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It takes a bit of trial and error to figure out how these bosses work and you're most likely not going to succeed the first time around, but their designs and mechanics harken back to the retro days of 2D Sonic games – a good blend of challenge and fun. In order to damage it, I had to jump in front of the boss at the right time to lock in its own reticle against itself, thus shooting the chain at itself instead of at me.Īnother boss I came across was a robot Eggman, where I would have to jump between flying rocket fists to send them hurtling back in the opposite direction. One had me fighting a robot that would shoot chains at me with a reticle. What was once old is new againĪt the end of every act in a stage, there's a boss fight. With Sonic Superstars targeting a late 2023 release, here's hoping some revisions are made to the way this Emerald Powers system functions. Such a system would've been incredibly helpful, because halting a character in order to select an ability completely kills the game's forward momentum – it's entirely too difficult to concentrate on picking the proper ability while also trying to focus on what's ahead right in front of you. But unlike in Sony's post-apocalyptic action-adventure game, pulling up the ability wheel in Sonic Superstars doesn't stop or even slow time. To do so, I had to pull up a weapon/ability wheel, similar to how games like Horizon Forbidden West have. It's a neat mechanic that changes up the gameplay from being a constant platformer journey going from left to right.Īlthough my biggest issue with the Emerald Powers is how I was asked to swap between them. The only one I found was in the middle of Bridge Island, and the crystal granted my character a water elemental ability where I could swim up waterfalls. However, some portals have crystals at the end, which gave me new elemental powers called Emerald Powers. In other mini games, I could swing from objects to reach a treasure at the end, which most of the time were big Sonic coins. Sometimes, these would simply require me to fall downwards and maneuver around collecting as many rings as possible before reaching the ground. Portals are scattered throughout levels that transport me to a separate dimension in order to play mini games. 'A good attempt is being made to not only recapture the old magic of 2D Sonic games but generate the forward momentum that this franchise so desperately needs.' While in the background, the character is noticeably smaller in stature – a fun perspective shift which added additional variety on the road to the end of the stage. In the Speed Jungle Zone, you're able to grind on vines like a skateboard, shifting between the foreground and background layers of the stage.

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The stages are classic Sonic, full of the bounce pads and soaring loops for characters to jump on and run through. The environments are bright and colorful, matching the lively art style of the characters. The former was reminiscent of classic Sonic stage Green Hill Zone, while Speed Jungle was exactly as the name implies: a lush green jungle area which you're supposed to speed through really fast. There were two stages to pick from: Bridge Island Zone and Speed Jungle Zone. Sonic Superstars is also the first 2D Sonic game to feature four-person multiplayer, but I played solo during my time with the game.

For example, Tails can use his classic tail propeller to fly up while Knuckles can glide short distances in the air. Each character has their own feel, and a set of special traversal abilities. It invoked feelings of older Super Mario games when players could choose between Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad. Peering out from behind a bush at the start of the Superstars trailer and then shown properly at the end, Fang will be appearing in a Sonic game for the first time since 1996 when he shows up in Superstars later this year.In my Sonic Superstars demo there were four playable characters: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy Rose. Sonic fans are also excited about the return of Fang the Sniper.

A first for the series, allowing fans to play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy. Not only will no levels be reused, a common trope in most Sonic games, but Superstars will include co-op for up to four players. Senoue was a composer for Sonic 3 and has been working on music for Superstars with the various teams connected to the upcoming 2D title.Įvidence suggests that Superstars will pull plenty from Sonic's past, but as noted above, it isn't simply going to be another Sonic game that recycles all the same stuff as the old ones. Iizuka confirmed in the same interview that Jun Senoue has been working on Superstars too. It's not only the return of Ohshima that will ensure that.