LogFAQs > #931080044

29th: Sonic Mania Plus - Angel Island Zone
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 73/100 (7.4), Sonic Mania (10/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZiccIwYFfo

28th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Angel Island Zone Act 1
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 73/100 (7.4), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (5/17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbPPWKEfw6I

I'll just rate these together since it's so close for me, and the difference between the two is the "the Mania is a little too messy production-wise" problem that's come up like six times already so I'll just talk about the song in general!

Okay right off the bat this song starts out with those INSANE rolls I LOOOOVE the rolls everywhere, like also when it comes back really subtly at 0:47, and honestly just the composition style in general is so Cool and Chill and fun!!! The panned "call-and-response" in almost every part is so cool, both main sections at 0:14 and 0:29 that do this with like two melodies on two instruments that never really overlap but make one melody together, though the former is much more blunt with it and that makes it cool when they start to blend together in the second part, and then 0:44 everything really comes together and ends the song off strong. It's not as good a "first level" song as Green Hill imo, ironically for good reason cause it's much more complex of a song to me, and thus that makes it win out in general for me. Fun fact, I actually did know this song before doing this ranking because of Smash Bros... but I deadass thought it was the first level for Sonic 2 until this year. Oops.

(Also note, I've seen a common theory/thought that Tomonori Sawada is the one composer for this one and possibly Act 2 too, but he's confirmed he did the title theme and some jingles but nothing else. Since it's almost definitely not Howard Drossin, based on the album that the Sawada thinking comes from I think it's more likely to be Yoshiaki Kashima, but still also probably not Kashima. Why must you be like this Sonic 3???)