It feels like it's been just weeks since we first played Sonic Frontiers, and here we are with an all-new blue hedgehog release: how about that? Indeed, things are moving quickly in this industry, and for Sonic fans, that means some really good news over the past couple of years. Today, we've got Sonic Superstars in front of us, and though it's not the perfect rendition of the franchise that fans want and deserve, SEGA is on the right track regardless!

What we've got here is a delightful new mainline Sonic platformer that's going to thrill anyone who's played classic Sonic and loved it. At the same time, it's got enough novelties to keep newer fans happy as well, such as a mysterious new adversary, multiplayer with support for up to eight players, an all-new setting, new powers, and heaps upon heaps of other important goodies. That's precisely what we aim to go over in the next couple of sections, in fact.

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Gameplay and Features

First things first - yes - this is an actual full-blooded platformer. As good as Frontiers may have been, after all, a mainline Sonic game should ideally have its entire campaign set up as a platformer, nudging players to navigate gorgeous locales at mind-boggling speeds. That is precisely what we've gotten with Sonic Superstars, then: a comprehensive new take from the SEGA corporation on what a fresh Sonic platformer ought to be.

For the most part, what you're getting here is the Sonic you know and love: Sonic Superstars understands fully what makes these games so good. Now, we'll be the first to agree with IGN's Jada Griffin that Sonic Superstars could've done with a tiny bit more speed, as that's our biggest qualm with the game. The complexity of the levels, how fun they are, the all-new Emerald Powers, and the soundtrack more than make up for this. Make no mistake, this is a delight to play, and possibly one of the best platformers to have come out in 2023.

The reviews posted on Google speak for themselves, we think! While this isn't a perfect game by any means, it should be the obvious option for Sonic sidescroller fans, and we genuinely believe it's going to age like fine wine, even in a year as busy as 2023 has been.

Get Sonic Superstars for PC via 2Game!

Multiplayer Modes in Sonic Superstars

One of the key highlights of Sonic Superstars is that it comes with a full suite of awesome multiplayer modes. Some of them support up to a whopping eight players, even! This means that all of your favorite characters from the franchise, including (but not limited to) Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and others can duke it out in Battle Mode.

Battle Mode is, granted, on the simpler side of things. We'd compare it to Rayman Legends' Kung-Foot mode: just something you can jump into to have a bit of fun on the side. For local multiplayer hijinks, though, the Battle Mode featured in Sonic Superstars is more than good enough, and it's bound to provide hours of fun when you get the crew going.

Do You Need to Install Epic for Sonic Superstars?

Since the game came out, there's been some confusion surrounding the need to install Epic Games Services to play Sonic Superstars multiplayer modes. This is, in fact, a thing: you will need to install Epic Games Services to join up for online multiplayer, as Sonic Superstars uses Epic's online connectivity API to function on the Internet. This, however, is wholly optional for those who dislike the idea, and it does not install the actual Epic Games Store on your PC.

Characters in Sonic Superstars

Sonic Superstars features four playable characters at this time: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. At this time, SEGA hasn't gone on to add or announce any further characters, though we're not convinced it won't happen down the line!

For the time being, all we've got are character costume DLCs, which are pretty neat in their own right.

Are DLCs adding more characters to Sonic Superstars?

Indeed, given the potential shown in Sonic Superstars, we believe SEGA might wish to invest time and money in producing more Sonic content in the future. Obviously, character-based DLC would be the way to go forward, alongside more levels.

Sonic Superstars PC Editions and DLCs

There are only two different and disparate editions of Sonic Superstars on PC. The base version of the game and the Digital Deluxe version, which is $10 more expensive.

The differences aren't huge if you're a more casual Sonic fan, but franchise veterans looking to get the most out of Sonic Superstars may wish to get Digital Deluxe regardless. Included is all of the following:

Bonus DLC content

At this time, we're only aware of the Digital Deluxe upgrade DLC for Sonic Superstars, with SEGA yet to announce any further plans for the game.

Game Requirements and Compatibility

Concerned whether Sonic Superstars will run on your PC? Well, we've got some amazing news for you, then, because the game runs like butter on almost anything. It's bound to make its way onto our list of 2023's best low-spec titles, in fact! Find both the minimum and the recommended hardware configurations below.

Sonic Superstars Minimum PC System Requirements @ 720p Low, 60 FPS

Sonic Superstars Recommended PC System Requirements @ 1080p High, 60 FPS

As we said - hardly anything to get worried about. This game will run phenomenally well on just about anything, including your Steam Deck.

Updates and News about Sonic Superstars on PC

On PC, Sonic Superstars is about as good as it gets. Aside from some complications with the Epic Service integrations, and the availability of Denuvo in the game, there's really not much to complain about. The game runs well and plays well, and it's the best new Sonic game we've had since Frontiers. Which, y'know, isn't that big of a deal, but it sure is great that we're finally getting quality titles from SEGA's most popular mascot IP.

Do expect a hotfix here or there, of course, but there aren't any major bugs to speak of, and unlike many other big-name releases of 2023, you should expect to be able to run Superstars just fine, no matter what.

Played Classic Sonic? Now's the Time to Jump Back In!

So, in summary, do we recommend Sonic Superstars? Heck yeah we do! We'll admit that we were slightly suspicious about SEGA's ability to recreate classic Sonic gameplay in a 3D environment, but the developers actually pulled it off. The only gameplay-based downside one could argue for is the fact that Sonic did end up being a bit slower in this game, but as we previously said, it's not nearly as big of a deal as it might sound on paper.

In practice, you're getting an awesome platformer with loads of content and plenty of reasons to keep coming back to it. With key novelties such as Emerald Powers keeping you busy and opening new routes as you go. If you're in the market for a delightful new platformer with the air of a retro delight to it, well, this is the ticket!

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It feels like it’s been just weeks since we first played Sonic Frontiers, and here we are with an all-new blue hedgehog release: how about that? Indeed, things are moving quickly in this industry, and for Sonic fans, that means some really good news over the past couple of years. Today, we’ve got Sonic Superstars […]