The PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat is squarely focused at the console player who plays in front of a TV. Built specifically with a range of TV-gaming seating positions in mind, and with the movements in between factored in too, it’s deceptively simple and has a few neat features. 

It’s very different from a lot of the wider console gaming chair options, offering a sleek and sporty solution rather than one trying to be a totally supportive, chair complete with arms and a wide base. As a result, I initially found it to be pretty lean on what it could offer support-wise, and comfort-wise, it has grown on me. Its key feature of curved legs that encourage a bit of motion and activity, is great if you’re a fidgeter, and perfect for changing positions on the fly while mid-game.

PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat - price and availability

Widely available at retailers in the US and UK, the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat comes in either black or red and has a retail price of $229 / £219 which is a little steep - though the good news is that it is often available for far less. Considering the incredibly simple construction and design, the actual amount of 'stuff' you're getting for this price is a little concerning, however, and does impact that seat's value for money.

At this retail price, however, it sits relatively neatly among its competitors from the likes of X Rocker, Homall, and Brazen, but comes in significantly cheaper than the likes of Respawn’s RSP-900. However, similar price or not, the PlaySeat Puma Active seat chair offers a totally different experience from the majority of offerings from those brands, which tend to produce more traditional chair-form seats.

PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat - assembly and construction

The PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat requires some construction after being delivered in a slim box, but the process is incredibly easy and intuitive. The frame of the chair is constructed with solid metal pipes that connect and lock into each other securely, while the one-piece fabric-and-cushion seat is stretched over said frame and secured with velcro. It’s a simple process that can be achieved in about 15 minutes, if that, and is laid out with a few simple illustration-led instructions. It really is no more demanding than that.

The velcro holding it all together does make that tell-tale stretching sound soon after affixing it all, but it does hold and ensure confidence can be had in the structural stability of the chair. However, given its very simple design and economy of materials, a price tag of north of $200 / £200 does raise the eyebrow somewhat too.

PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat - design and features

That simple build process relates directly to the overall simple design and feature set that the chair offers as there are very few moving parts or, well, parts to it. The only additional part is the C-shaped headrest which slots on the top of the chair when constructed. There are also a few pockets across the chair, one larger one on the front (in practice, between your legs) that’s large enough for a gamepad and remotes, perhaps, and one on either side toward the rear of the ‘legs’ which neatly house something like a bottle of drink. 

However, the chair’s most distinct feature is more what the chair does rather than what it has. That is to say, the design on its bottom is the most obvious feature as it facilitates multiple different positions as opposed to being a static base of a chair. With curved legs running the length of the chair, book-ended with rubber feet, you can rock to a few positions neatly, while ensuring that each position is secure and well-balanced. 

PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat - performance

The fabric and padding stretched over the frame feel a little odd to sit on in the very first instance, but you soon find comfort and support - and very soon forget you’re sitting on a chair held together by velcro. However, it is worth noting how rather slim and narrow the seat is and the lack of width will irk some, and with no arms present either, you’ll have to adjust your seating to compensate. What that often looked like, for me, was adjusting to having my arms down and using a gamepad on my stomach almost, or just preferring to sit forward so my arms could rest on my knees. 

The positions it’s designed for are the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat’s greatest strengths - which sounds a little strange but bear with me. The positions where you’re fully utilizing the chair’s USP - the rocking legs and laid-back seat arrangement - are its best. From sitting forward in tense encounters in Back 4 Blood with my friends online to lying back and enjoying a cutscene or general traversal in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat was a comfy, chilled, and relaxing place to enjoy games. It reacts well to any shifts and changes in position, and the ability to smoothly change between them with easy weight shifts and rocks on the curved legs is a big plus. 

The only weak position is - strange as it is for a chair - a ‘normal’ sitting position with an upright back. You can sit on the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat ‘normally’ like this, but it does nothing to support you so you might as well be sitting on a stool - it just won’t support you in that position, so if you’re at all concerned about having back support for a console gaming chair then this might not be the best option.

Another factor in this is that it’s not quite perfect for taller people. I’m about six-foot-three, and in the reclined position didn’t have as much head support as I’d like - unless I scooted down the seat which then ended up with me basically lying down. However, over time, I’ve certainly grown used to the chair despite the slight downsides - even visitors have taken a shine to it.

