Titanic Monarch Zone in Sonic Mania is the worst and singlehandedly is making me drop the game.

[Gundam]

What in the goddamn fuck dude.

Do people like this zone? I'm almost done with the game but I can't bring myself to finish it. I've really enjoyed basically the entire game up to this point, save for Stardust Speedway.
It's a god-damn mess that the rest of the game doesn't really prime you for in anyway. It would be a highly mediocre zone if it weren't for the 10 minute limit and limited lives system, but as is, it's straight garbage.

I'm all for huge sprawling levels with alternative paths, but TMZ is a garbled mess of a maze, with every 2 seconds having me go "How was I supposed to know that hazard was there?".
Some of the appeal to 2D Sonic for me is memorizing the levels and running through them as efficient as possible, but trying to remember the layout of TMZ is such a chore when each playthrough of the first act alone takes about 10 minutes each time. And those fucking purple balls! Not impossible or terrible to control, but they're placed in frustrating manner and account for like 6/10ths of the time playing the stage, and they just aren't fun.

I got to this point last summer before dropping it in interest of other games, and coming back to it now, I'm just dropping it out of how terrible it feels to play. I get it's the penultimate zone, but the music, while good, isn't even energizing or motivating enough to push me through.

If the stage was "just difficult" I could get over it and keep playing, but I feel like the whole first act is just designed to waste my time.


I guess I'm just venting, but as a bonus topic: Have you ever dropped a game you've otherwise been enjoying over a single stage/mission?

 

[NotLiquid]

I really liked it. Reminded me of Death Egg Zone.

And the music kicks ass. Gives me Rayman 2 vibes.

 

[Desma]

I dropped Sonic Mania at the true final boss.

That really was the worst

 

[Mekanos]

It's not great. A lot of the lategame Mania levels have a problem of being too long. I feel like it'd be better if some of the Zones were split in three Acts instead of two.

It's also one of two stages (the other being Flying Battery) where a glitch had me stuck in a spot and forced me to run out the timer. I assume it's been patched.

 

[Lant_War]

I loved it. It reminded me of Eggmanland.

 

[Poltergust]

While it represents a difficulty spike (which is fine because it's the final zone), I find it to be amazingly designed.

Enemies are never placed in such a way that you'd accidentally run into them, the platforming challenges usually don't punish you severely for failing them, and there are lots of neat set-pieces scattered around. It also provides quite a few alternate routes for the different characters.

 

[bytesized]

I liked it a lot but it is quite long to the point were you can get killed by the timer way more easily than in any other level.

 

[SlasherMcGirk]

It's a good final level.

 

[VariantX]

TMZ feels like it should be 3 zones instead of two given how huge it is

 

[95-Knight]

A little long, but besides that it's a fine level, but it's still the worst level

 

[Poltergust]

TMZ feels like it should be 3 zones instead of two given how huge it is

Click to shrink...

We don't want another Metropolis Zone.

Now that zone is the actual absolute worst lol.

 

[Pedro]

I almost stopped playing Sonic Rush because of the large quantity of blind jumps and unusually precise platforming in the later levels, though I did not play the game again as Blaze. It's a shame, because I loved everything else about that game.

 

[sir_crocodile]

I loved it, very fun zone. I completed it the second time through (first time I used up the time allowance lol)

 

[Virtua King]

Funny, it's one of my favorite zones in the game. Nothing about TMZ do I feel is particularly obtuse to get a feel for, and I'd probably rank it only behind Death Egg for best final zone.

 

[Nocturnowl]

It's alright, I'm honestly hard pressed to think of final zones I really like in 2D sonic so it's like the best of a mediocre bunch.
Does drag a bit in a sandopolis 2 or carnival night 2 kind of way where you can actually end up racing against the clock.

It's cool that it uses those Sonic & Knuckles bonus room orb flingy doodads which were underused in its source game, but in turn they sorta overuse them

 

[Nali]

Weird to see it described as a maze. Most of my problem with the zone is that it's far too linear.

 

[Sacul64]

TMZ feels like it should be 3 zones instead of two given how huge it is

Click to shrink...

It kinda is though just not as noticeable. IIRC the Timer resets at the final boss.

Oh and OT I like the zone really creative design and instead of bottomless pits has warps that just make you redue it. Its faster and more creative then just having a blank space on the ground that you have to go up again.

 

[Hucast]

As a sonic veteran i love it.

 

[Vidiot]

It's a pretty cool final zone with the biggest disappointment being the boss. I wanted to somehow fight the giant as fuck Eggman mech.

 

[Remark]

I love it but like people have said, the boss is weak. Def feels unfinished.

Once you learn the level you can speedrun it pretty fast.

 

[Hucast]

It's a pretty cool final zone with the biggest disappointment being the boss. I wanted to somehow fight the giant as fuck Eggman mech.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. The boss was dissapointing because it was inspired by sonic cd, which had an easy final boss too. Metal sonic was still the best in stardust speedway

 

[Deleted member 671]

Just take the time limit off?

