Sonic Superstars

Sonic Superstars on PC is a 2.5D side-scrolling action platformer set across the Northstar Islands. The current PC storefront name remains SONIC SUPERSTARS; there is no verified rebrand or replacement edition on Steam or Epic Games Store. SEGA publishes the game, while the project brings together Sonic Team and Arzest for a new take on classic high-speed Sonic design.

This is not a compilation or a remake of an earlier campaign. It is a standalone adventure with original Zones, four starting heroes, new Emerald Powers, local cooperative play, competitive Battle Mode, and a post-story route built around Trip the Sungazer.

Classic Sonic Movement With Four Play Styles

The main loop is familiar: choose a character, enter a Zone, search for alternate routes, collect Rings, defeat Badniks, survive hazards, and reach the end of each Act. The perspective stays in 2D side-scrolling action, but the characters, environments, effects, and set pieces use a modern 3D presentation.

Sonic is built around momentum, rolling attacks, Homing Attacks, and rapid movement through loops and springs. Tails can fly to recover from mistakes or reach higher routes, Knuckles glides and climbs walls, and Amy Rose combines a double jump with a hammer attack. Their different movement options make familiar stages play differently rather than simply changing the character model.

Each Zone is divided into multiple Acts and usually offers more than one route through its playfield. Exploration is useful because Giant Rings lead to Special Stages, while Medals and other collectibles support the wider progression systems. The campaign rewards replaying an Act with another character instead of treating every level as a single straight run.

Players who prefer the tighter retro structure of classic 2D Sonic platforming like Sonic Mania will recognize the emphasis on momentum, route knowledge, and repeat attempts, although Superstars uses larger environments and more frequent spectacle-driven gimmicks.

Chaos Emeralds Change How You Approach Acts

The most important new system is the set of Emerald Powers. Finding a Giant Ring opens a Special Stage where you pursue a Chaos Emerald. Each Emerald unlocks a different ability that can be activated during normal play, giving exploration a practical reward beyond a completion mark.

These powers can create clones, assist with vertical traversal, attack groups of enemies, or reveal ways through sections that are difficult to handle with ordinary movement. The ability wheel lets you select a power when the situation calls for it, so the Emeralds function as situational tools rather than permanent character upgrades.

Superstars also gives the campaign a stronger mastery loop than a simple point-to-point platformer. You can clear a Zone, return to search for missed routes, collect more Emeralds, experiment with another hero, or replay individual Acts for cleaner movement. The game is at its best when you treat speed as something to learn rather than something the game automatically provides.

After the main Story Mode, Trip the Sungazer becomes playable. Trip has her own movement identity, including wall-climbing abilities, and her route revisits the campaign through a more demanding character-focused challenge. Completing the relevant story and Emerald objectives also leads to additional endgame content rather than ending the experience at the first credits sequence.

Story Mode, Battle Mode, and Time Attack

Story Mode is the central campaign. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy investigate the Northstar Islands while confronting Dr. Eggman, Fang, and a new armored threat. The narrative remains lightweight and supports the platforming instead of replacing it with long dialogue scenes.

The campaign supports up to four players locally, with additional players joining the same screen as the available heroes. This is cooperative platforming rather than four separate lanes, so the camera, character abilities, and different movement speeds can create both useful rescues and messy recoveries.

Battle Mode is the online multiplayer focus. Players control customizable Metal Fighters and compete across rotating events such as Star Snatcher, Survival, Zap Scrap, and Race. The mode supports up to eight players online and includes local play, with matches structured around multiple rounds rather than a traditional Sonic campaign.

Time Attack removes the campaign’s broader progression concerns and centers on clear times for available Acts. It is the most direct option for players who want to optimize routes, practice movement, and compare records through online rankings. Boss encounters are not the purpose of this mode, making it a cleaner test of platforming speed.

PC Content, Editions, and Commercial Model

On PC, the standard purchase is the base game, while Steam also lists SONIC SUPERSTARS Digital Deluxe Edition featuring LEGO. The deluxe package combines the game with a Digital Deluxe Upgrade featuring LEGO rather than replacing the core campaign with a separate version.

