Highlights
- Sonic Superstars delivers on its promise of a fun 2D Sonic experience, despite initial concerns of nostalgia repackaging.
- Golden Capital Zone in Sonic Superstars is a clever nod to Sonic's history, using a scrapped concept from the original game.
- The inclusion of Golden Capital Zone shows the evolution of the concept and serves as a homage to the series' past while offering something new.
When it comes to Sonic Superstars, while many people enjoyed the idea of yet another Classic Sonic game being released, some fans understandably had reservations. As Superstars aimed to deliver the same 2D experience in a whole new way, many were concerned that it would be a case of nostalgia being repackaged and sold to them. Luckily, the newest release delivers on many of its promises, albeit with a few bumps in terms of boss difficulty and lackluster execution in some areas such as the Chaos Emerald powers.
Not only has it presented a fun 2D Sonic experience, but against the worries of pandering to nostalgia, Arzest has managed to fit something into the game that serves as a great Easter egg for Sonic series experts. While Golden Capital Zone may not be some players' favorite stage, Sonic Superstars has actually managed to use a scrapped concept dating back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog game.
How Golden Capital Zone in Sonic Superstars Uses an Old Sonic 1 Concept
When players get to Golden Capital Zone, it may seem rather unassuming at first in terms of design. Fans may not pay attention to it much, too busy focused on the poles that make Sonic and friends spin, the pinball bumpers, and the generous amount of rings players can earn that are scattered around the three zones the level offers.
However, dedicated Sonic fans may understand exactly what Golden Capital Zone is meant to be once they run into two loop-de-loops that sit right next to each other, as it may look familiar. These structures are ripped straight from abandoned concept art for the first stage of Sonic 1, which was thrown out and replaced with Green Hill Zone.
How Sonic Superstars' Golden Capital Zone Brings the Series Full Circle
After recognizing the zone in question, it may make fans curious as to why one scrapped design was used later, and the answer may be very simple at the end of the day. Just as Sonic loyalists could likely recognize the zone with ease, they may also understand why it's in the game just from looking at the concept art itself. With the way its drawn, it's clear that the creator of the concept art is Naoto Ohshima, the character designer of Sonic and Dr. Eggman themselves.
Through Arzest, after leaving Sonic Team after Sonic Adventure, Ohshima was once again part of a 2D Sonic game in Sonic Superstars as the character designer and development producer. During his role as development producer, Ohshima likely decided that he still liked the concept of the metallic, gold-plated stage that he designed years earlier, opting to include it with the current Sonic Team's approval.
It's rather interesting to see that after Ohshima and Yuji Naka, the other Sonic Team member known widely for helping create Sonic, worked together as part of Arzest to create Balan Wonderworld, Ohshima would be the one to return to Sonic Superstars and bring back an unused concept from their previous work decades later. It serves as a perfect homage to Sonic's history as the original Golden Capital Zone didn't make it past the concept stage.
Even the best-selling Sonic Mania has been criticized for including an old zone every other stage, so bringing back an zone unused even in beta versions of the original Genesis title is a clever nod to what came before while offering something entirely new. If one looks at the version found in Sonic Superstars rather closely, it shows how the idea has evolved since its original concept stage. It was likely re-tooled for more intermediate platforming as well considering fans encounter the stage as the eighth zone in Superstars, rather than its original place as the stage before Green Hill Zone.
Sonic Superstars is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
