From visuals to gameplay this was an extension of 16 bit era Sonic and it was marketed to that core fanbase. The punishment for failure was part of the experience. I always viewed Sonic as a racing platformer where repetition was demanded in a time trial sense.

The game over system works fine for me. I've seen the Game Over screen a few times already (not a hardcore Sonic fan but I love this game) but it makes clearing a zone more rewarding. Also, with the branching paths you can just go a different route when replaying a level. It actually makes you see more of the content the game has to offer. Now, those Chaos Emeralds on the other hand... I don't know if I'll sink enough time into the game to get them all.

I think the main issue with this idea that "game over" is outdated, is the fact that any mechanic can be made to work in a video game when it's implemented correctly within the context of a given game. It has nothing to do with Sonic Mania being a platformer. Game overs work fine in some platformers, but not in others. Its simply a matter of how the game is designed and how the game over affects the game.

Difficulty in games is fine, and there should be some consequences for failure or it'll lose all meaning, but that can also be taken too far. I haven't played Sonic Mania so I can't say anything directly related to it specifically, but it doesn't seem to me like the game overs in it are exceedingly punishing.

Hm...can't say I agree with all of it, but I honestly wouldn't miss the Game Over system if it were to be removed altogether. I think there are much better and interesting ways to add challenge then threatening to make me replay long sections of the game over again, which I honestly find more tedious than challenging. I don't mind memorization-based gameplay to an extent, I just feel the tension it adds isn't often worth the tedium.

Of course, this is using extreme examples. I dont recall having any issues with Sonic Mania.

I completely agree. I should get an automatic save point at the final boss so I can own him on my twentieth attempt.