SEGA Sonic Superstars: PS5 Review

Developed by Arzest / Sonic Team
Published by Sega
Platform: PS5

Sonic Superstars sees the little blue bundle bursting back and doing what he does best in a game that recaptures the highs of when Sonic first rolled onto the gaming scene.

Once again Sonic has to take on his arch nemesis, Dr. Eggman along with the help of pals Tails, Knuckles and Amy.

That involves zipping through 11 themed side-scrolling zones while doing the usual Sonic-related fare of collecting rings, beating bad guys and threats. There's nothing unusual here - it's more the core Sonic gameplay wrapped up in a 2023 graphics bundle that leads to proper old school platform gaming.

The collection of Chaos emeralds gives Sonic the chance to power up as well but in truth, a lot of that side of things distracts from the simplicity of the game's execution and the Sonic playability. There's a lot of dodging and avoiding baddies throughout as well in the boss battles, but Sonic Superstars feels like it's very much true to the 2.5D platforming ethos the series was originally born from.

It's also a nice touch to be able to play as other characters as well, and utilise different skillsets for them. But in all honesty, nothing can beat the purity of the Sonic experience and the desire to pulse through the levels - which all still hold up and feel both nostalgic and current thanks to some extra touches peppered throughout.

Co-op gameplay and online multiplayer don't quite hit the mark as well because at its heart, Sonic was all about core speed and the desire to race through zones. Being tethered to other characters holds that back a little but the gaming works yet it doesn't feel as essential as the single player game.

Sonic Superstars works as a piece of platforming nostalgia - it may hint at wanting to move away from the core Sonic experience at times, but the desire to pull it back into line proves to be the game's saving point.