I enjoyed Sonic Superstars, but I do think I understand why the reaction to it has been so negative. Like Sonic Mania before it, Superstars presents itself as a return to the Genesis/Mega Drive days of the series. But it is NOT THAT. If anything this game is a lot more like the Master System/Game Gear/Gameboy Advance titles; namely Sonic is MUCH slower. This is not a "twitch control" game that rewards quick reflexes in the way games like Sonic Mania or the aforementioned classics do. I can see how this would be disappointing to a big chunk of the fanbase. Also if you're the kind of Sonic fan that enjoys when the games are story-heavy and filled with dialogue, literally none of that is here. But I admit I find that a bonus, I've never cared for the lore heavy elements of the games.

I found Sonic Superstars level design to be fun, albeit simple. The music and themes are derivative, but not bad at all. This game does not innovate, but I still had a fine time. The only major change in the series formula is that now each chaos emerald has practical use, like letting you turn into a flying comet or summoning an army of doppelgangers to run across the screen. I only found myself using these in boss battles, namely because I wanted to spice them up. All the bosses in the main campaign are tedious. A high challenge ceiling is one thing, but every boss is so very long and boring and repetitive. But if you spam your emerald powers (the emeralds are very easy to collect), you'll speed up the process to the point it becomes bearable.

Superstars biggest weakness is its post game. When you beat the main campaign you are rewarded with a secret character (it's a new friend, slippy the flying fish or something). But then you are presented with a second campaign that is just a retread with a few new tweaks. This game is fun, but not so fun that I wanted to play it again immediately. But even this is forgivable, except campaign two's final boss is the hardest boss battle I can recall fighting in a sonic game. And it drags like a sack of doorknobs. More than half my playtime was spent repeating it over and over. If you somehow get past that, the final boss is also no walk in the park. Still easier than the one that precedes it though.

The Sonic Fanbase has always been infamously divided and hard to please. Like Abraham Lincoln before him, Sonic the Hedgehog is many things to many people. But I think Superstars is fun, just please DO NOT waste your time with the post-game like I did. The harsh truth is Sonic the Hedgehog may have started as a video game but today it is a brand, like Mickey Mouse or Hello Kitty. I'd compare it to the Pokemon series; it too has its origins in 90s gaming but both have now branched out into movies, tv shows, toys, fruit snacks, apps, t-shirts etc. The folks in charge of the property probably equally care about the fire-retardant levels of sonic squishmallows as much as they do the quality of the games. But the franchise has sunk to MUCH deeper lows before. Things could and have been much worse. Even if Sonic will probably never completely shake his status as a pop-culture punchline, he's still relevant. Banjo and Kazooie are probably dead in a ditch somewhere.

tldr: a good game if you just play the main campaign and skip the post-game.