How would you rate the official levels? - Part three!

I don't really have a whole lot to say about it, given it's the tutorial stage and I already know how to play the game but there's one thing I do want to talk about: The two tutorials in act 1.

I liked the way the spindash tutorial was done - the ring box in the beginner route brings attention to the gap in the wall which the beginner may inspect until they discover that they can use the spindash to pass under tight gaps. The problem with this is that this is pretty much the only spot like this in the game, so by the time beginners get to ERZ and its "spindash to pass under this obstacle or die, bitch!" they most likely forgot about it. Not to mention the whole "press jump to cancel a spindash" bit which is not something a beginner is going to know and expecting them to find out about it while on top of a moving platform floating above an instant-death bottomless pit is pretty bullshit.

Then there's the Whirlwind Shield tutorial. Its double jump ability is insanely useful and without it, this shield is nothing more than a gray-colored Pity Shield, offering zero advantage when put up against the other shields. And as such, I don't think it's appropiate for it to be hidden away with no hints at all pointing to it (like the spindash tutorial with the ring box). This isn't as big a deal as it is with the spindash thing since the double jump isn't required anywhere (unless the beginner happens to somehow end up in RVZ's secret area, in which case they're stuck there) but it's something to think about. I guess you could say "well, exploration!" but come on, this is the first stage in the game.

I agree with the other people that said that the beginning of act 2 could use some more visual improvements. Or at least proper tiling of all the double-size GFZROCK and some more grass here and there.

Damn, so much for "I don't really have a whole lot to say about it".

5/10

Not much to say here either, the revamp 2.1 gave to this zone certainly worked wonders.

For act 1, I agree with the others that the character path split could have been done better (especially the path split itself, which I feel pulverizes the flow of the level) and... that's all I have to say about act 1. It's a very good level, which plenty of exploration to be done while allowing the player to just speed through it all if they want.

Act 2 is pretty much perfect, outside of the entrance of the big factory not being really visible and there not being an alternate route for those who don't like the elevator near the end. More minor things include some of the tubes still being squares, and dumb positioning of one buzz enemy right before the path split with the turret and the crushers (you can gas jet up the nearby tubes and get hit in the head by it).

As for act 3... why is the boss still underground? Just why, man, you have this really cool-looking city skybox and instead of making the little box be hanging on rails with the skybox just moving around it, you still have it underground. Bleh. As for the fight itself, it's just the same ol' Egg Slimer. He's fun and all, and the changes certainly make him more challenging and engaging to fight, but that's all I can really say.

And the Spring Shell could use a bigger hitbox for the spring part.

9/10

Wow, ugly. Big-ass empty rooms, Moiré effect everywhere. What a mess. Especially after THZ.

As for the gameplay, act 1 is just a bunch of big empty rooms strung together by corridors. The platforming is basic and boring and yeah there's not much to say about this act. Bland. Two things though: One, whose idea was to put friggin' mines in the pool below the ring cache below the electric shield next to one of the emblems? You get the shield, get the rings, lose the shield thanks to the pool, then fall into a mine. Yay. Two, what's the gargoyle path supposed to be? If it's meant to be a regular path, then it's way too hidden for that. If it's meant to be a shortcut, then it's way too long compared to the other paths. And if it's meant to be a secret path, then it fails to do that because it doesn't offer the player any goodies. No lives or anything, just some boring-ass puzzles. Also, you guys REALLY need to add the "1-up becomes a sound instead of replacing the music" as a console command because listening to the song repeat itself from the beginning 6 times at the end is not cool.

Act 2 is better than the first, mostly by not boring me to death. My only real issues with it are the electric shield given after the waterslide in the left path (if you're Sonic, you can only go back up the normal path by going into the water again, meaning you lose the shield and it's all a bit pointless. Still got 20 rings out of deal, I guess), the block puzzle which is just annoying as fuck and not something that belongs in the main path and the replacement for the waterfall's platform which is just... inadequate, given what it replaced. Other than that, it's an OK level. Nothing really mind-blowing.

