New Sonic Mania Trailer: Release Date Announced!
Spin back into a ball this fall.
Those of you still pinching yourselves due to the very existence Sonic Mania should pinch just that little bit harder; today the game's release date has finally been announced!
15 August: that's the date to mark in massive blue pen in your diary. And if you don't have a diary, buy one to do so. Yes, this means it's actually real, and not just some azure-hued erinaceous fantasy even the priciest of therapists would struggle to unravel.
The official pre-order trailer is a rolled-up ball of spiny-sapphire sexiness. Notable was the reveal of a brand-new Day of Triffids inspired zone (replete with killer plant - hopefully a robotic one), as well as a couple of cracking looking new bosses. Bit of a Stardust Speedway vibe going on for one of them.
If it wasn't patently obvious already that Sonic Mania is a love-letter (really more of a 'please-take-me-back' letter) to fans of the blue-blur, this trailer hammered the point home. Did you notice the elevator going from Sonic 1, through 2, 3, and Knuckles, all the way up to Mania? Yup: this is the true successor - none of that Sonic 4 nonsense.
And what about those cheeky little erased rabbit ears - a clear pop at the franchise's desperate recent history with much-maligned 'mascots' (and perhaps even a sly dig at Sonic Forces' character creator)?
It's just too exciting for words. I'm still getting over the actuality of Thimbleweed Park, so perhaps I can cope waiting another two and a half months for a long-awaited reunion with the true Sonic. Those months gotta go fast, though.