As I've mentioned, Sonic CD levels are not all about speed, but exploration. While other Sonic levels are designed so that they provide a continuous, fast-paced experience often across a wide area, without too much concern for wasted space on maps, Sonic CD levels are much more efficient in this way. Several routes are often crammed into one set space for any given zone, with few patches of unused areas, to allow for the maximum amount of hidden nooks and crannies. While you can still run through these paths fairly smoothly for the most part, you might find such an experience is a little shorter and less satisfying than the alternative Sonic games that specialise in speed and linearity. Because of the hidden objects you're encouraged to find, such as time travel posts, destructible machines, Metal Sonic holograms or even more rings for Special Stages, these smaller, but more complex level structures are a more suitable design, as they allow the player to be able to backtrack more easily than in a longer and more drawn out level. It's relatively uncommon for there to be any place in a zone that you cannot get to from any other point, at least in one particular time zone or another. This is ideal for offering plenty of opportunity to nose around and find the items you seek, and because of their horizontal size, going back and forth does not necessarily have to take too long. Across the different time zones, structures and objects do vary, but not to the same drastic degree that the appearances tend to. Exact structures of paths and the way in which they connect to each other tend to be the only differences, and this ensures that the time periods feel connected to each other and not like completely separate levels. Level exclusive objects are imaginative and numerous, particularly the clever use of two different types of most enemies; new and old. Bosses are quite unique in that they don't require the usual amount of eight hits during a consistent pattern. Eggman may only need one or two hits at a time to see him off, but actually earning those opportunities and enduring challenges beforehand are what these bosses are all about.