Sonic Mania 2: New and Remixed Zone Ideas

[Indigo Rush]

Sonic Mania is almost upon us! I figured since we know a good chunk of the current level roster right now, we could get our creative juices pumping.

If SEGA found Mania to be a success and green-lighted a sequel, what kind of original and/or remixed Zones would you like to see? It's a fair guess everyone here would prefer a game with nothing but brand new Zones and absolutely no returning ones, but let's just assume that there's no other way a game like Mania 2 could exist otherwise.

Be that as it may - instead of just listing off names with 3 word descriptions, let's be as thorough as we can with this one. If you want a new Zone based on a forest, why not expound on what kind of gimmicks, color theming, badniks and level design you'd expect to see? Boss fights, maybe? And if you want a remixed Zone, what would be different, what would you add or alter from the original? Be as wild and creative as you like with this. The only stipulation I guess is that the returning Zones have to be from the Classic (pre-Dreamcast) era.

I'll start us off!

New Zone Idea:
Boardwalk Beach Zone

Think Emerald Coast but with more palmtrees and vines, more bridges and wooden structures (like totem poles, tiki torches and ...boardwalks). The level takes place during a bright, almost cloudless day, with loops and ramps being made of wood and crumbling bricks from a long lost tribe. Giant tiki torches can provide fire hazards. The first act transitions from the sparsely developed beach towards a boardwalk with abandoned shops which are overgrown with vines and trees, until it ends with a climb towards a giant lighthouse. The second act could take place on a series of giant ships with Eggman's mug plastered all over them. Hopping from ship to ship with a few odd trees and wooden platforms to provide stepping stones from the top of one ship to another, if you miss you have to board the ships from underwater. Badniks ideas include the return of monkey robots like Coconuts or Kiki, hermit crabs, shark badniks, seagull badniks and the usual Choppers, Crabmeats and Buzzbombers.

Remixed Zone Idea:
Chrome Gadget Zone

That one 2P-exclusive level from Sonic 3 needs to make its debut as a full-fledged original Zone. Being such a small and unassuming level, it has ample opportunity for originality. I think it should go for a cyberpunk theme, taking place on a dreary night, with the moon in view between dark clouds with a color scheme of steel blue and dank greens. You could present it as one of Eggman's cities, a take on Robotropolis from the OVA, if you like; even add some Scrap Brain elements to the mix to give it an industrial theme with conveyor belts, electric hazards and moving platforms. The second act should take place deeper into the city during a thunderstorm, adding sliding water hazards and some pools where flooding has occurred. The lights in the city could reflect off of the floor and make for a surprisingly colorful presentation in the latter half of the Zone, until you reach the interior where the boss is encountered. Badnik ideas include Orbinauts, mosquito-like badniks, frog-like badniks in the water areas, and firefly badniks.

 

What kind of ideas do you have? What Zones would you like to see remixed, and what new Zone themes are you wanting to see in a game like Sonic Mania? Have fun with it!

[HywelAtTheMoon]

I'd love to see some of the 8-bit zones return here. Underground Zone would be a great opener, with Crystal Egg as a wild card choice. Just don't use Tidal Plant Zone, it's probably the worst water zone in existence. 

[A super No.1 washedupgamer]

I'd want a level with a light heaven and hell motif. Make the top section of the level above the clouds, add some futuristic/Roman themed buildings and structures overrun with greenery and pretty plants. Bottom section of the level shows the bottom half of the buildings with a goth punk look overrun with wires and machinery with lava at the bottom. Dark clouds and depressing setting. Think like digital dimension from sonic riders.  Boss: Egg devil.

Remixed level: Hydrocity zone with polluted water and is overrun with hyaduros. Also has giant spider webs in the place to make it spooky themed. Water levels have always been my most feared level in sonic games so this one should go all out. The boss would be the egg spider.

[Solister]

In fact, I think that Sonic Mania it's receiving much classic levels than new levels. We have Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Startdust Speedway, Flywing Battery as classic zones, and Studiopolis and Mirage Saloon as new levels, same Mirage Saloon being Desert Dazzle/Dust Hill with other name and a few visual differences. I want something new, like a 32-bit Emerald Coast or City Escape. I don't know if this is the final level list, but I really expected more new levels.

But, there's nothing new to add, I read something that Sonic Team said that they don't have much new ideas for level themes (From Sonic 4 era, if I not wrong). It's hard to describe a new level that doesn't look like some older level.

