Sonic Superstars Occurs After Sonic Mania and Before Sonic Adventure, Says Takashi Iizuka

In an interview with the outlet Eurogamer, Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka revealed that the newest entry in the Sonic franchise, Sonic Superstars, occurs after Sonic Mania and before Sonic Adventure.

Iizuka then emphasized that whenever the team makes a new title, they ensure that the new narrative fits into the established lore.

You can view the quoted question and response below:

You’ve previously discussed a Sonic timeline for the games and Sega has a Sonic lore team. Where does Sonic Superstars sit on the timeline? How does it connect to other games in the series?

Iizuka: The Classic series began with Sonic 1 in 1991, and Sonic Adventure marked the switch to the Modern series in 1998. So in terms of the Sonic timeline, Sonic Superstars occurs after Sonic Mania and before Sonic Adventure. Whenever we develop a new game, we always make sure the story fits with the lore.

You can view Eurogamer’s full interview for additional comments.

Sonic Superstars is a brand-new 2D adventure featuring Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, taking place on the North Star Islands. New gameplay features include the Emerald Powers when Chaos Emeralds are acquired, such as enabling the ability to create clones or climb waterfalls.

Further, the visuals have received a notable upgrade, and Fang the Sniper from older Sonic the Hedgehog comics and video games, such as Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, will appear as an antagonist in Sonic Superstars.

Classic Sonic the Hedgehog designer Naoto Oshima has returned with a brand new villain. Fans can also anticipate “movements, physics, and controls feel familiar and appeal to recent and legacy fans alike.” Local four-player co-op will be available throughout the entire story, too.

An official free prequel comic, Fang’s Big Break, is available, and YouTuber Cybershell did a collab video with Sega discussing the history of Fang’s character.

In case you missed it, check out our review.

Sonic Superstars is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.