'Sonic Mania' news: PC release date pushed to later this month

A promotional picture of the physical copy of "Sonic Mania."Facebook/Sonic

The PC release date for "Sonic Mania" was recently revealed in an unboxing video of the side-scrolling platform game's Collector's Edition.

"Sonic Mania" is already available for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One consoles. Given the positive reviews, PC owners must feel envious of not being able to play the game as of yet.

According to IGN, developer Sega wanted to dedicate some extra time to optimize the PC version. The reason behind the two-week delayed release is because the said version has yet to meet the high standards of Sega's two-dimensional platformer.

Fortunately, in a message on Instagram, the developer apologized for the delay and promised to gift Sonic 1 to fans who have already purchased the Collector's Edition on Steam.

As for the other platforms, "Sonic Mania" has been well-received by critics, scoring an 87 percent on Open Critic, while fans have given it a 97 percent rating. The game did well to maintain the beauty of the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" game, keeping its 2-D format and gameplay mechanics as simple as before. This new iteration allows fans to take a trip down memory lane, complete with sound effect nostalgia and gold ring collecting.

PC Gamer has come up with a list of first impressions from other game critics. Polygon stated that the new game has fallen flat, and doesn't really offer anything new. However, other sources such as Gamespot said that "Sonic Mania" has gone back to its roots, and returned to being a true "Sonic" game that has surpassed expectation.

Given that the game stays true to the original formula, the dichotomy of old vs. new will prove to be an interesting one as more players get to experience the game. Moreover, the majority of critics speak highly of the new game, which is sure to fire up PC owners.

"Sonic Mania" for Microsoft Windows is targeted to be released on Tuesday, Aug. 29.