It's good. I never really got into Sonic until I tried this one out and I was immediately impressed. The story, while pretty simple, is told pretty well for a sidescrolling platformer and the platforming action has been done beautifully. I always expect some jank from older games, but here controls were solid and I didn't have to fight against my own thumbs.

However, some of the levels felt way longer than they needed to be, even without looking for all the secrets and crystals. I know the motto is "Gotta go fast", but at some points it just didn't feel possible due to how precise the platforming had to be and I ended up running out of time during couple bosses. At least there's usually a checkpoint right before the boss room but I still feel some of the levels could've been shorter.

I think it's an iconic game everyone should try at least once.