I miss Sonic 3’s Sonic sprite in Mania, but Tails’ and Knuckles’ sprites are better. I also miss a proper bonus stage (I love Blue Spheres, but it should have been a separate game mode; it doesn’t qualify for bonus stages as it stops the game’s flow too often), but the special stage is awesome. Also, Mania introduced Drop Dash, something I now miss on every classic Sonic game.

That’s about comparing Mania to all the classics. Now, compared to Sonic CD:

-You can play as Tails and Knuckles (ok, Sonic CD Remastered lets you play with Tails).
-Level design is way better (Sonic CD always seemed a mess to me).
-Boss batlles are more exciting in general in Mania. The Heavies are a great addition.
-You can save game and select stage when you finish the game (you can’t do the latter in Sonic CD Remastered).
-Mania’s Special Stage is much more playable than Sonic CD’s.
-Drop Dash!

Mania all the way. Looking forward to the “Project plus” release 😀

I must say though, I really do like collision chaos. Especially the part of the level where there are random springs on the ground and bumpers in the sky. It’s so weird and makes no sense and its awesome.