When this came out and got such an incredibly positive reception, i immediately bought it due to the beautiful graphics and praise from outlets I respect, having never played a Sonic game before. I tried for a few hours to get a single good feeling out of it and gave up. The new DLC has everyone praising Sonic once more, and once more I want to enjoy this fun looking game, but its just impossible!

The movement feels sluggish and the jumping imprecise, the lose all coins on impact seems torturous, and the flashing of the rings as they prepare to disappear is jarring and upsetting. the music is great but many of the sound effects are grating in the way a noisemaking childrens toy would be.

Having said that, I"m not saying that Sonic is bad, just that I hate it. I recognize these stages as large and full of secrets in a way I want to enjoy exploring, and the visual style is unmatched. I think maybe my problem is never owning a Sega console and being deeply enamoured with Mario 3 and Mario World growing up, where the movement is laser focused.

Ultimately I'm just throwing this out there to see if anyone like-minded found a way to make this click, because I dont want to give up.

It could be that the game is just not for you. Many of the elements you describe, like losing all your rings when getting hit, is how Sonic has always worked.

I've had games that everyone else has loved that I can't understand for the life of me. My advice is to not force yourself to play something. There are plenty of games out there, and life's too short to try and make yourself enjoy something just because everyone else does.

Because you're a monster?

I grew up playing Sonic 2 religiously. I actually waited to pick up Mania until yesterday physical release. I haven;t fired it up yet, but I'm excited.

The way you feel about Sonic is how I've felt about almost every Mario game I've ever played. I think its all just what you're used to/ prefer

@frodobaggins: thats what I feared, I envy you sonic fans. me getting sonic is like my 7 year old getting that you dont need to narrate every moment of life, just an impossible task.

It is because Sonic is, and always has been, bad.

@n00bs7ay3r: Sonic 1 and 2 were good in their day.

There have just been about 80 Sonic games since the that are almost all considered middling-to-garbage.

I’d like to think that there’s an alternative universe out there where Sonic 1 is the only Sonic game. It was never ported and it’s universally viewed as an unimpeachable classic.

The real question is: why would you keep insisting on liking something you don't?

Because, I don't know if you noticed, but there are quite a few games out there for you to play instead.

I am kind of in the same boat but with a different game. I had recently bought a Switch and not really enjoying Breath of the Wild all that much for rather similar reasons you mentioned. Just because something is universally praised when it comes out does not alway mean it a perfect game or that everyone loves it. Sometimes critically acclaimed games just don't click for some people.

I feel the same way about Halo, Final Fantasy, Uncharted and Pop music, it's ok to disagree with popular opinion.

It's okay to try to see what a game is about and not like it. Don't force yourself to like something that you can't. At the end of the day, good on you for trying something new.

I understand wanting to like something that you think would be up your alley. I've tried numerous times to get into the Mega Man games. I like the enemy designs, the music and side scrolling shooters / platformers but theres just a stiffness to Mega Man that always rubbed me the wrong way. (that sounded weird)

When it comes to Sonic part of it is nostalgia (I grew up with the Megadrive) but the other part I like about it is the thing a lot of people hate and it's that it isnt precise, it doesnt need to be. It feels more like an arcade game you're meant to crash through and not think too hard about, each level feels different and looks different. Sure it's possible to memorise exactly where you need to jump and bounce to get trough a level perfectly much like you could do with an arcade game but it isnt required. I actually think the ring system is much more forgiving than how the Mario games handle it.

I think your biggest problem is comparing it to Mario. It isnt that no matter how much want it to be. Just like Mega Man isnt Metal Slug or Contra. Have you tried the Rayman games? They might be more your speed.

Honestly, don't worry about it and move on if the game isn't clicking. I love Sonic and think Mania kicks ass, but not all platformers will appeal to everyone. Nothing wrong with that!

Nobody's gotta like everything.

It's Sonic

Sonic is a very particular type of platforming, I think. For better and worse, there's not too many platformers that play with momentum like Sonic does. I think the classic games and Mania do a good job with the level design to compliment that, but it's far from universally enjoyable gameplay for people. How a platformer feels is really important, but what feels right to a player is super subjective. Like what @boozak was saying about Mega Man is a good example. For me, those are my favorite platformers and I think they feel fantastic. For him, though, they're too stiff. It really depends what feels right to you.

The only "hope" I can offer you if you want to press on with Mania is this: My first playthrough of all the genesis Sonic games as well as Mania were always the least fun parts of playing a Sonic game for me. It's when I replay them, collect the emeralds, explore new routes, and try new characters that I really enjoy myself. Mania was actually damn annoying for me until I got familiar enough with the levels to never really get hung up on any particular part.

Why is that enjoyable? I'm not too sure. Blasting through levels and trying different routes just becomes a kinda mindless, twitchy fun, I guess.

Based on your complaints, you’d either have to play it with the sound effects muted and your eyes closed, trying to guess each time you have to jump and to which way to go...

...or you could just play something else, because like mentioned, not everything is for everyone. I personally wish I could get into Dark Souls, because then I’d have technically five whole games to play through, but nope. Just gotta let them go.

Not every game is for everyone. You shouldn't have to force yourself to like anything, especially when there are so many video games out there.

Put it aside and play something else.

You don't just get Sonic, Sonic get's you man ! it's more then just a feeling !

Also did you try to go fast !