The Iconic Zone has been remade… Again… but this time with some unique twists
Make that two zones that were remade in 2011’s Sonic Generations confirmed for Sonic Mania. Chemical Plant Zone joins Flying Battery Zone, Stardust Speedway Zone, and Green Hill as another retro shout out stage.
This time things look mighty different, however. The iconic landscape screams Chemical Plant, but the brief trailer shows Tails riding DNA transports, sticking to gooey walls, and injecting bouncy chemicals into a gelatin substance before trampolining off it into the sky. The trailer didn’t show how Sonic and Knuckles will traverse the stage, but with Tails exploration definitely gets rewarded. Check the video out for yourself!
While I’m glad to see the new Chemical Plant design changes things up, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed in this news. Life long Sonic fans have run through the zone more times than we can count, and it would have been nice to see some less appreciated levels like Hill Top Zone or Aquatic Ruin Zone have their time in the sun.
Still, the visuals look sharp and the stage seems like a blast to race through. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most. Here’s hoping we see an all new zone, like Studiopolis and Mirage Saloon, at E3.