For a first level, you did a good job!
Here's what I like:
-Introduction of mechanics: Plowing through enemies and sliding into going down sliding off a grind rail to going back up through ring dash. And the attempt at being a little more open in the 2d section was also pretty neat. The homing attack chain into the ring dash was also pretty neat.
-Change of scenery: I like how you got from outside into the cave to back outside again. Made me think of Generation's Green Hill
-Secrets: I like how you reward players for going off the main path to explore. You give them a token first, and if they go deeper into exploring, you give them an emerald.
Here's what i think could be improved:
Technical:
-Play more with elevation and slopes. The level is either very flat or has a very steep slope. M.Sonic can jump higher, so you can make some of the ground floors higher/lower.You can also bring in more slopes, and break up your giant steep slope in the cave into a streak of slopes that make up a more natural curve.
-play with FOFs (floors over floors). This is an essential skill that helps you make ledges, floating platforms, level geometry etc
Most of these points are mastered with practice, with this handy playlist from SeventhSentinel you can learn about all basics in Zone Builder and spice up your level:
Level Design:
-allow Sonic's wall jumping ability to shine as well. This can easily be done in the 2d section by putting 2 walls next to eachother. On 1 side you put the ceiling down, while on the other you elevate the floor.
-ring spam: while it is nice to see you incentivise player to use the light-speed dash, i think you put in too many rings for it.It is almost impossible to avoid an extra life. I believe you can put the rings a little bit further apart from eachother without breaking the chain. This allows you to put in less rings.
-the first enemies: While it is fun plowing through, it feels a bit jarring to plow through a wall of enemies in the first section, to having none anymore. You can spread them out throughout the level to make boosting through them more satisfying. In the first section, place 1 enemy. Then you can also put a few enemies after the downward grind rail. After going back up, you could spread your enemies however you like throughout the rest of the level. Perhaps in the wall formation as you did, perhaps in a line formation. That is up to personal preference...
-Going into 2d: it was surprising to jump to 2d in the last part of the level. What irked me a little is that if you boost, you'll barely touch the goal before sliding all the way backwards. I suggest you put a low hanging wall right before your 2d section so the players will have to slide. This reduces their speed, making it easier to understand where we're supposed to go.
-risk vs rewards: while your intent for rewarding the players is great, you may have given them a reward too high for their effort. Atm, if i fail to turn accurately at the top path, i get rewarded with a token. Often, a good reward is a 10ring box. Try to reserve the special rewards like emeralds and tokens for completing harder sections, for these are the premium rewards in a level. Perhaps you can make a grind rail in your cave that branches off of the main path into a dead ended room, which would consist of a little challenge? Which challenges you make, or where you hide your re,ards is ultimately up to you. Also, i think you should decide whether you want the highest rewards to be emeralds or tokens. Preferrably, you only need one of the two types of rewards, you can replace the other with a ring box, or a shield. If you want both though, make sure that especially the emeralds are tougher to get.
All in all, you did a pretty good job with your first level. Hopefully, these points will help you make your level better and inspire you to make more afterwards. With practice, your levels will become better and longer. I look forward to seeing more levels from you in the future.
