Cleared this with all 120 stars. I guess it doesn't need anyone else to sing its praises, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The level design is brilliant. No direct nostalgia influenced me as I never played this as a kid. I'm sure it was primarily hardware limitations that made them make the courses so compact, but I really think it's excellent how close things are together. It makes everything feel like a diorama and in a sense makes it MORE immersive rather than less in my opinion. Favorite course? Maybe Tick Tock Clock. Simple as it is, the revolving, compact layout is really a cool idea. Also I'm not super interested in speedrunning but playing through this made the speedruns all the more impressive to watch. I can't imagine the nerves of the Bowser throws at the end of a potential WR.

First person to reply chooses which game from my list I play next (as you can see I haven't played that many famous games compared to most otaku loners...):
Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Chrono Trigger (1995)
Final Fantasy VII (1997)
Half-Life (1998)
Metal Gear Solid (1998)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
Silent Hill (1999)
Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Fallout 3 (2008)
Hollow Knight (2017)