Sonic Superstars

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,266 reviews
  • music
  • story
  • gameplay
Sonic Superstars Game Cover
Sonic Superstars may ditch the Pixels, but its the Mania sequel we were all hoping for.
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"Sonic Superstars" is a Kids Platformer game with local multi-player options for up to 2 players, including co-op and PvP modes in split screen. The game features an all-new 2D Sonic adventure on the mystical Northstar Islands, with improved high-speed action platforming and various playable characters. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes LEGO® pack, skins, wallpapers, digital artbook, original soundtrack, and bonus emerald powers for an enhanced gaming experience.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,266 reviews
music299 positive mentions
stability100 negative mentions
  • Great graphics and art style that captures the essence of classic Sonic games.
  • Fun gameplay with a variety of characters and unique emerald powers that enhance exploration.
  • Engaging level design with original zones that provide a nostalgic feel.
  • Boss fights are tedious and drawn out, often requiring long waits between hits and featuring instant kill mechanics.
  • Inconsistent soundtrack quality, with some tracks feeling forgettable or poorly composed.
  • High price point of $60 is not justified given the game's length and content, making it better suited for a sale.
  • music1,077 mentions

    The music in "Sonic Superstars" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a stark inconsistency in quality. While some tracks, particularly those by Tee Lopes, are praised as catchy and enjoyable, others, especially those reminiscent of Sonic 4, are criticized for being bland or grating. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant letdown compared to previous Sonic titles, with many players recommending music replacement mods to enhance the experience.

    • “A handful of songs are a godsend (looking at you, speed jungle).”
    • “The soundtrack is awesome (mostly).”
    • “The first good chunk of levels are awesome and varied, accompanied by great music (mostly when it's Tee Lopes or Yasayuki Nagata).”
    • “The music is way too quiet even when turned up to 10.”
    • “The remainder of the soundtrack is either boring, repetitive, or just plain awful.”
    • “The music is hit or miss, with composer Jun Senoue's grating Sonic 4-esque fake Genesis tracks being most of it, having those annoying loud saw synths that obstruct his catchy melodies from being as good due to that.”
  • story687 mentions

    The story in "Sonic Superstars" is generally perceived as simplistic and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it follows a typical Sonic formula without significant innovation. While the main story offers some charm and character interactions, it suffers from poor pacing and a lack of coherent narrative, especially in the final boss encounters, which are criticized for their frustrating difficulty and lack of checkpoints. Additionally, the introduction of "Trip's story" as a harder mode is seen as a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the challenge while others find it tedious and poorly designed.

    • “The story modes are the meat of the game, with a couple of multiplayer modes functioning as a mild gravy.”
    • “The story is simple and cute.”
    • “The main story is definitely the strong point, with variety sprinkled in and a bit more versatility in play style (and friend potential!).”
    • “I really wanted to like the story; the advertising bragged about this being a show-don't-tell type of story, but there was virtually no story at all and there weren't many cut-scenes between all of the acts.”
    • “Trip's story is literally just the main game with enemy spam everywhere, making it infuriating to play.”
    • “The final bosses of each campaign are made artificially more difficult by dragging themselves out for 10 minutes, which when combined with instant kill moves, lead to them winning through sheer attrition.”
  • gameplay545 mentions

    The gameplay of *Sonic Superstars* is a blend of classic Sonic mechanics with new elements, maintaining the series' signature speed and platforming while introducing unique chaos emerald powers that add variety. While many players appreciate the nostalgic feel and polished controls reminiscent of *Sonic Mania*, some criticize the level design and boss mechanics as frustrating or lacking depth. Overall, the game offers a solid experience for fans of the franchise, though opinions vary on its execution and innovation.

    • “Sonic Superstars reinvents the classic formula in exhilarating fashion and encompasses refreshing, new mechanics that have not been seen in previous entries.”
    • “The gameplay is the classic Sonic we know and love, the physics are one-to-one with Sonic Mania.”
    • “This game is great and builds upon classic Sonic gameplay with cool emerald powers and interesting level design that stays in the spirit of the Genesis design philosophy for the most part.”
    • “No one plays the battle royale mode and the co-op is considered one of the worst features in the game due to it conflicting with the main gameplay loop.”
    • “But most of the actual gameplay feels lackluster and rushed, especially for the multiplayer.”
    • “The gameplay is horrendous.”
  • graphics385 mentions

    The graphics of *Sonic Superstars* have received mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant 3D art style and character animations that successfully modernize the classic Sonic aesthetic. However, some players criticize the environments as bland and inconsistent in detail, feeling that they lack the charm of the pixel art style seen in previous titles like *Sonic Mania*. Overall, while the character models and animations are well-received, the level visuals and design leave room for improvement.