 

[ckareset]

Excellent zone. Makes full of Sonics mechanics and there are no cheap enemies.

The one issue is that the very first time you play it you don't know that you need to move quickly as most levels don't even come close to the timer. That said, it's a one time loss and I'm pretty in an update you can turn off the timer.

If I could make a suggestion it would be to have the timer start backwards

 

[Petohtalrayn]

The game lets you take the time limit off now. I think it's been that way since the plus update.


I loved the zone though, the orbs from the sonic 3 bonus stage are a cool gimmick for it. I honestly never got a time over in it. It's a bummer that seems to be a problem for other people but yeah, again, it can be turned off.

I thought the level was more fun than the final levels from the genesis sonic games. And it was nothing compared to Carnival Night act 2 from sonic 3, I've never been able to complete that without running out of time.

 

[Xtortion]

Amazing level. Don't meander and you can finish acts in like 5-6 minutes tops. The gravity orbs feel amazing to me. I could fling Sonic around all day. Level also has a really dark and unique atmosphere/vibe.

 

[Jahranimo]

It's the best 2D Sonic final zone in the series. There are some pretty jank hit detection places where you can get crushed if you aren't careful.

 

[Deleted member 29464]

Huh, I really enjoyed this level. I got the timinf of the purple balls pretty quickly and felt you just need to be careful and learn from your mistakes to get through it. I don't really remember thinking the hazards were unfair unlike with Sonic 2's last stages.

The final boss is a bit weird though, I still don't know how to properly do it.

 

[Nocturnowl]

It's the best 2D Sonic final zone in the series. There are some pretty jank hit detection places where you can get crushed if you aren't careful.

Click to shrink...

There's this one surprisingly long platform on a pivot that can slowly lift you into a specifically placed crush death and I swear I end up in it 50% of the time.

For all of Mania's goodness, it didn't quite avoid the crush death curse.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

I love it. That being said, the time limit was an issue for me initially (it's not anymore). Just turn it off if you're struggling there. You shouldn't have too much trouble otherwise.

 

[Laxoon]

As a vet I loved it a lot but I can also reach the top of the Sonic & Knuckles checkpoint bonus zones every time so that probably helped me out a bit.

 

[ThatMeanScene]

I've said it since release that Titanic Monarch Zone is **godawful** and the worst zone in a classic-style Sonic game. Its consists of completely recycled elements thrown together in the most furstrating and uninteresting way possible. Everything borrowed for Titanic Monarch is implemented much better in the original zones they appeared in (Carnival Night, Death Egg S&K, S3&K Bonus Stage, etc). Its an unfortunate blemish in an otherwise fantastic game.

 

[A Strong Latte]

I've said it since release that Titanic Monarch Zone is **godawful** and the worst zone in a classic-style Sonic game. Its consists of completely recycled elements thrown together in the most furstrating and uninteresting way possible. Everything borrowed for Titanic Monarch is implemented much better in the original zones they appeared in (Carnival Night, Death Egg S&K, S3&K Bonus Stage, etc). Its an unfortunate blemish in an otherwise fantastic game.

Click to shrink...

The worst zone ever? I don't know about that.

 

[Gundam]

When I get home I'll give it another go without the time limit, but I don't think that takes care of all my problems with the zone. A lot of ridiculous crush deaths and everything looks the same, so when you miss a jump and get sent to another part of the level, I never know if I should try to get back to where I was or follow what may or may not be an alternate route.

It's just boring and frustrating. The enemies are lame and the boss for Act 1 is really blegh.

 

[Nessus]

What in the goddamn fuck dude.

Do people like this zone? I'm almost done with the game but I can't bring myself to finish it. I've really enjoyed basically the entire game up to this point, save for Stardust Speedway.
It's a god-damn mess that the rest of the game doesn't really prime you for in anyway. It would be a highly mediocre zone if it weren't for the 10 minute limit and limited lives system, but as is, it's straight garbage.

I'm all for huge sprawling levels with alternative paths, but TMZ is a garbled mess of a maze, with every 2 seconds having me go "How was I supposed to know that hazard was there?".
Some of the appeal to 2D Sonic for me is memorizing the levels and running through them as efficient as possible, but trying to remember the layout of TMZ is such a chore when each playthrough of the first act alone takes about 10 minutes each time. And those fucking purple balls! Not impossible or terrible to control, but they're placed in frustrating manner and account for like 6/10ths of the time playing the stage, and they just aren't fun.

I got to this point last summer before dropping it in interest of other games, and coming back to it now, I'm just dropping it out of how terrible it feels to play. I get it's the penultimate zone, but the music, while good, isn't even energizing or motivating enough to push me through.

If the stage was "just difficult" I could get over it and keep playing, but I feel like the whole first act is just designed to waste my time.


I guess I'm just venting, but as a bonus topic: Have you ever dropped a game you've otherwise been enjoying over a single stage/mission?

Click to shrink...

Yeah I got to that level and kept dying over and over because the timer would run out or I'd get crushed by an obstacle I didn't see coming. Was really enjoying the game up until that point.

