Sonic 1- Green Hill Sonic CD-N/A I don't think there is a bad one but I don't have a favorite Sonic 2- Emerald Hill I like the different yet not confusing pathways also the music. Sonic 3&K- There are many but I got Ice Cap, Launch Base, and Flying Battery Zone. Ice Cap to me is similar to Emerald Hill with the different pathways you can find, Launch Base really does feel like a grand finale no matter the music after getting so far you are racing to the stop the Death Egg. Extra- I like in Sonic 3&K how each zone flows into each other unlike the other games Sonic runs off screen and boom next zone kinda to me is out of place.
Ice cap and chemical plant are kinda equal to me but if I had to pick the best one I would choose chemical plant because it really shows how fast sonic can really go and sure the water sections can be bad but aren’t really hard to go by and if you get better with the level layout you can speed through the water sections and is pretty fun to play. Edit: the worst one in my opinion is metropolis zone. And the enemy placement makes me want to have a seizure. The enemies are horrible and I wish they never made it ever.
@@DarkShadowX9 Aquatic Ruin is also not a really a "true" water zone. Both acts are kind of short and you can stay out of the water altogether. The underwater sections aren't that long either if you take advantage of the red springs and know some tricky platforming skills. I can get through act 2 in 40 seconds going the underwater route using those methods. Tidal Tempest is a better version of Labyrinth and Hydrocity remains the best water zone. Labyrinth however, still sucks except for the music.
Chemical plant means so much to me, it was one of the most delightful experience I've had with level design in games I used to play as a kid. The level is interesting, it's fast paced, it's beautiful, everything about it seemed so intriguing and cool I felt like exploring this level all day, it's almost unexplainable how obessed I'd gotten 😅
I can appreciate Scrap Brain Zone Act 3. Scrap Brain was the first big instance of Sonic Team using visual design to tell the story of the game. You start out on Scrap Brain 1 and it’s the polluted urban underside to the bright and fast-placed Start Light Zone. Then act 2 is inside Eggman’s base, which is lifeless and mechanical. Then he drops you down his trap door to the abandoned, ancient ruins that he has apparently built his base over. We even have our first Act transition, so if you liked them in S3K and Mania, it was right there in the beginning!
The reason why it is labyrinth zone is because the original plan was to have sonic drop into the sewers of scrap brain. Unfortunately due to time, cartridge space, and money, the level never got to see the light of day
@@Talonflamez regardless, the presentation/story aspect of that part is great. I think reusing Labyrinth Zone assets for Scrap Brain 3 works a lot better than reusing Metropolis Zone assets to replace Cyber City Zone in Sonic 2. In that one, there’s no discernible change from the dust to acts, so the player is only left to assume that it was there for gameplay reasons. It does work to make the zone even more difficult and make the catharsis in Sky Chase Zone and Wing Fortress Zone that much better, but it Scrap Brain’s gameplay is almost saved by the presentation/story part of it
Good points! The visual storytelling in dropping you down below before having to climb up to face Robotnik added a lot to the sense of adventure, though it was something they'd take much further in Sonic 3.
@@theharvardyard2356 that’s true. I didn’t even focus on the gameplay experience, which in video games works in tandem with visual design and motion. The events happening to the player themself carries the weight and drama that might normally have to be carried through dialogue or plot. Something that early video games didn’t have the luxury of
You forgot to mention that mirage saloon has a different stage for act one when you play as knuckles. Which is definitely way better than the sonic and tales version of it
I agree but as I prefer mirage saloon as sonic because as knuckles i found his enemy placements and platforming sections a bit hard when i was new and i got stuck as knuckles in that zone for some time.
@@KARMAGEDDEM That's actually incorrect. The scrapped desert zone's name in Sonic 2 is Sand Shower Zone. Dust Hill Zone was supposed to be Green Hill Zone (Or Emerald Hill Zone as it's known as later in development), but in the altered present time period, when Sonic 2 was still based around time travel.
Lava Reef Zone all the way. The music is funky AF, it's a true volcano level (unlike Marble or Hill Top Zone), the difficulty is just right (hold your fire shield tightly), the badnik designs are unique plus I love how rewarding it is to explore every nook and cranny of the level. Also seeing the Death Egg in the background at the end is simply epic!
For me, by far the worst zone is Carnival Night Zone . . . Let me put it like this. The order I got the games was Sonic 1 for Christmas when I was four (it came with the Sega Genesis), then 2, then Sonic & Knuckles, and finally on my 10th birthday, I got Sonic 3 (I got Sonic & Knuckles before Sonic 3 because I wanted to play as Knuckles). When I was little, I thought Sonic 3 & Knuckles was simply JUST the Sonic 3 levels, but with the added option of Knuckles. Of course I was wondering "Why can I still play as Sonic and Tails, but Sonic 2 & Knuckles restricts me to just Knuckles?" When I finally reached college and got the Sega Classic Collection for Nintendo DS when I was 23, it was then I learned that once you beat Launch Base Zone, it continues into Mushroom Hill Zone, thus making both halves one complete game . . . So why didn't I know this as a child? Because as Knuckles, I could never beat the second boss of LBZ, and as Sonic, I could never make it to LBZ. Why couldn't I beat IceCap Zone? Because I could never make it to ICZ . . . . . . . . . And why couldn't I beat Carnival Night Zone? . . . Why oh why couldn't I beat Carnival Night Zone? . . . . . . What specifically caused me to not be able to beat Carnival Night Zone . . . . . . What specifically in Carnival Night Zone caused me to waste all my lives and continues, just staring blankly at the screen wondering *WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!!!! NO MATTER HOW MUCH I KEEP JUMPING ON IT, IT JUST WON'T GO DOWN!!!!"* . . . . . . XD
The reason Metropolis zone has three acts, is because it was supposed to be a unused zone called "Genocide City" or "Cyber City", with only one act. It was scrapped and instead It's placement was filled up by act 3 of Metropolis.
@@tsitracommunications2884 The language barrier in Japan was different, and they did not see Genocide as an offensive word. That's why it was later changed to Cyber City, Because the people in America see the word genocide differently
My favorite Zone has to be Flying Battery; it just has the feel that Kirby Super Star had with Meta Knight, like you're invading an airship to take down Eggman, and the music that plays while you speed through it, chef's kiss, it's a work of art.
The worst part about this video is that you call an auto scroller a side scroller. Side scroller is what these four games are. Auto scroller is the term your looking for when describing Mirage Saloon act 1.
I would probably say Ice Cap, Star Light, Death Egg, or Launch Base. I just really like the speed that they give off and Death Egg is a really good. I agree, Launch Base is Launch Based. I do agree with you, fam. I just really like final levels or levels that take place on a moving aircraft or a space station. Something about it just makes me have adrenaline and the need to make it through and stop the aircraft. I should really stop editing this comment lol.
I love Marble Zone. Always liked it as a kid because it looked cool, had hidden walls, you could jump on the crushing weights, and the lava geyser was fun. It might not work as well for adults trying to speedrun, but there was plenty that appealed well to kids who weren't in a rush, I think. Similar with the floating wheels and travel tubes in Scrap Brain, the huge half pipes in Springyard, the catapults in Starlight, etc, etc. Have to remember this was designed to be enjoyed by kids, and I think Sonic 1 does a better job of including fun features to play with mid-level than the other classic games, which are probably more focused on keeping things flowing well than on including specific features. Sonic 1 wants to give you a chance to enjoy the many features, not have you zoom right past them, and I can appreciate that. It's all about having fun exploring and playing with those features/platforming elements. A lot of Sonic Adventure was like that, too (my favorite Sonic games were the Adventure titles). Sonic might be fast as a character, but people forget that his games have had more variety than just speed in the past, even the good ones.
I hated marble zone tbh, after the absolute speedfest that was green hill zone....I thought hat zone brought the game to a screeching halt, the moving platforms you actually had to stand & wait to move, the lava pits, and those fking annoying bats
Tbh I really enjoy and have a soft spot for Marble Zone. It's fun to explore and just to some tight platforming now and again. Not my favorite ever, but I typically have a good time here
Marble zone was my favorite growing up. I always figured people loved it as much as I did but I learned from reading youtube comments that people don't like it much.
6:53 I heard somewhere they wanted to make like an underground level for Scrap Brain Zone act 3 but they ran out of time and had to reuse labyrinths zone’s assets and just made the colors different.
For me, my favorite was always Flying Battery Zone, I loved the music, the bosses, the fun little electromagnets on the ceiling, but yeah I do agree it does have issues. (plus I used to think it was a battery as in like a double a battery not like a fleet or something)
Flying Battery Zone (especially act 2) has the best music of all the classic Sonic games IMO. Agree with the minor flaws too, but the music makes up for it.
It's always a Joy Watching these Tier Lists of Yours Matt. I always Like to Listen to your opinions weather I agree or Disagree with Them! Most of the time you also help open my eyes on certain Subjects of the List and it's always entertaining. Keep Up The Good Work Man! Much Love!
For me its Casino Night zone, the overall aesthetic is just incredible. The song, the golden walls and floors, the glitzy elevators, the flashing signs, the holographic palm trees, all great. But more than anything is the background - the faint outline of a bustling metropolis at night with lines of cars speeding here and there, lights flashing. I wanted to live there when I was a kid haha
10:30 I understand that Metropolis is one of the most annoying stages, but you guys have to know that this is literally Eggmans territory, filled with everything that should stop you and give you a hard time. It's not gonna be easy, this is Dr Eggman of course, so it makes sense that he would have enemy placements in the worst spots for the player.
But if it's not fun, does it matter? There's a difference between enemies in tough spots and enemies you cannot avoid unless you know they are there ahead of time. I'm willing to forgive it a little because of how hard the music goes tho
One of my favorite zones is our good old friend labrynth zone. Even if it works for story purposes, if one isn't having fun playing their video game, then the zone isn't gonna be looked upon favorably. It's worth noting I don't much like Metropolis zone, so I may be biased, by that's my two cents
Going through the SS tier, there’s one huge caveat that I should mention about the Sonic 2 version of Hill Top Zone is that one placement of a badnik in one of the cave sections when destroyed off screen causes the game to crash. While I agree that it is a great zone, that’s like my main issue with it. Furthermore, in Layrinth Zone act 2, if you roll at the end, you can cause an illegal instruction error.
I think you meant “auto scrolling” not side scrolling. I’m surprised to see Flying Battery so low here. It’s probably my personal favorite, or tied with Ice Cap.
