Sonic Superstars Is A Modernized 2D Adventure With Four-Player Co-Op

Sega and Sonic Team have announced Sonic Superstars, a new 2D adventure starring the company’s Blue Blur. Though Sonic is the star, as the name implies, there are plenty of supporting cast members. In this reveal trailer, we also see Tails, Knuckles, and Amy appear as playable characters, each with their own unique abilities.

For the first time since Sonic Adventure, original Sonic the Hedgehog designer and artist Naoto Ohshima returns to the franchise. As the original designer of the Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman characters, he will bring an all-new character to the franchise through Sonic Superstars. 

Sonic Superstars also introduces seven different Emerald Powers. In the trailer, we see Sonic create clones of himself and climb waterfalls, but the press release also teases “powering up.” 

Taking place on the North Star Islands, Sonic Superstars purports to deliver never-before-seen environments, hinting that, despite the compilation-style name, we will be speeding through all new levels instead of the usual suspects like Green Hill and Chemical Plant. The press release teases enormous creatures and evil plans from Dr. Eggman, while Fang the Sniper (AKA Nack the Weasel) from Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic the Fighters, and other games seems to appear as a secondary enemy.

In the trailer, we also see what look to be Special Stages that borrow from the rotating Special Stages from Sonic 1, plus a 3D Special Stage. The modernized HD graphics look great in motion, but the proof will be in how it plays, particularly following how disappointed many in the community were by Sonic the Hedgehog 4. If Sonic Team is able to nail the physics, momentum, and overall feel, Sonic Superstars could do for the 2D Sonic series what New Super Mario Bros. did for the 2D Mario series.

Sonic Superstars releases both digitally and physically for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC this fall, and will start at $60.