Sonic Superstars Developers Explain Why They’re Finally Abandoning Green Hill Zone

Over the last few years, the Sonic series has had problems with the Green Hill Zone. His level is certainly iconic, but as often as Star Wars revisits Tatooine, blue his blur is green. It seemed like we were back in the hills.

Sonic fans played levels set in the Green Hill Zone in 2011’s Sonic Generations, 2017’s Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania, and last year’s Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontier. But in Sonic Superstars — Sega’s newly announced side-scrolling Sonic game with 3D graphics and his four-player co-op — the series finally takes speed away from the classic levels we’ve seen so many times. is raising In an interview with IGN, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka said Sonic Superstars will be packed with fresh locations.

“The Green Hill Zone changed a little bit in Sonic Mania,” Iizuka said through an interpreter. “Even in Sonic Origins, we had Green Hill as part of Sonic the Hedgehog. Is to create a new island that you can explore as Sonic…I wanted to bring Sonic [the] Set in the brand new Arctic Islands, let Sonic run around in new environments. Therefore, we wanted to create a whole new place for Sonic to go with this new title. “

that’s right. Neither Green Hill nor Chemical Factory has levels like you’ve seen in any 2D Sonic game before. That being said, Sonic Superstars plans to go back to the basics of Sonic from a gameplay perspective. In Sega’s Sonic Superstars announcement, Sonic’s movements, physics and controls will be familiar to longtime fans, and Iizuka also explained how Superstars is a return to the classics. bottom.

“One of the things we wanted to do was make sure we had that classic gameplay roots really firmly. , jump, enter the ball, and attack.” “The enemy. When you’re running, you’re going through the core classic Sonic game loop: You’re running, you’re running. increase. “

But you can’t just play as Sonic. Sonic Superstars introduces four-player local co-op into the mix, with players choosing between Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose. Additional characters retain the unique action expected of the series. Tail can fly, Knuckles can glide and climb, and Amy can use her hammer.

The classic approach carries over to the story presentation of Sonic Superstars. Iizuka said the story will not include narration or large amounts of text. Instead, the story unfolds in classic Genesis fashion just by watching characters move around and interact between levels.

Of course, the biggest difference between Sonic Superstars and the 16-bit original is the graphics. Sonic Superstars uses a 3D aesthetic previously seen in classic Sonic sections of games such as Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces. But now the entire game is built around this style, which Iizuka said will open up new gameplay opportunities.

“It’s a classic Sonic game in 2D, but because it uses 3D models to create the world and characters. Things you couldn’t do before can now be done within the 2D gameplay formula. So sometimes you’ll be sending your character back further into the world, maybe even rotating it in ways the classic look and pixel art doesn’t really allow. Or maybe it’s a boss fight.There’s a lot you can do with 3D models, and even with 2D game styles and formats, you can still play a lot.Classic Genesis or Game Gear. It’s something I couldn’t do with the title of.”

Sonic Superstars is coming to PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC this fall.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over 7 years of experience in the games industry and has written byline articles for IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.