Sonic Mania works for the same reason Whitehead's updated Sonic the Hedgehog ports work: It understands and accurately re-creates the delicate balance of speed, acceleration and momentum that defined the series' early games. Whitehead's modernized remakes, however, are rare exceptions - and Sonic Mania builds on everything that makes those ports great. There's a stigma attached to Sonic the Hedgehog games a pattern of expectation and disappointment that's become so ingrained in the series' community that it's known as the "Sonic Cycle." The cycle is mostly an old joke, but there's a grain of truth to it: Sonic games are typically announced with a lot of fanfare but often fall flat after launchh. That might sound a bit overzealous, but it's written with honesty. This week, the fruits of that partnership reached a new high point in Sonic Mania, an all-new 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog platformer that sees the mascot return to his glory days. In 2009, he created an unofficial proof of concept iPhone port of Sonic CD using a custom-built game engine - a project that eventually led to Sega hiring him to officially port Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to modern platforms. If you've played Sonic the Hedgehog on your phone, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 in the last half-dozen years, you have Christian Whitehead to thank.
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