Sonic CD is not a well-designed game. It is cryptic, confusing and Wacky Workbench can go fuck itself. This is what I thought to myself on my first playthrough.
However, I find this game so incredibly endearing like no other entry in the franchise. As a result, I have found myself coming back time and time again, working around the bullshit to revel in 2 specific aspects of the game that are undeniably brilliant.
The first is it's soundtrack. Having a past/present/Gfuture/Bfuture of a stage is not only an incredible concept visually, but also a composer's dream. As if that weren't enough, SEGA of America heard it and thought "we can do better than that." It's still disputed if they actually did (the boss theme haunts my dreams) but having two entirely distinct and inspired soundtracks in any game is never a bad thing.
The Soundtrack is a big part of the other thing that gives this game its gravitational pull, its psychedelic atmosphere. Some do not enjoy the flashing lights and vibrant patterns/colours of it's alliteratively named stages, which sound more like intense cerebral notions rather than geographical locations. I for one can tell they were on something when they made this game, and I want their dealers number.
Not a good game, but it was never really trying to be one.