Sonic Superstars
Sonic Superstars adds chaos to the 2D formula with a new set of emerald abilities that promise to shake up the classic platforming experience. With a number of new gameplay trailers now out in the wild, we’ve been digging around for more information on what we can expect from the Sonic game this year.
Developer Interviews
Speaking to Takashi Iizuka, head of Sonic Team, we ask about the new emerald powers coming to Sonic Superstars. Iizuka explains that “emeralds” were the “overarching theme of the game” and that there were “exactly seven,” one for each emerald. But what about all those “other ideas” that didn’t make the cut?
“When it came to deciding which ideas to include, we had to whittle them down. We couldn’t include all the ideas we came up with, so we prioritized and chose the most compelling ideas to fit the limited number of emeralds,” Iizuka explains.
We asked Iizuka which ideas they couldn’t include, but he says they couldn’t implement them due to the limit of seven abilities. “Maybe we could have associated the abilities with a new magical object instead of the Chaos Emeralds,” Iizuka suggests.
Emerald Abilities
We dive into the details on each of the emerald abilities in Sonic Superstars.
This range of abilities aim to create new and interesting Action in Sonic, according to Iizuka. “While we had other interesting ideas, we couldn’t include them.”
Sonic Superstars is set to launch this April on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Two. While the success of this new approach aims to generate interest beyond traditional Sonic fans, the reception of Sonic Mania may give us a better indication of whether this departure from the usual 2D design will be successful.