Flying battery is boring to play through on SK but in mania I actually find value in replaying it.I also got stuck on the act 2 boss for a month in the mania version so-
I really liked Spring Yard and Starlight Zone as a kid. In playthroughs now, I enjoy Collision Chaos for its level design and Palm-tree Panic. I wish they got the mania treatment as I think the aesthetics are great. Anyone else enjoy those stages?
I love how SS Tier is the longest one, really says a lot about how good Sonic levels are ❤ Edit: It's been 5 months since I posted this comment, and I gotta say, I don't remember EVER putting a heart emoji in a comment of mine...
just because someone put an extra ranking on a tier list of something it doesn't mean it is very good lmao i have seen people put stuff like "SSS+" and "X" on tier list of chicken sandwiches
Hill Top and Star Light have never returned since their original debuts, at least not as far as I know. They were born and died on Sonic 1 & 2 respectively.
One of my favorite zones is Tidal Tempest. I love how you actually have the option to take a non water path. It feels like a non-punishing version of Labyrinth zone. I also love the music (man, I wish I could pick JP OST for Act 1 and US OST for Act 2; when both OSTs have reached equal greatness, then you know how good the music for this level is).
The reason why metropolis has 3 acts was because when sonic 2 was in development they were gonna have act 3 of metropolis be a single cat called genocide city. The team had a language issue. But when they figured out what that word meant. They renamed it to cyber city. But the development got rushed so they made another metropolis act.
I would bump both Oil Oceans down a tier but other than that this tier list was flawless!! Beyond the D tier I agree that there really are no “bad” Sonic levels. Great work man love the channel
Can't help but agree with much of this! I think you really nailed how the worst zones don't tend to focus on exploration or good use of momentum boosts, while the best zones are fast, open, and exploratory. Some zones that I thought I didn't like because of some "not having much fun in this zone feels" from childhood turned out to not hold much water, particularly with the back half of Sonic 3, which, if I revisit it soon, will likely turn out to be more fun than I remember.
Great video! The first Sonic game I ever played was 3. It made me fall in love with Tails. He's been one of my all time favorite video game characters since.
I will say I'm not really a classic Sonic player at all, and several years back when I played Mega Collection I wasn't able to beat any of the games. However, I played Mania from start to finish some months ago. The one stage I really loved enough to wanna replay for faster times was Oil Ocean Zone Act 2. Discovered almost nobody mentions Oil Ocean or seems to like it, but it's nice to have it validated here. Thanks for letting everyone know Oil Ocean is a based S tier stage, Matt.
Yeah it really shows that we’re going through hard times with sonic origins changing the Ice Cap Zone music. It’s definitely my favorite zone too, no contest.
Mushroom hill zone is my fav. Was the first sonic level I played and first Sega game I ever played after only playing mario 1 and 3 on NES . Blew my mind as a 4 year old lol. And dat music slaps so hard.
My favorite zone is the Mania version of Metallic Madness. Got rid of all the bullshit, love the background and foreground gimmicks. The tiny sonic sections are fun. And both bosses are excellent .callbacks. Just on a quick thought of it. I'd have to really think hard tho about this. But as of now this would be my pick. I would say i think Wacky Workbench is the worst zone i think if i had to pick, Sandopolis being a very close second. Mainly bc of Act 2. Act 1 is fine. Act 2 is my least favorite act in all of classic sonic. Shoutout to Hilltop its my fav level in Sonic 2 also
Metropolis Zone had potential to be a decent zone, already has great music. Also unlike Scrap Brain Zone, there are areas with slopes and half loops to build some speed. The issue with me for that zone is very unfair badnik placement. The Kingler badnik is placed in narrow corridors where it is even impossible to jump over, and has a very small hit box if you want to destroy it. The Scyther badnik has the same issues plus the claws can hit you from a long distance, which really sucks if you have almost made it to the end of a long corkscrew sequence and the claws can easily knock you off them. The Staryu badniks, the abundance of them in each act and extremely little time to prepare for the shot spikes makes them a huge pain.
Speeding up on the main corkscrews together with Tails in act 3 I found actually helps me avoid the spikes from the Staryu badniks. There is a Scyther badnik poorly placed at the top of the second corkscrew but in Origins the claws are removed which is nice and it is easy to destroy it. The Sonic 2 port in Sega Genesis classic collections the Scyther still has the claws and can easily knock you off the corkscrew, making you restart the entire sequence from the start.
@@WWERULEZ1000 if you stand completely still the stars wont explode & hit you. the mantis if you jump early you'll jump over his scythe attack. you just have to git gud.
I’m so happy to hear someone else appreciates Hill Top Zone. I know it’s not most people’s favourite zone in the game, but it’s definitely mine. I just love it!
@@obiiieeee I never got the hate for it to be honest. It’s not my favourite track in the game (that would either be oil ocean, metropolis or death egg zone), but it suits the level.
@@frozenminecraftmario Fair enough- I mean like I said, it’s my favourite in the game. I know you could say it’s a bland level, but I dunno there’s just something about the level design and colour that really appeals to me
The thing with sonic games, is if some level goes unused in a mario game, your like, oh ok, but in a sonic game, where every level feels like a new experience, people feel really strongly about it
I enjoy Marble zone, specifically running through the lava whilst invincible, riding on the block through lava and avoiding the fire that consumes the platforms, not to mention the music. The aesthetic and design of Marble Zone is superb.
I'm not going to do an entire list, but will list some popular and unpopular statements 1.) Sandopolis is terrible, Act 2 can lik scrot 2.) I love Oil Ocean and Metropolis zones 3.) Marble Zone is an underrated level 4.) Sonic CD I don't really like, however Wacky Workbench is a great stage
I respect your opinion but damn I love spring yard, it was so chaotic on the 1st play through and the u-shaped slopes was somthing I absolutely love and makes you feel like a god when you perfectly go in and out the smaller ones next to each other. But there may be better zones like this in other games (I've only played the mobile port of 1 and mania on PS4) but spring yard zone, second favourite zone
My hot take is that I love Marble zone. Then again I also love platforming in my platforming games, so I don't mind slowing down a bit. I also love the lava ruins aesthetic and the music is my favorite of the classic games.
Personally I think it is worse than Labyrinth. I don't mind slowing down either but Marble zone actually fully stops you on several occasions. And I wouldn't mind if it were platforming but it is really just waiting.
Honestly I don't intend to get Origins until someone mods in the original Ice Cap music and other Buxor and Jackson tracks. They're just that damn good!
I'm one of the unlucky people who got stuck for years on the barrel of doom. I had a CD for a windows 95 collection of games that included sonic R, sonic CD, and then sonic 3 with the option to play the original sonic 3, sonic and knuckles, or the combined version. I literally spent years getting roadblocked at that barrel, and my juvenile self didn't have the will power to keep pushing to figure it out so i normally just played the sonic and knuckles version instead. When i finally figured it out years later i can still remember the feeling of awe and freedom i felt when i launched into the snowboarding phase of ice cap zone. Ice cap will forever be my favorite zone and i will never be able to objectively appreciate the carnival zone as a good level no matter how many years pass.
Labyrinth Zone is an EXTRAORDINARY zone. I would rank it in the higher tiers without any doubt. But thanks for the video, very fun to watch, I'm just sharing my opinion. I think those zones take too much hate and they serve the purpose of balancing the game (after a wacky, fun zone with lots of speed or bumpy things, you have a more traditional approach). For me it works very well. Sonic 1 is so underrated, it is such a good balanced game. Thanks again, well done!
Same, labyrinth actually makes you engage with the game after waiting or running forward. And I hate to be that guy but hard does not mean bad... titanic monarch anyone? And it manages to keep a consistent, intuitive pace. Hot take, it's the best sonic 1 level, and tidal tempest sucks compared to it
Well, I know I probally won't receive a response from that, but, Metropolis Zone only has 3 acts because the third act would be another 1 act only zone, Like Sky Chase and Wing Fortress, being Cyber City Zone, but how the graphics for the level weren't done on time, they replaced the graphics with Metropolis graphics and changed the enemies to Metropolis's ones
Here’s mine, including all story-related zones: D Tier: Scrap Brain Wacky Workbench Labyrinth Death Egg (2) Metropolis C Tier: Sandopolis Marble Marble Garden Wing Fortress Final Metallic Madness (CD) Sky Chase Hidden Palace (3K) Hidden Palace (2) Collision Chaos Carnival Night B Tier: Spring Yard Oil Ocean (Mania) Oil Ocean (2) Aquatic Ruin Egg Reverie Death Egg (3K) Flying Battery (3K) Mushroom Hill Press Garden Palmtree Panic Stardust Speedway (CD) Quartz Quadrant Casino Night Lava Reef (3K) Titanic Monarch A Tier: Green Hill (1) Mirage Saloon Hydrocity (Mania) Hydrocity (3K) Hill Top Doomsday Lava Reef (Mania) Tidal Tempest Chemical Plant (2) Green Hill (Mania) Chemical Plant (Mania) Starlight Sky Sanctuary Stardust Speedway (Mania) Metallic Madness (Mania) S Tier: Emerald Hill Mystic Cave Angel Island Ice Cap Studiopolis Launch Base Yeah I probably missed a few lol
My main gripe on Metropolis zone is *THOSE PESKY STARFISH THEY ALWAYS GET ME WHEN IM ON THE SCREW ELEVATORS THEN I CANT GET BACK UP AND I GOTTA RESTART ARGHHH*
Scrap brain zone 3 is one of those zones where you can make a right turn and complete it in like a minute an a half. Or if you miss it, it’s easily 3-4 minutes of slogging underwater.
i was surprised how much higher quality sonic 2 stages are compared to sonic 1 overall. the worst stags do not compare to labyrinth or marble zone. i don't like sky chase or winged fortress but they are not as bad as labyrinth zone. one issue with sonic 2 though is several stages have bad enemy placements such as in metropolis zone.
You playing the death egg boss act 2 in the wrong way ! You should use the spin dash to make the robot fall from the ceiling when you’re upside down.. it’s way much faster and more fun
My favorite Sonic Zone has to be Stardust Speedway from Sonic Mania. Sonic Mania was the first Sonic game I ever played and it's my 4th favorite game of all time. It was at that moment I realized: "Wow, I'm really enjoying this a lot. This is probably one of my favorite games." Just such a fun zone to zoom through. When I died, I didn't complain, because I knew I would get to play through it again. On top of that, it has the grooviest, most amazing sounding soundtrack I've ever come across. It's my all time favorite video game song. I just love it so much. The atmosphere of the level also made me really impressed. Something worth mentioning is that I grew up with playing Mario. I either played it on SNES, or on my friend's Wii. Me realizing I preferred Sonic games over Mario games was really cool to me. Short answer: Stardust Speedway from Sonic Mania.