The console gaming chair market isn’t a crowded one so the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat is a welcome option. And ‘option’ it is, because it offers something different compared to that of other brands who focus on traditional pedestal-based chairs, complete with arms, and so on. It does lack in terms of back support and isn’t really ideal for taller folks. But the support for a range of positions, lightweight and sturdy design, and its slick look are all to its merit and mean it’s worthy of serious consideration.

Should I buy the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat?

Buy it if...

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How we reviewed the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming seat

I used the PlaySeat Puma Active gaming chair almost every day for a couple of weeks, testing out its full range of seating positions while playing a number of different games. From more cinematic adventures like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, active chases and missions in Assassin’s Creed Mirage to playing with my friends online in Back 4 Blood, and also watching TV, I utilized all the chair could offer. I even tried using the pockets too. Lastly, I was able to AB test it against a Brazen Emperor console gaming chair that I also own to compare comfort build quality, and chair type. 

If you’re looking for other console gaming accessories, then check out our guides to the best PS5 headsets, best Xbox Series X headsets, and best Xbox controllers.

Wizard with a Gun from Galvanic Games presents a sandbox survival game that places you in the midst of chaos. As one of the remaining gunslingers, a cowboy-style character who relies on a magically enhanced firearm, you’re responsible for traversing its extensive maps, facing up against its cults of reprobates, handling its irritable creatures, and rewinding time to try and piece together the fragmented events leading to the end of the world. It’s a tense, high-stakes slice of action spelled out through a simple narrative, and while it’s got the potential to host an incredibly captivating story, it also has numerous flaws that let the experience down. 

The general objective of Wizard with a Gun revolves around collecting gears within each map you visit. There are 56 gears in total, spanning a variety of biomes and hidden among an array of challenges, and they are your key to repairing the shattered world. While some gears are left lying on the ground, others are being held captive by intimidating enemies, and it's your job to collect them all to repair time. This, paired with the requirement to take down the guardian of each biome, is the backbone of your adventure, but there are several challenges between these to keep you entertained and engaged within its chaotic landscape. 

At the very beginning, you are welcomed to your home base, The Tower. You’ll set up camp here, returning to this location between expeditions and repairing its surrounding doorways the further you delve into the game. You get to place workstations and customize your space as you go, although, you can’t rotate objects and everything has to face the same way - which really bugged me. It will make your life slightly more convenient though, and when you’re ready, you’re free to turn back time and slip through a doorway - which is where the real fun begins. 

Everything by the book 

As you begin your adventure into repairing the world that has swiftly descended into chaos, you’re given a book that becomes an encyclopedia of sorts which talks you through every enemy, NPC, and general object you encounter during your adventure. As you run around, you’ll need to scan pretty much everything marked with a little book icon. This initially seems like a pretty irrelevant task unless you are desperate to deepen your understanding of the game's creatures and buildings, but as you progress, it becomes clearer that this is essential to your progression and your gateway to unlocking stronger weapons, and enchantments for your armor to help give you little buffs like health restoration as you run around. 

Each biome is chock full of things to scan and explore when you begin. With the maps you visit being random each time, you never really know where you’ll end up which does keep things exciting, but becomes a little more challenging as time passes. At first, you have access to a single doorway, so you’ll only spawn in one general area of The Imperium (the first area you aim to repair) but you’re free to explore wherever your feet take you once you’re through. 

When you enter a doorway you have five minutes to run around and do as much as you can before the world begins to end, and given how large some of these maps are - five minutes simply isn’t long enough. Fortunately, you can gain some time by facing off with chaos rifts and dormant rifts across the map, but there’s no saying when or where these will spawn, and, more often than not, you will find yourself desperately sprinting back to your doorway in the hopes of not running out of health and losing all of your stuff.

The clock is ticking 

This is why it’s essential to prep and plan your expeditions before heading out. If you die during an expedition, even if you’re carrying items from the previous, you will lose everything. You’ll want to store any high-value items in chests within the tower otherwise you will be kicking yourself if you perform a poorly-timed dodge and roll into an enemy attack instead of away (trust me, I learned that the hard way.) 

But, for a game that requires a lot of planning rather than jumping into action with both feet, it can feel incredibly challenging to plan at all as you get started. With each map being a different size with enemies in different places, it can be hard to concoct a strategy for the challenge ahead, and because of this, it starts to feel more frustrating than it does fun. This is especially true once you progress through certain areas and die to bosses because your weapons simply aren’t strong enough.

