Thank you, that was a more thorough in depth description of why you like the game than most people manage to bother explaining. Though most of my concern is the use of the games that they keep making is based on sonic unleashed back in 2008. Sonic colors, Sonic generations, and this game all seem to be based on that game with some new improvements to variety and gimmicks, wonder if is becoming a good thing or bad thing. Then again, since most 2D sonic is similar, is hard to compare but 3D sonic games didn't used to be the way it is now when it started.
Sonic adventure had a game with multiple characters, and tried to feel like a adventure with a hub map and story to balance things, the next game had removed the Hub map system and added newer characters that was basically clones of existing ones that they play exactly the same but with each of them having different stages but with same goal. Sonic Heroes had even more characters, added a team based gameplay gimmick system but was playing much like the "Go forward, stop and figure out this new stage gimmick to advance" format. As it kept going forward, it wasn't until sonic unleashed came out when they just stuck with that format.
I think the games using that format isn't terrible, just I kinda miss some of the older stuff, having that HUB Map like in adventure mode in sonic adventure felt kinda like metroid where you find upgrades to progress or give player new ways to play through the stages to explore new paths and find faster ways to finish it, grinding rails is never challenging like it was in sonic adventure 2 where you had to actually balance to keep your speed up or just not fall off, not just hold boost, and doesn't have various game modes or mini games like the chao garden, not even two player modes, cause the only characters you play with is sonic. It doesn't have the different characters that can complete the stages differently that gives you a reason to replay the stages again and explore.
The only incentive to replay stages is to complete missions for a S rank, faster times on a online leaderboard and more unlockable miscellaneous stuff that may not be directly related to gameplay like gallery artwork, music, and cosmetics. There is no bonus stages either. You hardly even focus on collecting Chaos Emeralds that rewards you with playing with super sonic when replaying any stage after getting them, the only time you use super sonic is just one stage for the ending of the game. I guess there is plenty of people who prefer the modern sonic stuff and that is okay, is good stuff. But I just wonder if they ever will revisit those kinds of things again like they did with sonic mania.