I always liked scrap brain zone ASIDE from act 3, i liked the pacing and for the first time sonic 1 had multiple different challenges in the same level instead of reusing THE SAME gimmick for 3 acts, which i really liked, it also had really cool placements, even tho it lacks teaching elements and such, the ending really show progression in terms of difficulty and i love that Sadly act 3 happened, but i actually like act 1 and 2, different from shit like labyrinth zone, marble zone and such
I am so happy to see that you love Ice Cap just as much as I do. Ice Cap is the perfect way for me to experience classic Sonic. I listened to the music and to "Hard Times" so many times because this zone just gave me such goosebumps when I first played it, and I still do today. Everything about Ice Cap speaks to me and I would have it at number 1 as well. Great video!
Funny thing that happened to me in Wacky Workbench, in my first playthrough I was bouncing through the stage back to the start looking for the teleporter and from all of the places that I could have bounced on I managed to fall exactly on top of the Metal Sonic hologram and didn't even notice and then I proceeded to spend 40 minutes looking for him until I gave up and looked for a guide and saw that I destroyed him at the start of the stage.
i was a nintendo kid and the only sonic ganes i ever played as a kid were 1 and 2 through wii virtual console, but you still made this very entertaining and digestable for me! bravo
The reason Metropolis has 3 Zones is because the third act used to be a completely different zone called Cyber City or Genocide City but they wanted to release the game in 1992 and didn't have enough time
Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic 2 does have one mandatory slow spot where you have the water level rise and you have to make it to the higher level. It's not too big of a spot but you can easily lose a few lives there. No air bubbles and two medium-moving platforms that rotate and can potentially crush you.
That spot isn't mandatory. You can skip it by going through a secret path from the part before it or, with enough speed, skip to the end of it with a well timed jump
Fun fact: Sonic 2 isn't programmed to give 1 ups for getting rings after collecting 300. You can see this in action in only Casino night zone because its the only level where you can get more than 300 rings in one act (To get that many use the slot machines)
I wanna try my hand at this. Might be a long comment: D tier: 36. Sky Chase Zone • This zone is a boring drag and slows Sonic 2 to a screeching halt. No matter what you do, how many times you get hit, how many badniks popped, now many rings collected, you will NEVER speed this up. Good music tho. 35. Scrap Brain Zone • I hate Scrap Brain. It is easily one of the worst zones ever. I don’t mind the palette or even the music. I just hate the design. I mean, from the very beginning of the first act there’s a trap floor with a bottomless pit…who did this and why? Then we get Labyrinth act 4 for no reason. And I don’t even mind Labyrinth that much! 34. Metropolis Zone • This zone is the ONLY bad Sonic 2 zone. Well, only bad full zone. I know I put Sky Chase below. The enemy placement is the worst it’s ever been in any game ever. The badniks are the most annoying of any badnik ever. Thankfully any player should be able to have Super Sonic before this point to even the playing field imo. Especially with modern versions of the game. You should have Super Sonic before Oil Ocean at least and that’s when you aren’t going out of your way to get the emeralds at every checkpoint. Also the boss is boring. Music is fine tho. C tier: 33. Wacky Workbench Zone • This zone is annoying. I love the music and especially the goofy past version of it(haven’t heard the US track in a while but lets be honest the JP track is better in every single way and is more so the canon/main version of the sound of CD. US track isn’t bad tho). Anyways, the music is all this zone has. Annoying hazards, dumb gimmick, boss isn’t hard but it’s boring. Hate this place. And don’t get started on the generators! Sure, I know where they are. But new players will probably never find them ever. And doing the special stage probably will be hard too considering it’s hard to keep your rings here. 32. Sandopolis Zone • love the music. Love the aesthetic. But man it goes on for so long. This is tedium to the max. And we all know how much we love slow stop and wait sections in Sonic! The bosses are also ehh. The rock golem thing was interesting tho. I can appreciate an attempt at a unique fight. 31. Labyrinth Zone • The music is good. This zone isn’t that bad. The only thing is that it’s really slow and I guess there’s some poor enemy placement in the beginning. I find it decently challenging and like, you can get by these zones pretty fast. But most of it is underwater which is very slow. The spin dash and drop dash are useful for this purpose but use it sparingly because there’s a lot of hazards that will hurt you. And the end is not too bad if you don’t try to blow by it 30. Metallic Madness Zone • This is a fine zone if it wasn’t so maze like. There are times where the zone will mess with you by trapping you out of your progress if you got a little too curious and backtracked. We all know that part. And it’s hard looking for the generators. This is the only zone where I get time outs. The music is great tho. I love the music and it makes the time running out kind of exciting. Can’t explain it. 29. Wing Fortress Zone • This Zone is just dull, but it’s not hard and it’s not too bad. Just very very dull which to some might be an even worse crime for a Sonic game. You can skip over some of the level’s lame platforming and that’s without doing the whole invincible frames thing. If you are Super Sonic/Knuckles or Tails, you can actually skip more of this zone. The boss is fine. Super easy you’re Tails who can beat it before the platforms even come out. B tier: 28. Marble Zone • The music and visuals are good as usual. There’s some genuinely fun platforming and rewarding exploration. The only issue is some parts are slow with the moving blocks and there’s one part in act 3 I thing that is super punishing. Boss is fine if a bit easy. Decent zone. 27. Marble Garden Zone • This zone has underrated music. I love it. It’s fast paced which is good. There’s just some sections where you can get whacked by unseen obstacles and the drill top thing is kinda clunky but it’s whatever. The boss is fine unless you’re Tails alone. Pretty good. 26. Tidal Tempest Zone • This is a pretty good zone and unlike Labyrinth, you can actually run here lol. This is one of the only zones where I prefer the US versions of the track(the other isn’t a zone but it’s Sonic Boom). I like that funky r&b soul sounding melody or whatever. I’m no music buff. I just really like it. It’s not bad to explore, it’s not bad to speed through. It’s a decent little zone that’s like Labyrinth but done better. Even the boss have a chase sequence but they spice it up and the finale with bubbles and dodging the little beams. It’s neat. 25. Spring Yard Zone • Again, music is amazing and the palette is amazing. The first of these carnival/casino type zones and I think its aright. The the blocks are kind of boring to sit through but it’s not awful. A pretty decent zone. And the boss is one of the more unique. I actually like it. 24. Hill Top Zone • This zone is alright as with all these b tier zones. I don’t have much to say about it other than I enjoy it. Probably the epitome of b tier tho. 23. Carnival Night Zone • There’s going to be a theme with this tier of zones lol. Here’s Casino Night. A pretty fun zone to play through. I like it and that barrel is blown way out of proportion. Not that hard to figure out. I never got stuck on it. Just experiment. I loved the music to this zone but it’s since been replaced by a version of its proto music and I think it’s fine. Obviously it won’t be as good as the MJ tracks, but it’s fine. Casino Night definitely got the best track of any of the three that were replaced. 22. Collision Chaos Zone • Like all these types of zones, it can be annoying with all the bumpers and springs sending you all over the place. And this has those dumb glass orbs. But it’s not bad. The zone is pretty, great music, and fun to traverse when you can control yourself. The generators aren’t placed horribly so exploring isn’t an issue. The boss is annoying but not hard. 21. Casino Night Zone • Like the last three of these kinds of zones, this zone has the same strengths and weaknesses except this one has the most fun boss fight. That’s all haha.
A tier: 20. Death Egg Zone • This is how you do a final zone! It’s fast paced, challenging, and fun! There are some tedious moments like those light things but they aren’t too bad. The Music is top tier. It’s a very good zone. Also the bosses aren’t that bad. 19. Lava Reef Zone • This is very fun zone. I don’t have much to say about it but that isn’t a bad thing. I will say I love that transition from the the steaming red to the cool blue. It’s a joy. 18. Aquatic Ruin Zone • This zone is very fun to play through. The first act goes by pretty fast but the second one is where it’s gets interesting. I like the water route and the top route! Haven’t been through the middle route admittedly. But the bottom and top paths are very fun and fast paced. Just watch out for the arrows at one point if you’re under water. I also like the boss. It isn’t amazing but it’s unique and not tedious. And the music, palette, all that is good. We know this by now😂 17. Hidden Palace Zone • This is a greatly designed zone. Now, I admittedly don’t know the other routes. I only play through one path😅. I know there’s the water part with those jellyfish badniks but I never see them. The boss is more of a waiting game but you can breeze through it with Super Sonic which any player over the age of 8 should have by this point especially with the ability to restart special stages and with the in general abundance of checkpoints in every zone. Also is there a story reason for this zone? Because I have a head canon where this zone is just a fake Hidden Palace made to distract people from the real Hidden Palace 😂 16. Ice Cap Zone • This zone is really cool(haha). This is one I don’t have much to say again. It’s just very fun. The music I will miss a lot. Hard Times is this zone’s music. The new one is ok I guess. It’s the second best of the new ones imo. The only think I don’t like really is that it just doesn’t go with the opening. Can’t explain it but the opening of the original track goes with that snowboarding cinematic. The new one just doesn’t fit it. Maybe it’s just me. The rest of it is alright. 15. Quartz Quadrant Zone • This is one of my favorite zones to speed through. It’s so fun. The generators aren’t even that hidden. You can just bump into them by complete accident lol. The boss leaves a lot to be desired. It’s very unique and interesting but man is there a lack of gameplay with it. I wish you could at least make it go faster if one was able to pull off a peel out or spin dash. The boss isn’t that great, but the rest of the zone is. 14. Palmtree Panic Zone • This is a good starting. It’s very fun as with all neo-Green Hills as they call it I guess. Again, not much to say other than it’s very fun. It’s the perfect zone to speed through, explore in, get used to the time travel, peel out, the weird nerfed spin dash. 13. Oil Ocean Zone • I’ll probably get some flack for this, but I love Oil Ocean. This is one of those zones where I only take one route tho lol. I’m not familiar with all of what this zone has to offer but I do experience is a fun, fast paced, decently challenging platforming level. There are shortcuts, alt pathways, everything! The badniks never gave me trouble outside the very beginning of act 2. I never get hit outside of that opening. The zone gets hate but I’ve never understood it. The boss is alright. Nothing too crazy or difficult but it goes a little slow with the beam thing. Also the music and palette are great. Great designed zone. 12. Launch Base Zone • This zone is very fun and challenges. It’s nice just zipping through it. And I love that big arm and the Rocket one are both fought in origins. The one knock I have for this zone is the music. This was the biggest blow for me. I love that “go go go” mess the original track had. This new one is awful. I hate it. Old music got me pumped. Now? Just doesn’t feel the same. Launch Base took the biggest hit imo. Some people actually like the new track and that’s fine. Just not for me. It’s the only one of the three that actually makes the zone worse for me😅. It would be S tier if it had its old track back. 11. Emerald Hill Zone • This zone is pretty cool and as iconic as Green Hill imo. It’s just lower because it goes by so so fast😂. Like there is 0 challenge in this zone. It’s just super fun to speed through and if you want, can explore too. It’s just very very easy. I like that in other versions of Green Hill, elements of Emerald Hill are implemented. Fun opening zone that’s too easy but doesn’t hurt it too much. 10. Mushroom Hill Zone • This is a fun zone. We all love the changing seasons gimmick of course. It’s one of the prettiest zones of the classic games. The only thing that hurts this one are those pulleys. Really wish they could just zip you up lol. S tier: 09. Starlight Zone • This zone is awesome. It’s the first true return to speed in Sonic 1. The green and black palette works well. The theme is amazing. It’s fun blasting away at high speed. The boss is easy but interesting and fun in being able to choose if you wanna bounce into the ol doctor or use his bombs against him. There are some areas that would trap you with bombs or orbinauts(is that their name?). This is really the calm before the storm tho. Because one of the worst zones is right after this one. 08. Flying Battery Zone • Another thrilling zone with the music to match. This is like Sega trying to make up for the super dull Wing Fortress and they are forgiven! 