Most expeditions you embark on as you begin will be spent collecting resources to craft workstations in the tower just to ensure you have enough ammo or healing potions. I found this drastically strips away the fun factor of the game. Things get a little easier once you’ve taken down the first boss and new biomes start to open up, but it definitely takes a while to settle back into the combat side of the game once you’ve poured so much time exclusively into crafting. 

A whole new world 

Fortunately, once you are settled into the combat side of things and you have an efficient workstation back at the tower, you can experience exactly what Wizard with a Gun is about - a wizard with a gun. At first, you’ll be paired with a pretty lackluster wooden pistol capable of firing simple bullets that cause just enough damage to take down low-level enemies. But, as you progress through each map, face new enemies, and explore new biomes, you will be able to find a bounty of resources and weapons to help you on your adventure. 

Taking down more challenging enemies, such as fellow gunslingers, offers the potential to pick up more powerful weapons that, although rugged, will help you massively when it comes to facing more powerful enemies further down the line. These weapons usually come equipped with better bullets with magical enhancements, such as poison tips or fire, which are far more powerful than the ones you start out with. This makes it all the more important that you engage in combat with these enemies, rather than toeing around their camps in fear of once again losing your bounty. 

The more you explore and scan, the easier it becomes to craft your own stronger ammo and use powders to buff your hits with things like homing skills, and you’ll be able to purchase stronger guns from Young Joshua, the NPC found around each map that is happy to meet your weaponry needs. Compared to your opponents, these weapons match up nicely to ensure you aren’t too overpowered and the game becomes easy, but they aren’t too underpowered to make you feel entirely helpless.

Before you know it you’ll be facing off against the larger-than-life bosses that guard the gateway to the next biome, or finding the final gear to help repair the timeline and return the Shatter to the way it once was.  

So while Wizard with a Gun does have its flaws, it is still a game worth exploring if you’re prepared for a lot of back and forth. There’s a heavy reliance on its crafting system for a game that initially seems combat-oriented, but it’s (occasionally unevenly) balanced out with the required preparation between expeditions. This is frustrating at times, especially when you’re stripped of all your belongings because you wandered into an enemy camp without realizing it, but it pays off in the feeling of success once you’re gathering the loot from a boss and returning yet another gear to the wheel of time. 

Accessibility settings  

Unfortunately, there aren’t any accessibility settings within Wizard With a Gun. You can change the language, and adjust the key bindings and audio levels, but that’s about it. There’s a lot of text to digest as you read through books and interact with characters, alongside a lot of color-coded icons and logos on the screen, so it’s a shame that there are no settings to alter text size for those who may need to. It’s definitely a bit disappointing.  

How we reviewed Wizard with a Gun 

I played Wizard with a Gun for around 25 hours on PC with mouse and keyboard, which gave me enough time to explore each biome, find each gunslinger, and face off with the majority of the bosses each biome has tucked away. Although there are still some gears for me to go back in and collect 25-30 hours is more than enough time to take you through the vast majority of the game.  

It's worth looking at the best indie games if you're searching to bolster your gaming library with more hidden gems. We've also got a list of the best co-op games in case you want a title to share. 

The first thing you’ll notice about Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the speed. Whether you’re throwing down with an alley full of arsonist thugs or pirouetting between skyscrapers, Spider-Man 2 is at its best when you’re moving fast. 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 won me over immediately because you don’t lose any of the abilities that you pick up during the games that came before it (or at least, I didn’t immediately notice anything missing). As a result, if you’re familiar with getting around New York City in Marvel’s Spider-Man or the standalone Miles Morales adventure, you’ll immediately feel right at home. Many of the new traversal abilities just add to your existing toolkit for getting around, and going places is so much fun that it will keep you entertained through several of the game’s more rote fetch quests.

The best of these additions are the web wings; ridiculous armpit-mounted wings that allow you to glide around the expanded open world like some kind of flying spider-squirrel. You can fit glides in amongst the swinging and web-zipping to get little boosts of speed, but these moves are also an effective way to get around when the nearby buildings are low to the ground - essential now that you can cross the river from Manhattan and venture out into other boroughs. 

