Sonic Superstars hands-on preview [SGF] – Old school, new school, red school, blue school

Sonic the Hedgehog wasn’t ever my mascot of choice as a kid, but I sure love him now. Between games and media, the blue blur is a lot of fun to watch and and play as, and after a triumphant return to 3D spaces, it’s cool to see him coming back in 2D. Or at least 2.5D. Sonic Superstars looks to pull on your nostalgia strings, but the game is very much something new, and as we played our demo at Summer Game Fest, it did both very well.

Sonic Superstars brings you back to the side-scrolling magic, with furious traversal through zones. Don’t expect to start in the Green Zone though, it has been left behind, at least for now. Starting up at the “Bridge Island Zone” in the demo felt familiar though, with plenty of grass and loop-the-loops to go zoom-zoom. If you’ve played a Sonic 2D game before this isn’t going to be new, and if you’re new to the franchise this seems to be a good starting point. There is no shortage of beautiful scenery to look at during your time here as well, with visuals that jump off the screen. It’s smooth and crisp, and it’s a wonderful upgrade in graphical style.

The areas I explored during the demo were very large. One of the things I remember most about Sonic games is the exploration required to find all the things, and it doesn’t seem like Sonic Team has skimped on that in the slightest. It almost seems infinite, with so many ledges, nooks, teleporters, secrets, and crannies to find, you’ll be in these levels for a good amount of time. It’s almost a puzzle figuring out how to reach different places, using your speed but also a bit of precision, along with whatever environmental benefits are available, like ramps or bouncy springs.

As I found out the many times I lost coins, Sonic is more than just pushing your left thumbstick right. There is a moment where you’re being chased by a robot shark or fish that really pops in the 2.5D, and it’s just Sonic trying his best to avoid dropping to his death once the metal sea creature smashes the ground underneath you. I failed this one several times, not because I was too slow, but because I was too fast. Getting too far ahead I was chomped just a moment later in the same motion that took out the ground, and I just shook my head and went back to work. At first I thought this was a little more family friendly, and while there may be some additional accessibility options, this one might be easy to pick up but hard to master.

I also got to mess with one of the new abilities during my demo. There are seven Emerald Powers, including powers like cloning yourself and whatnot, but instead of that one, I did like Bruce Lee once said and became like water. Well, I actually became water, and using that was able to climb up a waterfall. This is extremely helpful in getting to hard to reach areas, and while it’s not a permanent power up (it vanished as I started the new zone) it’s something to try and remember you have.

Sonic Frontiers certainly turned a lot of people onto Sonic, and Superstars looks like it will continue that run. I’m curious how the four-player co-op will work, but I feel like that’s more of an added bonus – there’s plenty for solo players to chew on here. Sonic Superstars looks the part, with absolutely fantastic graphics and responsive controls, along with some neat new powers and a brand new world to explore. If you’re a Sonic fan, you’re eating well right now.

Sonic Superstars releases Fall 2023, on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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