07. Stardust Speedway Zone • Let’s get out of the way the music is amazing. I don’t talk about it much but I feel it’s implied that all versions of the CD track is great. Past, present, and both futures and all with breath palettes. There are some valid arguments against this zone(unlike with Oil Ocean). I can see how it can be confusing to navigate. The flip signs that change what platforms you can walk on or go through have 0 indication of which one you’re on. The boosters send you flying everywhere and you can accidentally travel to a point in time you don’t want(almost always the future). And it can be hard looking for the generators. But man that feeling of going fast it’s just so good. And it’s fun doing time trials for this level(all zones are fun to speed through in CD except Wacky Workbench). Timing your jumps, hitting the boosters, going the right path through those tunnels(?) it’s all so exciting. And the Metal Sonic race is so cool. The moment you get there and he’s doing his own finger wag to the end of the race and you show him he’s nothing more than a pale imitation of the real deal. And yea there’s some serious rubber banding going on but it’s easy to ignore. You can choose to go up and platform a little or stay below and avoid Metal’s attacks. Just run into spikes and jump over him. It’s so fun if you completely smoke Metal and wait a few seconds for him to catch up and it’s equally as fun if you and Metal are neck and neck and you just barely beat him. 06. Sky Sanctuary Zone • This is super fun. Like all great zones, there’s a nice sense of speed and platforming. Mecha is a cool fight especially for Knuckles who looked pathetic against Sonic. The zone is amazing and I think everyone can agree it’s S tier. Also Knuckles shooing Sonic. Who knows the reference? lol 05. Angle Island Zone • This is a gorgeous zone with amazing music and the most different starting zone from Green Hill. Speed, exploration, platforming, all that good stuff and this zone delivers. And can say Knuckles has the coolest introduction? He beat the emeralds out of Super Sonic! I don’t care how ridiculous that is, it’s awesome! 04. Green Hill Zone • you all knew this would be up here. It’s the OG! And this zone has everything. It’s a perfect starting level. Maybe the perfect starting level. Also this is small but I love sound of the water when you’re near it lol. And as with all starting zones the boss is pathetic but the wrecking ball is at least charming lol. 03. Mystic Cave Zone • The music. Ok there’s more than just the music. It’s a fast paced zone with some fun platforming. It’s cool. And the palette is so good. The aesthetic is so good. I love this zone. My only complaint is the light bug badnik that can force you to stop. If you have a shield or don’t care about rings, I say just blast through them lol. The boss I admit, I do not like. I hate the dodge falling degree thing. Super Sonic to the rescue! But I kind of never fight the boss anyways because I prefer to go through Hidden Palace and fight that boss. Still, high tier zone! 02. Chemical Plant Zone • We all know…again. Music, speed, not much platforming but still. Exhilarating zone! Some people don’t like the water segment but it’s not that bad and there’s at least two ways to skip it. You can use speed to bypass it or go up an alt path where you can get more rings and an invincibility. You can cheese the boss unless you’re Knuckles. It’s a fun zone. 01. Hrydrocity Zone • I don’t care how one says it. I say Hydrocity and Hydro City interchangeably at any given time. I’m not married to one way and they both make perfect sense. However you wanna say it, doesn’t matter. What everyone can agree on is what does matter. The speed, platforming, music, level design, palette, boss fights. This zone is perfect! I have not one complaint about it. This is not just a good water level to me. It’s the best zone of the classic Sonic games!!
when someone says labyrinth is the worst level in the series it normally means they are just not good at it or dont understand how to play it. i personally love it
When you said that Spring Yard zone, inspired the CD levels, it got me thinking, how would Sonic's game design, look if, the acient people of 1991, decided that their favourite stage wasn't Green Hill and Star Light. So if it was Spring Yard, every game would be inspired by that zone, and we would get a tone of Sonic CD like games. If Scrap Brain was it, I think Sonic would slowly evolve into a kaizo game. Not because Scrap Brain is hard, but because of those specific parts which are filled with does flame throwers, electrcity bolbs, random squishy things, bombs etc. to the point of overwhelmtion. If Marble Zone or Labr. Zone ended up, somehow being the popular kids on the playground, I feel like from them, Sonic could evolve into a slower paced platformer, maybe even to the point of becoming a puzzle game. But what do I know, its not like i can open a portal to an alternate universe in which labr. zone was somehow famous
The reason sonic CD is my favorite sonic game is because of the sheer amount of awesome music there is and this is the only reason why I think quartz quadrant and start a Speedway on my favorite sonic zones
In your opinion, what is the best or most fun Sonic zone and why?
I'm curious to see the takes some of you have!
green hill because everyone now the first minute of a game is the most fun
Ice Cap because it had such a good atmosphere and was a great mix of platforming and speed, and it introduced the snowboard into the franchise
Honestly Green Hill Zone is iconic for a reason and it's one of my favorites. Mirage Saloon is up there with it too, especially the Knuckles level
Sonic 1- Green Hill
Sonic CD-N/A I don't think there is a bad one but I don't have a favorite
Sonic 2- Emerald Hill I like the different yet not confusing pathways also the music.
Sonic 3&K- There are many but I got Ice Cap, Launch Base, and Flying Battery Zone. Ice Cap to me is similar to Emerald Hill with the different pathways you can find, Launch Base really does feel like a grand finale no matter the music after getting so far you are racing to the stop the Death Egg. Extra- I like in Sonic 3&K how each zone flows into each other unlike the other games Sonic runs off screen and boom next zone kinda to me is out of place.
Ice cap and chemical plant are kinda equal to me but if I had to pick the best one I would choose chemical plant because it really shows how fast sonic can really go and sure the water sections can be bad but aren’t really hard to go by and if you get better with the level layout you can speed through the water sections and is pretty fun to play. Edit: the worst one in my opinion is metropolis zone. And the enemy placement makes me want to have a seizure. The enemies are horrible and I wish they never made it ever.
Bro Hydrocity hits Different as level. People hate Water levels in video games but everyone agrees HC is based and that music tho👀🔥
@Shounen Bois
That's because Labyrinth Zone gave them a VERY hard time. I'm pretty sure they only hate that stage.
@@DarkShadowX9 Aquatic Ruin is also not a really a "true" water zone. Both acts are kind of short and you can stay out of the water altogether. The underwater sections aren't that long either if you take advantage of the red springs and know some tricky platforming skills. I can get through act 2 in 40 seconds going the underwater route using those methods. Tidal Tempest is a better version of Labyrinth and Hydrocity remains the best water zone. Labyrinth however, still sucks except for the music.
@@DarkShadowX9 Labyrinth zone feels so out of place like it supposed to be different game
@@DarkShadowX9 I don’t I think it’s a great way to show how sonic cannot swim
@@markharbath31X9 I know.
Chemical plant means so much to me, it was one of the most delightful experience I've had with level design in games I used to play as a kid. The level is interesting, it's fast paced, it's beautiful, everything about it seemed so intriguing and cool I felt like exploring this level all day, it's almost unexplainable how obessed I'd gotten 😅
I can appreciate Scrap Brain Zone Act 3. Scrap Brain was the first big instance of Sonic Team using visual design to tell the story of the game. You start out on Scrap Brain 1 and it’s the polluted urban underside to the bright and fast-placed Start Light Zone. Then act 2 is inside Eggman’s base, which is lifeless and mechanical. Then he drops you down his trap door to the abandoned, ancient ruins that he has apparently built his base over. We even have our first Act transition, so if you liked them in S3K and Mania, it was right there in the beginning!
I do appreciate how Scrap Brain Act 3 does reward you for exploring in that you can take a shortcut that cuts it down to less than 30 seconds.
The reason why it is labyrinth zone is because the original plan was to have sonic drop into the sewers of scrap brain. Unfortunately due to time, cartridge space, and money, the level never got to see the light of day
@@Talonflamez regardless, the presentation/story aspect of that part is great. I think reusing Labyrinth Zone assets for Scrap Brain 3 works a lot better than reusing Metropolis Zone assets to replace Cyber City Zone in Sonic 2. In that one, there’s no discernible change from the dust to acts, so the player is only left to assume that it was there for gameplay reasons. It does work to make the zone even more difficult and make the catharsis in Sky Chase Zone and Wing Fortress Zone that much better, but it Scrap Brain’s gameplay is almost saved by the presentation/story part of it
Good points! The visual storytelling in dropping you down below before having to climb up to face Robotnik added a lot to the sense of adventure, though it was something they'd take much further in Sonic 3.
@@theharvardyard2356 that’s true. I didn’t even focus on the gameplay experience, which in video games works in tandem with visual design and motion. The events happening to the player themself carries the weight and drama that might normally have to be carried through dialogue or plot. Something that early video games didn’t have the luxury of
You forgot to mention that mirage saloon has a different stage for act one when you play as knuckles. Which is definitely way better than the sonic and tales version of it
I agree but as I prefer mirage saloon as sonic because as knuckles i found his enemy placements and platforming sections a bit hard when i was new and i got stuck as knuckles in that zone for some time.
*tails
I think these are sonic only otherwise mania would probably be a bit different in rankings
It was originally scrapped in Sonic 2 it was supposed to be named dust Hill Zone
@@KARMAGEDDEM
That's actually incorrect.
