

It lists 3 types of levels:

-Re-imagined versions of levels that we've seen in previous Sonic Games
-ALSO levels you haven't seen before
-OR levels that have been altered so much that they are almost completely unrecognizable

The important part is that they said there will be re-imagined stages and then ALSO there will be heavily altered stages.

As for the footage of Green Hill Zone act 2, yes it is a lot different, but a lot of that stage does borrow aspects from other stages to make it look "unrecognizable" whilst still being recognizable.
Flying Battery Zone we haven't seen much of, and by Taxman's tweet, he didn't specify in what regard its the tamest. Is it level design? Music? Gimmicks? Art look? Gameplay style? Something surely will be different enough, but he also didn't specify just to what intensity the taming would be either.

These are all assumptions that he meant the levels will LOOK dramatically different, or have a COMPLETELY NEW STRUCTURE.

They never promised each returning stage to be unrecognizable. They said some re-imagined, some new, some old with a big twist.

And again, I don't mean to come off rude, I just wish people calmed down, not much has been shown, and very little SOLID EVIDENCE is there to prove that we have been promised something and not have it delivered. It really is a shame to have people complain about something that was never promised.

[JosepHenry]

6 minutes ago, Gemster312 said:

Please re-read the quote. You aren't promised that all the classic levels will be "almost completely unrecognizable".

"There will certainly be other re-imagined versions of levels that we’ve seen in previous Sonic games. There will also be levels you haven’t seen before or have been altered so much that they are almost completely unrecognizable"

It lists 3 types of levels:

-Re-imagined versions of levels that we've seen in previous Sonic Games
-ALSO levels you haven't seen before
-OR levels that have been altered so much that they are almost completely unrecognizable

The important part is that they said there will be re-imagined stages and then ALSO there will be heavily altered stages.

As for the footage of Green Hill Zone act 2, yes it is a lot different, but a lot of that stage does borrow aspects from other stages to make it look "unrecognizable" whilst still being recognizable.
Flying Battery Zone we haven't seen much of, and by Taxman's tweet, he didn't specify in what regard its the tamest. Is it level design? Music? Gimmicks? Art look? Gameplay style? Something surely will be different enough, but he also didn't specify just to what intensity the taming would be either.

These are all assumptions that he meant the levels will LOOK dramatically different, or have a COMPLETELY NEW STRUCTURE.

They never promised each returning stage to be unrecognizable. They said some re-imagined, some new, some old with a big twist.

And again, I don't mean to come off rude, I just wish people calmed down, not much has been shown, and very little SOLID EVIDENCE is there to prove that we have been promised something and not have it delivered. It really is a shame to have people complain about something that was never promised.

I don't want to go off-topic, but that's a problem I have when people saying that Forces is "just" Generations 2, with almost no new ideas. We don't know much yet about both Mania and Forces. We need more info about both games.

[Blue Blood]

1 hour ago, Joseph Mello said:

I don't want to go off-topic, but that's a problem I have when people saying that Forces is "just" Generations 2, with almost no new ideas. We don't know much yet about both Mania and Forces. We need more info about both games.

I think we know more than enough about Mania to start forming reasonable expectations now - and those expectations may or may not be what people had in their minds previously. It's new stages and it's remixed old stages. We've had a full look at two totally new acts (Studiopolis 1, Mirage Saloon 2), a full look at two remixed acts (Green Hill 1 & 2) and a brief but insightful look at another remixed act (Flying Battery 1). While there's still plenty more to see, it's become clear that the remixed acts will contain a degree of familiar level chunks. Some people aren't so happy to see that, because it they were expecting/hoping that the remixed levels would be treated as totally new instead of paying constant homage to the originals.

Is that correct? That's just my interpretation of what people are expressing.

My opinion of Mania is that the new and old work together brilliantly and I love the approach that they've taken - I'm glad we're getting these remixed zones as well totally new ones (but if Mania 2 happens, any remixes should be completely off the cards).

GHZ1 is much closer to the original version than GHZ2 is, though  GHZ2 it does still have some familiar areas. And I'm fully expecting some other interesting twists to take place in FBZ2. My guess is that there'll be a trend of Act 1s feeling like remixes and Act 2s feeling like new zones in the same area. I hope that makes sense.

Forces is another story. SEGA have told us that it's going to be different, but absolutely everything that they've shown us so far has said otherwise. It was announced last year with a trailer that might as well have said Generations 2 at the end. Heck, it looked so much like Generations 2 that Iizuka had to actually specify that it wasn't a direct sequel. When we finally saw footage of a Modern Sonic level, it played exactly like Generations. It was only short, but the important thing is that it only really told us to expect more similarities to Generations. The Classic gameplay reveal was even worse. It was more of the same gameplay we saw in Generations and it's Green Hill. It's going to look look like exactly the same to so many people. At least Mania is showing us clearly what's new and what's not. We're being told that there's something new in Forces, but they keep refusing to show us.

