Sega’s pitch for Sonic Superstars is pretty straightforward: it’s a direct sequel to Sonic on the Mega Drive and Genesis. While, yes, Sonic 4 exists (even though we all wish it didn’t), and Sonic Mania is arguably the best Sonic game of all time period, Sonic Superstars is a direct continuation of the 2D Sonic franchise that is now in its fourth installment.
Superstars versus Mania will inevitably be the focus of public opinion when it comes to rubber-soled sneakers, and Sega chose to make this 2D Sonic in-house rather than invite the minds behind Mania back to make the sequel. It’s also a good place to hang the central conceit of this review, which is pretty handy.
As a result, Sonic Mania was primarily concerned with refining and polishing the 2D Sonic experience as delivered by the Mega Drive games. In Superstars, Sonic gets a pretty relentless barrage of new mechanics, gimmicks, and ideas to level up and modernize the classic Sonic formula. That raises the question of whether that new stuff is any good.