The scrapped desert zone's name in Sonic 2 is Sand Shower Zone.
Dust Hill Zone was supposed to be Green Hill Zone (Or Emerald Hill Zone as it's known as later in development), but in the altered present time period, when Sonic 2 was still based around time travel.
Lava Reef Zone all the way. The music is funky AF, it's a true volcano level (unlike Marble or Hill Top Zone), the difficulty is just right (hold your fire shield tightly), the badnik designs are unique plus I love how rewarding it is to explore every nook and cranny of the level.
Also seeing the Death Egg in the background at the end is simply epic!
My only complain is the boss needing to take so many hits.
@@lucassantossj act 1 or 2 boss?
@@Usotsukii. act 2
@@lucassantossj the boss is alright, and It kinda makes sense that it takes so many hits since it’s literally made to submerge under lava
i never really saw marble zone as a volcano level, more as ruins in the mountains with lava coming in from an actual volcano
For me, by far the worst zone is Carnival Night Zone . . .
Let me put it like this. The order I got the games was Sonic 1 for Christmas when I was four (it came with the Sega Genesis), then 2, then Sonic & Knuckles, and finally on my 10th birthday, I got Sonic 3 (I got Sonic & Knuckles before Sonic 3 because I wanted to play as Knuckles).
When I was little, I thought Sonic 3 & Knuckles was simply JUST the Sonic 3 levels, but with the added option of Knuckles. Of course I was wondering "Why can I still play as Sonic and Tails, but Sonic 2 & Knuckles restricts me to just Knuckles?"
When I finally reached college and got the Sega Classic Collection for Nintendo DS when I was 23, it was then I learned that once you beat Launch Base Zone, it continues into Mushroom Hill Zone, thus making both halves one complete game . . .
So why didn't I know this as a child? Because as Knuckles, I could never beat the second boss of LBZ, and as Sonic, I could never make it to LBZ. Why couldn't I beat IceCap Zone? Because I could never make it to ICZ . . .
. . .
. . .
And why couldn't I beat Carnival Night Zone? . . .
Why oh why couldn't I beat Carnival Night Zone? . . .
. . .
What specifically caused me to not be able to beat Carnival Night Zone . . .
. . .
What specifically in Carnival Night Zone caused me to waste all my lives and continues, just staring blankly at the screen wondering *WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!!!! NO MATTER HOW MUCH I KEEP JUMPING ON IT, IT JUST WON'T GO DOWN!!!!"* . . .
. . .
XD
that one goddamn barrel nobody understood.
You have to press up and down repeatedly to be able to go down.
The reason Metropolis zone has three acts, is because it was supposed to be a unused zone called "Genocide City" or "Cyber City", with only one act. It was scrapped and instead It's placement was filled up by act 3 of Metropolis.
Genocide City sounds like something that would be in a James Bond or Undertale game
Big mistake. And it shouldve been called gothic city zone because of its dark look
@@tsitracommunications2884 The language barrier in Japan was different, and they did not see Genocide as an offensive word. That's why it was later changed to Cyber City, Because the people in America see the word genocide differently
@@angryboi595 Fun fact: Genocide City is a scrapped level from Sonic 2
Cyber City...Deltarune reference!!
Scrap Brain was technically the first zone to have a different background for each act.
My favorite Zone has to be Flying Battery; it just has the feel that Kirby Super Star had with Meta Knight, like you're invading an airship to take down Eggman, and the music that plays while you speed through it, chef's kiss, it's a work of art.
Totally agree
Even though the secret rings are very hard to find when compared to the other zones
The ost in flying battery is banger!!
The worst part about this video is that you call an auto scroller a side scroller. Side scroller is what these four games are. Auto scroller is the term your looking for when describing Mirage Saloon act 1.
I would probably say Ice Cap, Star Light, Death Egg, or Launch Base. I just really like the speed that they give off and Death Egg is a really good. I agree, Launch Base is Launch Based. I do agree with you, fam. I just really like final levels or levels that take place on a moving aircraft or a space station. Something about it just makes me have adrenaline and the need to make it through and stop the aircraft. I should really stop editing this comment lol.
I love Marble Zone. Always liked it as a kid because it looked cool, had hidden walls, you could jump on the crushing weights, and the lava geyser was fun. It might not work as well for adults trying to speedrun, but there was plenty that appealed well to kids who weren't in a rush, I think. Similar with the floating wheels and travel tubes in Scrap Brain, the huge half pipes in Springyard, the catapults in Starlight, etc, etc. Have to remember this was designed to be enjoyed by kids, and I think Sonic 1 does a better job of including fun features to play with mid-level than the other classic games, which are probably more focused on keeping things flowing well than on including specific features. Sonic 1 wants to give you a chance to enjoy the many features, not have you zoom right past them, and I can appreciate that. It's all about having fun exploring and playing with those features/platforming elements. A lot of Sonic Adventure was like that, too (my favorite Sonic games were the Adventure titles). Sonic might be fast as a character, but people forget that his games have had more variety than just speed in the past, even the good ones.
I hated marble zone tbh, after the absolute speedfest that was green hill zone....I thought hat zone brought the game to a screeching halt, the moving platforms you actually had to stand & wait to move, the lava pits, and those fking annoying bats
Same
Tbh I really enjoy and have a soft spot for Marble Zone. It's fun to explore and just to some tight platforming now and again. Not my favorite ever, but I typically have a good time here
Marble zone was my favorite growing up. I always figured people loved it as much as I did but I learned from reading youtube comments that people don't like it much.
@@slinkadoo6292 I'm very glad he put labyrinth zone in d I hate it
I love Marble Garden Zone. Bassline is slapping, the terrain is super unique, and the lightning shield is goat.
I never beat S3 cause of this zone
@@Mihdndo it's pretty easy when you know the layout.
I don’t think you have an idea of how much i hate marble garden
You two won't make it past Sandopolis Act 2 if you can't get past Marble Garden.
Heck, you probably won't make it to (or survive in) Carnival Night Zone.
"Launch base is Launch Based I rest my case.. Bars" *turns on beatbox*
6:53 I heard somewhere they wanted to make like an underground level for Scrap Brain Zone act 3 but they ran out of time and had to reuse labyrinths zone’s assets and just made the colors different.
You have summoned the Labarynth zone defense squad. I am the only member of the Labarynth zone defense squad.
i also am its pretty good
Ngl hated it as a kid. Grew to appreciate it more as i got older
Make it four baby
It's actually very fun, if you know the shortcuts it's very fun and if you can out run the water at certain parts it actually fairly fast
I think it's funny how everyone says they hate Sonic Water levels and then proceed to love all Sonic water levels but Labyrinth Zone.
For me, my favorite was always Flying Battery Zone, I loved the music, the bosses, the fun little electromagnets on the ceiling, but yeah I do agree it does have issues. (plus I used to think it was a battery as in like a double a battery not like a fleet or something)
That's funny 🤣🤣🤣
Flying Battery Zone (especially act 2) has the best music of all the classic Sonic games IMO. Agree with the minor flaws too, but the music makes up for it.
The reason why Sonic 1 has the four worst levels is because Sonic had a rocky transition into existing.
Very true
It's always a Joy Watching these Tier Lists of Yours Matt. I always Like to Listen to your opinions weather I agree or Disagree with Them! Most of the time you also help open my eyes on certain Subjects of the List and it's always entertaining. Keep Up The Good Work Man! Much Love!
For me its Casino Night zone, the overall aesthetic is just incredible. The song, the golden walls and floors, the glitzy elevators, the flashing signs, the holographic palm trees, all great. But more than anything is the background - the faint outline of a bustling metropolis at night with lines of cars speeding here and there, lights flashing. I wanted to live there when I was a kid haha
10:30 I understand that Metropolis is one of the most annoying stages, but you guys have to know that this is literally Eggmans territory, filled with everything that should stop you and give you a hard time. It's not gonna be easy, this is Dr Eggman of course, so it makes sense that he would have enemy placements in the worst spots for the player.
finally, someone who gets it I love metropolis zone
It's one of the best levels, alongside Sandopolis zone.
Yeah but this doesn't justify terrible enemy placement regardless, story gameplay integration shouldn't mean the game cheap shots you every 20 seconds
But if it's not fun, does it matter? There's a difference between enemies in tough spots and enemies you cannot avoid unless you know they are there ahead of time. I'm willing to forgive it a little because of how hard the music goes tho
One of my favorite zones is our good old friend labrynth zone. Even if it works for story purposes, if one isn't having fun playing their video game, then the zone isn't gonna be looked upon favorably. It's worth noting I don't much like Metropolis zone, so I may be biased, by that's my two cents
Going through the SS tier, there’s one huge caveat that I should mention about the Sonic 2 version of Hill Top Zone is that one placement of a badnik in one of the cave sections when destroyed off screen causes the game to crash. While I agree that it is a great zone, that’s like my main issue with it.
Furthermore, in Layrinth Zone act 2, if you roll at the end, you can cause an illegal instruction error.
I think you meant “auto scrolling” not side scrolling.
I’m surprised to see Flying Battery so low here. It’s probably my personal favorite, or tied with Ice Cap.
Flying battery is boring to play through on SK but in mania I actually find value in replaying it.I also got stuck on the act 2 boss for a month in the mania version so-
I just straight up hate flying battery.
I really liked Spring Yard and Starlight Zone as a kid. In playthroughs now, I enjoy Collision Chaos for its level design and Palm-tree Panic. I wish they got the mania treatment as I think the aesthetics are great. Anyone else enjoy those stages?
I do
Starlight is amazing, not because of level decoration but yes the music, it’s so calm
I love how SS Tier is the longest one, really says a lot about how good Sonic levels are ❤
Edit: It's been 5 months since I posted this comment, and I gotta say, I don't remember EVER putting a heart emoji in a comment of mine...
just because someone put an extra ranking on a tier list of something it doesn't mean it is very good lmao i have seen people put stuff like "SSS+" and "X" on tier list of chicken sandwiches
@@soyalex537 did anyone ask?
@@Jay___542 this is a public comment section, everyone is supposed to have opinions dumbass
@@Jay___542 you just asked
@@Jay___542 yeah you kinda did
Hill Top Zone and Star Light Zone are such underrated zones. I think they'd be great as remastered zones in a potential Sonic Mania 2 game.
Hill Top and Star Light have never returned since their original debuts, at least not as far as I know. They were born and died on Sonic 1 & 2 respectively.