The boss is great. Maybe give the player a little bit more time before Eggman shocks the water, but other than that it's a pretty fun fight! The changes the arena went through paid off greatly too.

In conclusion, none of what I said matters because this zone is getting completely reconstructed anyway. Welp.

6/10

The layout for the first act seems really random to me. Like you guys decided to justify the "castle" part of the zone by retexturing and doing some slight changs to random parts of the map to give them a castle-like look, and completely forgot the castle isn't supposed to be entered until the end. Then there's the lake part. I don't think there's anything I can say about it that hasn't been said already. Also some path imbalance with how much shorter the left path is from the right one. But other than that, it's a really harmless map, much like DSZ2.

Act 2's beginning is fine when you go through the upper path (why was the chain to take you there moved to a less obvious spot?), but it can be slow and boring if you go through the lower path, which has the rising water room. But it gets really good after the paths join. So many different paths but you never really get lost. So many nooks and crannies with hidden power-ups and such, and then there's the whole hidden PATH with the spikeballs which was maybe a little bit excessive. There's just so much stuff in this level and all of it feels really good to find or go through. It just needs some changes to make the beginning as good as the rest of the level and this could be another THZ2-tier hit. One thing though: The range of the Robo-Hoods needs to be toned down. I don't want a rain of arrows crashing down upon me after every step when misstep and fall off into the bottom of the last area.

The boss fight suffers from two problems: One, I can't see what Eggman is doing! Well, I can, but he should be more visible given that the player can't know how the spikeballs are going to change trajectory without him. Two, if the player happened to fall down into the coliseum when Eggman has a single hit left... how is he supposed to climb back up? The spikeballs move way, way too fast. But other than that, it's a cool and unique fight. I like it.

8/10

Nothing to say. Only bad thing about this zone is how there's only one act. And that won't get solved until 2.2.

8/10

Incredibly linear, and way too short. Couldn't really say more if I tried. Maybe the secret area should have some sort of hint to it, because right now I find it impossible to believe anyone will ever enter it without knowing about it beforehand.

6/10

10/10

And that's that. What else am I supposed to say here? Remove the Snailer in the yoku blocks section, make the second act a little bit shorter and get rid of the upside-down part of Metal Sonic's race and... uh... it'll get an 11/10, I suppose. Geez, these got shorter over time.

As for the final boss, loving the fact that you guys listened to my feedback and made the flamethrower attack shorter/added an extra rocket to the rocket attack (I can't remember which one was the change and I don't really feel like booting up 2.1.0 to check). And even if it wasn't because of me, I'm glad it happened anyway. Anyway, this fight is excellent and the only fault it has is that the barrels aren't too visible when the crosshair attack starts. I missed them quite a few them my first time through.

I could score properly them but I'm too lazy, so I'll just write my thoughts here.

GFZ1
I understand this is supposed to be the "tutorial" level, but this is stupid. Experienced players can finish the level in just over ten seconds (Seriously, this NEEDS at least 20 more seconds of gameplay), there's nothing interesting to do, the Whirlwind shield at the end may as well not exist for amount of times I've seen it during playthroughs, the grass texture sucks (but then so does every grass texture I overwrite it with, which is super weird), the sky is uninteresting (I think a beautiful skybox would do well here!), and the enemies are too weak. Which is not to say I dislike the improvements made to this level, though; what's been improved is much much better. Plus the actual scenery is nice, if a bit monotonous.

GFZ2
I've always kind of liked GFZ2, and it's a little better now. Thanks for making the end of the level really shine!

GFZ3
A nice introductory boss, but really needs a second or so where Eggman is preparing his spike balls before he spawns them.

Side note: Greenflower really needs more visual variety in general. The checkered walls are neat, but there's almost no other textures used in any of the three acts. At least the double-sized ones look really nice.

THZ1
Wow, the wonders a facelift can do! I never liked THZ1 that much before, but the distinct lack of pain water really helps this stage. It truly feels new again. Grass texture is still pretty lame though.

