Sonic Mania is by all accounts a great classic Sonic game that would not have felt out of place if it came out in the Genesis era. You can read our review here , and If you’re anything like me, you got drunk on the nostalgia trip and powered through Mania mode in just a few sittings. However, even after beating the game, Sonic Mania has a lot to offer. If you haven’t cleared Mania Mode, I recommend doing so before reading further, for spoiler purposes. Below is a guide to all the secret features and how to access them. Note: some of these work differently for each console so I’ll be covering them separately.
Unlocking Select Stage and Debug Mode on Switch
By clearing Mania you will be able to select which zone you want to start in, but there is also a way to select an individual level. Like much of the game, it is unlocked through a nostalgia driven cheat. If you press and hold the B and Y buttons on your Switch before the ‘Press Any Button’ on the title screen, you will unlock the select stage mode. This will allow you to choose any map in the game.
You can then press X once you’re in any map in select stage to unlock Debug mode. This will allow you to place any item into the map, or use it as a way to explore a map.
Unlocking Select Stage and Debug Mode on XBox One and PS4
On PS4 and XBox One, Select Stage and Debug mode can only be unlocked by collecting silver and gold coins from the blue spheres bonus stages. Then you can activate Debug in the secrets menu. Press Square and Options on PS4 or X and Menu on the Xbox One. This was probably done to separate Debug mode to avoid complications with Xbox and PS4 achievements.
& Knuckles Mode
If you are dedicated enough with completing the Blue Sphere Bonus Stages, there are more unlockable moves to get. The holy grail is the ‘& Knuckles’ mode. If you receive a gold medals for all 32 bonus stages you will unlock ‘& Knuckles’ mode. This allows you to have Knuckles as your companion instead of Miles, you can even do it when playing as Knuckles to have two Knuckles. Double the Knuckles, double the fun.
Mean Bean Machine
Completing all 32 Blue Sphere bonus levels with either Gold or Silver medals will unlock Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, which is basically an arcade version of Puyo Puyo. But it does allow you to play with two players, so if you need your puzzler fix go get those medals. You will also unlock a dedicated Blue Sphere bonus level game, if you don’t want to access them from the levels, as well as a sound test.
What other secrets are you finding in Sonic Mania?