One of my favorite zones is Tidal Tempest. I love how you actually have the option to take a non water path. It feels like a non-punishing version of Labyrinth zone. I also love the music (man, I wish I could pick JP OST for Act 1 and US OST for Act 2; when both OSTs have reached equal greatness, then you know how good the music for this level is).
I agree. Tidal Tempest is my favorite water level for the exploration and the music.
putting flying battery zone in the same tier as metropolis zone is so disrespectful…..
Nice list, Matt! My favorites are Ice Cap, Palmtree Panic, Emerald Hill, Star light Zone, and Mirage Saloon.
Labyrinth zone is the embodiment of the phrase
Born to shit, forced to wipe
Congrats on 25k Matt! Gonna watch this video in installments throughout the week
Thanks, means a lot coming from you!
20:35 Sonic was always a side-scroller tho, what it wasn't was an autoscroller.
The reason why metropolis has 3 acts was because when sonic 2 was in development they were gonna have act 3 of metropolis be a single cat called genocide city. The team had a language issue. But when they figured out what that word meant. They renamed it to cyber city. But the development got rushed so they made another metropolis act.
Fun Fact about Sonic Mania: this was originally New Zones Only game but Sega decided to try old ones too.
I would bump both Oil Oceans down a tier but other than that this tier list was flawless!! Beyond the D tier I agree that there really are no “bad” Sonic levels. Great work man love the channel
HillTop is my fav, very simple design and music matches the scenery
I was not expecting metropolis zone and wacky workbench in b tier
Can't help but agree with much of this! I think you really nailed how the worst zones don't tend to focus on exploration or good use of momentum boosts, while the best zones are fast, open, and exploratory. Some zones that I thought I didn't like because of some "not having much fun in this zone feels" from childhood turned out to not hold much water, particularly with the back half of Sonic 3, which, if I revisit it soon, will likely turn out to be more fun than I remember.
Palmtree panic, and stardust speedway good future and few stages, I’ve known! 💗💙🙏🇰🇭🇺🇸🦔
Great video! The first Sonic game I ever played was 3. It made me fall in love with Tails. He's been one of my all time favorite video game characters since.
I will say I'm not really a classic Sonic player at all, and several years back when I played Mega Collection I wasn't able to beat any of the games. However, I played Mania from start to finish some months ago. The one stage I really loved enough to wanna replay for faster times was Oil Ocean Zone Act 2. Discovered almost nobody mentions Oil Ocean or seems to like it, but it's nice to have it validated here. Thanks for letting everyone know Oil Ocean is a based S tier stage, Matt.
Yeah it really shows that we’re going through hard times with sonic origins changing the Ice Cap Zone music. It’s definitely my favorite zone too, no contest.
Yes some very hard times indeed. Those were the happiest days of my life now those hard times gone by.
Matthasnocuts: no small story zones also matthasnocuts: wing fortress zone
2:11 lettuce 🥬
Mushroom hill zone is my fav. Was the first sonic level I played and first Sega game I ever played after only playing mario 1 and 3 on NES . Blew my mind as a 4 year old lol. And dat music slaps so hard.
My favorite zone is the Mania version of Metallic Madness. Got rid of all the bullshit, love the background and foreground gimmicks. The tiny sonic sections are fun. And both bosses are excellent .callbacks. Just on a quick thought of it. I'd have to really think hard tho about this. But as of now this would be my pick. I would say i think Wacky Workbench is the worst zone i think if i had to pick, Sandopolis being a very close second. Mainly bc of Act 2. Act 1 is fine. Act 2 is my least favorite act in all of classic sonic. Shoutout to Hilltop its my fav level in Sonic 2 also
There was never any bullshit?
SAME Metallic madness in mania is the definition of perfection.
This video is so good I keep rewatching it! Please make another sonic related tier list bc they are amazing!
Metropolis Zone had potential to be a decent zone, already has great music. Also unlike Scrap Brain Zone, there are areas with slopes and half loops to build some speed. The issue with me for that zone is very unfair badnik placement. The Kingler badnik is placed in narrow corridors where it is even impossible to jump over, and has a very small hit box if you want to destroy it. The Scyther badnik has the same issues plus the claws can hit you from a long distance, which really sucks if you have almost made it to the end of a long corkscrew sequence and the claws can easily knock you off them. The Staryu badniks, the abundance of them in each act and extremely little time to prepare for the shot spikes makes them a huge pain.
u have to slow down
Speeding up on the main corkscrews together with Tails in act 3 I found actually helps me avoid the spikes from the Staryu badniks. There is a Scyther badnik poorly placed at the top of the second corkscrew but in Origins the claws are removed which is nice and it is easy to destroy it. The Sonic 2 port in Sega Genesis classic collections the Scyther still has the claws and can easily knock you off the corkscrew, making you restart the entire sequence from the start.
I liked that zone a LOT. I like it more than Oil Ocean. Great Challenge
it make sense that the badniks would be placed like that your on eggmans home turf of course he'd make it hard for sonic to get through
@@WWERULEZ1000 if you stand completely still the stars wont explode & hit you. the mantis if you jump early you'll jump over his scythe attack. you just have to git gud.
I’m so happy to hear someone else appreciates Hill Top Zone. I know it’s not most people’s favourite zone in the game, but it’s definitely mine. I just love it!
agreed. it's crazy how people hate Hill Top's music
@@obiiieeee I never got the hate for it to be honest. It’s not my favourite track in the game (that would either be oil ocean, metropolis or death egg zone), but it suits the level.
Hilltop is probably in my A tier. It’s fun, and the music is really good
@@frozenminecraftmario Fair enough- I mean like I said, it’s my favourite in the game. I know you could say it’s a bland level, but I dunno there’s just something about the level design and colour that really appeals to me
@@tonybeattie3980 There's really nothing bland about it. It's more between A and SS.
17:20 this music stop when he said "this zone sucks" is perfect
No matter their placement, you know the soundstrack is gonna slap every single time
The thing with sonic games, is if some level goes unused in a mario game, your like, oh ok, but in a sonic game, where every level feels like a new experience, people feel really strongly about it
In my opinion Sandopolis is one of the best zones in sonic 3 & knuckles
Mine too :D it's my favorite,especially act 2
Everyone Hates it tho weird
@@bdspmouse5329 probably because of the ghosts, i don't know :D i love it.
I enjoy Marble zone, specifically running through the lava whilst invincible, riding on the block through lava and avoiding the fire that consumes the platforms, not to mention the music. The aesthetic and design of Marble Zone is superb.
I'm not going to do an entire list, but will list some popular and unpopular statements
1.) Sandopolis is terrible, Act 2 can lik scrot
2.) I love Oil Ocean and Metropolis zones
3.) Marble Zone is an underrated level
4.) Sonic CD I don't really like, however Wacky Workbench is a great stage
Marble zone would be great if it wasn't for a Sonic game
Oil Ocean zone sucks. Wacky Workbench sucks
I think I disagree with every take here :0 that's a first
When he said “sonic origins why would you do this to me?!” For ice cap zone. I really felt that man rip ice cap zone
I respect your opinion but damn I love spring yard, it was so chaotic on the 1st play through and the u-shaped slopes was somthing I absolutely love and makes you feel like a god when you perfectly go in and out the smaller ones next to each other. But there may be better zones like this in other games (I've only played the mobile port of 1 and mania on PS4) but spring yard zone, second favourite zone
Only thing I like about Metropolis zone is that the music is a banger imo.
My hot take is that I love Marble zone. Then again I also love platforming in my platforming games, so I don't mind slowing down a bit. I also love the lava ruins aesthetic and the music is my favorite of the classic games.
I think that Marble Zone is often underrated, it has a fair ammount of tricks you can do to make the level faster and it rewards exploration
Personally I think it is worse than Labyrinth. I don't mind slowing down either but Marble zone actually fully stops you on several occasions. And I wouldn't mind if it were platforming but it is really just waiting.
Honestly I don't intend to get Origins until someone mods in the original Ice Cap music and other Buxor and Jackson tracks. They're just that damn good!
I honestly prefer the prototype music
You can spindash into the spike things to launch them into the boss when they’re upside down in the Death Egg Boss.
I'm one of the unlucky people who got stuck for years on the barrel of doom. I had a CD for a windows 95 collection of games that included sonic R, sonic CD, and then sonic 3 with the option to play the original sonic 3, sonic and knuckles, or the combined version. I literally spent years getting roadblocked at that barrel, and my juvenile self didn't have the will power to keep pushing to figure it out so i normally just played the sonic and knuckles version instead. When i finally figured it out years later i can still remember the feeling of awe and freedom i felt when i launched into the snowboarding phase of ice cap zone. Ice cap will forever be my favorite zone and i will never be able to objectively appreciate the carnival zone as a good level no matter how many years pass.
Labyrinth Zone is an EXTRAORDINARY zone. I would rank it in the higher tiers without any doubt. But thanks for the video, very fun to watch, I'm just sharing my opinion. I think those zones take too much hate and they serve the purpose of balancing the game (after a wacky, fun zone with lots of speed or bumpy things, you have a more traditional approach). For me it works very well. Sonic 1 is so underrated, it is such a good balanced game. Thanks again, well done!
Same, labyrinth actually makes you engage with the game after waiting or running forward. And I hate to be that guy but hard does not mean bad... titanic monarch anyone? And it manages to keep a consistent, intuitive pace. Hot take, it's the best sonic 1 level, and tidal tempest sucks compared to it
@@osc-omb47896L opinion
@@osc-omb47896WAIT WHAT DID YOU SAY TO TIDAL TEMPEST ???
Ngl, I cried as a kid trying to beat the Metal Sonic race. Don't know why but I just couldn't do it
Well, I know I probally won't receive a response from that, but, Metropolis Zone only has 3 acts because the third act would be another 1 act only zone, Like Sky Chase and Wing Fortress, being Cyber City Zone, but how the graphics for the level weren't done on time, they replaced the graphics with Metropolis graphics and changed the enemies to Metropolis's ones
Here’s mine, including all story-related zones:
D Tier:
Scrap Brain
Wacky Workbench
Labyrinth
Death Egg (2)
Metropolis
C Tier:
Sandopolis
Marble
Marble Garden
Wing Fortress
Final
Metallic Madness (CD)
Sky Chase
Hidden Palace (3K)
Hidden Palace (2)
Collision Chaos
Carnival Night
B Tier:
Spring Yard
Oil Ocean (Mania)
Oil Ocean (2)
Aquatic Ruin
Egg Reverie
Death Egg (3K)
Flying Battery (3K)
Mushroom Hill
Press Garden
Palmtree Panic
Stardust Speedway (CD)
Quartz Quadrant
Casino Night
Lava Reef (3K)
Titanic Monarch
A Tier:
Green Hill (1)
Mirage Saloon
Hydrocity (Mania)
Hydrocity (3K)
Hill Top
Doomsday
Lava Reef (Mania)
Tidal Tempest
Chemical Plant (2)
Green Hill (Mania)
Chemical Plant (Mania)
Starlight
Sky Sanctuary
Stardust Speedway (Mania)
Metallic Madness (Mania)
S Tier:
Emerald Hill
Mystic Cave
Angel Island
Ice Cap
Studiopolis
Launch Base
Yeah I probably missed a few lol
I always liked Hydrocity.
