Sonic Superstars Review: Multiplayer Action

We added Sonic Superstars to our library of multiplayer Nintendo Switch games. Since we love everything Sonic, we had to try out this game.

It’s a classic side scrolling game but with a new twist: it supports 4 players! Since they added the capability to play as Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog II. Playing Sonic with two players has provided us with hours of fun.

Four player games are our favorites, so combining two of our favorite things sounded very appealing. We were a bit shocked by the price but couldn’t resist the appeal of this multiplayer action.

If you love the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games then Sonic Superstars is an ideal choice. This game won’t disappoint. As we played we noticed many elements of previous Sonic games make an n appearance in Superstars.

The stages had similar themes and layouts as most Sonic games, albeit fewer speed runs. Which helped with having multiple players on screen. Depth was added to this side scroller by sprinkling in some foreground and background paths. But it was a traditional Sonic game plus 4 players.

We played as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Running our way through the stage collecting rings and fighting enemies along the way. There were also plenty of boss fights with Dr Eggman.

If you enjoyed the bonus stages from the original Sonic game, then Superstars is the game for you. The rotating bonus levels are accessed at every checkpoint, as long as you have 50 rings.

These new and improved rotating worlds were one of my favorite parts of the game. I was glad the checkered globe or half pipe from previous versions did not make an appearance in this game.

If you like classic Sonic games mixed with a lot of new content, then this is the game for you.

We tested Sonic Superstars with 1 player, 2 players, 3 players, and 4 players.

Having 4 controllable players on the screen takes some getting used to. At first it was awkward. But after 10 minutes we adjusted to the respawning from going off screen.

Having 4 players on screen didn’t feel too busy to me. While Sonic II was impossible to stay on screen, Sonic Superstars made it much more forgiving. It was easy to track each character with a few exceptions.

We really enjoyed having each character’s abilities available. It actually plays like a Sonic co-op game should be. I liked that they give you the choice to respawn, similar to Mario 3D world.

We also tested it solo, double, and triple players. Whether it was 2, 3, or 4 players didn’t change much. We still respawned from time to time. The only advantage of 2 or 3 players is the camera tracking was a bit more predictable.

Solo playing was fun too. I missed having the abilities of the other characters available but I was able to go faster.

Sonic Superstars is similar to Super Mario Bros Wonder. I preferred Sonic Superstars, but both games are great side scrollers.

It’s odd but Super Mario Wonder seemed faster, or at least seemed to have more speed runs. In my opinion the levels were hard in Mario while the bosses were easy. But the levels in Sonic were easy compared to the bosses.

The levels in Sonic didn’t require the precise aim or excruciating timed jumps found in Mario Wonder. Bowser was a milk run compared to the mid or final boss in Sonic.

I liked that Sonic just gave you unlimited lives. I didn’t care for the way Mario Wonder leeched away lives just for going off screen. While Mario gave you 5 seconds to recover. An entire level jumping across blink blocks resulted in a brutal loss of lives.

Both games had players transform into different characters, floating through zero gravity, and finding secret paths. They both added new and interesting abilities. Sonic in the form of chaos emerald abilities, compared to Mario’s power ups.

In my opinion, Sonic Superstars is geared for casual gamers while Mario is for hardcore gamers. Sonic is a game anyone can join in and have fun. While Mario just left me speechless at times. Were the game developers trying to make it impossible?

After 10,000 hours of practice I could do some of these levels without Yooshi. Yes, I admit it, I needed to play as Yooshi to make it easier.

The best parts about Sonic Superstars was the new features. Swinging like Spiderman through space after a chaos emerald was fire. Rotating the level and running on the ceiling was great. Playing as a squid, mouse, and rocket was unexpected fun.

I can’t say enough about the graphics and sounds. It just kept getting better and better the further we progressed. The final levels were captivating. We loved the graphics and sounds throughout the game.

The cons were they nerfed Sonic. I missed the super peel out and insta shield. Still, Sonic’s drop dash came in handy many times. But Sonic struggled to get to higher places or have much defense solo. Having multiple players really helped.

Tails could fly. Knuckles could glide and climb. Amy has a double jump and hammer. Trip has climb and double jump. But Sonic just had drop dash.

Then there were the glitches. This game was full of them. I think it has to do with releasing it before Super Mario Wonder. So hopefully they will fix them soon.

Drowning while out of water was weird. Occasionally falling through the floor when it shook was annoying. This only happened once but it was infuriating when the camera glitched and we were all off screen fighting a boss.

Our Sonic Superstars review gives it 9 out of 10 stars. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Some may not like the simplicity and find it boring. Still, there’s something about remodeling I found appealing.

It isn’t the most expensive or challenging game. But it offers simple multiplayer fun. It’s not diverse enough to play for hours on end. But we enjoyed playing it for an hour at a time here and there.

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