after replaying this i definitely get why its beloved status is contested among some, it's probably the easiest of the mega drive games to actually finish but it's designed in a way that encourages mastery a lot more - ultimately a very good thing but after sonic 2 it can feel a little slow if you aren't familiar with these levels! that flow state is much harder to achieve here, but it's by far the most rewarding and tightly paced of these games. so massively impressive and detailed for its era, 90s sega were insane