Sonic Superstars will satisfy old-schools fans and I’m definitely not one of them

At every single video game thing I’ve flown out to, there’s been a Sonic game. The speedy hog is forever occupying a booth and starring in some new-fangled thing, which oscillates between a 2D sidescroller laser-targeted at old-school fans, or 3D ones like Frontiers that try their utmost to push the series forwards.

So, I’ve gone and played another Sonic haven’t I? This time I spent around 15-minutes with Sonic Superstars at this year’s Summer Game Fest, a new 2.5D sidescroller that seems to successfully combine the feel of Sonic Mania with a modern art style and some new tricks. If you like old Sonic games, there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll love it. If you don’t, there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll think it’s agony.

One of Sonic Superstars’ new additions to the old-school Sonic formula is a facelift faithful to the hog’s legacy. Levels like the Green Hill Zone look impressive, with a new vibrancy to colours that really makes those palm trees and robotic wasps pop. In the demo I only had a chance to play in said Hill Of Green as Sonic, although there were three other characters – Tails, Knuckles, and Amy – to choose from. Time was limited, so I had to go with the blue boy, right? Anyway, what really impressed me were Sonic’s animations as he whizzed about, all faithful to the finger waggle and giving the platforming some extra sauce.

Other new tricks have been added in the form of Emerald Powers, special abilities that help you navigate levels in new ways and remain the same across every character. While I only had the chance to try out a couple, one saw me summon a bunch of ghostly Sonics who would crash through stone blocks for me, opening up new pathways. Another let me turn into a hog entirely composed of water, which enabled me to, Splatoon-style, slide up waterfalls to get to higher spots more easily. Both seemed like neat tricks to approach levels from new angles.

One final addition to the classic formula lies in short mini-games to collect Chaos Emeralds, and I’m pretty sure this is how I unlocked the water ability too (although, honestly, I’m not 100% certain). Basically, if you hop through a giant ring mid-level, the camera will flip to a 3D space and see you hunt down an emerald. I can’t speak for all these levels, as they could mix it up, but the one I played saw me swinging off rings to chase an emerald in the distance. It was… a bit rubbish. Mainly because it was very easy and the perspective shift seemed a bit shonky, as it totally threw my depth perception off-kilter.

To put it bluntly, if you’re not a fan of 2D Sonic, Superstars won’t be for you. There’s still a lot of going really fast for all of two-seconds and then bumping into something which awkwardly stops you in your tracks, and there’s still a lot of going really fast and the game essentially wresting the controller off you as you automatically pinball around a map. I understand there’s fun to be had in mastering a level so you’re able to zoom around it in double-quick time without any hitches, but from a personal standpoint, I don’t think going fast lends itself well to a 2D sidescroller. It’s like being fast-tracked into copious obstacles you can’t anticipate, so instead of going fast you’re either dying lots or under constant pressure to toke the nitrous.

Then again, Sonic-likers will be on board with Sonic Superstars. It doesn’t mess too much with the classic formula, and aside from the mini-game its additions seem meaningful. And while I’m no Sonic controls expert, he didn’t seem too floaty or anything. So yeah… Er… Enjoy!

NotE3 and Summer Game Fest 2023 is in full-swing – see everything in our E3 2023 hub, as well as our selected highlights in our rolling E3 and Summer Game Fest liveblog.