25 years later, Sonic the Hedgehog's original designer is returning for the new Sonic game

News
By published

Naoto Ohshima has created "a new character for Sonic and his friends to face"

Sonic
(Image credit: SEga)

Sonic the Hedgehog's original designer Naoto Ohshima is returning for Sonic Superstars.

Sonic Superstars was a surprise reveal at Summer Game Fest 2023, and what a pleasant surprise it was. The reveal trailer shows the series' familiar 2D side-scrolling action blended with super slick 3D graphics, and it's sure to appeal to fans both old and new. The charming new art style and adorable character models really set it apart, and long-time fans will be delighted to know that Sonic's original designer Naoto Ohshima is back on board for the latest game. 

Ohshima came up with the look for both Sonic and his archnemesis Dr. Eggman and Sonic Superstars sees him add "a new character for Sonic and his friends to face." This is the first time Ohshima has been involved with the series since Sonic Adventure, which launched in 1998. As well as this mysterious new bad guy, Sonic will be taking on Dr. Eggman, who's once again up to no good and has teamed up with Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble villain Fang the Sniper. 

This time around, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose are also playable, and you can team up and play through the entire game together in drop-in and drop-out 4-player local co-op. You'll adventure across new zones in the beautiful North Star Islands as you master new powers from the Chaos Emeralds.

Sonic Superstars will be spinning onto PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch in 'Fall 2023'. While it certainly looks very promising, it's got a tough act to follow as Steam users have declared the recent murder mystery adventure The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog the best Sega game ever made.  

Want more from the blue blur? Check out our pick of the best Sonic games of all time. 

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.