Technically Lost World did it if you used the B button to jump (with A being the homing attack), but you can also use the A button to jump so it's kinda mitigated. Lost World's control scheme was weird lol
This usually would go in the Supreme Topic of Other Knowledge but I'm always surprised about all the Easter eggs in the game.
You can also get this in a 2-player VS. game, providing the overall result ends up as a draw: https://twitter.com/DisapprovingOwl/status/1516344643780292613
Does anyone else just hate mirage saloon act 1? Its such a slog even though it's only like 3 minutes long. It especially hurts considering the fact that act 2 is one of my favorite levels in the game, yet i always groan when i get to mirage saloon when replaying the game, because im spending 3 minutes doing practically nothing. It's like they tried to replicate sky chase without realizing that sky chase is at the very end of the game for a reason, because it would be an annoying pacebreaker if it were. Imagine having sky chase in the middle of sonic 2, and it was actually act 1 of mystic cave. That's mirage saloon act 1.
Mania does a lot of things that pay homage to the 'bad' parts of the older Sonic games... while playing them completely straight, making them just as bad. Sky Chase Zone's glorified three-minute-long unskippable cutscene, Chemical Plant Zone's infamous 'drowning room' giving new players endless cheap Game Overs before they've even had a chance to get used to the game, Sandopolis Zone Act 2's gimmick in Oil Ocean Zone except it's even worse because it drains your rings automatically, etc.
To be fair, I kinda wish the train section were a bit longer, because to me, it was the coolest part of that stage. Too bad that part in special was very short.
Losing rings isn't even my problem. It's the intense red that exhausts my eyes and causes everything to blend together. I'd rather the gimmick not exist at all, even if I do enjoy some of the tension that it brings. I really do agree with the sentiment that the game pays homage to things a little too closely. It ends up replicating a lot of problems outright with little in the way of mitigating the issues.
While I wouldn't call it a part of the game I ever particularly look forward too, I like MSZ1 as a nice set piece to provide a change of pace for a few minutes, even if it is a linear auto-scroller for the most part. I can understand why people don't like it, and I do think MSZ1E is a great level in its own right with a good emphasis on verticality, but I do think Tornado sections are pretty cool and I appreciate them trying to mix it in with some platforming. I'd want them to show up again in the next classic (styled) game, but perhaps they should be split up into smaller chunks and properly interspersed into the level rather than going half and half. Would go a long way to making sure they don't overstay their welcome while also keeping them interesting.
I don't even like Sky Chase at the end of a game. I'd rather it not be in these games at all, unless it was maybe like a Checkpoint Bonus Stage.
Chemical Plant's drowning pool at least rewards you for either wondering "what happens if I purposefully mess this up" or for being that bad at it with the special stage ring in a corridor near the bottom of the climb. And MSZ Act 1 is better than Sky Chase on the basis of being much, much shorter. I swear Sky Chase lasts like seven minutes (I'd say 10 but, you know, the time limit). And while I don't like the visual effect in OOZ Act 2, I think the 1-ring-a-second drain is much more forgiving than Sandopolis's "ghost hits you, you get knocked off of whatever platform you're on AND lose all your rings" mechanic.
Sky Chase lasts a pretty fixed 2:08. Speedruns of Mirage Saloon Act 1 (S/T) are typically upwards of 2:30, and that's with a glitch that skips the part of the stage that isn't an autoscroller. It's factually not shorter.
I liked the change of pace of the plane section in Mania. The only thing I'm baffled by is the fact that they stuck true to the questionable barrier detection from Sonic 2 which results in Sonic (especially Super Sonic) occasionally flying off the edge of the plane when moving too fast. It seems like an easy fix really. As for the Oil Ocean/Sandopolis gimmick, I liked it. It made thematic sense and made Oil Ocean interesting to me, where it always used to feel like an out of place level in Sonic 2. I like the idea of using familiar gimmicks in different levels in interesting ways. On that note, I'd like to see the background launcher gimmick from Metallic Madness be used in other zones. Imagine a Green Hill Zone where you can enter an entirely different level layout in the distance.
Kind of like how they did it in Paper Mario TTYD. I think going into the background could work in any level as long as they design the backgrounds to be suitable.
Sky Chase Zone is a fairly necessary breather between Metropolis Zone and Wing Fortress Zone. Mirage Saloon Zone Act 1 is a poorly paced interruption to the progression of the game and has enemies more annoying than anything in Sky Chase.
Mania’s endgame would certainly be more enjoyable with some plane action breaking up Metallic Madness and Titanic Monarch…
To be honest, I would have rather had the Tornado part in Flying Battery Zone, preferably the boss. Drive home the Wing Fortress connection, you know? That, and I would like to spin dash freely without dying (which feels like a mistake that was kept out of habit and inattention). Also, I quite like the Oil Ocean fog visual effect.
In my mind if you're on a place and you're spindashing, you're kinda asking for trouble simply on Tails' reflexes part. I never really had a problem with Sky Chase or MS1.
