Sega released the official intro cinematic for the upcoming Sonic Mania. The intro features an animated look at the three main playable characters, including Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.

The intro sequence hearkens back to the days of Sonic CD, where Sega also had a fully animated intro sequence for the game. If you don’t want it spoiled then I suggest you look away now, but if you don’t mind spending a minute and a half of your time watching the trailer, check it out below.

After introducing Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, we then get a sequence of scenarios where Sonic and Tails run through a series of stages while some of Dr. Eggman’s forces attempt to waylay the blue hedgehog.

We get some small instances and glimpses of a few of the stages included in the actual game of Sonic Maria, including the new TV-based zone.

The intro animation looks really good, and hearkens back to the old days of the Sonic television cartoon, but with some really high-quality movement and animation work.

A lot of people in the comment section were asking for Sega to make a cartoon based on the Sonic Mania intro – something that rekindles the classic look and feel of Sonic, back when he was significant and a serious icon in the realm of gaming.

The hype was real in the comment section for the game. Not only does the gameplay look absolutely rock solid, but the cinematic is smooth, very clean and exciting.

Between Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania, it’s absolutely clear that the latter game is the one that has gamers in the palms of its hands. The throwback to the classic 16-bit era of gaming fused with the synth-chip soundtrack and the mixture of classic stages with brand new levels even has me giddy like a fanboy from the yesteryears.

You can look for Sonic Mania to launch on home consoles and PC starting August 15th for $19.99.