History WMG / SonicMania

* [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Amy Rose]]: Wider jump-attack range and power with her [[DropTheHammer Hammer]].

At the end of ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', Classic Sonic and Tails return to their own time. However, it's very common for stories involving time travel to end with the protagonist's own time in a noticeably different state than it was before, to the point that it could be considered a new timeline altogether (this happens at the ending of [[Film/BackToTheFuture Back to the Future Part I]], for instance); this means that Sonic Mania might not only take place in an alternate timeline from that of the "Main" series, but might also be the beginning of a total ContinuityReboot.

* Though recently confirmed as with ''Sonic Origins Plus'' where she actually is a fourth playable character across all four games within the collection.

[[WMG: Dr. Eggman [[spoiler:killed Sonic]].]]
[[spoiler:The "purple void" is actually a [[PowerOfTheVoid black hole]]. The "new power" is Dr. Eggman having the ability to create black holes.]]
* [[spoiler:Alternatively he sent Sonic [[HurlItIntoTheSun hurling into the sun]].]]
** [[spoiler:Jossed. It is most likely that Mania!Sonic was sent into ''VideoGame/SonicForces''. His sudden appearance in that game's trailer says so otherwise.]]

* [[UpToEleven Ultra Jossed]] with Sonic Mania Plus instead including Ray and Mighty instead of Amy.

* Not Jossed yet she appears in sonic mania adventures episode 6 hinting she might be dlc

[[WMG:Heavy King is the same Eggrobo [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog3AndKnuckles that Knuckles chased across Angel Island way back when]].]]

The rest of the zones after Hydrocity (Mirage Saloon, Oil Ocean, Lava Reef, Metallic Madness, Titanic Monarch) are not illusions. [[MundaneUtility This is also how the palletes are changed in Encore mode]].

Angel Island Zone - The real deal, and likely where the first few zones take place in reality.
Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant - Illusions.
Studiopolis - Maybe an illusion, as it's directly connected to Chemical Plant Zone.
Flying Battery and Press Garden - Not illusions.
Stardust Speedway - Illusion, but Tiny Planet being chained back to Sonic's world is not. There would be no real need to chain Tiny Planet if it was simply an illusion made by Eggman.
Hydrocity Zone - Illusion.

After Infinite is beaten in VideoGame/SonicForces, he fades away with little explanation beyond being a likely Eggman contingency. The Ruby has the ability to jump both dimensions(it goes from the Classic to Modern dimension) and timeframes(since Classic and Modern are still different time periods), so what if Infinite was sent to the Classic dimension like Classic Sonic was...except before the events of Sonic Mania? The Phantom Ruby prototype he has either was used by the ancient Echidnas to create the finalized Phantom Ruby, or ''became'' the true Phantom Ruby and Infinite lost possession of it. The latter could open a story for the Classic characters that never showed up in person in Sonic Mania, maybe even the Classic versions of Modern characters to debut-[[HeroOfAnotherStory they were busy fighting a displaced Infinite]] and sealed the Phantom Ruby up in Angel Island. Only for Clasic Eggman to discover it and get it sent to Modern Eggman, [[StableTimeLoop who used it as the basis for Infinite's Phantom Ruby prototype]]. [[MeaningfulName An infinite loop of cause and effect]].

*** Jossed again, as confirmed by Classic's appearance in [[VideoGame/SonicForces Sonic Forces]].]]

Both Encore Mode and ''Adventures'' begin the same way: Sonic returns to his own reality via a Phantom Ruby portal. However, in ''Adventures'' he's busy waving goodbye to someone, which is how he went out in ''Forces''. Meanwhile in Encore Mode he returns as he left Egg Reverie, being floated by the Phantom Ruby. Thus, it's possible to conclude that Encore Mode takes place in a reality where Sonic never visited the fallen world of ''Forces'' after the Egg Reverie battle and ''Adventures'' is the one where he did.

It's highly implied the Ruby has some sort of sentience to it, unlike the Chaos Emeralds. It seems to amplify and power up others, as seen with the Hard Boiled Heavies, but it also corrupts them and makes them greedy-the Heavy King was once a soulless Egg-Robo but the change led it to try and usurp Dr Eggman. The Phantom Ruby, like the One Ring, is the extension of some [[GreaterScopeVillain greater scope villain's]] power and essence, possibly even a SoulJar holding the villain after his original body was destroyed. Dr Eggman himself is unaffected holding the Phantom Ruby [[PureIsNotGood because he's so narcissistic it can't further corrupt him]]. It's possible whoever made it or whatever it embodies had some hand in the Chaos Emerald's history.

It's highly implied the Ruby has some sort of sentience to it, unlike the Chaos Emeralds. It seems to amplify and power up others, as seen with the Hard Boiled Heavies, but it also corrupts them and makes them greedy-the Heavy King was once a soulless Egg-Robo but the change led it to try and usurp Dr Eggman. The Phantom Ruby, like the One Ring, is the extension of some [[GreaterScopeVillain greater scope villain's]] power and essence, possibly even a SoulJar holding the villain after his original body was destroyed. Dr Eggman himself is unaffected holding the Phantom Ruby [[PureIsNotGood because he's so narcissistic it can't further corrupt him]]. It's possible whoever made it or whatever it embodies had some hand in the Chaos Emerald's history.

[[WMG: ''Sonic Mania'' will end up becoming DeaderThanDisco.]]

* Confirmed. You chose the player character and have a choice of leader from Mighty and Ray in the beginning of the game. As the game goes on, you can find other characters in monitors ala 1-UP boxes. In that instance, it was Sonic with Mighty following him.

[[WMG: ''Sonic Mania'' will end up becoming DeaderThanDisco.]]