It takes two

Combat is, similarly, fast-paced and frenetic. Most fights will involve you bouncing between enemies to knock them up into the air, or slithering between their legs as you pinball around dishing out violence in every possible direction. You have a fair bit of control, but really you’re just gently suggesting how the fight goes. It isn’t precise, but it’s a lot of fun. Gadgets offer some valuable firepower and can change the make-up of a fight as they get more powerful.

The two different Spider-Men - I'm bitterly disappointed that Insomniac didn’t follow the Aliens naming convention and call this game ‘Marvel’s Spider-Mans’ by the way - feel completely different too. Miles Morales has bio-electric powers and the ability to turn invisible for a while and starts off feeling somewhat stronger, but Peter Parker quickly gets a variety of new symbiote-infused abilities that make him much more powerful in combat. You can switch between them at any point with the press of just a couple of buttons, but the story makes you spend a lot of time with each. 

In the first two-thirds of the game, you’re mostly fighting goons, whether they’re the villain Kraven’s hunters or regular street criminals. Fights are challenging and interesting against all these foes. Later on, you’ll throw down against symbiote enemies and that’s when things start to come apart a little bit. The symbiote enemies have the same sort of mobility as you and are durable. Fighting against them is often exhausting, and there are so many enemies attacking you during later fights that it just drains your energy. 

Still, the strong story kept me going even as my enthusiasm waned. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 tells an authentic comic book saga with a lot of moving parts and complicated characters throughout its runtime. Threats also come and go frequently. You don’t see Venom, the game’s headline villain, until nearly two-thirds of the way through, but you’ll feel his influence throughout as you see the symbiote’s impact. 

A subtle change

Something really interesting is the way Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 keeps you playing as Peter Parker even as the symbiote starts to affect him negatively. Parker goes from the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to an angry anti-hero while under your control and, while he doesn’t notice the change, you’ll feel it in the way he fights, and the way the quips he delivers aren’t so much barbed as delivered with the force of a sledgehammer. By letting you play through this, the game delivers something I’ve not really seen before, building up this gargantuan threat so that when it comes time to deal with the symbiote once and for all, you’ve already bought in. 

That story is paired with a tremendous sense of spectacle. From the opening of the game, where you fight a skyscraper-sized Sandman, to its climactic final fights, the action rarely lets up. A late-game section where you control Mary Jane as it switches to a third-person shooter while she blasts symbiotes is so ridiculous that I laughed out loud in derision, but the game hits more of these big ideas than it misses. It’s probably the first media that’s made me actually care about Kraven the Hunter, too. 

There’s a lot of fan service here too, whether that’s in introducing new characters from the comic universe or just letting you do something cool that you’ve always wanted to do. I don’t want to spoil any of these in the review, but as a Spidey fan, I saw plenty that made me grin. 

As a first-party title for the PlayStation 5, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 makes use of a lot of the proprietary features on the DualSense controller. This could involve listening to podcasts through the speaker on the controller, squeezing the triggers the right amount to hack a computer system, or shaking the pad to refill a paint tin. It’s fine, but it all feels like a bit of a sideshow to me.

Always something to collect

There’s a great collection of suits for both Peter and Miles and special suit abilities are no longer tied to them, so it’s mostly just about making sure your Spider-Men look tip-top. Instead, you’ll invest a multitude of collectible currencies into your suit technology, which buffs you in a lot of different ways no matter what you’re wearing. There are too many currencies in the game, though, to the point where it’s almost dizzying trying to keep track of them all. However, if you keep up a balanced diet of hitting icons on Spider-Man 2’s map, you’ll usually have enough to get what you want at any time. 

I reviewed Marvel’s Spider-Man when it came out and found that it overstayed its welcome somewhat. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has the same problem, but it should be given credit for being a sequel that easily justifies its existence by doing something interesting with the familiar. I like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a lot more than its predecessors, and I think it’s a game with real heart. A poorly paced first act and a disappointing finale scupper the chances of this being one of Sony’s all-time greats, but it’s an absolute blast nonetheless.   

Accessibility features 

There’s a heap of accessibility features in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, with an astounding amount of options for customizing the way the game actually plays. 

There are some robust presets that are aimed at those with different needs when it comes to vision, sound, motor controls, and even motion sensitivity. These will flick several different options on as presets. 