SEGA have so far done nothing to back up that Forces is going to give us anything new and different - it's all talk. With Mania however, they've told us what to expect and have shown it off.

[Alienrun]

To summerize what I said before (cause it was a mess I'll admit) I think they showed off enough new to flying battery to justify it being "new" enough...as in, its more "new" than green hill was.

Green hill started familar and went less as the level went on, it only makes logical sense for other levels to do the same, even if you think its kinda dumb OR if its hopefully done to a lesser extent. I mean...they showed off both old AND new level design...

...Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe when they said they'd make the other levels less tame they meant via level design and not graphics? Would it make logical sense to go on flying battery and suddenly expolosions everywhere...I mean that would be cool and all, but its just a wee bit unrealistic to expect that.

...With that all being said, if Act 1 ends up being the original with barely any changes (somehow), then I could understand the backlash, but from what we've been shown that doesn't seem like it.

Honestly its not a big deal, I think people were just getting there hopes up just a tad bit too much! I won't lie...I too was a little bit disapointed with Green Hill Act 1, but I came to accept it pretty quickly. I'm not one to say "oh its green hill AKA the Nostaliga Whore Zone so of course its crap!" I just kinda figured they'd be consistent with there approach if they decided to put green hill in the way they did...

...even if they were forced to. wink wink

[CleverSonicUsername]

2 hours ago, Gemster312 said:

We are getting FLYING BATTERY, not BROKEN BATTERY, not NIGHT BATTERY.

We are getting GREEN HILL, not BURNING HILL, not NIGHT HILL.

 

Obviously I cannot speak for others, but personally I don't even care if that got THAT extreme with it. My only gripe is with copy/pasted geometry. I'd rather the level layouts past Green Hill be 100% fresh, that's all. I think they've already done well to show that they're pouring in new and interesting gimmicks so I'm not concerned about that, and I'm also ok with a visual transition from the old aesthetics to new, similar to what Green Hill did.

[TheOcelot]

1 hour ago, Blue Blood said:

My opinion of Mania is that the new and old work together brilliantly and I love the approach that they've taken - I'm glad we're getting these remixed zones as well totally new ones (but if Mania 2 happens, any remixes should be completely off the cards).

GHZ1 is much closer to the original version than GHZ2 is, though  GHZ2 it does still have some familiar areas. And I'm fully expecting some other interesting twists to take place in FBZ2. My guess is that there'll be a trend of Act 1s feeling like remixes and Act 2s feeling like new zones in the same area. I hope that makes sense.

It does and I completely agree. I'm more than happy with everything they've shown. The new & re-imagined stages are looking beautifully crafted. I'm gonna have so much with the perfect physics, learning the level layouts, experimenting with the way the elemental shield effects the environment and stuff. Those character animations.....(I think I'm falling in love with Knuckles...again), well.....I just know I'm gonna enjoy playing this game a lot regardless of how much new content is in the remade levels.

Some fans are obviously still bummed about not all of the zones being completely new. I appreciate their frustration (I'm all for future 2d games having completely new content) but at the same time I'm really excited to play stages which are a mixture of old and new which ultimately is what Mania is about. If it had all new zones and no remade stuff it would not be "Sonic Mania" .

You could argue it's probably much harder to make a new game which works well with both old and new content (likely to attract more criticism) instead of just all new stuff. The devs are doing a bloody good job! Mania is re-imagined zones done right, something Sonic 4 and Forces (and Gens to an extent) have gotten so very wrong.

 

I'm impressed with the new FB footage (I'm surprised by and slightly disappointed with the negativity towards it). Visually it looks so much better than the original. The interior battery-esque background shape, the beautiful clouds-especially the one's you see move in front of Knuckles, a nice little touch. They show-off a heavily reworked area. The outside of the ship in the original version was a pain in the ass to navigate. It took place over an awkward bottomless pit and they've reworked it in a way which feels more fluid with some interesting new gimmicks. It's different enough to make it interesting.

I hope we get to see a full playthrough of FB act1 at E3.

[Gemster312]

57 minutes ago, Alienrun said:

...Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe when they said they'd make the other levels less tame they meant via level design and not graphics?

This.

This is what i've meant to say all this time. It's unclear, and by the looks of it, it's probably level design (not graphics).

[StaticMania]

They're clearly doing both though...can't really just restructure level design with barely any new level graphics to go along with it. It's kinda cheap-ish.

