fallingleavess
2023
This review contains spoilers
Sonic the Hedgehog has been a character synonymous with speed-based platforming, essentially pioneering and popularizing the genre, since his inception in the 1990s. Growing up with the initial games on the SEGA Genesis, and thoroughly enjoying 2017’s “Sonic Mania”—a return to form from a long passed era of the Sonic series—I was very excited to see the series take another crack at attempting to capture the feeling of the games that came before. However, I feel like Sonic Superstars lacks a distinct aspect of what made those games so charming; creativity.
The game takes place on the newly introduced “Northstar Island”, with Fang the Hunter—returning from his main-series debut in Sonic Triple Trouble on the GameGear—being hired to search for the Chaos Emeralds by Dr. Robotnik. With just about 12 unique Zones, spanning anywhere from 1-3 Acts each, Sonic Superstars is pretty on-par with the Genesis originals content wise, issue stems from how inconsistent each Zone is. Some span just one single Act, feeling incomplete and underwhelming, while some span across 3 entire Acts, grossly overstaying their welcome with each Act lasting sometimes up to 7 minutes. These times really dampen the experience on a first playthrough as it may feel sluggish, but even moreso on the bafflingly required subsequent Metaknightmare-esque playthrough as series newcomer “Trip the Sungazer” to achieve the True Ending and final boss.
Every Act in a Zone is riddled with giant rings, leaping into these will trigger a Special Stage to complete that will net you a Chaos Emerald once per Zone. Each Chaos Emerald activates a special ability that you can utilize throughout your playthrough. In theory, these ideas are very creative and interesting, however the game underutilizes these to the point where it’s simply not worth fully delving into, as I hardly got the chance to fully explore the potential behind each power beyond the times the game would simply just prompt me to use them with a little flashing pop-up.
Perhaps most disappointingly, Sonic Superstars’ Soundtrack is simply not up to snuff with the consistently wonderful music present in the Genesis games, along with Sonic Mania. With a majority of the games music being composed and arranged by long time Sonic musician Jun Sunoue, alongside Sonic Mania’s Tee Lopes, Sonic Superstars falls short in delivering many memorable tracks. The entire OST feels very mismatched, sometimes switching instrumentation mid-Zone and leaving me feeling a constant whiplash that takes me out of a world I so badly want to be immersed in. There are very few standout tracks, but to the game’s credit, the ones that do stand out are very pleasant and catchy—regardless as to whether or not the same can be said for the rest of the OST.
That being said, I did thoroughly enjoy my time playing through Sonic Superstars from start to finish, I simply just wish it was something more. I can really only recommend buying this game if you truly love the classic 2D Sonic formula. Otherwise, there may not be much here for you at such a steep price.
The game takes place on the newly introduced “Northstar Island”, with Fang the Hunter—returning from his main-series debut in Sonic Triple Trouble on the GameGear—being hired to search for the Chaos Emeralds by Dr. Robotnik. With just about 12 unique Zones, spanning anywhere from 1-3 Acts each, Sonic Superstars is pretty on-par with the Genesis originals content wise, issue stems from how inconsistent each Zone is. Some span just one single Act, feeling incomplete and underwhelming, while some span across 3 entire Acts, grossly overstaying their welcome with each Act lasting sometimes up to 7 minutes. These times really dampen the experience on a first playthrough as it may feel sluggish, but even moreso on the bafflingly required subsequent Metaknightmare-esque playthrough as series newcomer “Trip the Sungazer” to achieve the True Ending and final boss.
Every Act in a Zone is riddled with giant rings, leaping into these will trigger a Special Stage to complete that will net you a Chaos Emerald once per Zone. Each Chaos Emerald activates a special ability that you can utilize throughout your playthrough. In theory, these ideas are very creative and interesting, however the game underutilizes these to the point where it’s simply not worth fully delving into, as I hardly got the chance to fully explore the potential behind each power beyond the times the game would simply just prompt me to use them with a little flashing pop-up.
Perhaps most disappointingly, Sonic Superstars’ Soundtrack is simply not up to snuff with the consistently wonderful music present in the Genesis games, along with Sonic Mania. With a majority of the games music being composed and arranged by long time Sonic musician Jun Sunoue, alongside Sonic Mania’s Tee Lopes, Sonic Superstars falls short in delivering many memorable tracks. The entire OST feels very mismatched, sometimes switching instrumentation mid-Zone and leaving me feeling a constant whiplash that takes me out of a world I so badly want to be immersed in. There are very few standout tracks, but to the game’s credit, the ones that do stand out are very pleasant and catchy—regardless as to whether or not the same can be said for the rest of the OST.
That being said, I did thoroughly enjoy my time playing through Sonic Superstars from start to finish, I simply just wish it was something more. I can really only recommend buying this game if you truly love the classic 2D Sonic formula. Otherwise, there may not be much here for you at such a steep price.
After nearly 2 decades of same-y, sterile, and safe games in the “New Super Mario Bros.” series, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a well-needed, fresh, and creative departure from the “New” series’ very bland outings.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a game that oozes charm, passion—and most of all; fun. Throughout my playthrough I was repeatedly impressed by just how consistently creative and new everything truly felt, with each level featuring a new gimmick, or finding a fresh way to utilize a previously established one. There’s a level of cohesion between levels within any given world, yet none of them ever blend together due to how often the game tries new things to keep you at the edge of your seat. I was never once bored during the time I spent running around the stunningly beautiful Flower Kingdom, finding secret levels, warp pipes that lead to extra bite-sized challenges, and much MUCH more.
Playing through this game from start to finish was a very thoroughly pleasing experience, one I’m very sad I’ll never get the chance to do for the first time ever again. Running around with friends in multiplayer, finding secret exits, and conquering surprisingly tough and tightly designed challenges invoked a child-like whimsy that has been sorely missing from modern 2D Super Mario Bros. games.
All in all, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a special kind of game. It’s a game that is filled to the brim with tons of creative concepts, a game where you can just feel the passion radiating from it as you play. Even as I hit 100% completion, I was left wanting to dive back into the world to experience it all over again.
Whether you’re a fan of Super Mario Bros. games, or just a fan of fun and creative platformers, I cannot recommend this game enough. Play it!
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a game that oozes charm, passion—and most of all; fun. Throughout my playthrough I was repeatedly impressed by just how consistently creative and new everything truly felt, with each level featuring a new gimmick, or finding a fresh way to utilize a previously established one. There’s a level of cohesion between levels within any given world, yet none of them ever blend together due to how often the game tries new things to keep you at the edge of your seat. I was never once bored during the time I spent running around the stunningly beautiful Flower Kingdom, finding secret levels, warp pipes that lead to extra bite-sized challenges, and much MUCH more.
Playing through this game from start to finish was a very thoroughly pleasing experience, one I’m very sad I’ll never get the chance to do for the first time ever again. Running around with friends in multiplayer, finding secret exits, and conquering surprisingly tough and tightly designed challenges invoked a child-like whimsy that has been sorely missing from modern 2D Super Mario Bros. games.
All in all, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a special kind of game. It’s a game that is filled to the brim with tons of creative concepts, a game where you can just feel the passion radiating from it as you play. Even as I hit 100% completion, I was left wanting to dive back into the world to experience it all over again.
Whether you’re a fan of Super Mario Bros. games, or just a fan of fun and creative platformers, I cannot recommend this game enough. Play it!