Sonic Superstars – the sequel that never was (Picture: Sega)

GameCentral goes hands-on with Sega’s surprise new 2D Sonic game, which aims to be a modern sequel to the original Mega Drive games.

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of gaming’s most iconic characters and yet only a tiny proportion of his games have received any kind of unanimous critical acclaim. Even last year’s Sonic Frontiers – undoubtedly the best Sonic game of the modern era – wasn’t universally loved and as far as anyone knew the next release was just going to be retro compilation Sonic Origins Plus.

Surprisingly, there was no sign of Sonic Origins Plus at the Summer Game Fest and instead Sega announced the brand new 2D game Sonic Superstars. Although it was initially mistaken for a remake that’s not what it is, although it is certainly a homage to the earliest games in the franchise.

It’s ultimately more like a belated sequel using modern technology, kind of like when movies in long running franchises decide to ignore all the rubbish sequels and just carry on from the good ones (so, no, there probably aren’t going to be any references to Sonic The Hedgehog 4). From what we’ve seen so far it’s looking like a lot of fun, as we not only got a chance to play a preview version of the game but speak to Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka.

‘The classic series is something fans love and they’re super passionate about. So the very first thing that the team wanted to do is make sure the fans expectations were not let down. This is still a classic Sonic game, but we don’t want to take the artwork from pixel art and use 3D assets to do all the art and animation. Before we did any of that we needed to make sure that the physics were exactly the same.

‘The animation is also the same as the classic series, so that was the base that they could start building the classic gameplay around. And once they had that classic gameplay created and secured, then they started adding new elements in, in a way that wouldn’t disrupt or remove the classic view of the game but add to it.’

Sonic Superstars is meant to serve as a celebration of the entire Sonic franchise. From its humble beginnings in the 16-bit era to the modern day 3D escapades, the new game also pays homage to the series’ most memorable characters, iconic levels, and beloved soundtracks.

‘When we think about Sonic, we thought, ‘Who’s the villain?’ Eggman. Oh, yeah, but Eggman is not alone this time. He has spent some money and hired a mercenary. We also have another mysterious villain that has joined with Eggman and Fang. [Naoto] Oshima, who was behind the original games has created this brand new mysterious character, who is something for players to look forward to.’

Sonic Superstars – Amy is playable from the start (Picture: Sega)

During the demo I got to play two distinct levels, which in turn were made up of two sections each. I chose Amy, who uses her hammer as a boost and double jump. Exploration is key and it’s a very vertical game, with many insanely paced paths towards the goal. There’s plenty of bounce to get you going and I had to pick up my pace considerably when a deep sea leviathan arrived on the scene and splashed water across the screen.

While much of the game is a rainbow blur, I was always on the hunt for the ring which triggers the bonus stage, where you swing from what look like droplets of glowing water towards the emerald in the distance. If you successfully collect a Chaos Emerald you get a new water power, where you gain the ability to turn your character to water and slide up waterfalls and throw water bombs – which is an unexpected addition for Sonic and co.

‘The Chaos Emeralds… there are seven of them and when you get all seven of them then you become Super Sonic. In previous games, what was kind of unfortunate is if you didn’t get all of the emeralds you don’t get your one power. People wanted to get them all but maybe they were a little disheartened that they couldn’t.

‘We wanted to kind of reverse that entire way of thinking for Sonic Superstars and say each time you get a Chaos Emerald you’re going to now have an associated emerald power. So every time you get one you’re also getting something to introduce fresh new actions in the middle of gameplay, so you don’t have to wait until you get them all.

Unlike the old Mega Drive games, Sonic Superstars has extensive multiplayer options, including up to four-player local co-op and a PvP mode that can be played locally or online. Unfortunately, neither of these were part of the preview but Iizuka is hoping they’ll become some of the game’s most popular new features.

Sonic Superstars – Tails can still fly (Picture: Sega)

‘It was something that the team was always, like… there’s no way we could do it. But we’re going to put it in and it’s going to feel good and it’s going to have that Sonic feel to the gameplay, so it’s still a true classic Sonic game but now with four-player cooperative multiplayer.’

Since Sonic Superstars isn’t a remake all of the levels are brand new, even if many of them are reminiscent of the likes of Green Hill Zone, Chemical Plant, and City Escape. From what we played each level seems to have a good combination of familiar elements and new twists, that manages to make them feels nostalgic while also being brand new.

But navigating these new levels needs to feel right and without the correct physics the game will fall flat, which is exactly what happened with 2010’s Sonic The Hedgehog 4.

‘When making a brand new classic series, we know everyone likes to talk about the physics and the momentum. That was one of the things that the team knew that had to be recreated in order for this to be a success. They would have their development kit set up where they’re making the game and side-by-side they’ve have a classic Sonic game, and they’d really be making sure the character moved and acted in the same way.’

Although last year’s Sonic Frontiers was the most successful Sonic The Hedgehog game in generations, according to Iizuka it has little influence on Sonic Superstars, especially when it comes to the visuals.

‘When we think about a classic Sonic game, the classic elements, it has to have these vivid colours, it has to pop; it needs to be really colourful and we wanted to make sure that our aesthetic was there at the very beginning. So games like Sonic Frontiers, there they were going for a realistic look, everything felt very photo-real. But for the classic series, and for Sonic Superstars, we said: ‘This is gonna be colourful!’

Sonic Superstars – Knuckles takes flight (Picture: Sega)

The game’s soundtrack will be by long-time Sonic composer Jun Senoue, with Sega looking to make up for decades of disappointment with its 2D games. Sonic Superstars is intended as a love letter to the franchise’s history, and while it’s not their first attempt at that kind of nostalgia it seems that this time it may actually work.

‘Sonic Superstars is created to be a game made for not only the hardcore classic Sonic fans, who love that experience, but casual gamers, kids, families… all of these people were kept in mind when designing the game. It’s made to be played by players together at the same time via couch co-op – from start to finish, you can play together,’ says Iizuka.

‘We don’t have a lot of text on the screen. So even if you’re a young kid who maybe can’t read yet, we can give you a controller, you can sit down, and you can play because the controls are still very simple and easy to pick up and understand. We’re building for casuals kids and families, and it’s going to be on sale this fall, for this holiday season when everyone comes together.‘

Formats: Nintendo Switch (reviewed) and PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team and Arzest
Release Date: Autumn 2023

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GameCentral goes hands-on with Sega’s surprise new 2D Sonic game, which aims to be a modern sequel to the original Mega Drive games.