Sonic Superstars Reviews
Sonic Superstars is ultimately nothing short of a major letdown.
Sonic Superstars is not a good experience, nor is it an experience that I can recommend in the slightest to any player, regardless of how much of a fan they are of this iconic mascot. The levels are so poorly designed that almost the entire experience becomes frustrating to the point of wanting to tear your hair out – especially the boss battles. Only the artistic direction and one idea or another prevent this game from being a complete failure, but they don't prevent it from being one of the worst games ever in the Sonic the Hedgehog series and one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
undefined.After its strong first impression I quickly started to see the cracks in Sonic Superstars, but I kept pushing forward in the hopes that when all was said and done the game would rise above its flaws. This never happened; the more I dug into the game, desperately hoping for it to pull everything off in the end, the more frustrated I became as I realized it was never going to do that. I don't like to directly compare a game from a totally different franchise in a review, but given how Superstars released only three days before Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it feels inevitable. Super Mario Bros. Wonder nailed its gameplay while reimagining Mario's look for a new era, setting what could be a new standard for its franchise for years to come. Meanwhile Sonic Superstars looks back, basing its look on the animated shorts accompanying the retro aesthetic of Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins. Superstars should've been the new standard to live up to Sonic's Genesis run, which just makes it sad that the game fails to even match the standard that was set over twenty years ago.
Sonic Superstars starts off well enough, but the more you play, the more cracks it starts to show. The quality of the levels just falls off after a while, and the bosses are unbelievably frustrating. For its current price tag, it's impossible for me to recommend this game to anyone.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
There’s something here for fans of classic Sonic fans to enjoy. Playing through each level feels varied, and there’s always the option to retread your footsteps in a fresh pair of shoes. However, Sonic Superstars ultimately gets bogged down in how it regularly sidetracks the player, tripping them up at almost every conceivable opportunity. There are glimmers of brilliance that occasionally shine through, but the overall experience was a tiresome one to play through.
Sonic Superstars started so well and with such potential but quickly fell off a cliff due to its irritating Zone design, forgettable soundtrack and odd aesthetic choices.
Sonic Superstars is a game that understands the broad strokes of 16-bit Sonic games, but not any of the finer details. The new ideas it brings to the table are undercooked, and its multiplayer component is too poorly utilized to recommend. There are undoubtedly moments of genius here when everything lines up just right. But any goodwill I had for the game was ruined by the tedious, arduous boss battles. If you’re a Sonic fan who has thoroughly mastered the classics, you may find some entertainment here. But you deserve so much better than this.
Sonic Superstars is fun, there is no denying that. But for every part that relies on the nostalgia of the original games, there are modes or mechanics implemented that seem to forget we’re in the modern day. Give us more of a fleshed-out Battle Mode. Online co-op. A variety of end-of-level bosses. Either way, even with the drawbacks, this is closer to Sonic than the attempted deviation that was Sonic Frontiers. A little more polish, content, and depth would have made this one of the better modern Sonic games, but we got a reminder of how great the franchise used to and perhaps could be again.
Sonic Superstars has all of the ingredients, but something has gone askew in the baking, resulting in an adventure overburdened with gimmicks while lacking in coherence. While the colorful world, nostalgic presentation, and fun cast of characters shine, Sonic Superstars frequently proves unwieldy and antagonistic, wrestling against its own design while roadblocking fun. There’s enjoyment here for the dedicated fanbase, but the wider community should look elsewhere.
Sonic Superstars is packed with classic sonic charm, gorgeous visuals, and fun, fast-paced levels that we love from all 2D Sonic games. But the two big ticket selling points, the chaos emerald abilities and battle mode, are sadly its weakest links. The story mode is still largely enjoyable, and some better implementations of the new abilities but make a sequel to this game legitimately great. If you're a fan of classic Sonic, you'll likely still enjoy this title.
Sonic Supertars is probably Arzest's best title, which attempts to redeem itself from Balan Wonderworld, but it's hard to escape the feeling that everything good about it was taken directly from existing games. The gameplay and visuals are very conquering and pleasing, but they deserve better help from the level design. Also, the Emeralds and co-op (its two real novelties) don't work fully. Still, if you're a Sonic fan, add one more star and play Sonic Supertars until you want to pick up Mania again.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sonic Superstars retains the same 2D nostalgic joy thanks to its fun levels and challenges, though we advise playing the game solo if you actually want to finish it. You'll still find a lot to love from the game's levels, though they aren't as strongly designed as the ones in Sonic Mania. Sonic Superstars does enough and a bit more with its charm, especially for completionists. Though I could do without Knuckles' recovery frame when he sticks onto ledges, or Tails' flying method being the way it is (sins of past games and adherence to tradition for ill), the overall game is a solid 2D jaunt for all ages. The co-op really needs work though and is nothing more than a party favour.
Sonic Superstars nails the fundamentals of 2D Sonic design, but its new features don't add much to the retro formula.
Sonic Superstars is a solid attempt at pushing 2D Sonic forward, but sadly its roster of new ideas has some issues. While the problems with the Emerald Powers can be avoided, it'll take major changes to make the multiplayer worth playing. It doesn't quite hit the highs of Sonic Mania, but it's way ahead of Sonic The Hedgehog 4.
We're a bit at odds with ourselves on Sonic Superstars. Fundamentally it's a really enjoyable side-scrolling Sonic title, but the two big ticket features - chaos emerald powers and co-op - are arguably the worst parts of it. While the emerald abilities have their uses, co-op just doesn't mesh with this gameplay at all. We can absolutely recommend this as a solo experience, as there's a lot to like about the fresh art style, largely great soundtrack, and multi-layered level design. Throw in a friend or two, though, and it quickly gets messy.
In its core mission, Sonic Superstars is successful. It recreates the foundation of 2D Sonic – some of the finest platformers ever made – well. Unfortunately, the new elements layered atop that are rather hit-or-miss. I personally don’t think this is anywhere near as good as Mania. But it’s good. In fact, it’s good enough that I expect fan debate about which game is superior to be fairly heated – which is a sure-fire sign that Sega is on the right track.
Sonic Superstars is a decent Sonic game, but it is not the return to former heights that some would expect. It offers entertainment and fun, but is marred by the action being slowed down quite a lot, interrupting the flow, and boss fights that drag on and feel like a throwback instead of an evolution.
Respectable platforming and classic Sonic elements are undermined by inconsistent new ideas.
Sonic Superstars is is a spindash in the right direction, but makes some missteps that could be improved upon.
Sonic Superstars is a solid title with a lot of appeal, but lacks the imagination and soul that made this mascot a star.