My favourite 2D Sonic.

I have some minor annoyances (nitpicks really, I don't even think they're worth mentioning), but nothing that kept me from enjoying the game.
Everything felt intuitive, the special stages are playable, the setpieces are memorable, and the game doesn't punish you for going fast.

Oh also, switching between controlling Sonic and Tails at anytime during the stage is fantastic.
Missed a jump? Just switch and fly back up (because there's not gonna be a bottomless pit! Unless it's one of like two instances where you're hanging onto the side of a moving vehicle.)

Quite possibly my favourite Sonic game yet!

I've always felt Sonic games have a sour spot somewhere that bites at my enjoyment. Despite that, I love the characters, the world, the history, and select key moments from many of the games!

This game has been the first Sonic game I have ever played that I enjoyed the whole way through!
I laughed at the jokes, I pondered the mystery, and I enjoyed the celebration of Sonic's lore, history, and characters!

It was wonderful to see all these characters come to life in lightweight but incredibly charming writing!

My minor peeves are mostly confined to the run & jump sections.
The controls felt a little tricky at first, and that might just be me, because I did get used to them!
Then I found the screen frequently giving a blurring effect as the obstacles came my way. I did have to squint during some more difficult bits!
And lastly, the difficulty really ramped up! And that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, but considering my peeves, it's not perfect. And I'm honestly okay with that, because when I got frustrated I just tuned down the amount of rings I had to collect in the assist menu, and went on to enjoy the story!

I would like to finish this off by saying that I loved this, and that I really hope we'll see something akin to this again if SEGA permits it. Thank you for the wonderful game!