THZ2
Nev3r is a wizard/10
Among the best looking levels in the game. Plays exceptionally well, too. My one complaint is that I don't really like using those pistons to hit the slime-submerged button.

THZ3
You know, if you put this above ground, you could make a sweet skybox with THZ behind you and DSZ ahead of you.
Also, Why can Eggman just fly through the glass to escape? I always thought that was weird. His pinch stage is kind of weird, too. Not a fan of how he just launches himself at you (and why does his pogo stick thingy always hurt you? ugh). Perhaps give him a laser a la the turret in THZ2 (but nerf it a bit, since he'd be moving)?

DSZ1
Ugly, but fun. There's nothing at all uninteresting here. I hope all you guys are changing for 2.2 is visual stuff.

DSZ2
Ugly and not that great. Although with the news of a totally new DSZ2 coming, I think I'll save my breath. Yay water slides though.

DSZ3
Why do the balloon Eggmans look exactly like the real one/10

Side note: does the name Deep Sea even fit this level? It's more ruins than sea and could really stand to be named something more accurate and less boring.

CEZ1
Do people seriously not like this stage? The only qualms I have with it is the death pit right before the exit and the one revolving chain that really wants you to get that extra life, no matter what. If you ever add to the skybox, I'd love to see Eggman's castle in the background.

CEZ2
Do people seriously like this stage? It's so long. It never takes me less than five minutes to get through it, and the first time I went through it took at least twice that. The flamethrowers seem really out of their element, the flooded obstacle course is uninteresting (especially if you fall off), half of the level is in a library, the constant brick textures get stale by the end of the stage, and it feels surprisingly not very much like a castle. You should really focus more on the medieval aspect of this stage. Also, I would love if the drop to the first part of the level wasn't quite so long a wait.

CEZ3
Eggman's visual cues aren't really visible through his cage, but otherwise, I really like this. The arena setting is a nice touch.

ACZ1
I think you guys already know what to fix here, so I'll save my breath. I feel this level would benefit from putting slopes in it, if only for decorative use on cave ceilings. A skybox with canyon-y stuff in it would be really cool as well.

Side note: you guys are working on a minecart section for Act 2, right? I'm stoked!

RVZ1
Too linear, but plays well. Needs more enemies though. How about a flame-throwing badnik that wanders/flies around? I'd love some new music here as well; what's here is good but doesn't fill me with energy like some of the other music does.
Also, I really hope you plan on making the lava waves at the end be slopes in 2.2.

Side note: thanks for killing off Blue Mountain. It would be cool to see an ice-themed stage return as a secret level, though.

ERZ1
Everything about this stage is great, save for a couple of texture misalignments at the end.

ERZ2
Git gud/10
Truly a gauntlet to test the skill of any player who dares to attempt it. I'd love to see a skybox in it, though, instead of just having Mobius be part of the sky texture. You could even stick some other planets in it, too!
Also, I used to die a lot from the Snailer in the disappearing platforms room. I don't have trouble with it anymore, but still.
And one final thing: the translucent blue disappearing platforms are really frustrating as Sonic at times. I wish they were just slightly slower.

EDIT: I neglected to mention that I find some of the zoom tubes to take too long to get through.

ERZ3
Metal Sonic race? Cool. But the layout here isn't anything special for the most part. Also, during the battle, Metal Sonic has a nasty habit of staying in attack mode for way too long when he's low on health. Also, does this stage really need an Egg Capsule? It seems so unfitting that I often forget that I have to go and activate it.

ERCZ
Brak is a wimp/10
At least the mechanics have merit.

Other Stages
I haven't played the special stages enough to review them properly, but I really like almost all of them so far.

PTZ
Not terribly interesting, but always amusing to run through. Some of the textures are ugly, though.

And as far as multiplayer stages, well...fix the netcode, please. Online multiplayer is literally unplayable for me. The constant control lag I face destroys any possibility of having fun.

