The Drop-Dash is the new move added into Sonic Mania. And if you don't already know how to perform the move, the game doesn't actually tell you how to do it. So I'm writing this quick guide.

The Drop Dash is a spindash, but it's slower than a regular spin dash. So why would anyone use it then? It has zero build up time! It's instant!

Only Sonic can perform the Drop-Dash, and you need to have your Ability setting set to Mania.

The jump button is A/S/D on keyboard. A/X/B on 360 controller. X/Square/O on Playstation Controllers.

In order to perform it, while playing as Sonic, or Sonic & Tails, you hold down your Jump Button in mid-air, and hold it until you hit the ground, make sure you're holding a direction, and Sonic will instantly enter a spin-dash. Sometimes it's better to use the Spin-Dash if the Drop-Dash doesn't give enough speed, but the ability is very handy.

The ability can only be performed out of a normal jump, not out of a spring, or after a bounce.

Often I hear that the Drop-Dash is only useful in speedruns, but it's not true. While it does greatly benefit speedruns, it's also just a blast to use! It helps a lot when you need some extra speed, but don't wanna stop completely. Because with the Spin-Dash, you need to halt all of your speed. Which can be annoying. However, you can use the Drop-Dash to instantly get a boost of speed!

Examples:

Say you wanna go up a loop without stopping in place to rev up. The Drop-Dash is your friend.

You can also use the Drop-Dash to quickly dispose of enemies in your path, as you hurt enemies while in the Spin-Dash and Drop-Dash.

Use it in the infinite running bosses. It's a blast. Bosses like Metal Sonic, and Heavy Gunner.

Edit: Thanks to a commenter, i forgot to mention this: The drop dash will be faster or slower depending on if you're on a slope or not. using it on a downward angle will give you a faster drop dash and an upwards one will give you a slower one.


I'm not a speedrunner, but I know there's plenty of fancy and crazy techinques you can do with this. Although keep in mind, you can beat the whole game without the Drop-Dash. It's more of an addition than a core mechanic.