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

That jellyfish bit in the trailer indicates to me that the later zones are gonna get more gimmicky (to the point of changing the controls/physics) which is worrisome if that kind of thing is forced on the player but the design implications of Bridge Island's openness and this optional emerald power mechanic give me hope otherwise. Just let me skip the jellyfish section please ST it looks lame

 

I imagine the zones would have to be designed with the gimmicks/sections to be optional, to accommodate the players who don't collect the Chaos Emeralds in the Special Stages for (any) reasons. Can't make a section mandatory if the player hasn't collected a needed emerald, after all.

(unless I missed something and the Emeralds aren't collected from the Special Stages this time around)

 

The jellyfish having a pixelated theme in a digital-themed zone indicate it's a level gimmick and not an emerald power but hopefully I'm wrong or y'know just that it's skippable in the level itself.

Then again we haven't seen much of how the emerald powers interoperate between zones so maybe there's just a pixelated jellyfish emerald power only useful in that zone. Still lame but at least I wouldn't have to use it. We also don't know if a co-op player getting an emerald also gets it for everyone else which wouldn't surprise me.

 

Iizuka has already said the emerald powers are optional to the main progression.

 

He's also said that the jellyfish is a feature in one of the stages, not an Emerald Power.

https://www.gamereactor.eu/video/64...erstars+with+Gamereactor+at+SGFs+Jungle+Zone/

 

Well hey at least no emerald is cursed with turning you into a Minecraft squid. Either it's gotta be skippable or there's gonna be a slog act in this game full of sudden forced space shooter sections.

Maybe there's an emerald power that lets you skip these parts lol.

 

Really not a fan of the heavy use of rim lighting on the stages and the characters, it gives the game a very plasticy look.

 

Art style aside, in my mind having sections like "turn into a squid" isn't really any different to "turn into a chibi sonic" from Metallic Madness. Per-zone gimmicks in 2D titles are nothing new, and they're fine.

Heck, the CD influence is already pretty apparent in this game (not to mention the individuals on staff) so that totally checks out.

 

I feel you. I understand stage gimmicks are in fact very common in Sonic, but far more often than not they are functionally and aesthetically made to enhance a certain feeling that's particular to that stage (except for the ones that appear in every stage, like springs). Bridge Island looks like a lot of fun to play, but aesthetically speaking those gimmicks sometime stand out: the stage itself is all made of stone while most gimmicks are made of metal? Which makes them look like they could appear at any point in the game. They don't look like they're very much bound to the stage, or made so that the stage uses speed in a particular way. That worries me the tiniest little bit.

That also extends to badniks, by the way. We've seen that purple static spikeball appear in Bridge Island and in the squid section of the Minecraft Sonic stage. Of coure, this isn't unheard of (buzz bombers appear in many stages across classic games), but I do want to see mostly unique badniks for each stage, that make the stage not only look but also work different from each other.

The CD influence is great, and the most distinct CD-like feature that I've seen is the spring that pops up right behind you as you run. I love that.

However, chibi Sonic still controls like Sonic and the motion play remains unchanged. Turning into a squid completely changes the controls, so it's not at all the same. I understand why that could be a problem if it's too common. Although really, the squid thing doesn't worry me. It looks like it's fun, especially with friends.

 

Would be really awesome if they recycled 1 or 2 lost stages and concepts for superstars like CD’s R2.

 

I'd rather them work on new concepts than dig through Sonic Team's old scraps tbh.

 

It's a lot different actually. In fact the only similarity I can see is just that it's a transformation. Either way Chibi Sonic also wasn't a very fun gimmick IMO despite being a cool novelty. I just know I'm going to prefer the standard controls and physics to a "powerup" that actually powers you down and looks more like a forced vehicle section. Even in great games like Yoshi's Island this kind of thing bothers me. But yeah this is all just based on the look of a second-long clip so far so I should probably shut up about this now until we actually see the zone itself.

 

I mean, "Sonic Team's Old Scraps" are basically Ohshima's old scraps, and I think it's been pointed out that they've already taken some of that influence.

 

True, I'm just stating what I prefer. Either way I think the idea of lifting whole stage concepts would be a little extreme.

 

Old unused concepts are new concepts to us! XD

 

If it's all new, I'm great with it. If they recycle unused stuff, I'm fine, too. They have Splats!

 

It's actually very common for unused concepts for one game to end up in a later title. Generally speaking it's why some developers choose not to publish said unused content, as they believe it's a strong enough idea to use later, but for whatever reason didn't fit a current projects scope.

Heck, the Illumination Mario Movie used character designs Nintendo made decades ago to create some of Mario's family.

 

Sonic 3 and Knuckles used tons of unused concepts from Sonic 2’s development.

 

Bits like the Squid section remind me of the comparisons already made to Rayman Origins/Legends, but also of New Super Mario Bros. which undoubtedly fuels the co-op inspiration. You're inevitably going to have gimmicks or content that will feel more like they were intended for 2-4 players, than for a solo run, and I can only hope that bits like seeing the other characters doing their things in the backgrounds implies measures are being taken.

After all, the giant robot fish destruction part looks like hell for a co-op run.

 

I really hope the co-op aspect is actually well integrated into the game and isn't just some half baked thing. Something more like World of Illusion.

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World of Illusion had co-op specific moves, routes, and entire levels dedicated to co-op and unique levels for single player based on the character you picked.

I'm also hoping for a dynamic camera system in local co-op with scaling and splitscreening when necessary.