Let’s discover together, in this very quick review dedicated to him, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Sonic Superstars, the new chapter of the Sega franchise developed, obviously, by Sonic Team
In recent years it seems that a trend of any brand that has roots in the “distant” (now, sigh) past has a propensity towards that past. After Sonic’s 3D drift, in fact, Sonic Team itself has decided to take some steps back and return to the origins of the franchise. We then return to very fast side scrolling, switching the aesthetics from classic 2D to 2.5D, just like the first chapter for Sega Mega Drive. And how did we get back there? Very simple: with Sonic Superstars, we’ll tell you about it in this (equally) very quick review.
Very fast and very fast | Sonic Superstars review
Let’s dedicate a fleeting part to the narrative because, as you can imagine, this is definitely not Sonic Superstars’ strong point. Dr. Eggman has once again come up with a plan to conquer the entire known world, betting everything on a new, still uncivilized place called Northstar Island. Flanked again by Fang, a bounty hunter, and Trip, a mysterious and fascinating entity hidden by armor, he gets his hands on the Chaos Emeralds and draws a long line of local fauna under his power and puts them into terribly aggressive robots to our protagonists.
Yes, you read it right, protagonists. This is because right from the start of the adventure we will have the opportunity to play as Sonic, but also as Tails, Knuckles and Amy. Our task will obviously be to save all the animals trapped by Dr. Eggman and bring the world back to normal. About twenty hours to complete the main adventureslightly longer than other previous episodes because it is dotted with secondary roads, hidden objects and medals of various kinds.
Four characters right from the start | Sonic Superstars review
Choosing one of the protagonists does not only have an aesthetic aspect, obviously, because each of them will have a diversified power. Sonic, of course, has the iconic dash, Amy has the double jump, Tails the glide, and Knuckles the climb. They are all interchangeable, obviously, but we’ve noticed that (perhaps just as obviously) some are more useful in certain levels or for reaching specific items. Not that these aren’t also obtainable with the other characters, of course, it’s just a question of convenience and… speed!
Then the rest is all as we know it: colorful and super fast levels, with a thousand branches in addition to the most obvious main road (destination for speedrunners who will try their hand at various undertakings) with collectibles already known to all long-time fans, but also a little something new. In fact, it won’t be that long before you come across a gigantic golden ring, which will teleport you into an optional sequence in which, holding onto it as if you were Spider-Man flying over New York, you will have to reach the emerald in the center of the area.
The Emeralds of Chaos | Sonic Superstars review
They are called the Chaos Emeralds and you can find one in each area. Once obtained, they will allow you to unlock some particular powers that can be used by each of the protagonists. To give you an example, the first Emerald we found allows you to create copies of the character you are using. What do you need them for? Simply attack all the enemies on the screen at the same time, a shamelessly powerful weapon against bosses. And in fact the first criticism we feel like making to the title is more of a concern than a real con: but how should long-time fans of the franchise take an addition that shifts the needle so much?
While we must admit that the various powers available are indeed very useful (perhaps a little too much), it is also true that true hardcore players can easily decide to ignore them completely throughout the adventure. They are not essential to complete, even 100%, any of the various stages, nor to beat the various bosses. So yes: they greatly unbalance the experience, but if you don’t want help of any kind you can simply… don’t use them.
Multiplayer and technicalities | Sonic Superstars review
The most essential new feature, however, is undoubtedly the multiplayer one. You can play both in local co-op and online multiplayer. Let’s look at them step by step. As for the offline multiplayer mode, if you have enough friends you can tackle the campaign with up to four players together, making the experience even more fun. The only major flaw we found is the camera, which tends to go seriously crazy trying to follow everyone’s movements (impossible, if you think about it). And we also find the same big problem with the camera and level design in the battle mode, amplified because the latter can also be played online with up to ten players at the same time. Finally, there is also the Time Challenge mode, more classic and certainly less confusing, more linear and less dispersive. And then there’s also the shared online ranking, come on, don’t tell us you’re not curious.
For the test before this review we played Sonic Superstars on an Xbox Series S and, although it is not a top of the range for this generation, the game performed very well. No drops of any kind, no technical problems of any kind and a fluidity that is at times disarming. Aesthetically nothing to say: it maintains the highest standards of the franchise, colourful, highly detailed and full of on-screen effects that will surprise you stage after stage.
Gotta go… fast!
Nothing else to say regarding this review of Sonic Superstars, we wanted to be as fast as the game is. Although the introduction of the Emerald Powers left us a little confused because they influence the difficulty too much, if used, and despite an online multiplayer mode definitely worth reviewing in the future, the title published by Sega is however, an excellent landing point for all fans of the franchise who felt nostalgic for the most famous blue hedgehog of all time.
Sonic Superstars is a title developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Nintendo Switch. Let us know what you think below in the comments and stay tuned with us at techgameworld.com for all the news, guides and reviews on videogames and tech! And if you want to buy Sonic Superstars on super offer, with a nice 20% less on the Deluxe edition, we refer you to the InstantGaming catalog via the link below!
Points in favor
- A classic Sonic revisited in a modern way
- Very fast and technically very accurate
- A real treat for fans of the franchise
- The multiplayer mode enriches the experience…
Points against
- …but it creates several problems on the level design and camera front
- The new powers unbalance the experience