Sonic Superstars: A New 2D Sonic Game (Fall 2023)

I wouldn’t be surprised if we are left in the dark for a few weeks regarding which team worked on this. After all, Headcanon put out their own statement announcing their involvement with origins plus.

The reveal trailer for this game is MUCH better than the obscure reveals we got for Frontiers and Origins… but post-Mania+ Sega doesn’t highlight outside contributions in their trailers. I get that Ohshima isn’t a household name but you’d think the trailer could have text saying “the creator of sonic returns for a new 2D adventure” or something. Wouldn’t that add more excitement to the reveal trailer?

Similarly, logos for Headcanon and Taxman were left out of the trailers for Origins. Compare that to the Mania trailer that prominently displayed logos for its devs. Now I get that the mania reveal was shown at an event targeting hardcore sonic fans whom were aware of taxman and stealth… but by that logic their logos should have been include in the Origins trailer shown at Sonic Central since that stream was targeting sonic fans.

 

The fact that we're even seeing a new Sonic game at all this year is pretty crazy now that I think about it. Frontiers is less than a year old with a major update incoming, and Origins Plus seemed like SEGA's way of filling the already small gap. Now we've got those two project along with Superstars all coming out within the space of no more than 6 months.

Things aren't perfect. There's still a lot left to be desired regarding SEGA's efforts with Frontiers and Origins. But the existence of Superstars has got me kind of buzzing. If you'd asked me when we'd hear of a new game, I'd have said 2024 at the earliest and it'd be a sloppy port of Generations ala Colours Ultimate. I would not have guessed for a second that it'd be a major new 2D title with gorgeous graphics, a focus on co-op and the correct use of the Classic Sonic branding from Sonic Team themselves.

 

The fact that there were no leaks, no rumors, no hints to its existence proper that weren't ignored or blown off, and that ultimately it blindsided everyone for once is probably the best part about the announcement.

 

The most promising thing to me is the cut of Sonic/Tails/Knux/Amy running down that hill. The way Sonic starts from a jog and steadily gains speed running down hill and the speed continues to steadily increase as the 4 characters run through those 2 loops looks very smooth and organic. That comparison posted showing the trailer compared to Core Framework Sonic really cemented that for me, even if Core isn't the *most* accurate it still speaks volumes.

A bit confused by these replies saying "they deliberately cut this to avoid showing XYZ", I really don't think that's the case. If the game was a broken mess obviously they would cut around it, but thinking they're cutting to avoid backlash for getting rid of the rebound mechanic is borderline conspiracy territory. IMO if there is no rebound it's because they don't know what they're doing, not because they removed it and wanted to hide it from you.

Edit: Looking back at the trailer, I wonder if the Sonic 1 special stage mazes may actually be bonus stages. Too lazy to screencap rn but I saw a big Sonic token tucked away in a corner of that one stage, maybe that's a collectible or just a continue? But the use of diamond blocks with no emerald inside could easily just be a red herring. The 3D orb-swinging level would make for a cool proper special stage, especially because it follows the trend of the classics trying some new 3D gimmick for each of their special stages.

 

Some Sonic Fan Remix vibes. Therefore, I'm all on it.

 

That's exactly what I suspected from that spot in the trailer alone. Clearly much more accurate than Generations/4/Forces. Very encouraging.

 

I like the grinding. It was a fun addition in the Advance series so I have no issue with it being here, and it being a stage specific gimmick with the vines makes a whole lot of sense. The physics on the grinding looks fun too, at least judging from the clips.

 

On one hand, I think it is a bit of a shame they are going for a power up approach. Clear influence been taken from Crasb 4 and the mask powers in my humble opinion. Crash 4 was very well made but I similarly thought Crash was at its best when the platforming challenges were simple and elegantly designed with the core mechanics in mind. It similarly looks like Superstars will favour a power up challenge philosophy rather than core movement. Which in a way I think is a bit sad.

That said, I really like the confidence the game has in doing something different. Mania was very well made but was also very conservative. Not just because it reused old levels but because the gameplay itself was very similar to the Genesis titles. I give this title a lot of praise for trying new things. It is pretty funny to see Sonic go from insecure conservativism for well over a decade to a confident stride towards originality!

It is overall very good news. Almost a bit unbelievable to be honest. If Frontiers' good release and the movie have given Sonic Team and SEGA confidence to make originality games and take the franchise forward then I am glad both released.

