What makes Sonic Superstars the best in show winner at Gamescom?

When Sonic Superstars was first revealed earlier this year, it made waves because it combined the beloved Sonic the Hedgehog platforming gameplay with a sumptuous contemporary graphic style. Flashy aesthetics are no guarantee that a new Sonic the Hedgehog game will deliver in the gameplay department, of course, as the series has been wildly uneven since the 16-bit era. Fortunately, any lingering concerns that the new platformer Sonic Superstars wouldn’t deliver when it mattered were immediately allayed when I got a chance to play it at Gamescom. In fact, I played it twice because it was so wonderful. Why Sonic Superstars was my favourite new game at Gamescom is explained below.

At Gamescom, there are two playable zones, each of which consists of two stages that lead to a boss fight. 

(Image Credit: SonicSuperStars)

Bridge Island is your classic Green Hill style opening stage, featuring sunshine, rainbows and blue skies.

The stunning visuals are what catch your eye first; they are so vivid and colourful that SEGA ought to provide a set of sunglasses with each copy.

But what’s even great is how good it all feels. Superstars is, thankfully, far more comparable to Sonic Mania than Sonic the Hedgehog 4 on a scale from one to ten.

The action moves as quickly as lightning, and the controls are as precise as freshly churned butter. 

Speed Jungle is more intricate and has even greater looks. You can battle mini bosses by spin dashing up their tentacles, swing on vines to reach higher platforms, and switch between the foreground and background.

The new power-ups in Sonic Superstars were possibly the only aspect of the Gamescom demo that didn’t quite work.

As the game advances, Sonic and his buddies can acquire additional abilities, such as the capacity to conjure a wave of clones to attack foes and remove obstacles and a water-based ability to scale waterfalls and access new places.

Although the new skills are intriguing and are probably essential to discovering many of the game’s mysteries, neither their immediate utility nor their intuitiveness stood out during the demo.

In fact, pressing the power-up button won’t come naturally to you when you’re zooming along at 100 mph, performing loops, and jumping on foes. 
When the game releases in October, hopefully we’ll find a more useful application for them.

In either case, it’s a fantastic demo with fantastic platforming action and tons of hidden treasures. It has the same retro Sonic feel as earlier Sonic games, but it has a modern, sparkling appearance.

On October 17, Sonic Superstars will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.