Sonic Mania has garnered positive reviews so far as the game is appeasing retro fans with side-scrolling option.

Many are hailing the title as a return to form for a franchise that has struggled to replicate the success of Sonic’s early days for decades now. Here’s what reviewers are saying about the game:

• “Sonic Maniaoffers some of the best level design in the series’ history, along with new ways to explore the world and exciting boss fights… Much of Sonic Mania’s success is owed to the many fans turned designers attached the project. In seeking to produce the best retro remix possible, Sega recruited well-known modders and hackers,” said Kotaku’s Heather Alexandra.
• “The hedgehog blazes through neon cityscapes, requiring your input at just the right time to avoid an enemy or obstacle and keep that momentum going. In some stages you’re spinning through a seemingly never-ending track of neon hamster tubing, in others you’re beamed around the level as Sonic is transformed into radio waves. But in each level there’s a moment where you hit a zen-like state as Sonic bursts forward with seemingly impossible speed, as if nothing can slow him down,” said The Verge’s Andrew Webster.
• “The team behind Sonic Mania are absolute geniuses, taking classic levels from Sonic lore and remixing them to a more standard design for today’s age, while keeping everything 16-bit. You’ve never seen the classic level “Chemical Plant” represented like it is here, with its classic grooves starting things off and then things getting complicated with bouncy gloo and ‘clingy walls’ to help Sonic get around,” said Comic Book’s Robert Workman.
• “My time playing Sonic Mania‘s 12 zones (two levels each) drastically improved once I beat the game—and therefore freed my mental energy from the simple act of getting through. Each level has been designed to turn exploration and route optimization into fun acts in and of themselves. Finding the right place to become frozen—and then get launched as an ice cube—in the new Press Garden Zone is a delight, and I loved coming to grips with the verticality and route experimentation opened up by Lava Reef’s second, unbelievable act,” said Ars Technica’s Sam Machkovech.
• “Sonic Mania has all the the crucial elements that go into making a great Sonic adventure: big, elaborate stages, responsive controls and movement physics, interesting and engaging tricks and traps, lots of hidden nooks and crannies to discover, and hazards that challenge you to stay alert and act fast. I replayed many of these stages over and over, finding little nuances and secrets that eluded me the first, second, and even fifth time around,” said IGN’s Heidi Kemps.

You can buy Sonic Mania here as a digital download for PS4, Xbox One or PC, retailing for $19.99.