[A super No.1 washedupgamer]

1 minute ago, Solister said:

Flywing Battery

That's a pretty badass name for an airship level.

[Big Panda]

-A zone that's main theme is toys, like a place oversized toys (think the second stage from Mickey's Castle of Illusion). Potential names include Toy Kingdom Zone or Playroom Panic Zone.

-A zone taking place inside some kind of digital world, since I don't think we've had that kind of location in a classic-style game yet. Mainframe Zone could be the name.

-A zone based on an old-timey cartoon. Just imagine how insanely wacky that would be. Name could be something like Cavalcade Zone. The enviroment could be constantly moving in eratic ways. Think how in old toons things possess sentience, like inanimate objects.

[Multikaris]

Remixed; I'd like to see a focus on non-ST games, if possible. 

 

Knuckles Chaotix: Botanic Base. Theoretically, this could be used as a first level and a last level in one, with botanical and technological elements. And could Bean be able to blend in for a sub-boss encounter? And if there were a second, how about Marina Madness, to serve as a unique undersea stage based around sailing ships? Each ship could be different from each other.

Sonic Chaos: Sleeping Egg Zone. Narrative-wise, it could serve as a Launch Base-ish narrative fakeout. And visually, the level is quite pleasant to look at. And for its fakeout purposes, maybe we could make it not such a fakeout, and reveal more detail about the endgame plan. I could imagine an Egg Golem boss being placed here. 

Sonic Triple Trouble: Sunset Park, an obvious choice as the game's most celebrated level. Nack, of course, would be the boss, with the sub-boss being a revitalized Marve Shuppopoulus Gou(?). As one of the more popular entries, I could see Robotnik Winter serving as a second representative, mainly for the sake of Bark. 

Sonic Blast: Silver Castle. Of course, this would be an endgame level. A forgotten superweapon in the ocean, aimed at South Island... what isn't there to be interested in? Of course, I think the castle aide has to be implemented somehow, like taking influence from the aborted "Madness Mountain" from Sonic 2. 

Sonic Spinball: Toxic Caves. Could work as a sort of Chemical Plant and Casino Night analogue, likely buying room for more unique Sonic 2 stuff. Either way, I see the mine cart as a nice mechanic. The mine cart could be pushed to gain momentum, and land on enemies to smash them.

Sonic 2 8-Bit: Underground Zone, as a sort of intro level with a unique motif and intensity. 

Tails Adventure: Poloy Forest. Wow, a forest fire! Maybe we could go through what it's like when not on fire?

Tails Sky Patrol: Dark Castle, as a potential alternate finale. 

 

But if if we were restricted to Sonic Team, I'd pick Diamond Dust from 3D Blast and Resort Island from R.

[Osmium]

I've talked about this in multiple places before but I want an electrical plant zone. 

Act 1 takes place in the structure itself with a lot of stage gimmicks dealing with using Sonic's speed to generate power to open new pathways or open doors or something like that. Basically think of those bicycles you pedal on really hard to turn on the lightbulb at fairs and stuff and use that principle for a bunch of gimmicks, seems like it would be cool.

Act 2 in contrast, takes place outside. You run on large thick power lines emerging from the structure that intersect at several places so there are different levels and pathways to take. Contrasting the smooth lines of the wires would be periodic transmission towers that are small places of more blocky platforming with lots of badniks in each where perhaps you could change which wire you travel on next for whatever reason. Maybe there could be outside obstacles bothering it too, like maybe one part going through a thick tree canopy that swayed too close to the line. 

I feel act 2 would work well for transitioning between zones as it would be a good way to travel long distances and end up in a place completely different from where the electrical plant initially was without being too fancy about it. 

[A super No.1 washedupgamer]

How about an arcade themed zone combined with elements from Cyber Track and digital circuit. Make act 1 have like a dark background with large buildings plastered with colorful neon buttons and joysticks. Have like a short minigame where sonic is a trackball and you must do something akin to a wariowarr minigames. Act 2 could take place inside of an arcade machine with wires and circuits everywhere with a pinball gimmick.

