Sonic Mania Two

Sonic Mania Two is a 2021 platform game made by Sega for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. The game is a sequel to the hit popular game Sonic Mania three years prior in 2017. The game was made to celebrate Sonic's 30th anniversary being released 10 days prior and pays homage to the original 16-bit Sonic titles. It follows Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as they stop Doctor Eggman from polluting the world and turning animals into badnik slaves. Christian "Taxman" Whitehead, Simon "Stealth" Thomley, among several others who worked on the first game returned for Sonic Mania Two.

After the success of Sonic Mania in 2017, Sega announced plans for a sequel in December until it was finally announced by Whitehead and Thomley. Production of the sequel was shown through photos on Twitter through the year but in late 2020, had a teaser trailer released. The team still used the Retro Engine Whithead used for the mobile ports of the classic Sonic games. The game features levels from the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2, taking place on West Side Island. Tee Lopes returned to compose the game.

Sonic Mania Two was released on June 13, 2021, ten days before Sonic's 30th anniversary, and like the first game received critical acclaim from both critics, audiences, and fans of the franchise praising its level design, music, story, faifthfulness, and more originality. It received the same reception as the first game. Sonic Mania Two sold over one million copies in a year.

Zones

 * Emerald Hill Zone
 * Abandoned Forest Zone
 * Toxic Caves Zone
 * Aquatic Ruin Zone
 * Rock World Zone
 * Winter Zone
 * Badnik Hunt Zone
 * Madness Mountain Zone
 * Sunset Beach Zone
 * Bridge Zone
 * Cloudy Chase Zone
 * Egg Fortress Zone
 * The Final Battle
 * Hidden Palace Zone (bonus stage)

Plot
After the events of Sonic Mania, Sonic and Tails once again travel to West Side Island. However, they find out that Doctor Eggman is once again endangering the island, by using animals as his slaves, stuffing them into badniks, and powering his Death Egg, now renamed Egg Fortress. Sonic discovers the Super Emeralds' existence on the island and is determined to get them. After going through Emerald Hill and battling Eggman and a previous mini-boss, Sonic and Tails travel through an Abandoned Forest where they face several ghosts and haunted trees. And once again battling Eggman.

They then go into a toxic cave where it stinks and have to survive acid as well as metal dragons. They through go more other zones after Toxic Caves. Aquatic Ruin, a grassy watery area, Rock World Zone, a small rock island located on West Side, Winter Zone, an winter land with snowy decorations, and fast-paced showboarding sections, and Badnik Hunt, an area taken over entirely by Eggman's badnik robots. After that, Sonic is kidnapped by Eggman and taken to Madness Mountain, where there is a timer before the mountain explodes with Sonic in it.

Tails files in his tornado to Angel Island to get Knuckles to help him save Sonic. After battling skeletons and long paths, they manage to rescue Sonic in time before the mountain explodes. Knuckles explores West Side Island while Sonic and Tails continue to navigate it. They go through Sunset Beach zone where they watch the sun set down into the ocean and the moon come in (depending how long you spend in the level). They go through Bridge Zone next, but after battling Eggman again, West Side Island floods and Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles manage to escape with all the remaining animals safe.

Sonic and Tails go after Eggman’s newly named Egg Fortress Zone and go through metallic traps, badniks, and pits. After battling Mecha Sonic, they continue to navigate through the base. They battle Eggman's giant EggRobo where the core of the fortress is destroyed and Egg Fortress Zone explodes in space and falls down to Earth, landing in the ocean. Knuckles rescues Sonic and Tails in their tornado and they fly off into the sky, while Eggman is defeated.

Hyper Sonic ending
If the player decides to get the Super Emeralds through the Super Giant Rings (working in the same mechanic as Sonic Mania), they will be transported to Hidden Palace Zone, a scrapped zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2 where Sonic would have a cutscene turning into Super Sonic, whereas in this, he turns into Hyper Sonic. After going through a whole act and a mini-boss. Sonic gets the seventh Super Emerald and turns into Hyper Sonic, and goes back to the zone he was in.

If the player has got Hyper Sonic, they will get a different final boss. In one last attempt to beat Sonic, Doctor Eggman gets out his giant powerful robot, Egg Mecha Robot. Hyper Sonic and Egg Mecha have an all out battle brawl in space, missles and violence. After Hyper Sonic defeats Eggman, Hyper Sonic and Tails go back onto the tornado, now flown by Knuckles, and they ride off into the sky with Knuckles going back to Angel Island.

Knuckles' Story
On the save file screen, there is an option to play as Knuckles. At the beginning, there is a cutscene where Knuckles is recruited by Tails to help rescue Sonic. After rescuing him on Madness Mountain, Knuckles explores West Side Island by himself. He goes through these zones:


 * Olympus Hill Zone
 * Yellow Powerhouse Zone
 * Wood Zone
 * Lava Machine

In Lava Machine Zone, Knuckles battles Sonic, until he realizes that the Sonic he is battling is not Sonic. Mecha Sonic, revived by Eggman after Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles, has shapeshifted into Sonic and has more powers. When West Side Island floods, Knuckles enters the tornado and with Sonic and Tails, goes into the sky to chase down Eggman and enter his newly-named Egg Fortress Zone. When Knuckles is in Egg Fortress, he is attacked by Mecha Sonic, who just attacked Sonic before. Knuckles defeats Mecha Sonic, and Knuckles' story ends with rescuing Sonic and Tails and going back to Angel Island.