It's no wonder people consider this the peak of classic Sonic. It's got a stellar soundtrack and some of the more visually interesting stages. The gameplay feels like a much more refined version of 2, with a very good flow of platforming and speed segments. The Special Stages are probably my favorite of the 2D games and the bosses are straightforward and fun to fight. There's honestly not much negative I can say about this one bar some occasional frustrating segments (but that's a given in any platformer).

Probably my favorite 2D Sonic until Mania came out.