Sonic Superstars: Difference between revisions

Sonic Superstars
Developer(s)	Arzest Sonic Team
Publisher(s)	Sega
Producer(s)	Takashi Iizuka
Composer(s)	Jun Senoue
Series	Sonic the Hedgehog
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X/S
Release	Late 2023
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Sonic Superstars^[a] is an upcoming platform game developed by Arzest and Sonic Team and published by Sega. It features side-scrolling gameplay similar to the Sonic the Hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis in the 1990s. As one of four player characters—Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Amy Rose—the player completes side-scrolling levels as they set out to defeat Doctor Eggman and Fang the Sniper. Superstars introduces power-ups that the player can obtain by collecting the Chaos Emeralds.

Sonic Team's head, Takashi Iizuka, wanted to modernize Sonic's traditional side-scrolling formula so it could continue independently from the 3D games. After plans for another collaboration with the developers of Sonic Mania (2017) fell through, Iizuka began discussing a collaboration with Arzest, a studio founded by Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima. Superstars marked Ohshima's first contribution to a Sonic game since Sonic Adventure (1998), and Arzest sought to replicate the Genesis Sonic gameplay while innovating with new game mechanics.

Sonic Superstars is scheduled to be released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in late 2023.

Sonic Superstars is a side-scrolling platform game similar to the Sonic the Hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis in the 1990s. It is presented from a 2.5D perspective.^[1] Like the Classic Sonic segments of Sonic Generations (2011) and Sonic Forces (2017), the game world is rendered in 3D although movement is restricted to a 2D plane.^[2] There are four player characters, each with their own unique abilities: Sonic the Hedgehog can roll into a dash after a jump; Miles "Tails" Prower can fly; Knuckles the Echidna can glide and climb; and Amy Rose can attack enemies with a hammer and double jump.^[3]

The player traverses the North Star Islands and encounters the villains Doctor Eggman, Fang the Sniper, and Trip.^[4][5] They run at high speeds through several levels ("zones") containing springs and vertical loops. Some zones feature unique elements, such as a jungle with vines the player can grind on and a futuristic zone where they transform into a voxel creature.^[1][6] Zones are split into two acts,^[3] each of which ends with a boss that the player must defeat while dodging attacks.^[6]

Superstars features two kinds of special stages. In the first, accessed through giant rings hidden in each act, the player swings from bubbles in a 3D environment to obtain a Chaos Emerald.^[3] Each emerald grants the player a power-up ability, such as the ability to swim up waterfalls or create clones of the chosen character.^[7] In the second, accessed by passing checkpoints,^[8] the player navigates a rotating maze, similar to those from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), to collect medals.^[3]

The main campaign supports local multiplayer for up to four players,^[5] who can join or leave at any time.^[9] The game also features a player versus player mode that can be played locally or online.^[10]

Sonic Superstars was developed by Arzest, a studio founded by Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima,^[11] with Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka serving as producer.^[2] Sonic Team originally wanted to develop another game with the Sonic Mania (2017) developers Christian Whitehead and Headcannon, and discussions began during Mania's development. Iizuka did not want to make a Mania sequel since he felt casual audiences would dismiss it as a rehash. Mania had been intended for hardcore Sonic fans, and Iizuka felt a new 2D game needed to appeal to a broad audience.^[12] Sonic Team, Whitehead, and Headcannon developed some concepts, but the project ultimately did not progress.^[11]

During a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Iizuka and Ohshima held a drinking party over Zoom for fun. They expressed mutual interest in a new 2D Sonic game and began discussing a collaboration.^[11][12] Iizuka felt Arzest was a natural fit due to their experience developing 2D games for Nintendo.^[12] Superstars marked Ohshima's first contribution to the series since Sonic Adventure (1998).^[4] The title, Sonic Superstars, reflected the game featuring the "superstar" Sonic characters.^[13] Arzest primarily handled development, with Sonic Team providing support.^[11] The game was developed from scratch,^[12] though the physics code was translated from the Mania version of Whitehead's Retro Engine.^[14]

The designers sought to replicate the Genesis Sonic gameplay; they first focused on perfecting the physics engine before working on the level design and ensuring they meshed.^[15] They ran the original games while they worked on Superstars so they could compare the physics side by side.^[12] They chose to tell the story through character interactions between levels rather than through voice acting and text.^[2] However, Arzest did not reuse levels from previous Sonic games,^[2] and opted not to continue Mania's pixel art style because they felt it would limit the appeal.^[15] The team considered using hand-drawn animation, but chose 3D graphics since they could easily replicate the pixel art style.^[16] The use of 3D graphics also allowed for elements that could not be accomplished in the Genesis games, such as the characters moving between the foreground and background.^[2]

After working on the physics and level design, the developers began exploring new game mechanics,^[15] as Iizuka felt it was important that Superstars be "new, interesting, and innovative".^[17] He hoped to provide a new experience after the release of the compilation Sonic Origins (2022),^[17] and modernize the series' "classic" formula so it could continue alongside the 3D game Sonic Frontiers (2022).^[13] Arzest introduced the Chaos Emerald power-ups to motivate players to seek all seven, drawing inspiration from the Wisps from Sonic Colors (2010).^[13] They made the power-ups optional to avoid interfering with the classic Sonic gameplay. Iizuka said that unlike Sonic Frontiers, which was aimed at gamers, Superstars was designed for children and parents alongside longtime Sonic fans.^[17] He wanted Superstars to feel as distinct from Frontiers as possible since he hoped the 2D Sonic games would continue independently from the 3D ones.^[16]

In choosing playable characters, Iizuka said Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were "obvious picks", while Amy was included since the developers felt she would please fans.^[16] Sonic Team had wanted to include Amy as a playable character since Mania, but could not because of time constraints.^[12] Sonic Team was surprised by how excited fans were when the obscure characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel appeared in Sonic Mania, so Arzest decided to bring back a similarly unknown character in Superstars. They chose Fang, Eggman's sidekick from the Game Gear Sonic games.^[17] Additionally, Ohshima designed a new villain, Trip.^[4][13]

Sonic Team had long wanted to include four-player multiplayer in a Sonic game, but found it difficult to integrate with the series' gameplay. Iizuka said Sonic Team had abandoned the idea, but Ohshima encouraged him to make it work.^[18] Arzest did not include online cooperative multiplayer to avoid lag ruining players' experience.^[12]

Jun Senoue composed the soundtrack with assistance from Tee Lopes and internal Sega staff.^[11] Iizuka said the Superstars team sought to remain faithful to the Genesis games' pop style.^[13]

Sega announced Sonic Superstars at Summer Game Fest on June 8, 2023.^[5] It is scheduled to be released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in late 2023.^[4] Players who sign up for a Sega newsletter prior to January 31, 2024, will receive a downloadable content (DLC) code that unlocks Amy's modern outfit seen in Sonic Adventure onward,^[19] while those who pre-order the game will receive a reversible cover, an acrylic display stand, and a Lego Sonic the Hedgehog-themed Eggman skin.^[20] A Lego Sonic skin will also be available as free DLC.^[21]

• Official website