Hold onto your Chaos Emeralds, Sonic fans! Long-lost glimpses of Sonic Mania 2 have finally surfaced, giving us our first look at the highly anticipated sequel that ultimately vanished into the development ether.

Posted yesterday by director Christian Whitehead on social media, these prototype images were shared to celebrate the 8th anniversary of the beloved Sonic Mania. While the full game never materialized, these shots offer a fascinating “what if” for the franchise.

The star of the show? The Kanga Clanga Badnik, showcased here in the prototype’s intriguing 2.5D style – a significant visual shift from the original’s pixel art. Whitehead describes its attack: “It is balancing on its tail and kicking forward with its springy roo feet! Sonic is knocked to the left with significant kinetic force.” Sounds like classic, physics-based Sonic chaos!

So why did Sonic Mania 2 stall? Both Whitehead and Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka addressed this previously. Discussions did happen about reuniting the teams (Evening Star, formed post-Mania, was involved here). They explored creating something fresh – specifically moving beyond pixel art, as evidenced by this 2.5D prototype.

However, Iizuka revealed that “everything came to a stop” for undisclosed reasons. SEGA eventually pivoted to creating Sonic Superstars with Arzest, leaving Mania 2 as a tantalizing “what could have been.”

What do you think? Are you captivated by this 2.5D glimpse? Does seeing the Kanga Clanga Badnik in action make you wish Mania 2 had become reality? Or are you happy with the direction Sonic Superstars took? Share your thoughts and reactions in the comments below!