With the new gameplay, we are introduced to new stages, named Mirage Saloon and Studiopolis. Mirage Saloon is an adaptation of the concept for Desert Dazzle which wasn’t included with the 2011 port of Sonic CD. This desert stage was originally created by Sonic Mania’s lead programmer, Christian Whitehead.
Aside from the new stages, players will be able to play as Tails and Knuckles as well. They can be selected from the main menu prior to stage selection. Each character retains their well known abilities. Tails is able to fly for a limited time, whereas Knuckles is able to destroy objects the can’t and scale walls.
Producer Shiraishi also shared that the game will support 2-player couch co-op.
The digital only title has been announced to launch for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Sonic Mania is scheduled to release sometime in 2017.