Unleashing Amy Rose's Ultimate Gameplay in Sonic Superstars: A Comparison to Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers

Highlights

Sonic Superstars introduces Amy Rose as a playable character in a 2D platforming game, marking her first proper 2D debut.

Amy's moveset in Sonic Superstars features an upgraded ability - a double-jump accompanied by her reliable Piko-Piko Hammer, which replaces the insta-shield used in previous games.

The notable absence of Amy's hammer in Sonic Frontiers hints at a potential enhancement in her moveset, possibly incorporating her hammer as a formidable Drop Dash attack in upcoming 3D titles.

Sonic Superstars aims to usher in a new era of Classic 2D Sonic platforming by evoking the nostalgia of the old games while introducing fresh ideas and challenges. A standout feature of Sonic Superstars is the inclusion of Amy Rose as a playable character right from the start. This marks Amy's first proper 2D debut, and it appears that the latest Sonic game is not just a one-time event, but rather a deliberate effort to normalize her presence in the series.

This year has been particularly significant for Amy Rose, as she has become playable in not just one, but technically six games in the past five months. Sonic Frontiers recently added her as a playable character in its The Final Horizon DLC, which brought a completely new conclusion to the open-world title. This followed the groundbreaking move made by Sonic Origins Plus, which fulfilled the hopes of many fans by making Amy playable in all four mainline Classic Sonic games, including her debut in Sonic CD, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last month. Given the spotlight on Amy, her gameplay experience holds great importance for numerous players.

How Sonic Superstars Improves on Amy's Sonic Origins Moveset

Amy's presence in Sonic Origins is a tease for her joining the group in Sonic Superstars. This leads to an overlap in her moveset between the two games. In Sonic Origins, Amy wields her Piko-Piko Hammer for extra protection against enemies instead of the insta-shield from Sonic 3 and Knuckles. However, in Superstars, her hammer is used during every jump, which replaces the insta-shield.

In terms of 2D moves, Amy's abilities are quite similar in both games. The difference lies in the physics engines, with Sonic Superstars having a slower start compared to Origins. Amy's use of the Drop Dash from Sonic Mania is a permanent part of her moveset in Superstars, which may make her feel like the "easy mode" in the original games. The level design in Superstars compensates for her inclusion. Despite appearing easy to play, mastering Amy's skills requires practice.

Sonic Superstars Shows Potential in Sonic Frontiers' Playable Amy

While Sonic Superstars and Sonic Frontiers offer different gameplay experiences, with Frontiers being in 3D and Superstars in 2D, there's an interesting aspect to both games' treatment of Amy that deserves analysis - the absence of her trademark hammer. In Sonic Frontiers' Cyber Space, Amy's Piko-Piko Hammer cannot be used due to an unexplained story element. However, she can utilize her Fortune Cards to significantly alter her moveset.

Considering Amy's recent inclusion as a playable character in numerous games, and Sonic Team's intention to incorporate more playable characters in future titles, it is likely that the movesets from Frontiers and Superstars will converge in the upcoming 3D installment. Her hammer could be incorporated as her Drop Dash attack, and perhaps as part of her new triple jump introduced in Frontiers, serving as a progression of her abilities bridging her Classic and Modern selves. Hopefully, Superstars foreshadows what is to come, and fans of Modern Amy won't have to wait much longer to see her wield the Piko-Piko Hammer.

Sonic Superstars is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.