Sonic Superstars Review (MR RATCHET)
*Note - this game barely gets the recommended rating. I would give it a mixed review if the option was available*
Sonic Superstars is a return to 2D classic Sonic and thankfully, much like Sonic Mania before it, it inherits the 2D classic titles physics and gameplay. If you've played the classic titles on the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sonic Origins or Sonic Mania, you know exactly what to expect. If not, classic Sonic titles feature momentum based platforming where speed is the reward and the name of the game. The gameplay still feels just as satisfying as the older titles, you can explore and take multiple pathways throughout the levels with the higher paths often leading to faster traversal through the levels. You can also pick multiple different playable characters, each with their own unique attributes. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles all perform exactly as you would expect from Sonic 3+K and Sonic Mania, with Amy for the first time being available at launch in a 2D Sonic title rounding off the pack, with a unique double jump and huge hitbox, making her feel unique in her own way. All the characters are fun to play and regardless of who you pick, you will be able to play a unique special act, which makes you play as one of the characters specifically. There is also a 5th playable character, available once you beat the main story but I will not go into detail for this due to spoiling the game.
This time round, Sonic Superstars tries to take a page out of the New Super Mario Bros book and introduces 4 player multiplayer for you to play with your friends. While this sounds like a good idea on paper, the execution leaves much to be desired. The camera cannot decide who to focus on, meaning players will frequently be thrown off screen and forced to respawn as the camera constantly switches and jumps around from player to player in an erratic fashion. Frustratingly, this issue could likely have been solved by focusing on the top right player or by further zooming out the screen and adding a 'P1, P2, P3, P4' icon. In addition, for some bizarre reason there is no online multiplayer for this game. You can get around this with remote play and it's a mess to set up but it can work. Sadly, as it stands right now, unless you are specifically co-ordinating and going slower, multiplayer is nothing but a chaotic, unpolished experience.
Unlike Sonic Mania before it, Sonic Superstars takes the 2.5D approach to its graphics, similar to the NSMB series. While some would prefer the pixel artstyle of the Classic titles, Sonic Superstars still manages to look great. This also extends to the completely unique levels, which is a bonus when compared to Sonic Mania's reimaginings taking up a considerable portion of the levels. This makes the game feel fresher than Sonic Mania, though this is not to Sonic Mania's discredit.
The story is poorly explained. While the cutscenes at the beginning of the game and the ending look great, it's really not explained how some things happen. This problem is exacerbated by the final boss for the 'Last' story appearing out of what is essentially nowhere and the ending having it sealed in what appears to be an egg by the hidden playable character. There are small hints, hidden during the character acts but frankly, the story is a disjointed mess, which is a shame because a handful more of the animated cutscenes sprinkled throughout could have helped the cohesion.
While the gameplay overall is fantastic and the graphics and levels are all interesting and look great, the game is sadly let down by the very frustrating boss designs. In classic Sonic titles, you are allowed to hit the bosses as many times as you like, the risk/reward being that you may take a hit whilst doing so, which could lead to a death. In Sonic Superstars, unfortunately Sonic Team made the decision to give bosses invincible frames (I-frames, boss cannot take any damage) after you hit it once, forcing you to wait whilst an animation plays out and an attack sequence happens again. The waiting really drags out the boss fights and can make them feel tedious. This problem is made even worse in the late game, where bosses often can take 5+ minutes to fight. One of the bosses is an annoying sidescroller where for half the fight you literally just sit there and wait. If you die, you end up going all the way back and having to sit through it again, waiting for ages to be given the chance to attack. This problem is made worse when the later bosses also incorporate insta kill mechanics, which means that you will die and end up having to wait a lot, making the whole experience even more frustrating.
The instant kill mechanics also feel incredibly cheap. Take a game like the Souls series, those games manage to not feel cheap because a lot of the time if you fail, it feels like the players fault, fair enough. In Sonic Superstars, you will not feel like it is fair. For example, another boss requires you to consistently run to the right whilst it drops explosives on you. The player is already being skill checked for their speed and momentum platforming. While this is happening, the level behind you is disappearing, leading to bottomless pits. Take a single hit during this fight, regardless of rings, you will more than likely fall into the pit and have to restart.
Another example is the final boss of the hidden characters story and the 'Last' story. The boss in the hidden character's story gives you rings but they are all but utterly useless since the overwhelming majority of the attacks will insta kill you regardless of your ring count. This is made even worse by having a badly choreographed final attack that again, you guessed it, can insta kill you. As this boss is a two stage fight, it can really drag on and lead to many frustrating restarts unless played flawlessly. This is not fun and difficult for the sake of being artificially difficult and badly telegraphed to the player. Likewise, the 'Last' story boss suffers from the same badly telegraphed attack issue in the final stage of the fight, which also incorporates QTE's that do NOT explain when you are supposed to press the dash button (it's the circumference by the way, not when it changes colour like every other game in the industry...). There is absolutely no indication given to the player, leading to frustrating deaths and restarts. Combine this with the complete RNG of the ring drops required during the Super Sonic fight and you may well be at the mercy of RNG and not have enough rings to even complete the final stage.
When you hear or read about how the bosses in this game are a joke, to be fair to the game, it's only really a huge problem in the last quarter or so of the game. Unfortunately, as this is the part gamers will likely remember the most, it leaves a very bitter taste and sours the whole experience of the game.
There is a good game buried in Sonic Superstars but as always with Sonic games, it's buried under very poor design choices. If Sonic Team and Sega release a patch that does the following then the game could potentially sit there with the likes of Sonic Mania:
- Remove I-frames and allow the player to attack the bosses multiple times
- Add in online co-op
- Fix the camera in multiplayer, either by focusing on the 'lead' player or by pulling the camera out further to show more of the levels dynamically
- Remove/rework the bosses to remove RNG and the multiple insta kill mechanics (one or two in the final bosses are fine)
Right now, this is a game that has potential and may be worth a look but you really have to be prepared to potentially have your experience ruined by the bosses. For now, it just about gets a 'recommended' rating because I still had a great time with the levels themselves but just exercise caution if you're considering this title.