 

[AztecComplex]

I agree that the levels in that zone are way too long for a 10min time limit. I advice you to go to the options and turn off the time limit. It solves that zone's biggest problem.

 

[Ginger Hail]

I don't hate it, but it runs a bit long. Probably my least favorite of the new Zones.

 

[Deleted member 3815]

Nah you're not alone, I fucking hate Titanic Monarch Zone, I just want to run fast and Titanic Monarch Zone simply doesn't let me do that due to those stupid orbs. Plus the fact that the level is long and comes straight after Metallic Madness, makes me feel that I am playing two final level back to back.

Honestly, I just wish that Sonic Mania had a greater focus on newer levels than recycling past levels.

It would be a highly mediocre zone if it weren't for the 10 minute limit

Click to shrink...

You can thankfully turn that shit off.

 

[RockmanBN]

It's actually one of my favorites. Like stated above, Metropolis sucks.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

I liked it a lot, but I did run out of time the first attempt.

 

[Gundam]

Nah you're not alone, I fucking hate Titanic Monarch Zone, I just want to run fast and Titanic Monarch Zone simply doesn't let me do that due to those stupid orbs. Plus the fact that the level is long and comes straight after Metallic Madness, makes me feel that I am playing two final level back to back.

Honestly, I just wish that Sonic Mania had a greater focus on newer levels than recycling past levels.



You can thankfully turn that shit off.

Click to shrink...

I didn't know that before this thread, now I question it - if most other stages don't even get close to timing you out, what's the point of having it kill you at 10 minutes? I get why it counts up instead of down, for an in-game speed run timer kind of thing, but what value does killing you at 10 really add?

 

[milkyway]

As a Sonic casual, I am in fact surprised that people found Mania difficult (other than Encore mode's emerald challenges and some of the medal challenges, fuck that) because I found it overall quite accessible, including TMZ (it's a bit of a mindfuck and on the long side but not frustrating) and the 'true' final boss. Although I think TMZ is not really the high point of the game for sure compared to other levels.

 

[Sonicfan1373]

Titanic Monarch is my favorite 2D final level in a Sonic game. It has a good balance between speed and platforming.

The part of the game that made me rage quit several times was the Oil Ocean boss.

 

[DaveB]

I forget what zone it was, but I know there was a level that made me almost drop the game. I finally finished it and it turned out to be the final stage. Talk about a lucky break.

I don't think I got the "true" ending though.

 

[NoName999]

You played through Flying Battery but thought Titanic Monarch is the chore level?

 

[Madison]

I've said it since release that Titanic Monarch Zone is **godawful** and the worst zone in a classic-style Sonic game. Its consists of completely recycled elements thrown together in the most furstrating and uninteresting way possible. Everything borrowed for Titanic Monarch is implemented much better in the original zones they appeared in (Carnival Night, Death Egg S&K, S3&K Bonus Stage, etc). Its an unfortunate blemish in an otherwise fantastic game.

Click to shrink...

Worst in classic sonic? Green Hills Zone says hi

 

[Deleted member 2474]

It's not really that hard, it's just very tedious and overlong. The energy orbs don't really work as a level gimmick, at least at the frequency Titanic Monarch uses them - they're kind of slow, and if you miss a launch and fall down it can be time consuming to go back up. There's also quite a few gimmicks that seem to just be padding, like the Eggrobo cars, or the swing poles that just pause you for a moment for a flashy animation for no real gameplay purpose.

At least it's the last level.

 

[Deleted member 3815]

I didn't know that before this thread, now I question it - if most other stages don't even get close to timing you out, what's the point of having it kill you at 10 minutes? I get why it counts up instead of down, for an in-game speed run timer kind of thing, but what value does killing you at 10 really add?

Click to shrink...

Because Sonic Mania for all its warts, absorbed a lot of the flaws that the original game had. The timer was one of them, which is ironic as the Sonic Advance series had the timer limit but they also included the option to turn it off. It really serves no purpose and makes no sense to why Sonic just suddenly dies after hitting the time limit.

 

[Grand Galvantula]

Because Sonic Mania for all its warts, absorbed a lot of the flaws that the original game had. The timer was one of them, which is ironic as the Sonic Advance series had the timer limit but they also included the option to turn it off. It really serves no purpose and makes no sense to why Sonic just suddenly dies after hitting the time limit.

Click to shrink...

You can disable it in Plus.

 

[akasha]

It is long and more frustrating than fun most of the time, but I could finish it after few attempts (and dying at least once every time just due to the time limit). For the "normal" final boss (didn't bother collecting the emeralds) I''ve asked a friend to be a co-op partner though - losing multiple times to the difficult final boss, repeating this particular stage would have been too annoying. In hindsight it has not been too bad.

The rest of the game is an absolute gem, but the difficulty level suddenly increases quite a bit at this stage and many level elements pass the frustration threshold.

 

[Gundam]

You can disable it in Plus.

Click to shrink...

He's aware - the question is what's the point of having it kill you in the first place?