Sonic Mania & Horizon Chase Turbo Are Free On Epic

Monday, David wrote about the latest WoW patch. Tuesday, Taylor spoke of Doug Bowser’s comments on the new Switch rumors, and I finally got to writing the news of (Portal designer) Kim Swift’s latest move to Microsoft. Wednesday, this year’s best Sonic game was released, and it is Minecraft, while Alexx spoke about Gaymers and their exes (I believe they live in Texas), or more precisely, LGBTQ+ charities. Thursday, Microsoft had announced the Cyberpunk 2077 returns policy ends soon, and Space Jam: A New Legacy is getting a free-to-play brawler, soon.

I don’t care if you think China is injecting 5G into you via Epic Games Store, vaccines, or other stupidity that I simply don’t understand, you need to play Sonic Mania. By far, Sonic Mania Plus is one of the best (if not the best) Sonic games we’ve ever had and are likely ever to have. As an official fan-made game, it is what would happen if you could remake the Mega Drive (or Genesis if you’re of a Phil Collins disposition) and somehow make them better. I’ve never seen, felt, or heard a level as well made as Chemical Plant, the perfect trifecta of design in a game.

Sonic Mania is a proper Sonic game in every way possible: 2D, Side-scrolling, and about momentum. You can’t ask for more than that in these hard times. I say this as someone with the Sonic Mania Plus art book on his desk right now. I have the reversible cover (always buy physical, kids) switched to the Mega Drive side, and the biggest smile on my face. The addition of Mighty and Ray, two of the most obscure characters in Sonic’s 30-year run, just makes it the ultimate Sonic game in my point of view. Everyone should be playing it right now; Including you!

However, this week it is a double-bill of games on the store, which means I need to talk about some PC port of a mobile phone game that no one cares about called Horizon Chase Turbo. Set up to be a classic arcade racer, it takes inspiration from when we were barely learning how to make two cars go at different speeds in video games. From the word go, it is kind of unfair to put this up against something like Sonic Mania. I have more nostalgia for a good game than the irrelevant tripe we’ve moved on from with mediocre couch co-op arcade racers. If you’re going to do an arcade rubber band racer, you better be Burnout 3: Takedown, or you can get out of my house!

All this week, you can pick up Sonic Mania (lacking the Encore DLC) and Horizon Chase Turbo on the Epic Games Store, until the morning of the 1st of July. From the 1st we’ll be dipping back into the trough of first-person walking sims masquerading as puzzle games: It is The Spectrum Retreat. Because if no one else is going to make a Portal-wannabe without physics puzzles, you might as well do it when you are 15, huh Dan Smith? I’m not going to be happy next week, let’s just say that.