Sonic Mania is now 7 years old (hard to believe, we know)! To celebrate, the developers behind this ultimate fan tribute and critically acclaimed celebration of Sonic’s most iconic 2D outings have shared more behind-the-scenes trivia from the game’s development.
The game’s designer and programmer, Christian Whitehead, shared some concept doodles showing that originally, the UFO in the game’s Special Stages was meant to get angry once you captured the Chaos Emerald it was carrying. This would have initiated a 10-second phase where the UFO would chase the player, attempting to reclaim the Emerald. However, this idea was scrapped as the team realized that obtaining the Emerald itself was challenging enough.
Did you know that the Special Stage UFO was meant to get angry after you reached the Chaos Emerald and chase you down in sudden death for 10 seconds? Thankfully we had mercy and realized it would be challenging enough just reaching Mach 3 on the courses 😅
Christian Whitehead
Paul Veer, one of the game’s artists, also shared some pencil sketches he created for Chemical Plant Zone Act 2’s background layers. He noted that this was his first time creating a proper multi-layered 2D platformer background, and it was quite a challenge. Lucas “Midio” Carvalho later finalized the version players see in the game.
Hey! It’s Sonic Mania’s 7th anniversary today. I dug around my sketchbooks a bit and found the original pencil sketches I did for Chemical Plant Zone Act 2’s background layers! The third image is actually pretty close to what the in-game version came out to be.
This was actually my first time ever doing a proper multi-layered 2D platformer background, so it was quite a challenge. The version in the final game was finished up by @midio!
Paul Veer
Finally, the game’s music composer, Tiago “Tee” Lopes, shared an unreleased track titled “Pulp Friction,” which was later scrapped in favor of Press Garden Zone. Christian Whitehead added that these unreleased tracks are “only scratching the surface of the iceberg.”
Happy 7th Anniversary to Sonic Mania, and congratulations to all the game’s staff!
Have you played the game? Let us know in the comments, and keep it locked to Sonic City for more Sonic Mania News and Updates!
