IT does not feel quite right downloading Sonic Mania onto your console.

The game should be in cartridge format because it makes you want to dust off your Sega Megadrive and step back to the time when Sonic’s foe Egg Man was better known as Dr Robotnik.

Sonic the Hedgehog has had many missteps in its uneasy transition into the modern realm of 3D games. So the developers behind Mania have made the wise choice to turn their game into a spiritual successor to the blue blur’s 16-bit era titles of the 90s.

Mania is a pure, unapologetic nostalgia trip made by programmer Christian Whitehead, who has previously worked on ports of early Sonic games and independent studios Headcannon and PagodaWest, known for their work in the Sonic fan community.

So you are basically getting a game made by the people who have grown up with the Sega icon. Mania’s levels, at least the early ones, are more or less rethinks of classic Sonic zones.

And if anything the level design is more sophisticated than the originals with plenty of replay value for fans who want to explore the many routes and secrets each zone holds.

Mania’s pixellated graphics and sound effects are a loving nod to the Megadrive days and Sonic zips along at a rapid pace – just as he should. The game’s difficulty curve may put some off though.

My reactions are not quite what they were when I was a teen and I was beginning to struggle by the fourth zone, Flying Battery. If there is a sequel it would also be good to see more original levels so it comes across as less of a a tribute and more a true addition to the cherished series.