Sonic Maniais a side-scrolling platformer video game in theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise which acts as a celebration of theSonicseries' 25th anniversary. Set in analternate reality after the events of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, the game followsSonic the Hedgehog,Miles "Tails" Prower, andKnuckles the Echidnaas they try to keepDr. Eggmanand hisHard Boiled Heaviesfrom harnessing amysterious new energy source.
Sonic Maniawas developed byChristian Whitehead, along withHeadcannonandPagodaWest Games, known for their work in the Sonic fan game community, and was published bySega. The game emulates the style of the originalSega GenesisSonicgames.The game was announced on 22 July 2016 and released on 15 August 2017 forNintendo Switch,Xbox One, andPlayStation 4,and on 29 August 2017 forPC.
A definitive version of the game titledSonic Mania Plus, was released on 17 July 2018 as paid downloadable content to the base game alongside a physical version of the game.It includes the return ofMighty the ArmadilloandRay the Flying Squirrelas playable characters, as well as a 4-player Competition Mode and an “Encore Mode".
Contents
- 1 Level Select
- 2 Debug Mode - Early Unlock
- 3 Sound Test Cheat Codes
- 3.1 UFO Special Stage Select
- 3.2 Blue Sphere Bonus Stage Select
- 4 All Gold Medallions - Unlock Early
- 5 Unused Cheat Codes
- 6 Removed Cheat Codes
- 7 Trivia
Level Select[]
You'll need Debug Mode unlocked in order to access this. Once it's unlocked, go into Mania Mode, turn Debug Mode on, then hover over the No Save option. Input the following:
| Level Select |
|  |
Debug Mode - Early Unlock[]
Alternatively, you can enter this code to unlock Debug Mode, which allows access to the Level Select immediately:
| Unlock Debug Mode Early | On the title screen, press Up, Up, Down, Down, Up, Up, Up, Up When Sonic appears. If done correctly, a ring chime should play. Now you can also use this to continue the Level Select process listed above. |
Sound Test Cheat Codes[]
In the Level Select (see above), there's a Sound Test that lets you listen to music and sound effects in the game. As of version 1.05 (Sonic Mania Plus), if you play certain sounds in a specific order, you can activate a code. While most codes are No Save exclusive, some can carry over into a normal save file game.
| All Chaos Emeralds | Play sounds 04, 01, 02, 06. This gives the player all seven Chaos Emeralds, allowing you to turn into your Super form. |  |
| Super Form Flight | Play sounds 02, 00, 01, 07, 00, 08, 01, 05. This allows Super Sonic to fly in any Zone like he normally would inEgg Reverie Zone. |  |
| Disable Super Music | Play sounds 06, 02, 01, 04. (This will carry over into a normal save file if the game isn't reset) | |
| Sonic Max Control | Play sounds 09, 00, 00, 01. This gives Sonic access to theInsta-Shield,Drop DashandSuper Peel Outall at once. | |
| 14 Continues | Play sounds 01, 09, 09, 02, 01, 01, 02, 04. | |
| Ricky Mania | Play sounds 01, 09, 07, 09, 00, 07, 01, 01. All animals in-game will be replaced withRicky the Squirrel. (This will carry over into a normal save file if the game isn't reset) |  |
| Encore Mode in Level Select | Play sounds 02, 00, 01, 08, 00, 06, 02, 03. This sets the game to Encore Mode, allowing the player to play Encore Mode Zones (exceptAngel Island Zone) from the level select, and also allows Debug Mode in Encore Mode stages. (You must have purchased the Encore DLC or own Sonic Mania Plus to enable this cheat) |  |
UFO Special Stage Select[]
If you play a specific sound in the Sound Test and then select Special Stage 1, you can choose which UFO Special Stage to play.
| UFO Special Stage 1 | Play sound 00 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 2 | Play sound 01 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 3 | Play sound 02 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 4 | Play sound 03 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 5 | Play sound 04 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 6 | Play sound 05 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 7 | Play sound 06 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 1 (Encore) | Play sound 07 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 2 (Encore) | Play sound 08 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 3 (Encore) | Play sound 09 and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 4 (Encore) | Play sound 0A and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 5 (Encore) | Play sound 0B and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 6 (Encore) | Play sound 0C and select Special Stage 1. |  |
| UFO Special Stage 7 (Encore) | Play sound 0D and select Special Stage 1. |  |
Blue Sphere Bonus Stage Select[]
If you play a specific sound in the Sound Test and then select Special Stage 2, you can choose a Blue Sphere Bonus Stage to play.