I love how he made this and then a year later a new Classic Sonic game came out
Gotta admit though: marble zone music is built different
My main gripe on Metropolis zone is *THOSE PESKY STARFISH THEY ALWAYS GET ME WHEN IM ON THE SCREW ELEVATORS THEN I CANT GET BACK UP AND I GOTTA RESTART ARGHHH*
Sonic 2/CHP/the pink water zone/The music hits so hard I can barley remember green hills
Scrap brain zone 3 is one of those zones where you can make a right turn and complete it in like a minute an a half. Or if you miss it, it’s easily 3-4 minutes of slogging underwater.
i was surprised how much higher quality sonic 2 stages are compared to sonic 1 overall. the worst stags do not compare to labyrinth or marble zone. i don't like sky chase or winged fortress but they are not as bad as labyrinth zone. one issue with sonic 2 though is several stages have bad enemy placements such as in metropolis zone.
You playing the death egg boss act 2 in the wrong way ! You should use the spin dash to make the robot fall from the ceiling when you’re upside down.. it’s way much faster and more fun
My favorite Sonic Zone has to be Stardust Speedway from Sonic Mania. Sonic Mania was the first Sonic game I ever played and it's my 4th favorite game of all time. It was at that moment I realized: "Wow, I'm really enjoying this a lot. This is probably one of my favorite games." Just such a fun zone to zoom through. When I died, I didn't complain, because I knew I would get to play through it again. On top of that, it has the grooviest, most amazing sounding soundtrack I've ever come across. It's my all time favorite video game song. I just love it so much. The atmosphere of the level also made me really impressed. Something worth mentioning is that I grew up with playing Mario. I either played it on SNES, or on my friend's Wii. Me realizing I preferred Sonic games over Mario games was really cool to me. Short answer: Stardust Speedway from Sonic Mania.
Sonic 2 mobile was my first sonic game, and I remember quitting so many times on the boss fight
I always liked scrap brain zone ASIDE from act 3, i liked the pacing and for the first time sonic 1 had multiple different challenges in the same level instead of reusing THE SAME gimmick for 3 acts, which i really liked, it also had really cool placements, even tho it lacks teaching elements and such, the ending really show progression in terms of difficulty and i love that
Sadly act 3 happened, but i actually like act 1 and 2, different from shit like labyrinth zone, marble zone and such
Maps I Can’t Complete:Chemical Plant,Sky Chase,Labyrinth,Hill Top,Spring Yard,Mystic Cave,Green Hill,Aquatic Ruin,Wing Fortress
I am so happy to see that you love Ice Cap just as much as I do.
Ice Cap is the perfect way for me to experience classic Sonic.
I listened to the music and to "Hard Times" so many times because this zone just gave me such goosebumps when I first played it, and I still do today. Everything about Ice Cap speaks to me and I would have it at number 1 as well.
Great video!
You know what? This is one of the best opinions I've ever seen of sonic levels, so based with sonic cd
Funny thing that happened to me in Wacky Workbench, in my first playthrough I was bouncing through the stage back to the start looking for the teleporter and from all of the places that I could have bounced on I managed to fall exactly on top of the Metal Sonic hologram and didn't even notice and then I proceeded to spend 40 minutes looking for him until I gave up and looked for a guide and saw that I destroyed him at the start of the stage.
My opinion:
D:
Labrynth
Marble
Scrap Brain
C:
Spring Yard
B:
Metropolis
Wacky Workbench
Death Egg (S3)
Egg reverie
Carnival Night
Mystic Cave
A:
Sky Chase
Death Egg (S2)
Doomsday
Launch Base
Hill Top
Metallic Madness
Marble Garden
Sandopolis
Mushroom Hill
Aquatic Ruin
Oil Ocean
Marage Salloon
Sky Sanctuary
Metallic Madness (SM)
Tidal Tempest
S:
Lava Reef
Flying Battery
Oil Ocean (SM)
Chemical Plant
Wing Fortress
Star Light
Green Hill
Hydrocity
Flying Battery (SM)
Emerald Hill
Angel Island
SS:
Lava Reef (SM)
Quartz Quadrant
Chemical Plant (SM)
Collision Chaos
Titanic Monarch
Studiopolis
Hydrocity (SM)
Palmtree Panic
Stardust Speedway
Casino Night
Stardust Speedway (SM)
Green Hill (SM)
Press Garden
Ice Cap
Finally someone who appreciates Hill Top Zone.
It's good, if rushed.
i was a nintendo kid and the only sonic ganes i ever played as a kid were 1 and 2 through wii virtual console, but you still made this very entertaining and digestable for me! bravo
The reason Metropolis has 3 Zones is because the third act used to be a completely different zone called Cyber City or Genocide City but they wanted to release the game in 1992 and didn't have enough time
The fact that you have to pull a lever in oil ocean act two brings me flashbacks to sandopisous or however you say it
Sonic level tier list can only use A, B, C, D, F if it's not the music tier list, if it is, only labyrinth zone wouldn't be S
Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic 2 does have one mandatory slow spot where you have the water level rise and you have to make it to the higher level. It's not too big of a spot but you can easily lose a few lives there. No air bubbles and two medium-moving platforms that rotate and can potentially crush you.
That spot isn't mandatory. You can skip it by going through a secret path from the part before it or, with enough speed, skip to the end of it with a well timed jump
I'm very happy to see collision chaos and quartz quadrant getting the love and appreciation they deserve!
Fun fact: Sonic 2 isn't programmed to give 1 ups for getting rings after collecting 300. You can see this in action in only Casino night zone because its the only level where you can get more than 300 rings in one act (To get that many use the slot machines)
In conclusion:
If the level is fun, Eggman is going easy. If the level is annoying, Eggman was being smart
The reason why there’s no Metal Sonic holograms in Metallic Madness is because he got killed in Stardust Speedway.
I wanna try my hand at this. Might be a long comment:
D tier:
36. Sky Chase Zone
• This zone is a boring drag and slows Sonic 2 to a screeching halt. No matter what you do, how many times you get hit, how many badniks popped, now many rings collected, you will NEVER speed this up. Good music tho.
35. Scrap Brain Zone
• I hate Scrap Brain. It is easily one of the worst zones ever. I don’t mind the palette or even the music. I just hate the design. I mean, from the very beginning of the first act there’s a trap floor with a bottomless pit…who did this and why? Then we get Labyrinth act 4 for no reason. And I don’t even mind Labyrinth that much!
34. Metropolis Zone
• This zone is the ONLY bad Sonic 2 zone. Well, only bad full zone. I know I put Sky Chase below. The enemy placement is the worst it’s ever been in any game ever. The badniks are the most annoying of any badnik ever. Thankfully any player should be able to have Super Sonic before this point to even the playing field imo. Especially with modern versions of the game. You should have Super Sonic before Oil Ocean at least and that’s when you aren’t going out of your way to get the emeralds at every checkpoint. Also the boss is boring. Music is fine tho.
C tier:
33. Wacky Workbench Zone
• This zone is annoying. I love the music and especially the goofy past version of it(haven’t heard the US track in a while but lets be honest the JP track is better in every single way and is more so the canon/main version of the sound of CD. US track isn’t bad tho). Anyways, the music is all this zone has. Annoying hazards, dumb gimmick, boss isn’t hard but it’s boring. Hate this place. And don’t get started on the generators! Sure, I know where they are. But new players will probably never find them ever. And doing the special stage probably will be hard too considering it’s hard to keep your rings here.
32. Sandopolis Zone
• love the music. Love the aesthetic. But man it goes on for so long. This is tedium to the max. And we all know how much we love slow stop and wait sections in Sonic! The bosses are also ehh. The rock golem thing was interesting tho. I can appreciate an attempt at a unique fight.
31. Labyrinth Zone
• The music is good. This zone isn’t that bad. The only thing is that it’s really slow and I guess there’s some poor enemy placement in the beginning. I find it decently challenging and like, you can get by these zones pretty fast. But most of it is underwater which is very slow. The spin dash and drop dash are useful for this purpose but use it sparingly because there’s a lot of hazards that will hurt you. And the end is not too bad if you don’t try to blow by it
30. Metallic Madness Zone
• This is a fine zone if it wasn’t so maze like. There are times where the zone will mess with you by trapping you out of your progress if you got a little too curious and backtracked. We all know that part. And it’s hard looking for the generators. This is the only zone where I get time outs. The music is great tho. I love the music and it makes the time running out kind of exciting. Can’t explain it.
29. Wing Fortress Zone
• This Zone is just dull, but it’s not hard and it’s not too bad. Just very very dull which to some might be an even worse crime for a Sonic game. You can skip over some of the level’s lame platforming and that’s without doing the whole invincible frames thing. If you are Super Sonic/Knuckles or Tails, you can actually skip more of this zone. The boss is fine. Super easy you’re Tails who can beat it before the platforms even come out.
B tier:
28. Marble Zone
• The music and visuals are good as usual. There’s some genuinely fun platforming and rewarding exploration. The only issue is some parts are slow with the moving blocks and there’s one part in act 3 I thing that is super punishing. Boss is fine if a bit easy. Decent zone.
27. Marble Garden Zone
• This zone has underrated music. I love it. It’s fast paced which is good. There’s just some sections where you can get whacked by unseen obstacles and the drill top thing is kinda clunky but it’s whatever. The boss is fine unless you’re Tails alone. Pretty good.
26. Tidal Tempest Zone
• This is a pretty good zone and unlike Labyrinth, you can actually run here lol. This is one of the only zones where I prefer the US versions of the track(the other isn’t a zone but it’s Sonic Boom). I like that funky r&b soul sounding melody or whatever. I’m no music buff. I just really like it. It’s not bad to explore, it’s not bad to speed through. It’s a decent little zone that’s like Labyrinth but done better. Even the boss have a chase sequence but they spice it up and the finale with bubbles and dodging the little beams. It’s neat.
