With sonic superstarsI’m starting to feel like I’ve been here before.
In SonicWith the return to the 2D format, there is a good game here with many moments where I was happy to see the innovation of sonic equipment shining through. Unfortunately, these ideas were buried in a process that was slower than it should be for aSonic-Glitchy gameplay moments and unintuitive boss fights.
For Super starsI really, In fact I wanted another sonic mania. That game was sublime and I feel that both Sonic Team and Sonic Fans have been chasing that level ever since. I can say Super stars did not deliver as Mania it did, but it also didn’t frustrate me as much as Sonic Borders did. There were no moments where I wanted to put my controller or my head against a wall like I did with that. detestable pinball sequence in Borders or the boss fight that failed when it was on the verge of triumph.
The frustrations of Super stars It came in smaller bursts that took only a tap too long to get over. There are platforming sequences in almost every level that forced me to go over them again and again, often in mortal danger, before I could get through them.
At times, springy platforms would bounce me around, frustratingly arranged to block progress. Other times, the game didn’t adequately communicate what to do, leading to multiple deaths trying to unravel that information.
During the carnival stage, Sonic rides a roller coaster to reach the next part of the level. During one of those sequences, the roller coaster kept crashing and I kept dying, only to realize that the roller coaster was moving too fast for me to see that I’m supposed to jump onto little cannon launchers to escape a death. safe.
The frustrations of Super stars It came in smaller bursts that took only a tap too long to get over
Despite my frustrations with some bosses (one of them made me leave my Switch and go away for the night), I really enjoyed the thought put into its design. While in the previous 2D Sonics, bosses were usually structured like, “Hit four or five times to win,” in Super stars, bosses have phases that change the flow of the fight. After a couple of hits, Robotnik switches, forcing me to switch as well. Sometimes the new strategy for the next phase is easily intuited; other times, it is not.
For the arena level boss, I only discovered after eight or nine kills that Sonic could hit one of the badniks he throws at you to damage the boss.
Innovation is very present in Super stars, but there could be more. I’m a little tired of seeing the same flavors of scenarios in everyone Sonic game. I understand that there are good feelings when remembering Sonic fans of the games they grew up with, but there’s a fine line between nostalgia and unoriginality. Ah, another carnival area? A Green Hill remix? A water area with slides? A sandy desert area? How picturesque.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with having another casino zone or similar as long as they do something different, and I didn’t feel that those legacy zones did.
However, there are some positive points in the level design. There were often very small, discrete moments in each zone that disrupted play by holding left and jumping. One area forces you to use a drill to excavate dirt and rocks to reach another part.
There is even a arkanoid section that was a real pleasure. Just cool little ways to make the 2D Sonic formula feel new.
I really enjoyed Press Factory Zone, where every few seconds, a giant pneumatic press in the background falls, making everything in the level jump. In the second act, the factory will self-destruct, killing Sonic instantly unless he presses the reset buttons scattered around the area. It was a more urgent version of turning on the lights every so often in the Sandopolis Zone in sonic and knuckles. Press Factory was a great way to do something new while still evoking Sonic games of yesteryear.
There is a lot of old and new in Super stars, which was great. It’s exactly what she wanted. There are plenty of new enemies (some frustrating, some simple) to fight. The game also directly carries over the badniks from the top three. Sonic games in this one. Remember those grasshoppers from Launch Base Zone that could attack you from the other side of the screen with their claws? They are back.
The special stage of Sonic the Hedgehog Where you tilt Sonic through a maze? That also came back. But now, instead of earning a Chaos Emerald at the end, you earn medals, a currency you use at the cosmetics shop that I didn’t pay much attention to because the last thing I want or care about in my Sonic games is a dress. approximation function. However, there are Chaos Emeralds and the desire to chase them through a stage that reminded me of the special stages in Sonic CD. Not too simple, not too challenging, and definitely cathartic when you get the hang of it.
One funny thing about Super stars is that there is actually a discreet story that is very nice. The standard beats of a Sonic game are there: he collects the Chaos Emeralds and defeats Robotnik. But there’s also a fun side story involving Nack the Weasel. (I can call him that instead of his new name, Fang the Sniper, because that’s what they called him when he was introduced in my favorite Sonic game of all time. Sonic: Triple Trouble.) While you can play as Sonic, Amy, Tails, or Knuckles, throughout the game, there are times when you must play as one of the other characters in special areas made especially for them that make use of their unique abilities. — Amy’s double jump or Knuckles’ wall slide/climb, for example.
Your reward for Chaos Emeralds is brand new in Super stars: emerald powers A power floods the screen with an army of Sonics that can damage enemies from all angles. Another power allows you to shoot Sonic like a cannon shot. My favorite has a tall vine that you can climb when you can’t make the right jump, while my least favorite is the one that reveals hidden secrets. (It is Sonic! I’m supposed to go fast. Do you think I’m going to spend time hunting for secrets?)
While the emerald powers seemed interesting at all Super stars‘ trailers and they are interesting when you can actually use them, they feel a little superfluous. They don’t really add anything to the game because they’re simply not necessary to progress. I wish they had become a necessary part of the game and the levels were designed so you could use them instead of being something optional and nice-to-have.
My main complaint with Super stars It’s just too slow. The levels are large, windy, and unwieldy, often taking five to seven minutes and there aren’t enough sections to allow Sonic In fact let loose. He is the fastest being in the world, and I didn’t feel that, but instead I entertained myself jumping platforms for eight, nine, 10 minutes straight. There was exactly one moment at the beginning of the game where I felt like the Blue Blur I was supposed to be.
I wish there had been more moments like this.
The game also takes too long to become interesting. My first hour was boring and I was just starting to get a feel for what Sonic Team was going for in the fifth zone.
Super stars It’s also technically…not very good. I tested the game with a PS5 pre-release version and a Switch copy on launch day, and I can see why Sega withheld the Switch code. It has errors, loading takes longer than allowed in Anno Domini 2023 and this appears:
Which is a shame because Switch is the main way to Sonic This game should be played today. If you get it (and I think you should), maybe hold off on the Switch version. (Fun fact: not long after this bug, the game simply crashed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game that just stopped working like that on Switch.)
The last time I played a Sonic game for review, it was sonic frontiers, and the experience was mixed. While there were many parts of that game that I enjoyed, some In fact I enjoyed it – that enjoyment was ultimately hindered by tedium and frustrating performance issues.
As I prepared to write this, I reread my Borders review, nodding and acknowledging many of the same feelings I have for Super stars I had to Borders.
Although I had many of the same feelings, sonic superstars It didn’t hurt me on the way Sonic frontiers did. All in all, I’m glad Sega made another 2D. Sonic game that feels fresh and innovative 30 years later Sonic the Hedgehog instilled in this little girl her lifelong love of the franchise.
There are so many good ideas and moments in Super starsand if it were a little more agile and polished, it would be a game worthy of being alongside the greatest hits of my favorite hedgehog.
sonic superstars It is now available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox and PC.
