Green Hill Zone is such a good level, man. It's simple, it's straightforward, it's visually distinctive, the music is iconic, everything clicks together to make the perfect starting level, the perfect kickstarter to Sonic the Hedgehog as a series.

And then you hit Marble Zone and then you realize games back in the early 90's actually weren't as good as people make them out to be.

The only reason I'm giving Sonic 1 a 2.5 instead of a 2 is because it did lay down a pretty good foundation, a foundation that every Classic game after it would go on to improve upon. And it does have Star Light Zone, which is a goated Classic Sonic level, full stop.

But, like, some of the level design is absolute dogshit, the lack of a spindash makes the movement feel truly awkward and clunky in retrospect, and this game's occasionally brutal difficulty is largely due to dumb oversights on behalf of the developers.

Sonic 2, CD, 3 & Knuckles are so much better than Sonic 1 that it's not even funny. Sonic 1's level of overall quality has essentially been obliterated by the passage of time, and the good things it brought to the table that were worth keeping and refining in the future aren't enough to save this game from being a clunky mess. This does not hold up, man.

But it does have Star Light Zone.