Sonic Mania, the 2D-side scrolling blast of nostalgia for fans of Sega's lovable hedgehog, only launched Aug. 15, but players on the Nintendo Switch have already reported a problem with the game.
The issue is related to the Home button of the hybrid console, but is it serious enough to keep Sonic fans away from Sonic Mania?
Sonic Mania Home Button Bug
Sonic Mania players on the Nintendo Switch already likely noticed that there is something wrong with the functionality of the Home button of the hybrid console while playing the game.
According to multiple reports, when a player presses the Home button while playing Sonic Mania on the Nintendo Switch's handheld mode, there is a delay until the hybrid console returns to the menu. There are times when there is just a slight lag, there are times when the delays take a few seconds, and there are also times when there is no response at all.
Players have voiced out their experience with the bug in various online platforms, such as in a thread in the official Nintendo Switch subreddit on the availability of Sonic Mania on Nintendo's North America eShop.
There have also been reports that the capture and power buttons of the Nintendo Switch are experiencing the same problems while players have Sonic Mania open. Other players have also claimed that the issue is not only experienced when the Nintendo Switch is in handheld mode, with the problems persisting even when the hybrid console is docked.
Will The 'Sonic Mania' Issues Stop You From Playing It?
The bugs that players are experiencing with the Home button of the Nintendo Switch while playing Sonic Mania are irritating but not game-breaking. The movement and action buttons on the hybrid console are not affected by delays and lags, so the gameplay experience of Sonic Mania is not compromised by the glitches.
Sonic Mania reviews have been very positive, as Sega evolved the franchise by actually heading toward the opposite direction. The game captures the spirit of what made the original Sonic games so fun, and fans of the blue hedgehog will not let a malfunctioning Home button on their Nintendo Switch stop them from playing Sonic Mania.
In addition, Christian Whitehead, the project lead for the game, said that the development team is aware of the bugs that have been discovered. This likely means that the Sonic Mania Home button problems will not last long.
While playing through Sonic Mania and ignoring the Home button issues on the Nintendo Switch for now, fans of the franchise also have Sonic Forces to look forward to. The upcoming game, which will be released in the holiday season of 2017, will bring customized characters into the series for the first time.
