32 years later, Sonic Superstars proves that new 2D Sonic games can still be good – hands-on

The bizarre fallow years for Sonic the Hedgehog are over. Final yr’s Sonic Frontiers managed to buck a development of less-than-impressive 3D Sonic video games, and was a business and significant success for Sega. Regardless of some stumbles with Sonic Origins and its barely hobbled launch, the blue blur has additionally proved that he can nonetheless encourage child-liek awe within the 2D area, too; Sonic Mania is among the finest mascot platformers launched outdoors of the 90s.

And Sonic Superstars is ready to proceed Sega’s redemption arc. Eschewing the pixel styling of Sonic’s heritage in favour of shinier, sparklier 3D HD graphics, Sonic Superstars remixes the Sonic components for 2023. But it surely does so with respect, acknowledging what’s come earlier than while introducing a bevy of recent concepts and powers – and the result’s, surprisingly, actually good.

The announcement of Sonic Superstars itself was met with side-eye glances and the sound of 30- and 40-something adults scoffing. The reminiscence of the appalling and by-product Sonic the Hedgehog 4 remains to be recent within the minds of many, in spite of everything. However, within the fingers, Sonic Superstars is greater than a cynical cash-in; it’s a sensible, enjoyable little co-op sport that feels extra like a continuation of the blue blur’s legacy than any of the misfires of the previous few a long time.

The demo I performed at Summer season Recreation Fest had each Bridge Island Zone or Velocity Jungle Zone – the previous being the sport’s tackle Inexperienced Hill Zone, and the latter filled with curious little gimmicks that actually nailed the concept of pace and discovery in a single. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy are playable and you may convey as much as three different pals in so as to take the entire forged for a journey without delay, in case you need.

And, the second you spin sprint away from the beginning block, you begin to realise what’s so good about this sport. It feels proper; it’s not floaty, the momentum is cheap and readable, and there’s a very nice sense of pace and energy with every character. Sonic retains the drop sprint given to him in Mania, Amy can pound issues along with her hammer, Tails can fly, and Knuckles can glide and climb – they usually all really feel such as you count on. Knuckles handles like he did in S3&Okay, which was sufficient to maintain me . This feels extra like Mania than Sonic Forces, in order that’s a giant ol’ tick in the proper field.

The bonus stage – accessed through massive rotating rings tucked into secret corners of the stage, naturally – is a pleasant, enjoyable distraction that has you swinging from grapple factors as you seek out a giant Chaos Emerald floating via the void. Time it proper, get a way of momentum going and gather rings en route, and bear down on the Emerald in time. It honours the Sonic mini-games of the previous while introducing one thing new (and flinging Sonic in direction of the display and seeing his little mouth and nostril tilted in direction of you is simply lovable).

Nabbing a gem awards you new powers, the central gimmick of the sport. The 2 on supply within the demo had been the power to show into water and shoot up waterfalls, and the power to summon clones of your self to hurry the stage and take out any seen enemies. These are enjoyable little distractions that may make the sport simpler or enable you to discover secret collectibles, however don’t change the core Sonic bread and butter all that a lot.

Ping your checkpoints, and also you get entry to the rotating bonus phases of Sonic 1 (which proffer medals, reasonably than Emeralds) and attain the top of Act 1 to work together with mini-bosses or setpieces that maintain the thrill ranges comparatively excessive. My solely actual points with the sport from the demo are the bosses; they’re both retreads of outdated Robotnik encounters that crumble in a number of hits, or predictable ‘I’m gonna make you damage your self!’ fights that don’t actually add something to the collection, and really feel extra like roadblocks than climaxes.

That’s a small criticism, although, and one thing simply rectified in the principle sport (if the bosses enhance within the different ranges). That is an fascinating and enjoyable love letter to Sonic that demonstrates there’s nonetheless place for wholly new Sonic experiences, and that remixes and re-releases like Mania and Origins aren’t the one methods to make this collection related once more, some three a long time after Sonic the Phenomenon entertained us within the 90s.

Sonic Superstars launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Change, and PC in 2023.