Sonic Superstars Will Carry Over Sonic Mania's Physics
When Sonic Mania released in 2017, the game was praised as a return to form for Sonic the Hedgehog. Developer Christian Whitehead faithfully replicated the formula from the Sega Genesis era, down to the physics used. Sonic fans are very particular about that, and have taken issue with the physics in other Sonic games from the last two decades, including Sonic Generations and Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Thankfully, it seems that Sonic Superstars will feature the same physics that appeared in Sonic Mania. Whitehead himself noted just that on Twitter today, replying to a fan that had shared video of the two games side-by-side.
"Will have more to say on this when it's appropriate, but the Mania physics were indeed fully translated to modern 3D," Whitehead wrote on Twitter.
Revealed at Summer Game fest last week, Sonic Superstars is a new 2D series entry being developed by Arzest. Prior to that team coming on board, there were apparently discussions with Whitehead that "fell through," as recently revealed by Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka. That probably explains Whitehead's hesitation to say more about the game. Many fans have been clamoring for a sequel to Sonic Mania since the game's release, but it seems that Sega had other plans. What that means for a future Sonic game from Whitehead is impossible to say, but hopefully fans will see more from the developer in the future.
Arzest's role as the developer on Sonic Superstars came as a surprise to a lot of people, but the studio was founded by Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima. Ohshima had previously designed levels for the original Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis, while also serving as the director on Sonic CD. Given these connections, it makes sense that the physics in Sonic Superstars are faithful to some of the character's best games. It remains to be seen whether Arzest will be able to stick the landing, but everything shown from the game so far appears pretty promising!
Are you looking forward to Sonic Superstars? Are the 2D physics important to you? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter and on Hive at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!