History Headscratchers / SonicMania

* Why did Sonic Mania's split-screen multiplayer use the "squashed screens" from Sonic 2, rather than the "zoomed out screens" from Sonic 3, which look better and have a wider view area? Every other gameplay aspect of Sonic Mania seems inspired by Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but that's the one area where it regressed to Sonic 2 for some unexplained reason.

** Maybe because he used time travel so much, it caused him to go insane?

** Sonic doesn't often fly the Tornado, he only does it a few times when it is Tails' turn to save the day. Thus, he likely doesn't have a special aviator cap for him, so he just uses what's handy. Tails probably wears and aviator cap for the first time in this game because he realised that he needs it, or Sonic convinced him to because it's safer and you know Sonic is always in favour of Tails' safety. Alternatively, it's a reference to Sonic Boom.

* Why does Sonic wear ''snorkel glasses'' when piloting the Tornado, rather than an aviator hat like Tails? I know the [[AscendedFanboy Ascended Fanboys]] behind Mania loved to reference scrapped content from the classic games, and they were a reference to the scrapped snorkel glasses from Sonic 1, but they didn't fit. In fact, neither did Tails' aviator hat for that matter, seeing how he doesn't wear them when piloting the biplane in any of the other games.

* Why does Sonic wear ''snorkel glasses'' when piloting the Tornado, rather than an aviator hat like Tails? I know the AscendedFanboys behind Mania loved to reference scrapped content from the classic games, and they were a reference to the scrapped snorkel glasses from Sonic 1, but they didn't fit. In fact, neither did Tails' aviator hat for that matter, seeing how he doesn't wear them when piloting the biplane in any of the other games.

* Why does Sonic wear ''snorkel glasses'' when piloting the Tornado, rather than an aviator hat like Tails? I know the AscendedFanboys behind Mania loved to reference scrapped content from the classic games, and they were a reference to the scrapped snorkel glasses from Sonic 1, but they didn't fit. In fact, neither did Tails's aviator hat for that matter, seeing how he doesn't wear them when piloting the biplane in any of the other games.

* Why did Sonic Mania's split-screen multiplayer use the "squashed screens" from Sonic 2, rather than the "zoomed out screens" from Sonic 3, which look better and let the player see farther ahead and behind? Every other gameplay aspect of Sonic Mania seems inspired by Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but that's the one area where it regressed to Sonic 2.

** The animation prior to release suggested it was ''1, 2, 3, K, M'', so I get the feeling the developers were subjecting ''4'' to [[FanonDiscontinuity the same]] [[CanonDiscontinuity discontinuity]] as most people. ''CD'' probably fits between ''1'' and ''2''.

** The animation prior to release suggested it was ''1, 2, 3, K, M'', so I get the feeling the developers were subjecting ''4'' to [[FanonDiscontinuity the same]] [[CanonDiscontinuity discontinuity]] [[FandomBerserkButton as most people]]. ''CD'' probably fits between ''1'' and ''2''.

* In the launch trailer, there's a part where certain zones are displayed inside rings. I can make out Flying Battery, Mirage Saloon, Lava Reef, HydroCity, Stardust Speedway (future) and possibly Oil Ocean. What are the rest of them?
** The ring with the palm tree and clouds is Green Hill. The partially seen ring in the bottom right corner showing a red city is Chemical Plant. The ring in the background showing the dull green rocks does not appear in the game proper.

* Little Planet is suddenly chained and turned to metal again for no given reason, even in the manual. In the backstory of ''Sonic CD'' this mystical planetoid only appears over a lake in the Mirage Island that ''Sonic 4'' would later take place in, but in ''Mania'' it is very close to Lava Reef in Angel Island instead. Is it chained to Angel Island now or is Angel Island parked right next to Mirage Island?

** [[spoiler:Not being able to fly puts him out of reach of both bosses, so dying automatically just lets the boss restart immediately, instead of having the player to hope to get hit.]]

* What did Eggman wanted to do with the Titanic Monarch and Little Planet?

* What do the scrolling pages in the background of Press Garden Zone act 1 say. I can't make them out even with pause.
** I think Eggman uses Press Garden to print propaganda so maybe that's what's on the newspapers.

** The animation prior to release suggested it was ''1, 2, 3, K, M'', so I get the feeling the developers were subjecting 4 to the same discontinuity as most people. CD probably fits between 1 and 2.
** Sonic Forces states that its incarnation of Classic Sonic comes from another dimension (unlike the one from Generations who was from the same dimension's past), and heavily hints it's the Sonic from Sonic Mania. That would put Mania in a dimension parallel to Sonic 4 and the rest of the mainline games.
* Why does the level select screen use the Death Egg Zone icon from Sonic 2 for the final level? It doesn't fit it at all, and the other levels have their own unique icons. Were the artists too lazy to make one more icon?
* Why is the desert Zone called Mirage ''Saloon''? The place only has a few saloons, and only in the second act. And its definitely not a huge saloon level.