After my first experience with this game 5+ years ago, and having played many Sonic games since then, I wanted to give a second look at the first entry in my favorite franchise. Unfortunately, it is exactly how I remember it.

The game starts off so strong with Green Hill Zone, which exemplifies everything I enjoy about these games. I've never been the explorative type in video games, but the idea of multiple pathways to reach the same goal is something that this zone executes to perfection without the levels feeling like a maze to navigate. The acts are also not too long, which encourages me to practice my skills so I can get through them faster and faster.

This is when the game starts to fall off. I know this is unoriginal to say, but Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone are not fun and the slow movement kills my enjoyment of this game as a whole. Spring Yard, Star Light, and even Scrap Brain have more elements of level design that I enjoy in Sonic games, but considering there are only 6 zones and I dislike 2 of them, I can't say I enjoy this game front to back.

I know the mobile phone/Sonic Origins port fix most of my issues to the point where I can say I enjoy this game almost as much as the other classic entries, but the original Genesis game doesn't hold up as well as I'd like it to. At least I still have Sonic 2, 3 & Knuckles, and Mania to always go back to when I want to see what 2D Sonic is capable of at its best.