Sonic Mania: 11 Easter Eggs & References You Need To See

6. A Blast From The Past?

Calling all 90s kids. Even if this wasn't expressly intentional - though as every inch of Sonic Mania is deftly coded, I'd imagine it is - having a robotic chicken/badnik appear on-screen can only connote one thing:

Scratch, from the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon.

Appearing in revised form in one of the game's most inventive boss battles at the close of Chemical Plant Act 2, new-age Scratch pops up to deliver a weather report where the various icons that appear then affect the battle around you.

Of course, this little guy could also be one of the enemies from Mushroom Hill Zone, but being that '93 was THE year Sonic was in full swing, I'd beg/love to disagree.