These options and several more are available to help with requirements and the options are vast. Toggle switches allow you to reduce the game speed, make chases easier, simplify puzzles, or even make melee attacks and dodges triggered by holding the button rather than tapping it repeatedly. This feels like the gold standard. Hopefully other studios take note. 

How we reviewed 

I played roughly 50 hours of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and completed the main story and most of the side objectives, before hoovering up a few collectibles. The in-game progression tracker puts me at 86 percent complete. 

I played the game mostly with a PS5 DualSense Edge controller, but it actually made the game more difficult as several mini-games require tight trigger control, which I found tricky because of the Edge's hair-trigger settings.

For more  like this, we've got a list of the best superhero games that will put you into the shoes of more fan favorites. 

Developer Milestone is best known for their sim racers, a pedigree that is most apparent in Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged’s stunning commitment to visual realism. Any one of the game’s 130 odd miniature vehicles could have been plucked right out of nostalgic memories of my very own childhood playsets and being able to marvel at their life-like materials and visible manufacturing seams (complete with miniscule scratches) makes unlocking and experimenting with each successive car feel like the very best kind of wish fulfillment.

The same can be said of Turbocharged’s track editor, which presents a deep and varied toolset perfect for creating the plastic race course of your dreams. Both of these elements were equally impressive in the first game, however, and this sequel’s biggest shortcoming is how little it adds to the overall formula. There’s not much here that we haven’t seen before and, worse still, headlining new additions like the story campaign are extremely disappointing.

Don’t get me wrong, with such strong foundations there’s still a perfectly enjoyable experience here, especially if you harbor any nostalgia for the Hot Wheels brand, but it is a missed opportunity for more innovation.

Matchbox magic

On top of the realistic visuals, an obvious hallmark of Milestone’s heritage is this title’s meaty vehicle handling. Racing around tracks in Turbocharged requires quite a high level of concentration, far more than you might initially expect from a Hot Wheels game. Careful deceleration around tight corners is essential so as not to fly off the course and any small mistakes are harshly punished. This was also the case in the first game, which lent many of the more conventional track designs a somewhat lifeless feel, but there have thankfully been a few small tweaks to make things more exciting this time around.

The addition of a jump button is a definite step forward, allowing you to sacrifice some of your boost meter for a quick burst of upwards momentum. This opens the door to more engaging and memorable track layouts that contain a barrage of new hazards like small barriers or sudden gaps. The ability to hop on to low surfaces also allows for more off-road exploration, a joy given that the maps all take place in highly-detailed everyday environments ranging from a lush garden to a neon-lit arcade.

Although there are plenty of alternate track layouts available for each of the 5 environments, having so few different environments is undeniably disappointing. Given the similarity of the two titles, the decision not to carry forward any of the 8 locales from the first game (even if their use were solely restricted to the custom track builder) is a real let down. 

Several new race types have been added but they’re also a mixed bag. The likes of elimination races, which have you trying to survive as the racers in the final positions are picked off one by one, or waypoint mode, in which you try to reach set checkpoints in the shortest time, are certainly welcome inclusions that help introduce more variety but struggle to feel novel when they’ve appeared in countless other racers.

Toy box

There has also been a handful of new additions to the garage alongside a huge number of returning vehicles. The most significant of these are the  two new vehicle types: motorbikes and off-road buggies. Aside from the occasional wheelie when you’re nitro boosting on a bike, however, these two types both handle extremely similarly to the existing cars and therefore offer very little beyond the obvious surface-level visual differences.

Despite this disappointment, this is still a decent roster thanks to a good mix of original Hot Wheels creations, licensed miniature renditions of real-world cars, and favorites ripped straight from the silver screen. Seriously, if you’ve ever wanted the chance to drive around as a pocket-sized replica of James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin or a tiny plastic Snoopy sat on top of his kennel, this is the racer for you.

Even the returning cars now benefit from smartly balanced skill trees, which allow you to further tweak their performance to your liking. Very few of these perks are direct upgrades, instead granting minor buffs to stats like boost gain at the expense of others such as overall speed. The advantages you can achieve here are very small, but accumulating and spending skill points adds one more satisfying layer to progression.

Not so hot

Unfortunately, one of Turbocharged’s biggest additions has the honor of being by far its most disappointing. The story campaign, while a serviceable introduction to each of the major modes, is merely a string of simple races on a basic overworld map punctuated by unbelievably bad cutscenes. The intention in these cutscenes appears to have been to give the impression of a cheesy Saturday morning cartoon, but poor voice acting and incredibly cheap animation leave it seeming more like some kind of weird Golden Raspberry-worthy PowerPoint presentation. 

