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

1) The song is decent. It’s reminding me of something I can’t quite place though.

2) I wonder if Japan will get their own reversible cover art or if it’ll be the same. I’m guessing it’ll be the same as it’s not a throwback release like Origins and Mania, but who knows. I quite like the design but the composition seems a bit off near the bottom half.

 

That music sounds like a Jun composition, sounds very much like a 3d blast/sonic 4 song.
I hope I’m not wrong on that, but if it is tee instead, then damn he can do that style super well!

 

I think I know what Bridge Island theme reminds me of:


Actually, it also reminds me Greenflower Zone Act 1 from Sonic Robo Blast 2.

Honestly, that sounds very Sonic-ish to me, and couldn't be more happier.

 

Aww dang...

I was really hoping to enjoy the music because it's such an integral component and Mania was perfection - but I don't. I'm hoping it is better in-game, or other songs are better - but this isn't anything like what I'd hoped for. It sounds overly complex and doesn't have the catchy simplistic melodies that the Classics are known for. Again, it has this high-vibration sound which annoys my ears/brain. I always say this, but... Is there anything memorable about that music, are you going to remember it one year from now? I've already forgot what it sounded like and I'm not even finished my comment. I'm crossing my fingers it gets better or this snippet doesn't fully capture it. This now has me very worried for the rest of the game; once more I'm getting the impression that there are good intentions, but it's merely an imitation and fails to recapture the essence.

Sorry for the negativity, I'm really trying to be open-minded here and am hoping to be proven wrong... Maybe the clip wasn't long enough...

 

Actually I don't think I can pass judgement on the music until I have my hands on the game. This is a game OST after all. Not to say that game OSTs aren't good enough to listen to on their own, but part of what makes the sonic OSTs good imo is how easily it is to associate them with different locals, events etc. Green Hill still hits hard for me because it brings me back to playing sonic 1 for the first time (dying in the first spike pit of act 3 lol). Live and Learn would be lower on my top sonic songs list if it wasn't for it for the riff to be referenced all throughout SA2 only to finally blast out in the climax of the entire series up to that point. This music was made with the context of being sonic zone music, I'm sure most people would prefer it as zone music rather than out of context 10second segments. There's also the fact that music usually goes places it'll probs sound better with the context of the whole song.

 

The track sounds decent. Nothing remarkable but I don’t think it’d sound out of place in something like 3D Blast.

 

I don't know. First 10 seconds of Studiopolis Act 1 blew me away without any game footage to back it up. It may be better in context, it may grow on me over time, but it didn't blow me away. Which is fine, I guess.

 

I like the Bridge song, it's not mind blowing, but still solid. It reminds me somewhat of Greenflower zone from Sonic Robo Blast 2.

 

I think that sounds pretty good. Jun's Sonic 4 stuff is a lot less musically interesting than that (S4 tracks hardly change chord, for one), so I'm not sure where the comparison comes from.

 

Did you mean to say chords? A simple google search will prove that wrong.

 

Key. Meant to say key.

 

I think that song's just leaning too heavily on that one synth instrument. Maybe it's a bit complicated for a good Sonic tune, but I'd argue the new ones in Sonic Mania were worse in that regard. But neither are "keyboard falling down a flight of stairs" music like you sometimes get with these things.


I don't know if it's a naive interpretation of classic Sonic. You tend to equate synth sounds with the 80s and early 90s, which is the same time as bleepy bloopy video games, and this is trying to style itself on Sonic games of old. But I don't think it was the intent of any of Sonic's composers to make it sound... synthetic, it was just the cards they were dealt when having to deal with a very simple sound chip. You couldn't physically do realistic instruments on the Mega Drive in 1991.

You're better off emulating the ideas of... actual music. Or at least the Casio, Yamaha, Roland and Korg instruments the artists were using back then - it still might not be "correct" for 2023 but it was the dreams of game consoles 30 years ago.



That being said, that tune does fit, because while it's not really good enough, the graphics aren't really good enough either. I can't judge gameplay yet, but questions have been raised about the emerald powers, and there's plenty of time to go pit-heavy with the later level designs - we still can't say for sure if any of this is final, but it doesn't feel like anyone's bringing their A game yet.