Final Thoughts
I don't suppose a Super Sonic-exclusive level is in the works, is it? I feel it would be a great way to reward players who did indeed find all those Chaos Emeralds, as well as being a nice throwback to Sonic & Knuckles. In fact, if the NiGHTS code was modified, you could do a whole battle inspired by S&K. Also, can we have an ending cutscene before the credits? Every other classic Sonic game has one, why can't we?

(...Wait, maybe I should post this last part in Suggestions. Oh well, it can stay here.)

GREENFLOWER ZONE ACT 1 - 8/10
There's something about this level that really appeals to my explore-loving side. I like the textures, I like the wide-open spaces, I like the plentiful hills you can climb on and get good looks at everything. I think the music here leaves a bit to be desired, certainly compared to the rest of the soundtrack. And I certainly wish there was a bit more to this level, though for a beginning it does its job. I'm excited to see the retrofitted version.

GREENFLOWER ZONE ACT 2 - 9/10
I absolutely love the sheer vertical size of this level. It actually makes things interesting for Tails and Knuckles. The music's perfect here. I love that the whole level feels like.. a mountain range or something. I like mountain levels, something about the sense of traversing wide landscapes and ascending large structures, it appeals to me. And 2.1's new end-room is such a nice touch, with the stream and the springs and the pretty. I guess, if I had to give a downside to this act, it's that it was definitely designed with Final Demo in mind; it's lacking in a lot of the visual polish of, say, Arid Canyon.

GREENFLOWER ZONE ACT 3 - 8/10
Eggman's rapid fire catches me off-guard every time, even when I'm used to it. Compared to the pinch phase (where I can and do literally just hold the spindash button as he flies into me over and over), it's.. surprisingly tough. Hell, compared to the second boss, that rapid fire is intense. I don't want him to go back to his original single-shot or anything (that's really way too easy), but maybe the rapid-fire could last, like, half the length per round? Or even three-quarters?

TECHNO HILL ZONE ACT 1 - 9/10
Ah! A well-rounded and addictive level. I have spent so much time playing around with the goop physics. It's nice to see the familiar landmarks of the original Act 1 but in more polished contexts. Plus the Knuckles path is a nice touch. ...honestly, I think this level is perfect, though I do have one scruple: The alternate, underground, path to the exit. Why is it so hidden away? I think it's safe to say that most players wouldn't know it was there if they weren't told about it. Which is a shame, because I really like that path.

TECHNO HILL ZONE ACT 2 - 10/10
Another well-rounded level, this time suitably large, and just about the perfect difficulty for its place. This time, I really don't have any complaints. The level does what it needs to do and does a lot more than that. It's beautiful.

TECHNO HILL ZONE ACT 3 - 9/10
I greatly appreciate the fact that there are walls now. This boss has always been a cinch for me, I consider it a nice little breather every time I see it. I personally like the easy difficulty, but then I'm weird about bosses anyway. If the devs wanted to make this harder, maybe the walls could break away in some form? It wouldn't even really add to the difficulty, but it would give more of a sense of threat.

DEEP SEA ZONE ACT 1 - 8/10
I love this zone so much. So much. I've grown to really like underwater sections as long as the bubbles are fairly placed (which these are). Plus I love the architecture, I love the vistas, I love the platforming, I love the caves, I love it all, and I am really excited to see what the remake of this level will be like.

DEEP SEA ZONE ACT 2 - 9/10
For some reason I like this act even more than the first? I feel like the obstacles are even more creative, and the prominence of cave aesthetics just seems so cool to me. Plus I will fully admit that I regularly take the far-left path, the long scenic obstacle-less path which takes you on that waterslide with the ramp. I dunno, it was really cool to discover that path for the first time, and I still love following it.

DEEP SEA ZONE ACT 3 - 7/10
I love the idea of this boss, and when you're used to it (after much trial-and-error) it can be a lot of fun. But. Does Eggman have to shock you when you're underwater? I feel like that's a bit overkill. It's already a punishment to fall in the water, as Eggman switches places, and he can easily shoot you when you come back out. The threat of a quick electrocution just makes this feel more panicked. (Plus the pinch phase is devious, but again, with the lack of a shock threat it could still be devious but just not as frustrating!) This boss is just such a thing to dread. If you're unlucky, it quickly stops even being that fun.

