Summary
Sonic Superstarshas hit shelves not even a year intoSonic Frontiers' launch. Serving as the 2D release counterpart to the 3D open-zone game’s DLC,Sonic Superstarsallows fans to play as the entire core cast of Sonic across a number of stages. There are also plenty of surprises along the way in the form of fun platforming challenges, extra mini-game acts, and more. There’s even a fair bit ofchallenging post-game content inSonic Superstarsfor those who want something harder after the base game is done.
Naturally, like many of the 2D Classic Sonic games that have come before it, Sonic’s best friend and adopted brother Miles Prower aka Tails the Fox is playable inSonic Superstars. It isn’t entirely surprising as the little pilot is playableeven inSonic 4Episode 2, but his inclusion is paramount to how the level design has to be built to work around his flight ability. Without careful planning, Tails' flight is highly exploitable, just like how it is in some parts ofSonic Origins, and evenSonic Frontierspost-DLC.It begs the question as to how all three games measure up comparatively.
RELATED:Sonic Superstars Producer Confirms Where the Game Sits on the Sonic Timeline
How Sonic Superstars Changes the Game
If there were any changes that fans may need to know about before playingSonic Superstars, it’s that Tails does feel a bit different compared to how he plays inOrigins. For starters, Tails' acceleration rate takes a bit longer as his animations appear to be extended to match other playable characters such as Sonic or Amy, likely to compensate for the game’s four-player couch co-op. This shouldn’t hinder many fans, though, as the fox can still fly with a double-tap of the jump button, and fly over most stage hazards with ease. However, while Tails may start into a sprint slower than expected, one important change will benefit those who adore playing as the little guy.
This, of course, is Tails' flight time. In theremastered compilationSonic Origins, players can fly for around eight seconds, and Tails gets tired and quickly falls soon after. InSonic Superstars, however, Tails has an extra second added to that time with a slower fall rate, making it easier for fans to quickly find a safe platform to land on to be able to fly again. On top of that, it seems the fox has gotten a bit braver as his flying animation reflects that he’s ready for what these adventures ask of him compared to his old animation where his tails were just carrying him up into the air.
Sonic Frontiers Continues to Show Tails' Evolution
While it’s hard to compareSonic SuperstarsandSonic Frontiersdue to the nature of them being different from2D and 3DSonicgames, now that Tails is playable as of The Final Horizon’s DLC update, there are a few interesting new traits to how he plays that are worth looking at. Due to howSonic Frontiersis designed, Tails having a faster walk-to-sprint time is understandable. Compared to Tails’Superstarsanimation, though, it’s clear that the fox has gained a bit more confidence since then, and the fox using his tails to give him a speed boost is fittingly reserved for actually boosting.
However, The Final Horizon DLC comes with a unique adjustment to how Tails flies that should certainly be kept for future games, especially 3D ones. Tails' flight can be activated as normal, by tapping the jump button twice; but when it’s activated, players stop at their jump height, and the fox then spins his namesake tails underneath him to gain a bit of a push into the air, and this height gain is what fans have until Tails gets tired, which once again can be used immediately after landing onto a platform. Just likeAmy inSonic Frontiers, theFrontiersDLC shows a great potential future for the characters found inSuperstarsthat leaves them incredibly fun and flexible to play as.
Sonic Superstarsis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