The upgrade includes the LEGO Fun Pack, a digital artbook and mini original soundtrack, additional cosmetic content, a LEGO Sonic skin, and Battle Mode customization items such as a Mecha Sonic skin. Separate cosmetic additions have also appeared on the Steam product page, including character costume content.

This is a paid game with optional add-on content, not a free-to-play platformer. The extra purchases are primarily cosmetic or supplemental, so the base package contains the full Story Mode, the playable cast available through progression, Emerald Powers, local co-op, Battle Mode, and Time Attack.

Players comparing it with a more challenge-focused cooperative platformer may also want to consider two-player run-and-gun platforming such as Cuphead Deluxe Edition. The games differ sharply in combat and structure, but both make repeated attempts and local cooperation central to the experience.

Who Sonic Superstars Suits

Superstars is a strong fit for players who want a new classic-style Sonic campaign rather than an open-world adventure. It favors quick restarts, route discovery, collectible hunting, and learning character-specific movement. Families and groups with multiple controllers get a meaningful local co-op option that is integrated into the entire Story Mode.

It is less suitable for players seeking a purely competitive online platforming campaign. The online component is centered on Battle Mode, not online cooperative progression through the main Acts. Likewise, players expecting every stage to deliver uninterrupted speed may find the exploration sections, mechanical gimmicks, and boss encounters more deliberate than the marketing premise suggests.

The most demanding players will get more from the Emerald hunt, Trip’s route, and Time Attack than from a single casual campaign clear. The game is designed around replaying stages with different tools, not simply finishing each Act once and moving on.

PC Features and Localization

The Steam version supports keyboard and controller play, shared-screen co-op, shared-screen competitive play, Steam Remote Play Together, Steam Cloud, achievements, and Steam Trading Cards. It also supports cross-platform multiplayer for its online competitive features.

Steam lists Denuvo Anti-tamper as third-party DRM and requires acceptance of a third-party EULA. The game is available on PC through Steam and Epic Games Store, with no current storefront evidence of a separate PC rebrand or a renamed definitive edition.

PC interface and subtitle localization covers English, French, Italian, German, Spanish from Spain, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian. The storefront lists interface support rather than full dubbed audio for these languages.

For local play, the practical requirement is input availability: each participant needs a recognized control method, and the shared camera works best when players keep pace with one another. Remote Play Together can extend the local-style format over Steam, while Battle Mode is the dedicated choice for online competition.

Sonic Superstars FAQ

Is Sonic Superstars rebranded on PC?

No verified rebrand is currently shown on the PC storefronts checked. The game is still listed as SONIC SUPERSTARS on Steam and is also available for PC through Epic Games Store.

Does Sonic Superstars have online co-op for the story campaign?

The Story Mode supports up to four players locally, including Steam Remote Play Together for a local-style session. Online multiplayer is primarily represented by Battle Mode, which supports competitive matches for up to eight players and cross-platform play.

How do Chaos Emeralds work?

Giant Rings lead to Special Stages where you pursue Chaos Emeralds. Each Emerald unlocks an Emerald Power that can be selected during Acts to help with traversal, combat, route discovery, or special situations.

Who can you play as in Sonic Superstars?

The initial Story Mode cast is Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose, each with distinct movement abilities. Trip the Sungazer is unlocked through progression and provides a separate post-story challenge built around her own movement rules.

What is included in the Digital Deluxe Edition?

The Digital Deluxe Edition featuring LEGO includes the base game and a Digital Deluxe Upgrade with the LEGO Fun Pack, a digital artbook, a mini original soundtrack, LEGO-themed cosmetic content, and additional character or Battle Mode customization items.

Does Sonic Superstars support Time Attack?

Yes. Time Attack lets you replay Acts available through Story Mode and compete for faster clear times, with online rankings supporting the game’s speedrunning and route-optimization side.