CASTLE EGGMAN ZONE ACT 1 - 8/10
I understand this level is really unpopular. For some reason, I enjoy it a lot? Sure, the Knuckles path is criminally frustrating, and I've always thought the shield enemies were a tad tricky to kill, but I like the entire rest of it. Plus I love forests. And the music. But oh well, I'm still excited for the new attempt at this level.

CASTLE EGGMAN ZONE ACT 2 - 10/10
Ooh, yes please. When I first played this level as Sonic, I thought it was extremely tricky, like a sort of mini-Egg Rock. Appropriate for essentially the mid-point of the game. Plus there's so many freaking secrets! I love secrets! I love things that reward you for exploration! And it all ends on that wonderful climb up the towers! That's so cool!

CASTLE EGGMAN ZONE ACT 3 - 10/10
Unlike Deep Sea's boss, here is a boss I will gladly fight and am often kinda excited for. It's awfully creative in execution, and it's straightforward. And the pinch phase is so much freaking fun.

ARID CANYON ZONE ACT 1 - 10/10
So much to see, so much landscape to travel, so much polish to appreciate, so many gorgeous vistas of bottomless pits, so much lovely music to enjoy. Hunting for emblems in this level was a great experience.

RED VOLCANO ZONE ACT 1 - 10/10
For some reason, I think the same thing about this level as I do Arid Canyon. It's a bit more formidable, but it's also the next level, so that's absolutely appropriate. It's a lot of fun to play as any character.

EGG ROCK ZONE ACT 1 - 9/10
As before: Perfection. ...well. Sonic's winding hallway of crushers is brutal, I still to this day can't make it through that without careful speed-thokking between each crusher individually, and a lot of trial and error. But everything else: Perfection!

EGG ROCK ZONE ACT 2 - 11/10
More than perfection. This is nirvana.

EGG ROCK ZONE ACT 3 - 7/10
The race: Perfect. The battle: I HATE YOU SO MUCH FREAKING PINBALL JERK, I can beat this boss only by sheer luck and 30-something lives.

EGG ROCK CORE ZONE - 10/10
And then back to perfection. A suitable challenge without being frustrating.

AERIAL GARDEN ZONE - 11/10
I have spent hours on this level, alone. Not because I can't beat it, but because I regularly love playing through it as Sonic and Knuckles. I love how abstract the platforming feels (compared to Arid Canyon, whose platforming is rooted in a realistic valley, which is also perfect but in a different way). I love the music. I love even the placement of enemies (enter room, kill enemies to force yourself to take a break from platforming, then concentrate on the jumps, repeat). I love the secrets. I love the aesthetics. The day I first saw Knuckles's massive tower ascent on his path, I couldn't believe how gorgeous it looked. I dunno, this is a level where "aesthetic beauty" is always directly correlated to how difficult it's going to be. And I find that really cool.

AZURE TEMPLE ZONE - 9/10
Brutal. Beautiful. But brutal. Starting with three lives is insane. I should play this level more often, but it's just so foreboding. I think the enemies are genius, and the challenges are so cool. I just.. haven't played this level thoroughly enough to appreciate all of its details.

PIPE TOWERS ZONE - 10/10
It feels weird to give this level that score, but I honestly think the level itself has nothing wrong with it. I wish there were more Mario levels, but that's not Pipe Towers's fault.

SRB1 REMAKE - 9/10
Yeah. This remake does its job. It adds a lot more platforming to the game, which is great, and it's a bonus, so it doesn't exactly detract from anything. Only reason I didn't give it a perfect score is because I understand it's missing some things.

I would rate the special stages, but I don't play them regularly enough to have an opinion (besides "wow Magma Caves is a jump in difficulty"). I think they are a magnificent addition to the game as a whole.