I just finished replaying all classic sonic games, from 1 to 3+knuckles. The idea was to hype myself for sonic mania but with each game I played my hype died a little lol. It's a fun game with a somewhat inconsistent design. It wants you to go fast but then punishes you for doing it, so you go slow and it punishes you for going slow too. Look at this huge loop and ramp! run!
run, sonic! oooh did I put those spikes there? oh wow, jeez, sorry. OK be careful now. Careful! ooh you don't have enough speed to climb that ramp? oh jeez, wow, sorry about that. But with proper level design these things balance each other nicely. I still want to play sonic mania!
Which version did you play? because there is a significant quality drop between the original on the genesis and the badly emulated port version (that goes for all version of the game, modern like classic, at least up to heroes).
Also there is a culture shock with people accustom to playing mario like game, the problem you mention are so easily avoidable (I did it when I was 7) that it boggle my mind lol. But games have literally standardized their navigation around mario so it's not surprising.
I literally never had to run into trap ever in the original, the whole game is about momentum management they are the main challenge, if you have problem with that you are playing like a mario and didn't bother to learn the very basic of the game (especially when the game offer alternative routes when you don't have momentum, except in the first level because it's trying to teach you the game). To me the level design appear very consistent, there is a ebb and flow from slow part and fast part, and transition between the two and "tease" about secondary skill routes that you only notice a split second on first playthrough in fast part, and anticipate on second playthrough. All fast section tend to stop you before any enemy or obstacle, either by having them potent if they have a full stop, or have a slight ramp or bumper to have a slow spectacular jump to a "stop landing" without removing your control, the game design is about playing with anticipation and surprise the player, it's also immensely replayable because the game is packed with secret and alternate path. In a way mario is a theme park, you have a sequence of separated navigation challenge,
sonic is a skate park, element relate to each other base on your movement, entirely different expectation.
The game is also base on committing to your action and trusting the level design, the roll allow you to literally beat any enemy and uncap speed limit,
the game teach you the roll using these tubes in the first level by literally force you into a roll, go through an enemy, get to great speed then launch you through a ramp that lead you to great height and a path impossible to reach otherwise with an enemy bait to rebound and maximize ring, then it land you on a sequence of moving platform you have to pay attention to proceed, this sequence is literally a well packed microcosm of the entire game. Thing is
mario player don't pick up this stealth tutorial because
they never roll and never use momentum ever again in the same way, and mario don't teach you the gameplay as greatly as this sequence (that mushroom bullshit in mario 1-1 is bollocks I never get that mushroom ever as a kid because I jumped a second time and it reverse direction lol). Also unlike mario, ball form of sonic is literally
invincible save for trap and projectile, using the ball form is the basic of sonic. You have far more protection than any other game when messing up, which give you time to learn.
A lot of the level design is based on
near miss of danger that only hit you when you lose a steady hand and you lose when you just don't trust the gameplay or level design.
That's where the port mess up, a lot of near miss are based on precise timing, ie for example when the enemy is triggered by the screen scrolling, which the port messed up, I know there is portion of metropolis where the projectile of enemy hit mean when
they should have just grazed me in the genesis version, it's also particularly broken in chemical plant where some trampoline straight don't send you into the air as they should. There is some bad enemy placement, metropolis act 2 I'm looking at you, brain scrap zone, or even mania titanic monarch (not sure for that level, I haven't the game yet, it's out the 28 on pc, my switch is held by sister now, but I watch playthrough and even pro get those nasty enemy who have front circular saw, which defeat split second roll the game teach you all along). But even with that, the game reward exploration (of level and gameplay) by giving you literally infinite regenerating health with the ring if you can fathom the small challenge of taking them again, so you don't have the pressure of losing all health like other game.
Later game like sonic colors was popular because it's literally a mario game, momentum was only one tool or a set pieces, not the core fundamental of the level.
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