In recent years the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog They constantly alternated the style of play, each time trying to target a fairly specific audience. Let's think about Sonic Mania, which recovered the origins of the series also visually, while at the same time innovating the mechanics, the situations and the characters themselves to the maximum. And then there's Sonic Frontiers: what better example of three-dimensional experimentalism, even with the adoption of what can be considered a good compromise between the standard and open world levels?
The case of Sonic Superstars is also peculiar. This time the choice fell on 2.5D, that is, in a game world fundamentally in three dimensions, but with horizontal progression, as in the first chapter of Mega Drive. At the same time, SEGA's ambition is unquestionable, not only because of the very high number of levels, but also because of the inclusion of new improvements linked to the Chaos Emeralds and even the multiplayer mode, to be enjoyed locally and online.
Anticipating what you are about to read, we can already confirm that we found ourselves dealing - and this surprised us in a positive way - with a platform full of ideas, long-lived and well-finished, such as to reconfirm that underlying philosophy that still today makes the original Sonic the Hedgehog is a very fun title without distorting it with out-of-context gimmicks (which had weakened Sonic Frontiers a bit). There Sonic Superstars Review will better clarify all these aspects.
The plot of Sonic Superstars: saving the Northstar Islands
Le narrative premises of Sonic Superstars are the same as always. The very stubborn Dr. Eggman has devised another plan to conquer the world; Specifically, this time he is interested in a completely new location, known as Northstar Island. Since his inventions are usually not enough to stop the counterattack of Sonic and company, he thought that it would be best to be joined by Fang the bounty hunter (a gerbil) and the mysterious Trip, of whom neither of the two villains he just mentioned She too. He knows a lot, also because of the makeshift armor that covers her.
Eggman's modus operandi has undergone minimal changes over the years. This time too he put his hands on the chaos emerald, breaking the balance of the world of origin, and on the local animals, forcing them to fight for him in the form of aggressive robots (from this point of view there are welcome "updated" returns from the past, such as crabs and bats, but also enemies unpublished and very particular). The task of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy - they are all really there - will be to save the animals, defeat the scientist's hostile creations, and restore peace. And it will also take a while, because the main adventure this time easily exceeds twenty hours, including levels, secondary worlds, medals and customizable objects.
The Sonic Mania formula seems to have set an important precedent: even in Sonic Superstars it is possible to play with one of the four main heroes, each equipped with unique powers: Sonic has the sprint and is obviously the bigger face, but it's impossible to deny that Tails' flight, Knuckles' slide and climb, and finally Amy's double jump, complete with a giant hammer to hit enemies, could definitely become useless. It depends on the situations, and it depends on the levels, but in general - and in that they are very guided so that the player uses precise tools at different times - the latter have been designed so that the progression is neither too difficult nor too easy , regardless. of the chosen protagonist.
Lots of new ideas: emeralds, powers and... fruits.
If the possibility of playing as your favorite hero is not a specific novelty of Sonic Superstars, there are many other irons in the fire to justify the character of "new main title" within the franchise. Starting by obtaining and using the Chaos Emeralds: From the first levels, everything seems recognizable and familiar: hills and meadows, the usual monsters, sometimes uncontrollable speed, bridges, rings to collect. Then you enter the first gigantic ring, accessing the bonus sequence intended to obtain the emerald (remember that there is one available for each area). Here, the mazes and races now give way to a minigame based on energy vines and footholds, in which Sonic essentially has to behave a bit like Spiderman when swinging between skyscrapers, until he catches the Emerald before it runs out. time (and if in the meantime you manage to collect some rings, it won't hurt you). Falling into the void is equivalent to ending the game, of course; but there are also items that guarantee turbo, allowing you to quickly get close to the elusive gemstone.
Now, if it were a title from the past the discussion would end here, because Emeralds have always served as collectibles and to unlock secret endings and super transformations; but its impact on game to date it has been limited or contextualized. In Sonic Superstars this is no longer the case, because each gem unlocks a power, and all characters, at all levels, can use the powers (almost) at any time. Quick example: the first Blue Emerald allows you to create copies of the protagonist in use, to attack all enemies on the screen; purple allows you to see invisible platforms, which can be used to continue or access secret areas. They are activated with a kind of small skills menu, which can be accessed with the appropriate analogue on PlayStation 5. Particularly advantageous against bosses, the powers are consumed after a single use: to recharge them you have to reach the historic balloon at the point of control and make it spin.
Some might turn up their noses at this introduction, thinking: "in my time with Sonic you ran and got the rings, there weren't these tricks". But the great thing is that Sonic Superstars doesn't abuse them: he introduces them, explains how they affect progression, and then it's up to the player to decide whether to add them to his possibilities or ignore them for the entire game. On the other hand, this also shows that, after all, it is a flashy introduction but one that future chapters can easily do without without too many consequences. Nor is this the only novelty: from the main map it is possible to access bonus levels whose sole objective is to accumulate as many rings and medals as possible. The access cost consists of a fruit, and the fruit - a really new and noteworthy item - is obtained by completing each world, by freeing the animals. But you need luck, because everything is entrusted to an annoying "Russian roulette": if the green one comes out, you get the fruit, with the red one you are disappointed.
Some observations about multiplayer.
The main new features of Sonic Superstars consist of clearly identifiable additions to the traditional formula. It would be useless to insist on a detailed description of the levels, many of which have a similar design to what 2D Sonics has offered thousands of times in the past, but with the introduction of new ideas, such as bouncing. vines, evil trains, bubbles to move underwater and other ideas that we leave you the pleasure of discovering for yourself. Despite these undoubtedly positive aspects, the novelty stands out more multiplayer mode with various facets.
First: locally, up to four players can tackle the story mode together; and it's a good "advantage" if you have friends and enough drivers available. Second: there is also a way. battle, curious and full-bodied, although a little less convincing than everything else in the handling of the mechanics. This, it must be said, can be faced not only locally (even alone, against the CPU) but also online, with more than ten players from all over the world. The offer consists of a series of three different challenges - survival, battle and star accumulation - at the end of which the scores are added to declare the winner. The idea is fun, and allows you to spend a few hours of healthy competition, but here the level design regresses to the threshold of sufficiency and in general everything begins to become very casual and confusing. The ability to replay each level in timed challenge mode, complete with a shared online leaderboard, is more linear and sensible.
In all this, the introduction of Medals It is essential for the customization possibilities of Sonic Superstars. Hidden in both the standard and bonus levels, medals allow you to purchase various pieces in the store with which to create your own character from scratch, a small robot to use in local or online multiplayer mode. In fact, each piece costs quite a bit, and this means that you will have to accumulate many before completing the set you are interested in; a useful incentive for replayability.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop Price 59,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.0 Readers (17) 7.5 your voteSonic Superstars represents a great remake of the main series, an episode that is both traditional and faithful in its setting, but fresh in almost every other way. The structure of the levels is intelligent and functional for the use of four characters with very different characteristics; boss battles are fun and never really frustrating; Overall, the amount of content (between levels, emerald powers, and challenges related to the new item, the fruit) justifies a substantial launch price. The least successful aspect of the production is undoubtedly the battle mode, designed exclusively for local and online multiplayer, but it's still a start, and those who don't like it simply ignore it. In everything else, Sonic Superstars is one of those titles that cannot be missing from the collection of historical fans. And the truth is that it is also perfect for all newcomers. As long as they know how to run very, very fast.
PRO
- Rich in levels and content.
- The powers of the Chaos Emeralds are interesting
- The story can be completed in local multiplayer
AGAINST
- The battle mode takes its time
- Customization through the store costs several medals.
- Fluctuating originality of the bonus levels