 

There is that saying, something like, "constraint breeds creativity". Well, maybe the Classics had such great music and such a specific sound (composition with heavy focus on melody) because they had to work around their limitations... I almost wish they would create new music using the same old hardware, and then remaster that with today's technology. It would be an extra step, but I wouldn't call it inefficient... Granted, I would say the same for the graphics. First make them in 16 bit, then remaster with hand drawn. That would be my dream solution anyway.

This is how I'm feeling... The animation intro was bland, nothing inspiring or new. The graphics seem simplistic compared to even the 16 bit days. Certainly lacking the charm ... The music (so far) isn't unique or inspiring either... It's just all a bit half-baked for me thus far.

 

Honestly really liking this track, gives me huge 3D Blast & SA1 Senoue vibes and that honestly works great for me. Wish Sonic 4’s instrumentation had sounded like this

 

Good shit, to be honest. If you told me this was some sort of unreleased 3D Blast song back in the day I would NOT believe you.

 

If this is Jun's work, it sure is a major step in comparison to his previous attempts at replicating classic Sonic's music. Sounds a lot more like his work on 3D Blast/Flickies' Island, although it's weaker than the Classic's in terms of memorability IMO.

 

It's better than anything you'd hear in Sonic 4 but it's still not doing anything for me. I agree with the poster above that says it's overproduced without a memorable throughline


I'm not sure why they always go this synth/chiptune route for classic music when on the Genesis, CD and the Saturn they were taking swings at established genres like new jack swing and acid house, just adapted to the limitation of the hardware. A real modern take on the classics would be a honest shot at those genres, not romanticizing the abstraction.

I guess you could argue that those gaps in execution that the hardware created make it's own style that deserves to be honored, but then we have plenty of throwback Sonic games for that. The 'next step' is the perfect time to close the gap imo, and the fact that they chose not to do that is the clearest example of why so many things about this game are falling flat with me.

 

That's what Mania handled so well. Tee emulated the musical styles that influenced classic Sonic, but then would throw in an FM synth in the bassline or something to evoke the sound of the Genesis itself. It was really the best of both worlds.

 

I actually wonder if they are taking inspiration from fangames OST.

 

Ok, so I apologize for ranting yet again today, but I just realized that I shifted from feeling optimistic about this game to officially feeling that it isn’t for me - and how sad that is…. They had fire in their hands with Mania and lost it.

Reasons:

1. Whereas the zones in the classics had unique settings and off the wall colour palettes, this game seems to rely on overused tropes, like Jungle, Casino, and Green Hill Zon—er, I mean.. Beach… Even the transition to sunset effect was literally JUST done on the same level analog in the previous 2D game, Mania. It doesn’t spark my imagination, but just feels familiar and uninspired. We will never have anything like a “Launch Base”, or “Spring Yard Zone” again apparently. Say hello to “Snow” and “Desert” from here on out.

2. Environmental aesthetic is the next downgrade… I love how the Classics had chunky and modular architecture, and the weird alien-like totems, columns and structures, with post-modern and art deco influences and proportions. Whereas here I just seen the usual organic shapes with textures applied. The plants lack the iconic geometric and synthetic appeal of the Classic ones, yet everything is plastic-y nonetheless. So despite calling back to some familiar objects, like loops and palm trees, it fails to carve out a unique design at all, let alone like the past established.

3. That intro animation looked ok, but was a shallow offering that felt prescriptive. It didn’t hook me in the slightest with a compelling storyline or setting. The music was… honestly just vapid. It would make Sonic CD weep in her grave. Are we supposed to believe that little kids don’t appreciate cool characters anymore?

4. And then the music generally, informed by todays clip and as stated previously above, it’s over-produced, unmemorable, and doesn’t rise to be more than a fetishized version of its genre.

So, at this point even if the gameplay is accurate, it fails to capture the magic of the predecessor. I guess I’ve fallen victim to The Cycle yet again because right now I’m just seeing compounding mediocrity.