Review: Sonic Superstars

destructoid.com:

I can’t remember the last time I was as upset with a game as I am with Sonic Superstars.

I don’t talk about this enough, but growing up, I was a bit of a Sonic kid. There was a time when I considered Sonic 3 & Knuckles one of the greatest games of all time, and I’ve continued to appreciate it as time goes on. That title wasn’t just great because of its finely tuned platforming mixed with breakneck speed. It also offered memorable levels, amazing music, unique characters that offered replay incentive, and a story with twists and turns told without words.

Sonic games, at their best, are legendary. And when Sonic Mania came out back in 2017, the potential for another golden age of 2D Sonic games seemed tantalizingly real.

That brings us to Sonic Superstars, which has the key ingredients for a fantastic Sonic game. It has clean and charming visuals, some stellar music, and new innovations like Emerald Powers and four-player co-op. In fact, when I played a demo of it a few months ago, I actually really liked it! That slice of the game was wacky multiplayer fun, with levels that featured a lot of neat gimmicks. I’ve looked forward to playing Sonic Superstars since, and by the time I sat down with my controller in my hands, I was really in the mood for some good old classic Sonic.

This is not good old classic Sonic.

Sonic Superstars (PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 [Reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Sonic Team, Arzest Corporation
Publisher: Sega
Released: October 17, 2023
MSRP: $59.99

Sonic Superstars starts off well enough. The animated intro introduces our core cast of characters as well as our villains: Eggman, Fang, and what appears to be some robot. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy are all