I adore this. Everything is lively and colorful, there were so many times where I'd stop progressing through a level to take it all in.

Speaking of levels there's a lot more than I thought there'd be, but the different gameplay styles really help keep things fresh! It's an easy game but I didn't mind at all. Plus I feel like those hidden tanukis you find in certain levels sorta made up for it, most of them were tricky to find!

I also love the way levels are completed in this game. Switching between the L and R buttons to use your drumsticks to restore the calamity towers and hearing that little jingle at the end never got old and always brought a smile to my face. One of my only gripes are the occasional framedrops. It can chug when there's a lot on screen, but other than that this is fantastic.

I played this with the english fan translation patch which was nice to have. Manifesting a localization announcement during the Nintendo Partner Showcase tomorrow because more people should check this out!
EDIT: Looks like it wasn't there... maybe next time Bakerubros

Since this version of the game is pretty similar to the Switch and Quest ones I'll only be talking about the Apple Arcade exclusive additions, like the story mode. I'll link my review of the Switch version here for my overall thoughts on the game!

Why the story mode is exclusive to this version is beyond me. I ended up enjoying it a lot more than the career mode! It's not a crazy story or anything but it's so goofy and over the top, so it's a little disappointing that the version most people probably own didn't get it. I thought having StreamiGo as a single chapter instead of an entire mode was better, and it was awesome to see these characters finally talk and the new characters exclusive to the story mode! You can also dress up Amigo in his friends' outfits in this one, which I thought was neat!

At the end of the day it's just nice to see Amigo and friends again for the first time in ages. Here's hoping he'll make a return with a new story (that isn't Apple Arcade exclusive) in the future, spreading that love for music anywhere he goes!

You know it's something special when it gets you to reinstall Sonic Forces.

This took the original and pushed it to it's limit. Of course at its core it's still Forces, can't really do much about that, but I believe the Overclocked Team did their absolute best with what they had to work with. Stages feel fresh, engaging, and most importantly... last longer than 2 minutes! To my surprise S ranks take genuine effort to get now so it'll be fun coming back to get one for each stage! Small stuff goes a long way too, like the addition of an idle animation and a new model for Sonic.

They struck a good balance with that darker tone the original was going for, while still having characters crack a joke every now and then to remind you that it's not all doom and gloom! Without getting into it too much I love how Tails and the Rook- er... Soldier were used here. The voice actors did a great job too, especially Infinite's. There were times I couldn't tell that wasn't Liam O'Brien himself talking! The soundtrack is great as well, helps set the tone and track names are titled like how they were in the Adventure games which is neat.

There was so much passion put into this and it shows! The Sonic community is filled with tons of talented people and this mod is even more proof of that.