One of the worst 2D Sonic games, easily. Relies heavily on nostalgia, while just being objectively worse than the original trilogy of games it tries to copy. Movement startup speed is way too slow, boss fights go on way longer than any other 2D Sonic game and have plenty of one hit kills/holes to get knocked into/fall into when glitch through the boss into them.

Numerous bugs experienced throughout my play through including:
- Drowning when not in water
- Spawning at the final level in the overworld when I'm not supposed to then falling through the map endlessly
- Glitching through bosses and instantly dying
- Getting killed by touching a corner of the world while falling down an elevator (no way I was being crushed)
- Having the game pause every time a new level/section was loaded after my controller fell asleep once

It's embarrassing that this game released a week before Super Mario Bros. Wonder and at the same price. Where Mario innovates in nearly every level, this game has such innovations like:

- Hitting fruit with a hammer (guess they are big Gallagher fans)
- Literally just doing a Fantasy Zone
- Split screen battle mode where if played with two players 50% of the screen is grayed out and you have two tiny screens side by side in the center
- A core collectible currency that's spread throughout the story mode (in repetitive mini-games that pop up constantly, as well as in golden enemies and just floating in levels) that can only be used in the awful battlemode
- A story mode that is light on story and personality, even less so than previous titles.
- A bunch of useless powers granted by each Chaos Emerald
- A level where the visuals change (good actually) and everything else in the level is wildly creative, as if they put all their decent ideas into a single place
- A story mode where at times you're forced to play as other characters for seemingly no reason.
- Same screen co-op that is objectively worse than the old school titles because the camera randomly decides who it is going to follow.

I almost always buy Sonic games at launch, because I think its funny that they are so bad and like the idea of continuing that, but I'm finding it hard to find it laughable anymore. It's just bad. And I mean I expected as much from the Balan Wonderland devs (yes it was done by them, minus the one who did the insider trading.)

If you held a gun to my head I'd maybe give them a 5/10 to save my life. 4.5/10

One of the worst 2D Sonic games, easily. Relies heavily on nostalgia, while just being objectively worse than the original trilogy of games it tries to copy. Movement startup speed is way too slow, boss fights go on way longer than any other 2D Sonic game and have plenty of one hit kills/holes to get knocked into/fall into when glitch through the boss into them. Numerous bugs experienced throughout my play through including: - Drowning when not in water - Spawning at the final level in the overworld when I'm not supposed to then falling through the map endlessly - Glitching through bosses and instantly dying - Getting killed by touching a corner of the world while falling down an elevator (no way I was being crushed) - Having the game pause every time a new level/section was loaded after my controller fell asleep once It's embarrassing that this game released a week before Super Mario Bros. Wonder and at the same price. Where Mario innovates in nearly every level, this game has such innovations like: - Hitting fruit with a hammer (guess they are big Gallagher fans) - Literally just doing a Fantasy Zone - Split screen battle mode where if played with two players 50% of the screen is grayed out and you have two tiny screens side by side in the center - A core collectible currency that's spread throughout the story mode (in repetitive mini-games that pop up constantly, as well as in golden enemies and just floating in levels) that can only be used in the awful battlemode - A story mode that is light on story and personality, even less so than previous titles. - A bunch of useless powers granted by each Chaos Emerald - A level where the visuals change (good actually) and everything else in the level is wildly creative, as if they put all their decent ideas into a single place - A story mode where at times you're forced to play as other characters for seemingly no reason. - Same screen co-op that is objectively worse than the old school titles because the camera randomly decides who it is going to follow. I almost always buy Sonic games at launch, because I think its funny that they are so bad and like the idea of continuing that, but I'm finding it hard to find it laughable anymore. It's just bad. And I mean I expected as much from the Balan Wonderland devs (yes it was done by them, minus the one who did the insider trading.) If you held a gun to my head I'd maybe give them a 5/10 to save my life. 4.5/10