Thank you!
The Knuckles’ stage were bigger, but had the advantage to have a radar though, which I think could have helped from the more hidden emeralds. If you’re curious about how those would look in 2D, check out this other fan game (I learned about later): Knuckles’ Emerald Hunt Mania (SAGE 2020) (I also put it in the “Similar games” section of the game description)