Sega had a hit title last year with Sonic Frontiers doing a lot of heavy lifting for revitalising the franchise. It was a breath of fresh air and a game that was surprisingly extremely fun. It had a banger soundtrack too. Now in 2023 we have Sonic Superstars seemingly coming out of nowhere. While it looks like a triumphant 2D platforming return for the blue hedgehog, does it really stand out from the other Sonic titles available?



In Sonic Superstars, Dr. Eggman is up to his old tricks again. Teaming up with Fang, Eggman wants to convert defenceless animals into badniks to do his bidding. Sonic and his pals, however, won't let him get away with this and it’s up to you as the player to dash through the various zones and put a stop to Dr. Eggman’s plans.



As with most Sonic games, the storytelling takes a backseat with the platforming and actual gameplay being the star of the show here. There are some animated cutscenes in the game which look great but these are few and far between.

Moving on to the actual gameplay itself, players will be able to pick between Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Amy before diving into Zones. Each playable character has their own abilities which will help you traverse levels. The major change to the classic platforming formula this time around comes in the form of using the Chaos Emeralds to your advantage. Somehow Sonic and his pals are now able to tap into the power of the Chaos Emeralds and have a range of abilities that they can unleash.



Platforming in Sonic Superstars is a hit and miss affair, though. In the early days of Sonic, levels were just the right length and weren’t too confusing. Sonic Superstars has levels that can drag on for up to 7 minutes or longer and it’s quite easy to end up dying while flying off the map. Players can also get lost quite easily with some levels featuring branching pathways that can be extremely frustrating to navigate. There was even a point in the game where I opened the menus hoping to find some sort of level map. It’s that confusing. And for a Sonic game to feel like this, something is definitely wrong.

Sonic Superstars has levels that can drag on for up to 7 minutes or longer and it’s quite easy to end up dying while flying off the map.

The actual jumping and character movement is everything you’d expect from a Sonic title. It’s a shame that the level design is part of the game’s downfall. This also brings me to the next big problem in Sonic Superstars: the boss enemies. So while bosses in Sonic titles have been known for being notoriously difficult at times, Sonic Superstars has a few that are just plain-out dastardly. What also makes matters worse is the fact that if you die, you’ll have to start the boss fight all over again which is incredibly frustrating to say the least.



When boss battles are quite long too, this becomes doubly annoying. Having to sit through boss enemy animations waiting for the right opportunity to strike, and then be mercilessly punished in a later phase, is not fun or enjoyable at all. In fact, if Sonic Superstars is aimed at a younger audience, that same younger audience is going to find this game extremely upsetting with the amount of times you’ll be dying.

Sonic Superstars also features drop-in and drop-out 4 player local co-op which does make things quite a lot more interesting and fun. The game also features an online competitive battle mode which seems to be a core aspect of the title since you can earn medals to buy battle mode cosmetic items throughout playing the single-player campaign.



I tried out the online multiplayer battle mode and had to wait 10 minutes to find another player to compete against. We played through 3 random levels involving various tasks, such as fighting robots or collecting stars, and then upon finishing the last level, my opponent either disconnected or the connection to the server was lost. I was then stuck on a loading screen permanently and had to quit out of the game and re-enter it to get my experience points. The battle mode is therefore not something I can recommend unless you’re playing against friends.

Sonic Superstars looks fine but honestly, I wish they would have stuck to the pure 2D look like Sonic Mania did.

Sonic Superstars features a different aesthetic to other Sonic titles. The game uses a pseudo 2D/3D look which reminded me of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The Zones and Acts in the game are quite varied and levels are rather large. Sonic Superstars looks fine but honestly, I wish they would have stuck to the pure 2D look like Sonic Mania did.



Checkpoints in Sonic Superstars tend to trigger a portal a lot more often than in previous Sonic games and when you enter these, your playable character will have to traverse a maze in ball form and collect medals.

These bonus levels where you collect medals, however, are also frustrating and despite some variation being introduced to them as you progress through the game, they feel so repetitive and samey. In fact, I even started to avoid bothering jumping into the portals because these bonus levels were just not fun to navigate. And that’s not even mentioning the background music track which almost lulls you into a sleep state with how repetitive and banal it is.



The other form of bonus level on offer in Sonic Superstars is a lot more enjoyable and involves grappling towards lights which you can then swing off towards either a medal or a Chaos Emerald. The music track that plays in these levels is enjoyable to listen to at least and it’s like a lot more effort was put into this type of special stage.

Overall, Sonic Superstars is a Sonic title that will please fans while also frustrating them in the process. It does all the right things to keep you going but it will certainly annoy you as it goes along. The confusing level designs coupled with frustrating boss battles and repetitive bonus levels are directly responsible for me saying that you should rather just pick up Sonic Frontiers instead. This is a game that could have used a lot more polish and while it is fun at times, there are a lot of design flaws which mar what could have been a great Sonic game.

*PS5 Review code provided by Sega