Sonic fans got a welcome surprise at Summer Game Fest as Superstars didn't just get a full reveal, and but a release date inside 2023 as well. Sonic Superstars returns to the Blue Blur's 2D roots with a modern twist. That sounds like something Sega has done ten times already, but this feels different, and it's further proof Sonic fans are eating better than they have done for at least 30 years, if not ever.
I've been a Sonic fan my entire life. The orginianl on the Mega Drive was the first game I ever played, and its sequel remains firmly in my top three games of all time. However, even that golden age of Sonic games can't compare to what has been going on these last few years. There has never been a better time to be a Sonic fan, and the reveal of Superstars is further evidence backing that up.
I don't know when exactly a switch went off at Sega that made the studio realize it needs to do better, but I can probably point to a couple of significant moments that contributed to it. The reaction to the original design of movie Sonic had to have shaken things up quite a bit. The hedgehog's big screen look was completely overhauled, the movie itself pushed back, and in time the new design became a solid success.
The willingness to put the movie on hold while Sonic was redesigned, something that must have cost all involved a significant amount of money, may well have been the turning point. The re-reveal of movie Sonic had him looking a lot more like he should, and the movie released just in time, having its cinematic run cut short as the pandemic hit. It was already a box office success by that point, and the sequel was even better than the first movie. Idris Elba as Knuckles was an inspired bit of casting. Who would have thought?
The reaction to Sonic Forces may well have been a contributing factor to what we're experiencing now as well. While Forces has its supporters, it might well be the best example on a relatively long list proving Sega had been treading water and playing it safe with its Sonic for too long. When you launch a title like Forces two weeks after Super Mario Odyssey, one one Mario's best ever games from a former competitor whose league Sonic has long since slipped out of, questions really need to be asked.
Frontiers was where it became evident Sega was not only willing to change, but that the studio realized it had to. Frontiers is like no other Sonic game I have ever played, and it's the first 3D Sonic game that has fully drawn me in for the better part of two decades. I'd argue it's the best 3D Sonic game ever made (send your hate tweets to @BristolBeadz, I can handle it). I love Adventure and Heroes as much as the mildly obsessed Sonic fan, plus I think I might be the only person who wants a Shadow the Hedgehog remake, but none of those games have made me feel the way Frontiers made me feel, nor did they occupy as much of my time.
The unexpected additions to the Sonic series so far in 2023 have further proved Sega knows it needed to try something new. Not only via Superstars, but also through The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. There is no way we would have got a murder mystery visual novel in which we have to figure out who killed Sonic five years ago. That's not only on the table, it's real and available to play right now if you haven't already. Seriously, go download it, it's great.
Calling Superstars “something new” might well have raised a few eyebrows, but hear me out. Yes, it's another 2D sidescroller from a series that has been giving us 2D sidescrollers for more than 30 years. Superstars feels like it's going to be different from everything that has come before, though. Not only because it will feature co-op, a first for Sonic which is wild in itself, but also because it won't be recycling and reinventing levels we've been playing for the last three decades.
That's the big one for me. Yes, whenever I see Chemical Plant Zone thrown into a game for the umpteenth time, it stirs something inside me. A pang of nostalgia that Sega has used as a crutch for far too long. That Sonic fans have reacted positively to the news Superstars will be made up of entirely new levels just goes to show I'm not alone in feeling happy about Sonic's past being left behind. If I want to play those levels, I can do so in Sonic Origins. I don't need them to be reimagined and remixed every few years.
My excitement and anticipation for Superstars might be a little premature, but not only does it look good based on first impressions, for the first time in a long time Sonic's past and present assures me whatever's coming next is in good hands and will continue this exciting trend. The chance to play an entirely new 2D Sonic game with friends is an exciting one, and we've still got more Frontiers DLC to come too. Not to mention a Knuckles TV show and Sonic 3 next year. As I said, Sonic fans have never had it so good, and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon.