this will sound paradoxal but maybe, even though I'm a massive Sonic fan, 2D Classic gameplay might not be my cup of tea ?
don't get me wrong, when Mania's good, I'm having a blast. the game looks stellar, sounds stellar and playing as the classic gang has never been this good. add the welcomed new features of this enhanced version (Mighty!!!) and this is truly such a good game.
BUT.
with all of that said, I think that the level progression and overall game structure has to be somewhat updated. this wasn't what this game was going for, it didn't want to reinvent the wheel, it's first and foremost a return to the classic, but I somehow wish we could get a completely new take on 2D gameplay for this franchise.
I don't like the lives system, some levels feel far too long, some of the bosses here are honestly not that fun (one is even atrocious) and having to collect all the Emeralds every time you wanna do the true ending isn't fun (I tried to do that multiple times and never ended up seeing it). also I would've loved to see more original zones, cause the few ones we do get are awesome.
so yeah, good game! but no Mania 2 please! either evolve from this without the nostalgic parts or do something crazy and different!