The story is almost nonexistent to boot and what’s there becomes hard to follow thanks to its bizarrely stilted pacing. Perhaps the only consolation is that the events of the cutscenes are so utterly disconnected from the action of each individual race that you risk missing nothing by skipping them entirely.

Thankfully, the expansive track editor still shines and most of your mileage is instead going to be found downloading community tracks or creating your own to share online. There might not be many reasons for owners of the first game to consider an upgrade given the similarity of both track editors, but, with a range of highly customisable preset pieces and almost limitless freedom to line each map with orange plastic track, this is one toy box that new players aren't going to be bored of any time soon.

On the whole, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged is an underwhelming sequel elevated by the sheer strength of its predecessor. New players will appreciate its superb visuals and excellent track builder, but the poor story mode and lack of real innovation is unlikely to enamour returning fans.

Accessibility

There are a handful of accessibility options in Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged. Cutscene subtitles are enabled by default and there are also a range of tools to assist your driving. This includes the ability to reduce the speed of races by up to 60% and set actions like steering and jumping to be performed automatically. It is worth noting, however, that many of these assist options can only be used in offline races on stock tracks.

How we reviewed Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged

I played 15 hours of Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged on PC where I was able to complete a fair chunk of the story campaign. I also spent some time experimenting with the track builder and livery editor, meticulously crafting a neon purple TechRadar Gaming themed replica Audi Sport Quattro.

Although I initially started playing with my keyboard and mouse, I found these controls to be unwieldy so soon swapped to an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. If you’re going to be playing on PC, consider grabbing something from our list of best PC controllers.

For other racing game recommendations, visit our list of the best Xbox Series X racing games. Also see how its predecessor might just be the best racer on Game Pass that you’ve never played.

Sonic Superstars brings side-scrolling action back to the series after a six-year hiatus, yet developers Arzest and Sonic Team have ensured the 2D formula hasn’t lost a shred of speed. Existing series fans can rest assured that they’re getting another quality entry in the Classic Sonic run. And if you’re a newcomer, you’ll find the game’s sense of high speed, tight level design, and support for local co-op play to be uniquely fun amongst today’s platformers.

Superstars is a looker, too, opting for a fully 3D visual style that, while lacking some of the charm of its predecessors’ sprite-based graphics, is nonetheless delightful in its own right, thanks to colorful presentation and strong art direction. Each new zone is instantly distinct and visually striking, and that 3D look helps new mechanics that involve foreground and background layers easily readable.

Chuck in a return to Mega Drive-era physics and momentum to keep longtime Sonic heads happy, several playable characters and plenty of goodies to unlock, and Sonic Superstars feels like a marriage of old and new that’ll introduce a new generation of players to the series, and not just cater to existing fans. 

The need for speed

If you’re familiar with Sonic’s initial run of 2D games, one of the first things you’ll pick up about Sonic Superstars is that it’s managed to successfully replicate the feeling of movement from the originals. Sonic (or Tails, Knuckles, and Amy if you’re playing as them) has significant build-up when it comes to acceleration. And when decelerating, he’ll gradually slow down instead of just stopping on a dime. You can use this speed variation to your advantage when it comes to making precise jumps, as having more intricate control over Sonic means you’ll get a feel for just how much speed you’ll need when approaching certain sections.

One of the best things about Sonic Superstars is that every zone affords the opportunity to go all-out in terms of speed. One problem older 2D entries in the series had was that some levels just aren’t built for going fast at all (looking at you, Marble Zone and Sandopolis) and suffered from no shortage of plodding sections that actively discourage going fast. 

That’s not the case here, as every level strikes a pleasing balance of speedy sections and carefully-paced platforming. It was rare that I came across a stage that didn’t allow me to outrun the screen at least once, with Sonic and friends disappearing off to the right as the stage zipped past in a blur.

That tight balance of speed versus platforming doesn’t mean that the game’s stages are one-note, though. Speed Jungle, for example, gave me Sonic Rush vibes with its high-speed grinding on vines. Later on, Golden Capital provides opportunities to earn an abundance of rings by completing small-scale puzzles and challenges. It’s one of the most diverse rosters of zones we’ve seen from a 2D Sonic title yet, in terms of both visuals and stage-specific gimmicks.

