Sonic, as a character and gaming franchise, has been around for three decades now. He is a staple in pop culture right alongside Mario. And yet, Sonic has a weird reputation when it comes to his games especially when compared to Mario’s repertoire of reward-winning experiences.
Sonic Superstars: Every Playable Character, Ranked
Thanks to their personal abilities, each character in Sonic Superstars has their own unique playstyle, but which one is the most fun to play?
These poor reviews may have caused players to avoid Sonic games like the plague. It’s good to remember that there is always someone new jumping into a franchise for the first time even if it has been around for decades. Sonic Superstars is as good a place to start as any. It’s not a flawless platformer, but it does do a lot of things right for a 2D Sonic game. So, for those new to this series, here are some things to avoid.
8 Amy Is OP
Players new to the series or veterans may immediately go for the titular character of Sonic. It’s not a bad choice because he is the fastest in the game as far as land speed goes. However, Amy is secretly the OP character of Sonic Superstars.
She can double jump, which will not only bypass a lot of obstacles in levels, but it will help for boss battles too. Going from Sonic to Amy is a difference between night and day, so don’t make the mistake and leave her behind because she is a female character.
7 You Can’t Back Out Of Checkpoints
Even though there are eleven Zones to go through, each area will only have three levels at the max. These stages are a lot longer than typical platformer games like the also recently released hit, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Players may start to feel some tedium in a level in Sonic Superstars, so they may want to quit after hitting a checkpoint. Unfortunately, checkpoints are not saved if players back out and then jump back in upon rebooting their console. This isn’t uncommon but some games do indeed keep checkpoints after quitting like in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
6 How Chaos Emeralds Work
Chaos Emeralds were introduced in the first game back on the Sega Genesis. Gathering them all would turn Sonic into his super form, which looked a lot like the Super Saiyan transformations in Dragon Ball Z. In Sonic Superstars, Chaos Emeralds take on a new form as they grant heroes seven distinct abilities.
For example, Ivy will grow a vine players can climb on and Avatar will create hero clones. What players may not realize is that every power can be used once per checkpoint. Powers do not share a single charge like in a lot of games, so don’t be afraid to use them while exploring levels.
5 What Rings Are Good For
Rings are all over the stages in the game and they are primarily there to protect Sonic and the other heroes from damage. If players get hit, their Rings will explode and they then have to gather them up again. However, they serve two other functions that some may not be aware of.
Collecting one hundred will award players not with an extra life like a hundred coins will do for Mario in his games, but something better. A hundred rings in Sonic Superstars will give players a Medal and these can be used to buy things in the shop. Also, collecting fifty rings can unlock the aforementioned Super Sonic form although this requires all seven Chaos Emeralds.
4 There’s No Point To Timing
There is only one stage in the game where timing matters. The final stage will count back the clock for reasons that would be a spoiler to announce now. What players should know is that they can take their time going through stages.
They can look around for secrets and avoid enemies all while appreciating the design of levels. The only reason to chase down better times in stages is for personal bragging rights like if players are part of a speed running group. Good times in Sonic Superstars will not, for example, unlock secrets.
3 Boss Struggles
Compared to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Sonic Superstars is a tough game especially when it comes to bosses. Players may not be able to figure out some of the boss tricks unless they look them up online. For example, blue objects can be countered in the game just like pink objects can be countered in Cuphead.
Sonic Superstars: How Bonus Stages Work
Sonic Superstars' bonus stages are a callback to Sonic the Hedgehog's special stages, so here's how to access them and how they work.
For example, there is a later boss battle with one of Dr. Robotnik’s many mechs that will shoot blue missiles at players. Spinning into them will deflect the missiles back at the egg-shaped villain. There are a lot of boss examples like this to name, so when in doubt, always look for some kind of blue object to counter.
2 You Can Knock Around End Goals
This is kind of a fun secret players may not know, but goal signs can be kicked around. Why does that matter? It doesn’t, but the longer a sign stays in the air, the better the score will become. Like the time, the player score also doesn’t matter for casual players getting into the heat of Sonic Superstars.
It can, however, be satisfying to sort of brag about an accomplishment, especially after a particularly challenging level or boss fight. So, before brushing off this secret tip/clarification, give it a try and kick up a storm.
1 Keeping The Length And Multiplayer In Mind
To reiterate, Sonic Superstars is a shorter experience than Super Mario Bros. Wonder and most 3D Sonic games. Players can easily beat it in a handful of hours and that includes gathering secrets.
Paying the full amount for a new game that turns out to be this short may rub some players the wrong way. So, players who plan to experience the game by themselves may want to hold off for a sale or rent it through GameFly. However, if players plan to have this one as a rotating multiplayer experience for parties, then it can be well worth the price of admission.
Sonic Superstars
- Released
- October 17, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- 2D, Platformer