    • “You can see from the beginning all the love the graphic designers have put into this game.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and the speed is not so frantic that you can't tell what's going on.”
    • “Sonic Superstars is a solid platforming game, with a vibrant and bright 3D art style that you can tell they put effort into making look good as opposed to Sonic 4.”
    • “The graphics are bland and lifeless.”
    • “The visuals are bland, with unremarkable environments and backgrounds of inconsistent detail and quality.”
    • “Graphics were drab and not fun.”
  • stability108 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly impact the overall experience, particularly in multiplayer modes. While some players find the glitches amusing and not game-breaking, many report issues such as clipping, freezing, and incomplete features, leading to a perception of the game as unpolished and unfinished. Despite these problems, some users note that the game runs well on specific platforms like the Steam Deck, but the overall consensus is that it requires further refinement to justify its price.

    • “Sonic Superstars runs great out of the box under Proton.”
    • “It's not buggy, and it's really fun—a good Sonic game to remember.”
    • “As for the game itself, it runs great on the Steam Deck with no issues other than the overlay at game start and input icons flickering between keyboard+mouse and standard controller icons, which is fixable in the options menu.”
    • “The game is overall just very unpolished and buggy, which is a shame.”
    • “The physics feel muddy at best and the plethora of glitches is inexcusable (randomly clipping through the floor and dying if I jump or just dying from spin dashing into a wall; I've even randomly died while just running or jumping).”
    • “Sonic Superstars differs by being undoubtedly one of the most unpolished and buggy 2D Sonic games ever conceived.”
  • grinding106 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, particularly regarding the boss battles, which are described as excessively long, tedious, and frustrating due to their multi-phase designs and lack of checkpoints. Players often feel that these encounters detract from the overall enjoyment, making the game feel more like a chore than a challenge. Additionally, the character customization process is seen as slow and cumbersome, further contributing to the game's tediousness.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Some of them have multiple phases with super long attack patterns, and there are zero checkpoints on any of them, making it so you have to start them all over again if you mess up, and making them incredibly frustrating and tedious to get past.”
    • “However, the boss fights are so incredibly stupid and tedious that it sucks all the life out of the experience.”
    • “They're ridiculously long and tedious, and when you get to the multi-phase ones later, if you die, you have to restart the entire slog.”
  • replayability66 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the fun levels, multiple characters, and opportunities for speed runs and collectibles, some feel that the game lacks enough content to justify multiple playthroughs. The presence of new emerald abilities and a multiplayer aspect adds depth, but concerns about the game's length and pricing may deter some from fully exploring its replay value. Ultimately, it seems that while there is potential for replayability, it varies significantly among players based on personal enjoyment and gameplay preferences.

    • “Like the classic Sonic games, Superstars is effortlessly replayable with giant levels that offer a variety of paths.”
    • “This game is genuinely fun and has a lot of replay value. I especially enjoy trying to beat the levels as fast as I can, and I'm still finding new secret paths and collectibles like medals each time I play.”
    • “It's a very solid game with a ton of replay value due to multiple characters and power-ups you can unlock by finding Chaos Emeralds.”
    • “While the multiple playable characters do add replay value in theory, the game isn't fun enough to justify multiple playthroughs.”
    • “The game is very short for the price tag, and aside from a new game plus, there's not much replayability.”
    • “This game does not have much replay value.”
  • optimization64 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance on lower settings, particularly on the Steam Deck, while others report significant issues, especially on PC. The inclusion of Denuvo has been criticized for potentially degrading performance, leading to stuttering and lag during gameplay. Many users suggest avoiding the PC version until further patches improve stability and performance.