You might not see everything these stages have to offer on your first playthrough, though, especially if this is your first Sonic game. That’s because Sonic Superstars continues the optional objective of collecting seven Chaos Emeralds to access its true ending. The key incentive here, though, is that each Emerald collected adds an ability, including actions like summoning clones to damage enemies and bosses or enabling you to swim up waterfalls. 

This is a marvelous change that encourages replayability, and it makes going back to old Zones via the world map to discover more, helped by these Emerald abilities, a joy. However, collecting the Emeralds isn’t easy, as you’ll need to clear deviously well-hidden special stages in each level. You’re able to head back to prior stages whenever you like, though, so the incentive to explore is always there. The lack of a life system, thankfully, means you’re not risking progress if you die, beyond respawning at the last checkpoint you passed.

Things unfortunately tend to fall apart at the end of each stage, as you’ll be put up against bosses that will test not just your skills but your patience too. Most bosses are remarkably similar in design, requiring you to wait out a series of attacks before you get a window to strike. Some fights later in the game can bog you down for a long while, making it all the more infuriating if you die right before landing the last hit needed to kill off a tough boss.

What doesn’t help is that the boss music throughout the game isn't particularly strong, which can also be said for the majority of Sonic Superstars’ soundtrack. There are some standouts regarding the latter though, such as Speed Jungle’s Mania-esque beats, or Pinball Carnival’s overt funk that’s reminiscent of Sonic 3’s New Jack Swing motif. Most tracks, though, try to emulate the Mega Drive’s soundchip. Sometimes it works, but mostly it falls flat, providing a grating, unappealing sound. 

A little help from my friends

When it comes to Sonic Superstars’ multiple, and joyous, playable characters, I’d argue that they are more interesting to play as than the hog himself. Every character has their own quirk that changes how the game will play, too. As in prior 2D titles, Tails is able to fly for a short duration, making him perfect for beginners who want to take stages at a slower pace. Knuckles can glide in a straight line and climb up vertical surfaces; he’s excellent for players who really want to take their time exploring the nooks and crannies of any given stage. Amy is really fun, too, possessing the ability to double jump and swipe at enemies with her hammer.

Co-op play for up to four players is supported here, too, allowing you to explore stages with your friends locally. Sadly, though, there’s no option for online play, so it’s a feature that some players likely won’t get to enjoy. Hopefully, this is something that can be added in via a post-launch update.

Each character also has stages exclusive to them, tailor-made for their style of movement and abilities. What’s even better is that, no matter who you’re playing as, you’re able to switch to a different character to play their version of a stage as and when the opportunity arises. For example, clearing Act 1 of Lagoon City Zone as Sonic then presented the choice to either move on to Act 2, or to give the Amy-exclusive level a try. This is entirely optional, but it was nice to be presented with the choice, which adds a little variety to each playthrough.

Overall, Sonic Superstars succeeds in putting that classic 2D Sonic style back on the map, while feeling largely fresh and offering up several of its own unique ideas. There are some blemishes, mostly the subpar boss fights, inconsistent soundtrack, and a bizarre lack of online co-op play. Still, regardless of whether you’re a Sonic fan or not, there’s a fantastic 2D platformer here perfect for solo or local couch play with friends. 

Accessibility

There’s no accessibility options to speak of in Sonic Superstars. The game’s controls are very simple, but given its high speed and frequent requirement for quick reaction times, some on-screen assists would’ve been welcome for those who may need them. Certain things, like options for motion and screen shake reduction, as well as colorblind filters,would have gone a long way to make the game more accessible for a bigger audience, too. 

How we reviewed Sonic Superstars

I played Sonic Superstars on PS5 to completion as Sonic, exploring each stage almost fully and collecting all Chaos Emeralds along the way. This complete playthrough took roughly six hours to complete, and involved revisiting previous stages to ensure all Emeralds were collected. I also went back and played through a handful of Zones as Knuckles, Tails, and Amy, bringing my playtime for review up to a total of 10 hours. 

Sonic Superstars manages to land itself in our best Sonic games list. Consider giving it a browse if you’re new to the series and looking for more of the hedgehog’s best adventures, including Sonic Frontiers.