The ending is a bit odd, but that was a result of us trying to make the temple ending not confusing during development. You didn't used to spring up to the top like that, for instance.
Haha! It's funny you say that. I've watched people play that part of the level for the first time, soar over to the top of the temple, and they ask themselves, "Was that supposed to happen?" It really does feel like someone was developing that part of the level and was like, "F--- it. I'll just put some red springs so they can skip to the end."
Personally, I don't hate the stage, though. I may be in the minority, but I don't actually mind puzzles in Sonic games. My biggest gripes with it are those switches with an unclear purpose. Like that one near the beginning of Act 1, where you push a statue to open a secret wall, which leads to a room with a purple switch in it. I have no idea what that switch does.
Oh, BTW. What happened with the statue stacking thing? You know, in the older versions, where you'd stack three statues on top of each other and use them to keep a wall from crushing you? Were those deemed too confusing?
Gargoyle pushing was reworked from 2.1 to 2.2, so that instead of freely pushing a gargoyle onto a button, you now simply slide the gargoyle to the other end of a small fixed track. I assume this rework is why the statue stacking puzzle didn't make it to 2.2's version of DSZ. 2.1's DSZ has some emblems hidden behind pushing gargoyles on buttons or otherwise using them to open new areas (like the example you brought up); 2.2's DSZ instead has some emblems hidden behind simply stepping on buttons, occasionally aided by the new method of gargoyle pushing.Oh, BTW. What happened with the statue stacking thing? You know, in the older versions, where you'd stack three statues on top of each other and use them to keep a wall from crushing you? Were those deemed too confusing?