25. Spring Yard Zone
• Again, music is amazing and the palette is amazing. The first of these carnival/casino type zones and I think its aright. The the blocks are kind of boring to sit through but it’s not awful. A pretty decent zone. And the boss is one of the more unique. I actually like it.
24. Hill Top Zone
• This zone is alright as with all these b tier zones. I don’t have much to say about it other than I enjoy it. Probably the epitome of b tier tho.
23. Carnival Night Zone
• There’s going to be a theme with this tier of zones lol. Here’s Casino Night. A pretty fun zone to play through. I like it and that barrel is blown way out of proportion. Not that hard to figure out. I never got stuck on it. Just experiment. I loved the music to this zone but it’s since been replaced by a version of its proto music and I think it’s fine. Obviously it won’t be as good as the MJ tracks, but it’s fine. Casino Night definitely got the best track of any of the three that were replaced.
22. Collision Chaos Zone
• Like all these types of zones, it can be annoying with all the bumpers and springs sending you all over the place. And this has those dumb glass orbs. But it’s not bad. The zone is pretty, great music, and fun to traverse when you can control yourself. The generators aren’t placed horribly so exploring isn’t an issue. The boss is annoying but not hard.
21. Casino Night Zone
• Like the last three of these kinds of zones, this zone has the same strengths and weaknesses except this one has the most fun boss fight. That’s all haha.
A tier:
20. Death Egg Zone
• This is how you do a final zone! It’s fast paced, challenging, and fun! There are some tedious moments like those light things but they aren’t too bad. The Music is top tier. It’s a very good zone. Also the bosses aren’t that bad.
19. Lava Reef Zone
• This is very fun zone. I don’t have much to say about it but that isn’t a bad thing. I will say I love that transition from the the steaming red to the cool blue. It’s a joy.
18. Aquatic Ruin Zone
• This zone is very fun to play through. The first act goes by pretty fast but the second one is where it’s gets interesting. I like the water route and the top route! Haven’t been through the middle route admittedly. But the bottom and top paths are very fun and fast paced. Just watch out for the arrows at one point if you’re under water. I also like the boss. It isn’t amazing but it’s unique and not tedious. And the music, palette, all that is good. We know this by now😂
17. Hidden Palace Zone
• This is a greatly designed zone. Now, I admittedly don’t know the other routes. I only play through one path😅. I know there’s the water part with those jellyfish badniks but I never see them. The boss is more of a waiting game but you can breeze through it with Super Sonic which any player over the age of 8 should have by this point especially with the ability to restart special stages and with the in general abundance of checkpoints in every zone. Also is there a story reason for this zone? Because I have a head canon where this zone is just a fake Hidden Palace made to distract people from the real Hidden Palace 😂
16. Ice Cap Zone
• This zone is really cool(haha). This is one I don’t have much to say again. It’s just very fun. The music I will miss a lot. Hard Times is this zone’s music. The new one is ok I guess. It’s the second best of the new ones imo. The only think I don’t like really is that it just doesn’t go with the opening. Can’t explain it but the opening of the original track goes with that snowboarding cinematic. The new one just doesn’t fit it. Maybe it’s just me. The rest of it is alright.
15. Quartz Quadrant Zone
• This is one of my favorite zones to speed through. It’s so fun. The generators aren’t even that hidden. You can just bump into them by complete accident lol. The boss leaves a lot to be desired. It’s very unique and interesting but man is there a lack of gameplay with it. I wish you could at least make it go faster if one was able to pull off a peel out or spin dash. The boss isn’t that great, but the rest of the zone is.
14. Palmtree Panic Zone
• This is a good starting. It’s very fun as with all neo-Green Hills as they call it I guess. Again, not much to say other than it’s very fun. It’s the perfect zone to speed through, explore in, get used to the time travel, peel out, the weird nerfed spin dash.
13. Oil Ocean Zone
• I’ll probably get some flack for this, but I love Oil Ocean. This is one of those zones where I only take one route tho lol. I’m not familiar with all of what this zone has to offer but I do experience is a fun, fast paced, decently challenging platforming level. There are shortcuts, alt pathways, everything! The badniks never gave me trouble outside the very beginning of act 2. I never get hit outside of that opening. The zone gets hate but I’ve never understood it. The boss is alright. Nothing too crazy or difficult but it goes a little slow with the beam thing. Also the music and palette are great. Great designed zone.
12. Launch Base Zone
• This zone is very fun and challenges. It’s nice just zipping through it. And I love that big arm and the Rocket one are both fought in origins. The one knock I have for this zone is the music. This was the biggest blow for me. I love that “go go go” mess the original track had. This new one is awful. I hate it. Old music got me pumped. Now? Just doesn’t feel the same. Launch Base took the biggest hit imo. Some people actually like the new track and that’s fine. Just not for me. It’s the only one of the three that actually makes the zone worse for me😅. It would be S tier if it had its old track back.
11. Emerald Hill Zone
• This zone is pretty cool and as iconic as Green Hill imo. It’s just lower because it goes by so so fast😂. Like there is 0 challenge in this zone. It’s just super fun to speed through and if you want, can explore too. It’s just very very easy. I like that in other versions of Green Hill, elements of Emerald Hill are implemented. Fun opening zone that’s too easy but doesn’t hurt it too much.
10. Mushroom Hill Zone
• This is a fun zone. We all love the changing seasons gimmick of course. It’s one of the prettiest zones of the classic games. The only thing that hurts this one are those pulleys. Really wish they could just zip you up lol.
S tier:
09. Starlight Zone
• This zone is awesome. It’s the first true return to speed in Sonic 1. The green and black palette works well. The theme is amazing. It’s fun blasting away at high speed. The boss is easy but interesting and fun in being able to choose if you wanna bounce into the ol doctor or use his bombs against him. There are some areas that would trap you with bombs or orbinauts(is that their name?). This is really the calm before the storm tho. Because one of the worst zones is right after this one.
08. Flying Battery Zone
• Another thrilling zone with the music to match. This is like Sega trying to make up for the super dull Wing Fortress and they are forgiven!
07. Stardust Speedway Zone
• Let’s get out of the way the music is amazing. I don’t talk about it much but I feel it’s implied that all versions of the CD track is great. Past, present, and both futures and all with breath palettes. There are some valid arguments against this zone(unlike with Oil Ocean). I can see how it can be confusing to navigate. The flip signs that change what platforms you can walk on or go through have 0 indication of which one you’re on. The boosters send you flying everywhere and you can accidentally travel to a point in time you don’t want(almost always the future). And it can be hard looking for the generators. But man that feeling of going fast it’s just so good. And it’s fun doing time trials for this level(all zones are fun to speed through in CD except Wacky Workbench). Timing your jumps, hitting the boosters, going the right path through those tunnels(?) it’s all so exciting. And the Metal Sonic race is so cool. The moment you get there and he’s doing his own finger wag to the end of the race and you show him he’s nothing more than a pale imitation of the real deal. And yea there’s some serious rubber banding going on but it’s easy to ignore. You can choose to go up and platform a little or stay below and avoid Metal’s attacks. Just run into spikes and jump over him. It’s so fun if you completely smoke Metal and wait a few seconds for him to catch up and it’s equally as fun if you and Metal are neck and neck and you just barely beat him.
06. Sky Sanctuary Zone
• This is super fun. Like all great zones, there’s a nice sense of speed and platforming. Mecha is a cool fight especially for Knuckles who looked pathetic against Sonic. The zone is amazing and I think everyone can agree it’s S tier. Also Knuckles shooing Sonic. Who knows the reference? lol
05. Angle Island Zone
• This is a gorgeous zone with amazing music and the most different starting zone from Green Hill. Speed, exploration, platforming, all that good stuff and this zone delivers. And can say Knuckles has the coolest introduction? He beat the emeralds out of Super Sonic! I don’t care how ridiculous that is, it’s awesome!
04. Green Hill Zone
• you all knew this would be up here. It’s the OG! And this zone has everything. It’s a perfect starting level. Maybe the perfect starting level. Also this is small but I love sound of the water when you’re near it lol. And as with all starting zones the boss is pathetic but the wrecking ball is at least charming lol.
03. Mystic Cave Zone
• The music. Ok there’s more than just the music. It’s a fast paced zone with some fun platforming. It’s cool. And the palette is so good. The aesthetic is so good. I love this zone. My only complaint is the light bug badnik that can force you to stop. If you have a shield or don’t care about rings, I say just blast through them lol. The boss I admit, I do not like. I hate the dodge falling degree thing. Super Sonic to the rescue! But I kind of never fight the boss anyways because I prefer to go through Hidden Palace and fight that boss. Still, high tier zone!
02. Chemical Plant Zone
• We all know…again. Music, speed, not much platforming but still. Exhilarating zone! Some people don’t like the water segment but it’s not that bad and there’s at least two ways to skip it. You can use speed to bypass it or go up an alt path where you can get more rings and an invincibility. You can cheese the boss unless you’re Knuckles. It’s a fun zone.
01. Hrydrocity Zone
• I don’t care how one says it. I say Hydrocity and Hydro City interchangeably at any given time. I’m not married to one way and they both make perfect sense. However you wanna say it, doesn’t matter. What everyone can agree on is what does matter. The speed, platforming, music, level design, palette, boss fights. This zone is perfect! I have not one complaint about it. This is not just a good water level to me. It’s the best zone of the classic Sonic games!!
I can't believe you put Hill Top Zone at number 4 lmao. I like it, but it's no where near 4th place for me.
when someone says labyrinth is the worst level in the series it normally means they are just not good at it or dont understand how to play it. i personally love it
Very nice, but sense you mentioned the 8-bit/game gear games. Would you perhaps consider ranking those levels?
20:26 right when he said that he got hit by a badnick
When you said that Spring Yard zone, inspired the CD levels, it got me thinking, how would Sonic's game design, look if, the acient people of 1991, decided that their favourite stage wasn't Green Hill and Star Light. So if it was Spring Yard, every game would be inspired by that zone, and we would get a tone of Sonic CD like games. If Scrap Brain was it, I think Sonic would slowly evolve into a kaizo game. Not because Scrap Brain is hard, but because of those specific parts which are filled with does flame throwers, electrcity bolbs, random squishy things, bombs etc. to the point of overwhelmtion. If Marble Zone or Labr. Zone ended up, somehow being the popular kids on the playground, I feel like from them, Sonic could evolve into a slower paced platformer, maybe even to the point of becoming a puzzle game. But what do I know, its not like i can open a portal to an alternate universe in which labr. zone was somehow famous
The reason sonic CD is my favorite sonic game is because of the sheer amount of awesome music there is and this is the only reason why I think quartz quadrant and start a Speedway on my favorite sonic zones