Sega has announced Sonic Superstars - a new 2D Sonic game coming in Fall 2023 to PlayStation platforms, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

　　The new 2D classic Sonic game with a refreshing new art style was announced during today's Summer Game Fest event. "New thrills, classic feels", the announcement video mentions. Check out the official announcement trailer that debuted during the showcase below.

　　"Sonic and friends are back with an all-new look! Join Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose on an adventure that takes "classic" to another level. Team up with friends, master new powers from the Chaos Emeralds, and speed through all brand-new zones on your way to take down Dr. Eggman (and co)!"

　　2 of 9

　　Key Features:

　　2D Sonic Platforming Evolved

　　2D classic Sonic platforming has been reimagined for current-generation platforms with new zones, music, gameplay, and modern UHD visuals only possible with 3D graphics. Sonic’s movements, physics, and controls feel familiar and appeal to recent and legacy fans alike. 

　　Your Favorite Playable Characters

　　Play as fan favorites – Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose – to take on Dr. Eggman, old nemesis Fang and their nefarious schemes. Sonic designer Naoto Ohshima is also back with a new character that Sonic, and his friends will have to face.

　　Seven Emerald Powers

　　Use the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds to unlock various new abilities like creating clones of yourself, climbing waterfalls, powering up, and more!

　　Co-Op Multiplayer Gameplay 

　　Sonic Superstars offers local 4-player co-op, so fans can play solo or cooperatively with friends through the entire campaign!

　　There's supposed to be an official website for the upcoming new Sonic installment as well, but at the moment of writing, this website doesn't appear to work just yet.

　　This is an interesting approach from Sega, especially considering the amazing success that the publisher's most recent open-world Sonic entry, Sonic Frontiers, has been having. As covered earlier this year, Frontiers managed to sell over 2.9 million copies since its launch in November of 2022. Here's what we wrote about Sonic Frontiers in our launch review:

　　"One surprisingly good element of the Sonic Frontiers open-world experience is combat", we wrote last year. "This time around, Sonic can use a variety of different combat skills unlocked via a Skill Tree that grants players different options that feel rather satisfying to use. Most of these Skills can also be used in a seamless combo, which is unprecedented in a Sonic the Hedgehog game. The Skill Tree itself feels a little superfluous, considering how easy it is to obtain Skill Points, but the options it grants are great and extremely useful in various situations. Combat feels great also thanks to the good enemy design, whose unique abilities force players to put the many moves in Sonic's arsenal to good use. One Skill that I see coming back in future entries in the series is the Cyloop, which has tons of different uses both in combat and during open-world exploration. Another major highlight of the Sonic Frontiers combat experience are boss battles, which combine the game's new combat mechanics with others inspired by Shadow of the Colossus. The results are explosive, setting a new benchmark for a series known to have had some great boss fights."