Ok, not really sure where to put this, but I've actually decided to vote this contest, thanks to the hub design that helps me decide a sequential order to do the levels in. Here's my thoughts on the levels.
NOTE: All levels were played as SA Sonic
Egg Machine Zone: I do appreciate how the level subtitle is done like an SA2-Sonic 06 Mission text, but tbh, it's a bit long, with my first run on Android clocking in at ~13 minutes and my second one on PC only a few minutes faster (Estimate about 9-10 minutes). The 2D section with the springs that launch you to different 'layers' was fun, though.
SunkSea X Zone: The first level I played on Android and the second I played on PC. I'm not a fan of most Sonic water levels to begin with due to a constant worry of drowning meaning I tend to hurry to the next source of air I can find, whether it be an air bubble or the water's surface, so this was no more than a decent level for me. The Lost World Wii U/PC grind rail stage music was fitting, though.
Yearning Yachtyard Zone: A good short level, but due to a personal flaw of my own self, I tend to not be very accepting of inspirational messages due to my own struggles with Autism and a patchy childhood making it far more difficult to grow up than it really should be, so it just felt like the post-level monologue dragged on. No offense meant to PhilJFou, it's 100% a me problem.
Enchanted Enclave: Currently my favorite of the levels I've played so far. The Rayman-esque exploration complete with Lums and a unique scoring system that applies to the end of act results combined with the unique Crawla variants meant I quite enjoyed this level.
Hell Coaster Zone Act 1: The fact I was in the middle of typing my opinions on Magma Laboratory Zone before remembering I had played this too is a bit worrying. SA-Sonic was able to lock-on to the orbiting bumpers, which proved to be both helpful and harmful at certain points, like being used as homing attack points to get across a gap in the 2D section for an example of the former, or homing onto a bumper when I had intended to do an air-dash to escape a ring of said orbiting bumpers for an example of the latter. The minecart segment was enjoyable, as it was meant to be part of the roller coaster the level is named for, though I had a Fire Shield for that segment in both runs that I would lose immediately after by falling into the instant-death lava.
Foliage Furnace Zone Act 2: I haven't played the Act 1's of the levels titled Act 2 here, or if I have, it's been too long to remember, but I did enjoy this level a bit. The DKC-barrel esque launchers felt a little underpowered at times and that one segment where you have to launch yourself at the right time to make it between two fast-moving walls, with a bottomless pit if you fail was a bit of a sticking point for me, however. It's been ages since I've played the Before/After the Sequel games, so I can't compare this to the original 2D level much, but I do think it captures the theme well enough, I suppose?
Magma Laboratory Zone: Eh...there seems to be very little direction at times, often causing me to run around a room trying to find the way forward, or possibly sequence breaking by throwing myself into environmental hazards because I believe I see a way forward through them. The final room before the end room is definitely the biggest offender, as even now, I have doubts that the platforms on the walls are the correct way to the end due to how much speed you have to build up to make it without a thok/jump dash and/or SA-Sonic's ability to grab the edge of platforms and hoist himself up.
Spiral Hill Pizza: Didn't bother finishing it due to the 90-second time limit to deliver pizzas and green arrows that are apparently both in the sky and hard to see in software mode, so idk if they're invisible in OpenGL or what because I turned on 3rd-Person Vertical Look in hopes of seeing them, but no dice. Plus I SIGSEGV'D on this level, so that didn't help its standing.
Festung oder so: A pretty creative level where you have to press 6 switches before the area fully collapses. Took me a few retries before I could find them all, but pulled it off.
Zaxel's Thunder Yard Zone Act 2: Waaaaay too busy, to the point that my PC (A decent Windows 11 PC with a relatively recent Core i3 and an nVidia GTX 1660 Super) ended up losing FPS during the level. Also, having Magnetic and Thunder Shields in the level only for them to be quickly taken away by mines that they attract is a dirty trick, even if the point is basically to make you go without any shields that protect against electricity-based damage.
Bitter Brink Zone: Definitely feels like a stage that's more suited to Modern Sonic, though I don't have him in my loaded mods, so will probably try him once I work up the motivation to add him to my mod load script. Definitely get the feeling I'd enjoy it even more with Modern though, so good stage.
Freezer Folley Zone: Christmas NiGHTS + Sweet Mountain = Good times.
Chaos Cove Zone: When I started playing this level, I found it familiar, and eventually realized that it was a loose recreation of Treasure Trove Cove from Banjo-Kazooie made into a Treasure Hunting stage. Interestingly, the Chaos Emeralds can be found in this level along with the emerald shards, and they stay with you after you beat the level, meaning if you collect all 7 in this level, you could potentially cheese the other OLDC levels
Tarnished Ward: A Treasure Hunting level set in what looks to be a slums or homeless camp with all of the NPCs in the level looking miserable. Not really my thing, sadly, as I prefer more upbeat and hopeful media lately as opposed to bleak and depressing, due to the fact reality itself is currently a bleak and depressing setting.
Also, say there, Crawla, lemme get a Manilla Cheese Coke!
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