They sound intriguing on paper, such as making clones of yourself that charge across the screen to attack enemies or another that reveals hidden rings and platforms. Each emerald also grants you a new power that can be used for a limited time, which then refreshes at each checkpoint. You still have to collect seven chaos emeralds if you want to transform into Super form, though the special stages that have you chasing after the emerald by grappling and swinging after it is pretty inventive. Its newest ideas however can be hit-and-miss. One especially novel twist is actually lifted from a level in Sonic & Knuckles, as you jump on switches to cool down a menacing giant robot in the background before it fully charges an instant-kill attack. Many Sonic Superstars levels also have an interesting gimmick, whether you’re riding vines in Speed Jungle Zone or getting transformed into voxel-formed creatures in Cyber Station Zone. But there’s always a little something extra in the visuals or design that means you’re not just getting a derivative throwback.

The zones in North Star Islands feature many elements that recalls something from Sonic’s past – you’ve got a lush green zone, another where you’re underwater and need air bubbles to avoid drowning, another in a sky fortress, and of course one in a colourful casino-type carnival. Diehard fans may miss the original pixel art but these 3D visuals do a great job of emulating a lot of the classical animations, from when your character starts wobbling when standing over the edge of a platform to those pseudo-3D spinning animations that are now actually 3D. With development shared between both Sonic Team and Arzest, the latter headed up by Sonic original character designer Naoto Ohshima, characters also hark back closer to their original designs, although Amy does wield the large hammer she only got in the 3D era.

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In other words, none of the dreadful 2D physics that plagued both the digitally released Sonic the Hedgehog 4 or other 3D Sonic games that occasionally included side-scrolling sections. That is fast, but not to the point the game just plays itself, while the jumping physics have the same momentum as those classic games. From the moment you’re in control of Sonic (or his other playable pals Tails, Knuckles, and Amy), you’re instantly transported back to the familiar feel of speed and platforming from the Mega Drive era.

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