Following it’s announcement during a SEGA themed panel at SXSW 2018, fans of the blue hedgehog were left wondering when Sonic Mania Plus, the expanded version of Sonic Mania would be arriving in retail stores. Luckily, SEGA didn’t make the fans wait for too long, as an all new trailer with the vital information was uploaded to the official Sonic The Hedgehog YouTube channel earlier today.

The trailer showcased newcomer characters Mighty and Ray, as well as their unique character abilities. Mighty the Armadillo can instantly zoom to the ground no matter what momentum he currently is subjected to, whereas Ray the Flying Squirrel can glide through the air in a similar manner to Mario when he has grabbed the Feather in Super Mario World.

Although the trailer doesn’t showcase the playable sections of Angel Island Zone that were teased in a recent Famitsu article, it does show the various colour palette differences that will be on display during the game’s Encore Mode. For previous owners of Sonic Mania, you will be able to upgrade to Sonic Mania Plus for a minimal fee of $4.99, which should roughly translate to £4.49 in the United Kingdom.

Sonic Mania Plus is set to be released on July 17th 2018 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. The game will receive a physical release on all platforms except for Steam. If you are interested in finding out more about the game, be sure to visit the official website, watch the release date trailer provided below, and stay tuned to VGU for more news about the game as it arrives.