| Blue Sphere Stage 1 | Play sound 00 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 2 | Play sound 01 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 3 | Play sound 02 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 4 | Play sound 03 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 5 | Play sound 04 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 6 | Play sound 05 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 7 | Play sound 06 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 8 | Play sound 07 and select Special Stage 2. |  |
| Blue Sphere Stage 9 | Play sound 08 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 10 | Play sound 09 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 11 | Play sound 0A and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 12 | Play sound 0B and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 13 | Play sound 0C and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 14 | Play sound 0D and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 15 | Play sound 0E and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 16 | Play sound 0F and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 17 | Play sound 10 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 18 | Play sound 11 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 19 | Play sound 12 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 20 | Play sound 13 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 21 | Play sound 14 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 22 | Play sound 15 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 23 | Play sound 16 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 24 | Play sound 17 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 25 | Play sound 18 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 26 | Play sound 19 and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 27 | Play sound 1A and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 28 | Play sound 1B and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 29 | Play sound 1C and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 30 | Play sound 1D and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 31 | Play sound 1E and select Special Stage 2. | |
| Blue Sphere Stage 32 | Play sound 1F and select Special Stage 2. |
All Gold Medallions - Unlock Early[]
Playing and perfecting all the Blue Sphere bonus stages will get you the Gold Medallions, which will unlock extra features like Debug Mode and the D.A. Garden. However, as of version 1.05 (Sonic Mania Plus), YouTuber CodenameGamma found that there is a multi-step code to unlock everything from the very beginning of the game without playing the Blue Sphere stages (you may need the Encore DLC or Sonic Mania Plus for this):
| STEP 1: Unlock Debug Mode Early | To start, input the Unlock Debug Mode cheat from earlier (Up, Up, Down, Down, Up, Up, Up, Up). |
| STEP 2: Enter Level Select | Now go to the Mania Mode menu, turn on Debug Mode, hover over No Save, and press and hold the buttons corresponding to your console to enter Level Select. |
| STEP 3: Ricky Mania Cheat | After getting to the Level Select, go to the Sound Test and input the Ricky Mania cheat (01, 09, 07, 09, 00, 08, 01, 01). You should hear a ring chime. |
| STEP 4: Hunter Bridges' Birthday Cheat | Now enter the Hunter Bridges' birthday code (01, 09, 08, 09, 00, 05, 00, 01). Instead of hearing the ring chime (unless you've input something wrong), you should hear the Gold Medallion obtained sound. |
| STEP 5: Enter and Leave a Level | Now enter a level and immediately leave it. If all of these steps are done correctly, you should obtain a plethora of messages saying you've unlocked various extras. (NOTE: This does not affect trophies or achievements.) |
Unused Cheat Codes[]
| Hunter Bridges' Birthday Code | Play sounds 01, 09, 08, 09, 00, 05, 00, 01. While it does nothing by itself other than make a ring chime, it is part of the "Unlock All Gold Medallions" cheat. |
| Vape Mode | A Vaporwave mode (referred to as "Vape Mode" in the code) is an unused mode within the code of Sonic Mania Plus. The mode makes all music in-game slower and lower in pitch. While the data is bunched together with other Level Select codes, the code to activate it is somewhat unfinished. While there are references in the code of the Switch version to it, the Steam release of Sonic Mania Plus is the only way to get it working via modding. It's speculated to have been removed due to the console versions not being able to run it properly. It's thought that it could have been activated it at some point during development using the Hunter Bridges' Birthday Code from above, before it was a part of the Unlock All Gold Medallions cheat. Considering this is a music-based function, and the above code is a reference to a Mania composer's birthday, this connection seems likely. |
Removed Cheat Codes[]
| Dunkey Mode | Prior to version 1.03, there was an Easter egg activated by grabbing onto a chain in Hydrocity Zone Act 1 and inputting Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Up, Up. When done correctly, a ring chime would play. From then on, whenever a speed booster was activated, a sound clip of the YouTuber Jason Gastrow, a.k.a. VideoGameDunkey, would play instead of the usual sound effect until the player entered a Special Stage. This change carried over to Act 2. Version 1.03 removed both the check for the level select code and the sound effect itself,HCZ/Dunkey.wav. Interestingly, the Easter egg wasnotremoved in the patch for the Switch version, and wouldn't be removed until version 1.05 (Sonic Mania Plus). |
Trivia[]
- Many of the cheat codes in Sonic Mania (and Sonic Mania Plus) are references to either developers or other cheat codes from past Sonic the Hedgehog games
- The Unlock Debug Mode Early code uses the same inputs as the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Level Select cheat code
- The All Chaos Emeralds code is exactly the same as it was in Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- The 14 Continues code uses the same inputs as theDebug Modecode inSonic 2, which also happens to be reference to the North American release date ofSonic the Hedgehog 2(24 November 1992)
- The Encore Mode in Level Select code is a reference to the date of theSonic the Hedgehogseries' 27th anniversary (23 June 2018)
- The Super Sonic Flight code is a reference to the North American release date forSonic Maniaon consoles (15 August 2017)
- The Ricky Mania code is a reference to the birthday ofSimon Thomley, one of the developers (11 August 1979)
- The technically unused Hunter Bridges' Birthday Code is, as the title implies, a reference to the birthday of Hunter Bridges, a composer for Sonic Mania Plus (1 May 1989)
- The removed Dunkey Mode's code was a reference to the Sonic 3 and Knuckles Level Select code
- When Takashi Iizuka, head of Sonic Team, was asked about the removal of the Dunkey Mode cheat, he responded by asking "Dunkey Mode???" in confusion. It seems Iizuka, and possibly SEGA, were unaware of the code. The developers may have simply forgotten to remove an inside joke in the final release. This could explain why it remained in the Switch version until the Mania Plus update, as it was ported by a different developer.
