Sonic Unleashed could have been great if they did 1 thing only: make 1 Night stage for every 3 day stages instead of the 3 by 3 ratio. Fans were excited to try the Werehog but his stages are dragging, slow and can be boring (with how clunky it can be), so having that 3:1 would have balanced it out.

The day stages are peak 3D Sonic fast-paced, exciting, and built on solid mechanics. The Werehog had potential, but the problem was the 3:3 ratio of day to night stages. It backfired because, while everyone was initially curious to try the Werehog, most players felt drained after the first long session.

A better approach would’ve been one night stage per three day stages. That way, fans would stay hooked, since a single night stage could still match the length of several day stages, creating a better balance. Plus, if each night stage introduced new mechanics, they would’ve felt fresh instead of repetitive and boring.

P.S. I’m not completely sure how fans received Sonic Unleashed, but I think it’s often considered mixed or mediocre overall. That said, most fans seem to love the day stages enough that many would happily play a full game built entirely around those mechanics.