Sonic Superstars is aiming to put a modern spin on the 2D roots of Sega's hedgehog mascot, as the game mixes the traditional gameplay of the classic Genesis titles with 3D models and environments. Speaking to GamesRadar, Sonic Team head and Sonic Superstars producer Takashi Iizuka discussed how the more modern graphical approach informed the design of the game and is a more "viable art style" for the long-term future of 2D Sonic games.

"We look at the pixel art--it's great--but when we think about 10-20 years in the future, we don't think it's going to be a viable art style or presentation for our players," Iizuka explained. "And in order to advance and really step things up, we did want to make sure that we're presenting something that 10-20 years down the road we're still evolving and creating new content for."

Previous Sonic games with a pixel art style reminiscent of the Genesis games have generally been better-received than their 3D counterparts, with titles like 2017's Sonic Mania and 2018's Sonic Mania Plus being some of the best-reviewed games in the franchise. While pixel art might be on its way out at Sonic Team--or potentially reserved for Sonic games where that artistic decision is better suited to a particular project--other games with a retro design are still making waves.

Square Enix's Octopath Traveler games cleverly blend pixel art with a 3D approach that enhances that blocky aesthetic, and Sea of Stars, a spiritual successor to SNES JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, just got off to a big start. In other Sonic news, Sega announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live that The Final Horizon, the last update for Sonic Frontiers, will be available on September 28. This is another free update that adds a new story, more playable characters, and extra challenges to the 3D Sonic game.