Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Sonic Superstars have a lot in common. Both feature 2D gameplay that veers close to the original vision for the franchise. Both offer co-op and competitive multiplayer options. Both deliver modernized visuals. And both give players new gameplay concepts and abilities that expand the original franchise vision in unprecedented ways. However, perhaps the most shocking thing these two games have in common is when they release.
In the 1990s, Sonic the Hedgehog was the sole series able to briefly challenge Mario’s claim to the platforming throne, and next week may prove the series’ fates are forever intertwined. Sonic Superstars arrives on all consoles (including Switch) on October 17, just days before Super Mario Bros. Wonder lands exclusively on Switch on October 20.
“I think it’s an interesting coincidence,” Super Mario Bros. Wonder producer Takashi Tezuka says. “We’ve been creating 2D action games for a long time and we, of course, want as many players as possible to enjoy those games. We’re looking forward to as many people as possible having the opportunity to play these 2D side-scrolling games, Mario and otherwise.”
Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka, who serves as producer for Sonic Superstars, shares a similar sentiment. “It has been a long time since Mario and Sonic released a completely new 2D platform game, but I feel something fateful about the fact that they are coming out in the same week,” he says. “People say that Mario and Sonic are similar, but each has different fun elements. I hope you will play both games this year and experience the difference in enjoyment.”
It has been 11 years since the last all-new 2D Mario platformer launched on home consoles through New Super Mario Bros. U, while the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise released its last 2D game, Sonic Mania, 6 years ago in 2017. Prior to that, however, the last all-new 2D Sonic platformer on consoles was Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, which arrived 11 years ago in 2012.
Whichever game you’re more excited about, we’ve been impressed with our hands-on time with both titles. Despite all the aforementioned similarities, each brings its own unique gameplay and visual style, and each retains the core elements that have crafted the respective franchise over the last three to four decades. With this one-two combination of promising 2D platformers about to launch, fans of 2D platformers are poised to have an exciting stretch.
Sonic Superstars arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on October 17 (you can read our review in progress here). Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches exclusively on Switch on October 20. Another similarity between the two titles is they both landed on the cover of Game Informer in 2023.
You can head here for all our exclusive Super Mario Bros. Wonder coverage (or click the banner below). You can head here for our exclusive coverage hub of Sonic Superstars. And, of course, keep your eyes open in the coming days for our reviews of both of these highly anticipated titles. For more on the intertwined fates of Mario and Sonic, head here to learn from Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Iizuka, and more about how Sonic made the leap to Nintendo consoles, and how Mario and Sonic came together in the same game for the first time.