Excited for "Sonic Mania," but I hope they don't borrow too much from the very first Sonic title. The atmosphere in that game was such a downer.

I noticed this as a kid and, after briefly trying the now free-to-play mobile version, it's still true. This game is dreary. The music, the visuals, the colors...everything just seems so lonely and drab. The design of the trees, for instance, is distractingly artificial and stiff and lifeless. The flowers are quite ugly. I could go on.

Sonic 2 has much more invigiratong atmosphere. Bright, colorful, lively, etc. Even the moodier zones seem to crackle with life in an interesting way, and the assets all pop in an eye-catching manner. Sonic 3 took this even further.

Sonic 1 feels like a rainy day -- the enemies, the visuals, the music, etc. I say this as someone who has never beat the second zone because, in my youth, it was beyond my skill level (such an awful difficulty spike, especially since its only the second level). Can't do it now, either, due to the horrid mobile controls.