Sonic Supertars – Review In Progress

Sonic Superstars sprints to stores next week, and while I’ve wrapped up the main adventure and partaken in the other activities, such as Battle Mode, one big highlight eludes my evaluation: co-op. 

One of Superstars’ biggest selling points is to take down Eggman with up to three other players. Unfortunately, local co-op play is the only option. Living alone and working remotely makes couch co-op a tricky proposition, and the only way for me to test this is by using the PS5’s Share Play feature with another editor, but that feature won’t work until the game launches next Tuesday. Until I can get a sense of what it’s like to take down badniks with another person, my general thoughts on Sonic Superstars is that if you’re looking for a Genesis-era throwback, Sonic Team and Arzest have nailed it – for better and worse. 

Sonic’s classic adventures are perfectly captured by the controls. Sonic was my favorite game as a Genesis kid. I can still remember the childhood muscle memory of playing Sonic. Amy’s ability to jump twice and use her hammer to destroy enemies makes her stand out. You can relax if you thought Superstars would be a copy of Sonic 4. This means that old irritations, like the slow regain of running speed and inability to stop suddenly, are still present. Superstars brings back all the old Sonic platforming quirks. 

Superstars’ presentation looks great, and the new zones showcase this with vibrant colors and layers of detail. Although the level design has some fun new platforming twists, it also throws a ton of well-placed, almost mean-spirited hazards that, due to the speedy nature of 2D Sonic, you often won’t – or can’t – anticipate until it’s too late. The game will have you flying on a rollercoaster, but then it’ll end suddenly because a spike pit appeared or a new enemy was introduced. I probably uttered the phrase, “How would I have known…?” more than any other, even after relying on traditional cautionary measures, like spin-balling everywhere to plow through potential incoming threats. Superstars is the latest in a series of games that have always used a trial-anderror approach.

The new Emerald Powers, abilities gained from finding Chaos Emeralds, can be helpful, but I didn’t feel compelled to use them as often as I hoped. Bullet rockets players in the direction of their choice, while Avatar fills the entire screen with copies of themselves. Outside of the game nudging players to use an Emerald Power in a certain zone (such as getting notifications of concealed hidden rings or platforms that the Vision power can uncover), I often forgot I had them due to the levels neither requiring them nor being challenging enough to turn to. It was enough to overcome obstacles with a few well-timed spin-dashes or jumps. Plus, some powers just aren’t applicable in certain levels, such as one that only lets you climb waterfalls. The Emerald Powers aren’t bad and don’t hurt the experience, but I wish they felt more integral and less of an afterthought.

I think the soundtrack was my greatest disappointment. Music is serviceable, but not particularly memorable. From Sonic 2 to Sonic Mania, the 2D entries have a legacy of providing toe-tapping earworms, but Superstars doesn’t stack up to the best the series has offered in the past. 

Battle Mode is dull and boring. It’s not even fun. The Battle Mode is not for me. After playing a couple of rounds with my partner, it’s just too boring. Unfortunately, a lot of customization depends on it. You can spend the special coins that you collect in Battle Mode and Campaign Mode on new parts to customize this metal avatar. You can buy new color schemes, patterns, or limbs. The fun that comes from completing Sonic 1-style special levels to earn these items is diminished. 

Sonic Superstars delivers a good time, as it combines nostalgia with modern appeal. I had a fun time running through it despite its old-school frustrations, and I’m curious to see how the action holds up with other people running alongside me. I’ll be playing around with it some more until release, so keep an eye on the site for my full review once Sonic Superstars arrives on October 17.