Sonic Mania is full of Easter eggs. The game itself is practically one big Easter egg for long-time Sonic fans hungry for a return to those 16-bit glory days on the Sega Genesis. Well, Sega throws down the gauntlet once again in probably the best (and easiest to miss) Easter egg we’ve found so far in Sonic Mania — a “Nintendo’t” reference.
Before we get into the main Easter egg, let’s talk about all those other weird little secrets and references that have Sonic fans excited for Sonic Mania. There’s a lot of love in these in-jokes, so let’s point out just a handful right here.
The island in the background of the title screen is shaped exactly like Sonic’s head, Sonic hops after completing an act before entering into his victory pose — a reference to early pre-release images to a dummied-out animation in the prototype of the first Sonic the Hedgehog, and in the beginning of the animated trailed for Sonic Mania, Sonic is drawn with bunny ears — another reference, Sonic was originally designed to be a rabbit.
That’s just a taste of the insane lengths these developers have gone to cater to Easter egg hunters like me. There are dozens and dozens more, but let’s focus on the best one.
More Sonic Mania guides on Gameranx:
- Sonic Mania: How to Fight the Secret Final Boss | True Ending Guide
- Sonic Mania: 7 Chaos Emerald Locations | Super Sonic Guide
- Sonic Mania: How To Beat Every Boss | Battle Tips Guide
- Sonic Mania: All Blue Sphere Bonus Stage Rewards | Unlock Guide
- Sonic Mania: How To Unlock “& Knuckles” | Secret Bonus Mode
- Sonic Mania: How To Access Level Select | Cheat Code List
- Sonic Mania Trophy List
“What Nintendon’t” Studiopolis Easter Egg
[Check out the Easter egg, discovered by Youtuber GameXplain.]
In Studiopolis Act 2, Sonic (and Tails) will find tons of Sega (and Sonic) Easter eggs, but the best one is hidden behind a series of cards. Touching these cards reveal letters as they spin, and running into all the letters in the full sequence reveals a hidden message.
“Genesis Does”
If you’re familiar with the Console Wars of the early ’90s, it was a hot time for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. To fight for their market share, a commercial for Sega Genesis concluded with the line — “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” — and a legendary commercial was born.
Of course, Nintendo is still in the console business today, and Sega sticks to the publishing side of things. The companies work together often now, but there was a time when they were bitter rivals. That time has passed, but the hilarious, awkward, and extreme “Nintendon’t” era still lives on in our nostalgic hearts.
Incase you weren’t a child of the early ’90s, here’s the full commercial referenced in this Easter egg.