 

I didn't write anything here yet.
My reaction is mixed: the game looks smooth and nice, I was waiting for the return of Fang since forever and I'm happy he has a major role in this game, and overall there are a lot of things that I like, such as the fact that it's not a sprite game that tries to emulate 16 bit graphics anymore, and the mecha design that for once seems to be in line with the original classics (not even Mania was this accurate, it went for a more cartoony and fantasy look most of the times).

On the other hand, I'm starving for a modern 2D platformer in the style of the Advance games since more than a decade... and this makes very unlikely to get one in the next few years even. Plus, there are things that really scare me in this game, such as the level design... what was shown in the trailer was full of automation, empty spaces where you just run, and, like in that jungle level, places where there is exactly one single obstacle in front of you (the vines to grab and bounce out of), and no alternate ways for navigating the section outside of the mandatory gimmick... no playing with physics. The design of the environments also doesn't look very Sonic-y, it feels more like a mix of modern Kirby plus New Super Mario Bros and a few other popular franchises mixed in... there are a few Sonic elements such as the geometric patterns on rocks and grass, and some technological elements mixed in the natural backgrounds, but still, doesn't scream Sonic, except mabe Boom. The multiplayer also concerns me, because it may have influenced the level design, making it more "flat" to let 4 players play in the same screen simultaneously with more ease.

So, while I'm open to this game and I think that it has a chance of being good for once, I can't hide that I'm concerned, and also kinda annoyed that it's not what I was hoping for, but that's a personal thing.

 

I hope that this isn't a hint that the Sonic franchise is going to fall into the same hole as Zelda, where new games are either A) in the 'modern' style which is a radical departure from anything that came before, or B) 'retro' games that replicate only the oldest-of-old-school gameplay, with no room for anything in between the two. It's a bad time to be a Sonic Adventure or Ocarina of Time fan.

 

They're cheating Sonic's quills. Also known as the Mickey Mouse effect.



Sonic's quills are physically not supposed to be where they are. They're deliberately moved out of place to create a more distinct silhouette from the front. Junio Sonic and Tyson Hesse's Sonic are the most notable examples of this. This is not quite as noticeable, but that small attention to detail goes a long way in creating appealing animation.[/ATTACH]

 

People don't like the price but forget that torrents still exists :p
Also, it looks like first game after many years that I'll play.. on YT ofcource, because old pc, but anyway looks intriguingly
Graphics looks nice too. Or maybe I just too much worked with classic genesis games, hah

 

I havent seen it mentioned yet, but this game's existence means the 4chan leaks that mentioned this definitely had some credibility.

 

There's a suggestion it's the same model set to be seen in Sonic Origins. And the Knuckles one is borrowed. And the Sonic one is borrowed.

And Sega haven't paid for any of them.

 

This is a little misleading. He signed a contract which likely contained something along the lines of "We can use this in games". He also doesn't really seem to care.
https://twitter.com/Rafaknight_rk/status/1666915604102619136?s=20

 

This is the same artist who previously broke multiple NDAs and complained publicly about being unhappy with Sega's pay, and then both Aaron Webber and Tyson Hesse responded saying they were a freelance contractor who received standard fees per commissioned piece.

 

I mean, it does suck that so many industries have moved away from employees and toward independent contractors they don't have to pay as much or give benefits to, and in that cutthroat system a lot of people can be coerced to agree to less money than they're worth.

Sounds like a fair thing to complain about if you ask me, but it seems like Knight has moved on to just making porn now anyway so maybe it's not that big a deal (THAT was a surprise when I scrolled down their tweets, haha).

 

Edit: "ninja"d like 50 minutes ago but my browser didn't load the posts


Though tbh, even if it isn't standard practice to pay contractors in post, like... I commission art sometimes, and if anything I commissioned resulted in me making several million dollars, I'd be more than happy to send the artist a check as a thank you. But I feel like those models are just kinda stored away someplace with a label that just says "we can use these" with no other information, it just feels scummy and strongarm-y but whoever okay'd the decision maybe had no idea.

 

There's nothing scumbag about it and SEGA owes them nothing after the fact. Stop throwing a pity party for someone with poor business sense.

 

Looks really nice, hope it comes in a decent price point. This doesn't look like a £70 title. Please don't be silly SEGA. It's also nice to read Ohshima is helping with the game