Some new gameplay for Sonic Mania has been released by SEGA today, providing a first-look at the second act of Green Hill Zone. Announced last year alongside another title – Project Sonic – Sonic Mania is a call back to the series’ golden years, marking a return to the retro visual style and 2D platforming elements that made the Genesis-era titles so revered. The new gameplay, which you can see above, comes in at just over five minutes in length and features narration from the publisher that provides a rundown of the new elements being introduced for this iteration of the iconic stage.
While it looks largely the same as its original incarnation, this version of Green Hill Zone has a few nuances that were never present in the original, including ziplines and tropical pools of water. The former will act as a new method of traversal for the Blue Blur, while the latter, a nice aesthetic addition, will serve as an environmental danger. Thankfully, if Sonic finds himself in danger of drowning, Tails will be on hand to give him a much-needed lift to more solid footing.
More footage of Sonic’s new ability, the Drop Dash, can also be seen, which allows him to perform a Spin Dash on the spot after landing a jump. Green Hill joins two brand new stages, Mirage Saloon and Studiopolis to bring the current total of stages up to three.
Sonic Mania is scheduled to release this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, with a Nintendo Switch version also in the works. As for Project Sonic, SEGA has yet to show any gameplay for the title or announce a release date, although it’s largely expected to be based on the modern Sonic era.