    • “Even on high settings, older PCs might not encounter performance issues until Egg Fortress Zone, which is the most demanding part of the game.”
    • “(Update: This game runs great on the Steam Deck and deserves 'verified' status. Performance is basically flawless at 720p with high settings. 1080p/high also works nicely, but you will see some frame drops with Super Sonic during the last story mode and some smaller frame drops here and there in the other story modes.)”
    • “Performance was great during my playthrough and I didn't really see any slowdown issues at all.”
    • “The options for graphics settings are an afterthought; you can only change them from the main menu, but you can't see how they impact your performance until you're actually playing. You're stuck in an annoying loop trying to see how high you can get the resolution and framerate, having to quit out to the main menu every time, only to realize it doesn't matter because the game is literally broken above 60fps. So bothering to get higher framerates for your fancy display is a waste of time.”
    • “The game is so poorly optimized for co-op it's a joke.”
    • “I can't give it a good review as it is now, though, with all the bugs it has at the moment and the terrible optimization.”
  • humor52 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of unintentional comedy and enjoyable chaos, particularly when playing with friends, where glitches and janky mechanics can lead to funny moments. While some players find the humor to be tedious or annoying, others appreciate the lightheartedness and nostalgic references, making it a source of laughter despite its flaws. Overall, the game's comedic elements seem to shine brightest in co-op play, where the chaotic nature of the experience can lead to memorable and amusing interactions.

    • “The glitches have also been very funny; the co-op is a little wonky if you have a habit of powering through the game, so if you play with your pals, take it easy, be a little chaotic, and explore!”
    • “If you play it with friends, it's funny as hell.”
    • “Most of the time, it's just funny, and I get a good laugh out of it, but every once in a while, you get screwed over for no reason.”
    • “There are so many cut-scenes it is not funny.”
  • monetization16 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with players feeling misled by advertising that emphasized story and multiplayer features that ultimately fell short. Many reviewers expressed disappointment over the lack of meaningful content and the presence of microtransactions, leading to a sense of regret for the $75 purchase. Additionally, the reliance on Denuvo and the requirement for an Epic Games account for online features further detracted from the overall experience, reinforcing the perception of a poorly executed cash grab.

    • “It's yet another nostalgia cash grab.”
    • “Granted, I should have looked deeper, but when all the advertising is showing story multiplayer, you get excited.”
    • “Second point: using Denuvo once again when no one wanted to make the game look even more glitchy than it already was. The worst part being so incompetent to make the only online multiplayer feature the battle mode (that no one cares for when you marketed this game to be a classic Sonic game where you can play with 4 players, that also doesn't work very well) have you make or use an Epic Games account for when you're playing a damn Steam release just because you could be bothered to find a better method just shows that this was just a cash grab to compete with Mario Wonder and the 'success' from Sonic Frontiers.”
  • character development14 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its charming designs, particularly the new character Trip and the beloved Amy, who has become a playable mainstay. However, reviewers criticize the lack of depth in character personalities and voice acting, suggesting that while the visuals are appealing, the overall character development feels underwhelming and lacks the polish seen in other titles like Sonic Mania.

    • “I'm happy to see Amy make her place as a mainstay, playable character now and I really hope her inclusion continues going forward as her classic character design is adorable.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, and the character designs look very well made.”
    • “Also, Trip, despite not having much of a character or even a voice, she's such an adorable character with an awesome character design.”
    • “Though the character designs are charming (especially the new trip character), the animations seem to lack the needed polish that games like Sonic Mania's animations had.”
    • “This game is forgettable and has technical issues, but has a certain degree of charm in the character design and mostly proper 2D Sonic physics; definitely not worth full price, wait for a deep sale.”
  • emotional14 mentions

    The emotional impact of the game is mixed, with some players expressing feelings of numbness and indifference towards the final bosses, while others report a desire to cry due to the overall experience. The game struggles to evoke strong emotions during critical moments, particularly in boss fights, which feel less engaging and intuitive compared to traditional expectations for a Sonic game. Additionally, technical issues detract from the emotional experience, leaving players frustrated rather than moved.

    • “This game makes me want to cry.”
    • “I like just bopping Eggman 8 times in a row before touching the ground as much as the next guy, but I also like it when a boss fight makes me actually fight the boss.”
    • “Most of this game is fine, decent even, but the final bosses of each story genuinely made me feel numb and uncaring by the end of them.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is highly praised, particularly during boss fights, where the combination of immersive environments and compelling music enhances the overall experience.

    • “That boss has incredible atmosphere and music - both of these fights do.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

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Play time

13hMedian play time
21hAverage play time
5-37hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs

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