When SEGA unveiled Sonic Superstars at Summer Game Fest 2023, I was cautiously optimistic. As the first brand new 2D Sonic game since the critically-acclaimed 16-bit Genesis-styled Sonic Mania in 2017, Sonic Superstars really seemed as though it was taking the beloved classic Sonic the Hedgehog formula and giving it a fresh new coat of paint. Now that the game has been released on all platforms, including Nintendo Switch, coincidentally a few days before Super Mario Bros. Wonder, should you spin-dash your way to pick up a copy, or is there no need to rush?
Sonic Superstars opens up with a gorgeous animated cutscene in the style of early Saturday morning cartoons, and there are more of these cutscenes as you progress. The story of the game is typical Sonic the Hedgehog fanfare, with just enough explanation to give a proper motive for the adventure, and therefore the gameplay itself. The evil Dr. Eggman (also known as Dr. Robotnic) has teamed up with Fang the Hunter for a mischievous plan to transform the residents of the Northstar Islands into an army of Badniks. Sonic and his friends must quickly travel across the Islands and its zones to stop them, using the power of the Chaos Emeralds that they collect along the way to restore peace once again.
Sonic’s signature catchphrase “gotta go fast“ is taken a bit too literally in Sonic Superstars, as the main game can be beaten in just around 5 hours. Upon completion, you’ll unlock a secret playable character with a separate story, which is essentially a hard mode of the campaign. In addition, the Time Attack mode provides plenty of replayability for players itching for more. Getting through each stage as fast as humanly (or hedgehogly?) possible has always been one of the main draws of playing Sonic games, and the level design in Superstars is well-crafted for this style of platforming. Sonic is equipped with his signature spin-dash, the ability to jump, spin-attack, and run through stages with exhilarating momentum-based speed.
The stages are split up into zones, which are separated by acts; typically two, but sometimes one or even three if the zone has a special character-specific stage. There are 11 zones, each with a unique style, and 26 stages to go through in total. The stages feel like classic Sonic at its best, and controls about as good as you’d expect if you’ve played the original Genesis trilogy. As you venture across the colorful 2D side-scrolling 3D environments, you’ll collect rings, defeat enemies, and discover secrets, with at least one boss battle waiting for you at the end of every zone. The boss battles are aplenty and can actually be quite challenging. As always, when you take damage, you’ll drop the rings you’ve collected, and as long as you pick up at least one before they despawn, you can continue to learn the attack patterns of the boss and eventually spin-dash your way to victory. Using the power of the Chaos Emeralds can be quite helpful too.
Chaos Emeralds are found via giant ring portals hidden throughout the zones. After entering one of these portals, you’ll play a three-dimensional minigame where you swing from blue-coloured spheres and avoid sharp objects. The emerald is constantly moving around, and you must use a combination of the momentum from your swings, latching onto speed-boosts, and earning extra time by swinging through rings to get to the emerald before time runs out. As with just about every Sonic game, there are seven Chaos Emeralds to collect, but this time, each one provides a special Emerald Power that you can use throughout the game. Emerald Powers are special abilities that allow you to do things such as climb up waterfalls, change form, and create clones of yourself that run across the screen and cause damage to enemies. To avoid being too overpowered, they can only be used once per checkpoint or after a cooldown.
While the entire campaign can be played and enjoyed solo, multiplayer is where Sonic Superstars really gets a name for itself. It’s absolute, complete and utter mayhem in the best possible way. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy are all playable, each with their own set of abilities; Knuckles can glide through the air and climb up walls, Tails can fly upwards and hover, and Amy can double jump and use her hammer while spin attacking. There are also cosmetic skins available, including LEGO versions of the characters that you can equip if you get the Digital Deluxe Edition or the separate ‘LEGO Fun Pack’ paid DLC. All four characters feel good to use, and you don’t really feel left in the dust by not playing as Sonic like in previous games.
The lack of online support for story mode is a bit of a bummer, but the 2-4 player couch co-op is a fantastic inclusion all on its own, even if it can be a bit janky at times. Considering the fast-paced nature of Sonic gameplay, it’s not difficult to imagine how easy it is to fall behind, but fortunately, you can teleport to the player farthest ahead with the push of a button at any time. While not a perfect solution by any means, it works well enough to provide for some chaotic fun. As for the bonus stages mentioned earlier, you’ll take turns with those instead of playing them at the same time.
If you’re looking for something to do online with up to eight players (or four locally via split-screen), then Battle Mode has got you covered. In this mode, you’ll play as a customizable Metal Fighter and compete to be the last one standing in three randomly chosen events. These events include Race, Zap Scrap, Star Snatcher, and Survival, which you can find descriptions of below. When playing online, you can rank up and earn medals for performing well in Battle Mode, and you can then use those medals to get cosmetic items for your Metal Fighter. Medals can also be found in Story Mode hidden throughout the zones and by playing some of the bonus stages. Battle Mode definitely isn’t the most in-depth battle royale-style game out there, but it’s a good time waster with the right group of friends, and is ultimately a nice inclusion to the overall package.
Race – Reach the goal before the other players.
Zap Scrap – Shoot bullets to attack other players. Points are added when you damage an opponent and decrease when you take damage. Open an item box to earn a single powered up bullet.
Star Snatcher – Collect stars within the time limit. You will lose one star if you take damage.
Survival – Stay on the stage until the end while avoiding cannonballs flying from the back of the screen. The scaffolding will Collapse if it is hit by a cannonball, or if you stay in one place for too long. If you fall off the screen, then you are out of the game.
The Switch version of Sonic Superstars runs comparably to other consoles. With a mostly stable framerate of 60fps, there is very little compromise here. Although the resolution and graphical fidelity take a minor hit by running on dated handheld hardware, the new art direction still looks beautiful, fitting the world of Sonic perfectly. It’s a huge step up from the mess that was Sonic the Hedgehog 4, finally giving us a proper modern look to the classic 2D Sonic games that’s similar in visual quality to the 3D ones. Of course there is still room for improvement, but I would be more than pleased if the style of Sonic Superstars is used as a baseline in the future (as long as we still get more 16-bit nostalgia titles à la Sonic Mania too). I did experience a few glitches during my playthrough, including clipping through the floor and falling endlessly into a bottomless void, being forced to return to the menu, but the bugs were few and far between.
Not without its flaws, Sonic Superstars provides a classic feeling 2D Sonic experience that fans of the series are sure to enjoy. The unique level design and modern graphical style is a step in the right direction, and the chaotic local multiplayer is a blast to speed through with a group of friends. Unfortunately, the lack of overall polish and the relatively short length of the campaign makes it hard to justify it being a fully priced $59.99/£54.99 release, especially considering the more budget price point of Sonic Mania. Sonic Superstars feels like the ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 5’ we never got, but you should probably wait for it to go on sale to really get your money’s worth.
7.5/10
A copy of Sonic Superstars for review purposes was provided by SEGA.
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