Sonic Mania is a side-scrolling platformer similar to the early Sonic the Hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis. Players select one of 3 playable characters, each with their own unique abilities: Sonic can perform a "drop dash" which sends him rolling in a dash after a jump,[1] Tails can fly and swim,[2] and Knuckles can glide and climb walls.[3] As with Sonic 2 (1992), players can play as Sonic and Tails simultaneously, or a second player can control Tails independently.[4][5] Unlockable options include Sonic's abilities from Sonic CD (1993) and Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994) in place of the drop dash and "& Knuckles" mode, which allows simultaneous control of any character and Knuckles, including himself.[6]
Sonic Mania takes place over 12 levels, called zones; the game features eight "remixed" zones, such as Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic game (1991), alongside four original ones.[7][8] Remixed stages consist of both new elements and recycled gimmicks and ideas from other past Sonic games. Each zone is divided into 2 acts, in which the player must guide their character past various enemies and obstacles to reach the end. At the end of each act, the player takes part in a boss battle against Doctor Eggman, also known as Dr. Robotnik, or one of his robots, including the Hard-Boiled Heavies, elite henchmen based on the EggRobo enemies from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.[9][10] The player collects golden rings, which serve as a form of health; players survive hits as long as they have at least one ring, but, if hit, their rings scatter and disappear after a short time. Television monitors containing rings, elemental shields, or power-ups such as invincibility and faster running speed are scattered throughout each level.[11] Like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the story is told via short in-game cutscenes between levels.[12]
Giant rings hidden in each act, a feature of the original games, lead to pseudo-3D special stages similar to those in Sonic CD,[8][12][13] where players can attempt to collect a Chaos Emerald. In special stages, players dodge obstacles and collect colored spheres to increase their speed, allowing them to pursue a UFO carrying a Chaos Emerald; collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds allows players to use their character's super transformation and unlocks the game's true ending.[7] Players' ring counters slowly decrease during special stages and must be continually replenished; if the player runs out of rings before they catch the UFO, the special stage ends. The "Blue Sphere" special stages from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 also return, repurposed as bonus stages that are accessed by entering a portal that appears when the player passes a checkpoint while carrying 25 or more rings. Completing bonus stages earns the player a silver or gold medal depending on their performance; collecting medals unlocks features such as a debug mode and sound test.[7][6]
In a time attack mode, players must complete levels as quickly as possible, with the best times included on an online leaderboard; players can instantly reload a level to try again at any time.[14] A split-screen competitive multiplayer mode allows two players to race to the end of a level, similar to those of Sonic 2.[15] Players can also unlock "Mean Bean", a 2-player minigame based on Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.[6]