[Sonikko]

The fact they're rehashing stages is as bad in Mania as it is in Forces. I'm tired of the nostalgia pandering. At least the Mania dev team is competent and are doing their best to make those levels feel new.

Please stop with the classic stages returning, let's move on!

[CleverSonicUsername]

2 minutes ago, Sonikko said:

The fact they're rehashing stages is as bad in Mania as it is in Forces. I'm tired of the nostalgia pandering. At least the Mania dev team is competent and are doing their best to make those levels feel new.

Please stop with the classic stages returning, let's move on!

When Mania was first announced I was hoping the remade stages were unlocks that you'd play on the side. Like through collecting red rings or something. Then they said they'll be part of the standard level progression and I swear to god I said "if there's more remixed stages to new I'm gonna be real down on Mania." Like a week later they confirmed that and I was pretty deflated until I started seeing more of what they were doing with Green Hill. Needless to say, I've come around on it. I think there is enough new about the old stages that I'm excited for what they have in store. I'm extremely hyped up for Mania, I cannot tell you a time where I've poured over new information on a game like this, I must have been a literal child when I did last.

But generally, I agree. I love classic Sonic, the old more abstract style of zones, and the funky early 90s music. I think you can appeal to those things without rehashing content outright, and the new stages in Mania are evidence of that. Going forward from Mania, I'd like to see them lean on nostalgia in that manner and try to cut themselves loose from bringing back old levels.

[Blue Blood]

12 minutes ago, Sonikko said:

The fact they're rehashing stages is as bad in Mania as it is in Forces. I'm tired of the nostalgia pandering. At least the Mania dev team is competent and are doing their best to make those levels feel new.

Please stop with the classic stages returning, let's move on!

I'm hesitant to call it rehashing in Mania. The devs are doing it for good reason instead of blindly copying only superficial aspects, they're ensuring that they bring new elements into the mix and everything is being done to a very high quality with a clear message. The same was also true of Generations. These are dope remixes, while Sonic 4 was just weak hash. 

[CleverSonicUsername]

11 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

I'm hesitant to call it rehashing in Mania. The devs are doing it for good reason instead of blindly copying only superficial aspects, they're ensuring that they bring new elements into the mix and everything is being done to a very high quality with a clear message. The same was also true of Generations. These are dope remixes, while Sonic 4 was just weak hash. 

I think that's what got me to change my tune about them. The remixed stages in Mania seem to have more purpose and thought put into them than what we've typically seen in the past. I may have a hang up on the reuse of geometry, but honestly that's peanuts compared to how much there is to like about Mania.

[Alienrun]

Remember that feeling you got when you played through Sonic 2 Remastered and went through hidden palace for the first time?

I imagine that Mania is gonna be the same thing...only 5x better and it will be a complete game!

Basically that's my best frame of refrence to this whole thing...officially anyways. (Nevermind fangames/hacks that have been very slowly been spoonfeeding classic sonic goodness in small level chunks. Here's hoping Mania makes all this build up worth it lol.)

[Kintor]

5 hours ago, Blue Blood said:

I'm hesitant to call it rehashing in Mania. The devs are doing it for good reason instead of blindly copying only superficial aspects, they're ensuring that they bring new elements into the mix and everything is being done to a very high quality with a clear message. The same was also true of Generations. These are dope remixes, while Sonic 4 was just weak hash. 

Calling one game a rehash and the other a clear message is largely a matter of perspective. Not that the nuances of such a discussion seems to making much of an impression, only the blunt message 'reimagined level = bad' seems to be gaining traction. It's actually darkly amusing when you think about it. The negative rhetoric used against Sonic Forces in some corners is starting to backfire; when the same ideas can just as easily be applied to Sonic Mania by anyone who wants to do so, now that those sorts of value judgement arguments are being freely used. It's a dangerous situation when the majority of Sonic Mania's levels are apparently reimagined zones, there's no telling how the always crazy Sonic fanbase will react to the next Sonic Mania trailer if it's another 'rehashed' stage.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

I mean the only thing separating rehash from homage at this point is your personal opinion of how much thought and effort was put in, all that really matters is that the way a level plays isn't rehashed, the theme can be the same for 30 years if Mario and Kirby have anything to prove. Just because it's more on-the-nose doesn't mean it's a problem exclusive to Sonic, nor is it one that matters much at all as long as the entirety of each game isn't rehashed, which isn't the case for Mania or Forces (although it is for many Mario games, ironically).

[molul]

I guess I can consider myself lucky to feel completely satisfied with Mania. I'm totally fine with the returning old levels with some twists, but to me the game itself is not the main reason to be happy. It's the fact that Sega is finally making a true classic game again, and the things that may come after Mania, that is, S3 remastered and new classic games with all new levels. It's the beginning of a really exciting road, in my opinion.