This game is one of my favorite games of all time. Since I'm really bored I want to rewrite my review of Sa2. I'll be talking about the stages as if you're going for the max rank which is the coveted A rank.
The speed stages this time around a lot more linear than Sa1's speed stages but don't mistake that for Sonic controlling worse. Playing as Sonic or Shadow in this game feels so buttery smooth I love it. Getting A rank in the speed stages require not only speed but interacting stage gimmicks be it timing a jump off of trick ramps, homing attack chains, or jumping from rail to rail the game will award you points. What will or won't give you points depends on a stage to stage basis so it's up to you to experiment with stage and find out what will give you the most score in a timely manner. I still find new secrets and point awards when I replay this game it's awesome.
Gonna talk about the mech stages next. This is like a run and gun game. The goal is to get a long enemy chain before firing your shots and making sure to avoid enemy attacks in order to not lose your chain and the points you gain along with it. It's somewhat simple but each mech stage has a unique gimmick, whether it be blasting down doors before you run into them, a focus on platforming, or a risk and reward mechanic. Given the mechs can move a bit clunky but at this point I don't really care.
The treasure hunting stages are the hardest for newcomers and if you aren't a fan I can't blame you honestly. These stages have a hard focus on exploration and speedrunning. You'll need to map out a route of each stage which lets you backtrack and run through it the fastest in order to collect those tiny rocks. On the more vertical stages there are rockets which will blast you up high in the level which can help with your search. Usually riding the rocket will even help you start detecting where the master emerald shards are hidden such as on Pumpkin hill or Meteor herd from time to time. There are also more cramp stages which can really put your exploration skills to the test and it's a really good time either way. Also helps that the music on those stages are all time bangers.
I'm still really shocked at how good this game's level design is, especially after learning it was only developed in 6 months. There's only like 2 or 3 stages in this game that I genuinely dislike. The music is also as usual an absolute bop. Each character has a genre of music that fits their character and no song in this ost is a miss. The story is also surprising good even if the voice acting can be hit or miss. Still Ryan Drummond as Sonic and Dean Bristow as Eggman nail their characters and the vas for Shadow and Rouge aren't half bad either. All and all I'd say this game rocks
The speed stages this time around a lot more linear than Sa1's speed stages but don't mistake that for Sonic controlling worse. Playing as Sonic or Shadow in this game feels so buttery smooth I love it. Getting A rank in the speed stages require not only speed but interacting stage gimmicks be it timing a jump off of trick ramps, homing attack chains, or jumping from rail to rail the game will award you points. What will or won't give you points depends on a stage to stage basis so it's up to you to experiment with stage and find out what will give you the most score in a timely manner. I still find new secrets and point awards when I replay this game it's awesome.
Gonna talk about the mech stages next. This is like a run and gun game. The goal is to get a long enemy chain before firing your shots and making sure to avoid enemy attacks in order to not lose your chain and the points you gain along with it. It's somewhat simple but each mech stage has a unique gimmick, whether it be blasting down doors before you run into them, a focus on platforming, or a risk and reward mechanic. Given the mechs can move a bit clunky but at this point I don't really care.
The treasure hunting stages are the hardest for newcomers and if you aren't a fan I can't blame you honestly. These stages have a hard focus on exploration and speedrunning. You'll need to map out a route of each stage which lets you backtrack and run through it the fastest in order to collect those tiny rocks. On the more vertical stages there are rockets which will blast you up high in the level which can help with your search. Usually riding the rocket will even help you start detecting where the master emerald shards are hidden such as on Pumpkin hill or Meteor herd from time to time. There are also more cramp stages which can really put your exploration skills to the test and it's a really good time either way. Also helps that the music on those stages are all time bangers.
I'm still really shocked at how good this game's level design is, especially after learning it was only developed in 6 months. There's only like 2 or 3 stages in this game that I genuinely dislike. The music is also as usual an absolute bop. Each character has a genre of music that fits their character and no song in this ost is a miss. The story is also surprising good even if the voice acting can be hit or miss. Still Ryan Drummond as Sonic and Dean Bristow as Eggman nail their characters and the vas for Shadow and Rouge aren't half bad either. All and all I'd say this game rocks