Game info

• Title Sonic Superstars
• Developer Arzest
• Publisher Sega
• Year 2023
• Platform PlayStation 4
• Genre Platform

A new Spin on a Classic: The 2D Sonic high-speed side scrolling action platforming you know and love, reimagined with fully 3D graphics, new powers and abilities, an all-new setting, and new ways to play! You've never played classic Sonic like this before! Harness the Power of the Chaos Emeralds: Multiply, swim up waterfalls, change form, and more with the powers of the Chaos Emeralds. More Friends, More Fun: For the first time ever in a Sonic game, play through the entire campaign with up to 3 other players with drop-in and drop-out 4-Player Local Co-op. Play as your Favorite Characters: Choose from Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose and take advantage of their unique abilities to blaze a path across the Northstar Islands as they race to defeat Dr. Eggman, who has teamed up with an old nemesis, Fang.

Player Select

Sonic is a tried and true game character with a legendary history and plenty of future left in him and his friends, I’m sure. I think if we’re looking to the past, I was more of a Mario girl than a Sonic player, but I love the feeling of speed you can have with these games. Of course you can look around every inch of a level, but I love that you can also just fly through them, get through as fast as you can and feel that slighty out-of-control edge-of-your-seat buzz that only the blue hedgehog can bring.

It’s in the Game

Sonic has evolved over time and has veered into 3D gaming and various other adventures but this game goes back to its traditional side-scrolling platform roots. Our hero has various islands and zones to get through that feature lots of throwback and nostalgic elements, of course the rings and the various enemies, but also tricky end of level bosses that can fray your nerves and are determined to frustrate.

There are also lots of elements to surprise and delight - the level that’s just like pinball adds extra layers of difficulty, but is a fun novelty nevertheless. The moment where Sonic turns into a ball that then participates in moments of Breakout, the brick-breaking game, is fantastic.

There’s a lot to explore, different characters to play with that bring different styles and in some cases exclusive levels, and there’s a lot of multiplayer stuff that is of less interest to me but widens the game out for other people. So much to discover and so much playing time to enjoy!

Thoughts

Overall, this game is exactly what you want from a Sonic game - side-scrolling platform fun with heaps of nostalgia to rain down upon your head. There are moments of frustration, where perseverance is key, and then the euphoria of breaking through those moments to free the cute creatures and overcome the reign of terror from Doctor Eggman.

Rating: 5 / 5