[2]: 7  In addition, as with later levels in the game, Green Hill Zone has environmental features and obstacles like ramps,[3] vertical loops, tunnels, spring-boards, spikes,[2]: 7  and checkpoints.

[2]: 5  It is normally populated by woodland creatures, but antagonist Doctor Eggman imprisons them inside robots known as Badniks prior to the events of the game, so the player must destroy them to free the animals.

The game's level design was handled by Hirokazu Yasuhara,[4] and the musical theme was composed by Masato Nakamura from the Japanese band Dreams Come True.

[5] In designing Green Hill Zone, Yasuhara was inspired by the U.S. state of California, while the game's color scheme in general was influenced by the work of pop artist Eizin Suzuki.

[10] Green Hill Zone reappears in Sonic Forces, having partially turned to desert due to resource depletion by Eggman's industries.

[17][18][19][20] It received mixed reception from Alice Clarke of Kotaku, who called it "not the most thrilling build", remarking that its price was high, but that Sonic fans would love it.

[22][23][24] Comparably, Joe Skrebels of Official Nintendo Magazine called it "nostalgic",[25] while Christopher Grant from Joystiq considered it to have a place "in the center of your retro-gaming shrine".

Andy Kelly from Computer and Video Games called the Green Hill theme a "monumental slice of Sega nostalgia",[5] and GamesRadar writer Justin Towell also referred to it as classic.

[22] The decision to include Green Hill Zone in other games in the series, such as Sonic Forces, has been a source of debate among some fans, who believe that Sega has overused the stage since its debut.

[32] The version of Green Hill Zone featured in Sonic Mania became one of that game's most "hotly contested" speedrun courses due to its added complexity in comparison to the original.