[exampletext123456]

Zone ideas for Sonic Mania 2

Returning

1. Either Emerald Hill or Palmtree Panic. Both would make a good starting level.
2. Labyrinth Zone. Just make it more enjoyable.
3. If Emerald Hill gets in, then Wacky Workbench; if Palmtree Panic gets in, then Wing Fortress Zone or Metropolis Zone.
4. If Wing Fortress Zone doesn't get in, then Sky Base Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System; otherwise, Jungle Zone or Bridge Zone.
5. Gimmick Mountain from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Master System.
6. Ice Cap Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 3
7. The Doomsday Zone from Sonic and Knuckles

New

1. Mercury Mine, which was originally planned for Sonic the Hedgehog CD, but is now going to be it's own zone, and not just a black death zone
2. Amusement Night Zone, which would have features from Carnival Night Zone, along with a roller coaster you can run on in Act 2
3. Aerial Assault Zone, which will be similar to Sky Chase Zone, but will have a boss at the end, and will be a one act zone.
4. Magma Cove Zone, which will be similar to Lava Reef Zone and will be set inside an active volcano.
5. Pyramid Puzzle Zone, which will incorporate elements from Sandopolis Zone and have mummy themed enemies.
6. Space Port Zone, which would be a gravity flipping rocket station near the Death Egg Zone.
7. A new iteration of the Death Egg Zone, incorporating elements from all known Death Egg Zone, minus gravity swapping.

Order

1. Emerald Hill/Palmtree Panic
2. Jungle Zone/Bridge Zone
3. Amusement Night Zone
4. Gimmick Mountain Zone
5. Mercury Mine
6. Magma Cove Zone
7. Labyrinth Zone
8. Pyramid Puzzle Zone
9. Ice Cap Zone
10. Wacky Workbench/Metropolis Zone
11. Aerial Assault Zone
12. Sky Base Zone/Wing Fortress Zone
13. Space Port Zone
14. Death Egg Zone
15. The Doomsday Zone

Playable Characters

• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Miles "Tails" Prower
• Knuckles the Echidna
• Mighty the Armadillo
• Ray the Flying Squirrel

What bosses do you think should be in these zones?

[Iko]

EDIT: OMG I didn't notice the necroposting -.- sorry for the quote of a very old post, I deleted it.

Anyway, I'd like a remixed version of Sky Base from the 8 bit version of Sonic 1, with the two acts taking place one in the outside structure above Scrap Brain, and the other on the airship (inside and outside). The original version of act 2 is very short but I'm sure it can be expanded a lot.

Aside of that, I find much more interesting to have modern levels redesigned in classic style than classic levels just expanded. From modern games I'd take one between Music Plant or Ice Paradice from Sonic Advance 2, and Pumpkin Hill from Sonic Adventure 2... Maybe Lost World from Sonic Adventure as a ruins level, and anything from Sonic Colors (maybe except Planet Wisp, we already got enough of that).

For original zones, I'm not sure, most themes have already been used and it's hard to find a new one (and I'm lazy right now).

[Big Panda]

@Iko what were you gonna respond to me with? :P

[Iko]

4 hours ago, Big Panda said:

@Iko what were you gonna respond to me with?

It was about the fact that a zone called Toy Kingdom already exists, I was asking if it was an intentional reference or you just forgot/didn't know (in case you didn't know, it would have been interesting how you made up the same name of an existing zone without knowing it existed).

So, quote notifications are sent even if I edit the message and delete the quote... well sorry anyway, I didn't notice the date of the post.

[Big Panda]

I wasn’t aware.

[Nintenboi]

I have a few zones I'd like to see remixed:

I would like to see Carnival Night return. Even if it means we have to deal with the bouncy barrels again.

It would also be cool to see Quartz Quadrant mostly so we could get a cool remix of the JP theme.

I'd also like to see Marina Madness from Knuckles Chaotix. It would simply be pretty neat to see this pretty obscure game be represented in Mania 2.

[TheBlueGuardian]

Want to see Sandopolis return with a new twist such as a sandstorm and crumbling ruins, Mystic Cave because there was a lot of missed potential with this stage like a minecart gimmick.

New zones, Midnight Metropolis, think of Speed Highway and Gigapolis from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Chaos (Sonic and Tails in Japan) respectively, with a big casino for act 2.

On 3/21/2020 at 11:59 PM, Nintenboi said:

I would like to see Carnival Night return. Even if it means we have to deal with the bouncy barrels again.

Doubt it since there are "Legal issues*" with the music for both acts.

*By legal issues, I mean rights problems unless they can use the prototype music.