![]() And while that sounds simple on the surface, in game development, it can be a challenge to get it absolutely right.” “For me, I think it’s combining that Classic Sonic experience – the flow, the momentum, the physics – into a game built around modern 3D graphics. “We always pay attention to other titles in the genre, but we are focused on what we can do to keep the Sonic franchise feeling fresh,” says Iizuka. How much, I ask, did Mario’s recent outings inspire Superstars? Balancing classic locations with new stages to zoom across, it’s a clever mix of retro and modern gaming sensibilities, boasting a level of invention and playfulness rarely seen in modern Sonic. ![]() Pick up Superstars, and it’s the most credible rival to Mario the series has produced in decades. With Superstars, however, our ambition was to create a new standard for 2D Sonic games by enhancing Sonic’s familiar gameplay with a modern presentation that is only possible with 3D graphics.” “Sonic Mania was very popular with fans, and we are proud to have returned to a classic pixel Sonic experience with that game. “I can understand how it might have been unexpected,” Iizuka says. After the critical and commercial success of 2017’s 2D revival, Sonic Mania (which was developed by other studios) a lot of fans were expecting a sequel from Sega. It will always be part of you.”ĭespite its pedigree, the reveal of the all-new Superstars raised a few eyebrows. Sonic has a certain appeal and once you’ve worked on one, I think it’s hard to get that fully out of your system. “It is great to be back working together again – it’s like an old family coming together. “I’m really grateful for what Ohshima-san has brought to Sonic Superstars,” says Iizuka. ‘Imagination and creativity are infinite’ … Designer and creative lead Takashi Iizuka. Bringing him back into the fold was crucial to recapturing that lost magic. He was a character designer on Sonic’s first outing, and has played a pivotal role in every 1990s release from the franchise, but Ohshima has been absent from Team Sonic since 1998’s Sonic Adventure. For Sonic Superstars, capturing that classic Mega Drive gameplay was critical – and so Iizuka enlisted the help of acclaimed game designer Naoto Ohshima. Still, if you’re going to truly channel the classics, you’ll need the original lineup. But ultimately it’s about getting the ‘Sonic feel’ right and creating a unique and memorable experience, which those games absolutely did.” And of course, Sonic Adventure was a fantastic game that was also the first fully 3D Sonic experience. “Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles really refined that classic Sonic experience and took it to a scale previously unseen. “Those games stand out in particular – not only because they were amazing games, but because each of them felt epic or were a milestone moment for the franchise,” reflects a cheery Iizuka. ![]() Gamers try out Sonic Superstars at the Thailand Game Show in Bangkok earlier this month. And who better to help rediscover the unbridled joy of the blue blur than designer Takashi Iizuka, one of the creative leads on such beloved entries as Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. With their new release, Sonic Superstars, Sega has rejected the sprawling open-world freedom of last year’s Sonic Frontiers and returned to the side-scrolling of old. Like all struggling artists trying to recapture their former glory, Sonic’s caretakers have taken their hero back to his roots. From a misjudged sword-wielding Sonic on the Wii to the baffling adventures of Sonic the Werehog in 2008’s Sonic Unleashed, the poor old hedgehog stumbled and fell into something of a midlife crisis. But on the games front, even as Mario leaped and sprinted his way gracefully across decades of brilliant adventures, Sonic’s appearances since his 1990s heyday have been … mixed. The sass-spouting hedgehog has also enjoyed a new lease of life on the big screen, thanks to Hollywood blockbusters starring Idris Elba and Jim Carrey. For the first time since 1992, this month we have seen the release of a new Sonic the Hedgehog game and a new Mario game.
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