First things first- this game NEEDS to be optimized. I'm on a mid range gaming PC, able to run Omens at medium settings with very few frame drops, but at minimum settings 720p here, I could only get around 25-27 fps
As with every other 3D Sonic fan game ever, you need more automated cameras, especially in stages this wide and open. Leaving camera control entirely up to the player in a fast 3D platformer is frustrating and makes the game harder than it needs to be when using a controller. Plus, with the way the framework is set up, the camera turns with Sonic way too tightly- with open areas in SA1 and 06, you could run in a tight circle and the camera would just sway back and forth, here though, it would jerk side to side at a seizurific speed. Alternatively, you could only use a few automated cameras for sections that really need them, and then just box in the environments a bit. There's a good reason official 3D Sonic stage design is much more linear and narrow than other 3D platformers. The preview video at the end is exactly what I'm looking for, that's a stage design with form AND function, while this is... BlitzSonic esque. nintendo hire this man lookin. Just random hills and copy pasted rock formations. It's fun to play but that's mostly down to how badass and tight the Infinity Engine framework is.
VERY nice presentation, I love the style and mood, probably the best thing about this demo. I also loved how you have two different soundtracks so people won't have to deal with copyright bullshit if they make a video or stream this
Left stick has no deadzone, so if you're using an older controller with a loose left stick, menus are going to be a NIGHTMARE... which, they already are. Sometimes up and down go up and down, but sometimes, they're left and right, same with left and right sometimes being up and down depending on the selection you have highlighted. The right face button on the controller does nothing, so you just have to scroll to the bottom of the list to go back a menu, Balan Wonderworld style.
MAD potential, but I think you should be focusing on quality over quantity, I remember the first Adventure Pack had all these same problems except for the frame rate.
I gotta say, making this demo was an interesting learning experience, kinda what SAGE is. This demo was more of a tribute to a canceled fangame (Sonic GL, from 2006!) than your usual "Funky Action" Original. The main path is a recreation of the level in that fangame. That probably explains the whole Blitzsonic Nintendo hire looking rocks and hills. (yo this part was hilarious) That also explains the "form and function" you see in the upcoming act 2 demo with Stampede Breeze, that's all my level design right there and I can't wait to release that for you all!