The DF tech review covering PS5, Series X/S, Switch and PC.
On release, it was the first time Sonic felt truly right since the 16-bit era.
Boss fights should be snappy and allow skilled players to finish them off at their own pace.
Sonic also requires an attractive, bold visual design and a catchy, memorable soundtrack.
I was genuinely surprised by this, as no other polygon-based Sonic game has ever pulled this off.
Getting these fundamentals right is so critical and they managed it.
Then there’s level design.
Stages do tend to offer multiple routes determined by your performance.
Unfortunately, there is one big caveat that can spoil the fun - boss battles.
The thing about Sonic bosses is that I’ve always felt that the best fights reward daring players.
Get in there, get your hits in and win.
They are just long enough to be fun while keeping the pacing brisk.
As a result, fights can last for minutes - nearly as long as the stage itself.
It’s my single biggest complaint.
The developers have also included character-specific bonus levels, some of which are fun, others perhaps less so.
In contrast to other side-scrolling Sonic installments, the core game and level design in Superstars fares well.
The play mechanics largely feel excellent and authentic while most of the level designs are good to great.
That brings us to visuals and audio.
The background is smarter still, with sparse geometry supplemented by background elements sporting flat tetures.
Character rendering quality and animation are also top notch.
Sonic and friends are all detailed, expressive, and well shaded.
That brings us to the main point of comparison between the different platforms: visuals and performance.
Some of the decisions made for the Switch version make a lot of sense while others left me baffled.
Boss fight performance is also poor, with performance against some enemies struggling to erase the 50fps line.
This is a game-changer for me and results in an unbelievably smooth and responsive experience.
Even climactic late-game battles are scored with short looping tracks that soured my experience overall.
