Sonic Superstars includes a clever throwback to a classic Sega arcade shooter

Imagine my surprise when I reached a later stage in the newest Sonic adventure and got hit by a wave of familiarity. What I first thought was sleep deprivation was actually a cool throwback to a classic Sega arcade shooter nestled deep into Sonic Superstars.

Sega is certainly no stranger to wafting in self-nostalgia. After all, it has been shoving its old-school arcade roms into games since the days of Shenmue. Remember Space Harrier? Sega will never let you forget.

The trend has continued for decades, and that’s the only reason I knew what I played was something I’ve experienced a few times before. No, it’s not Space Harrier (enough with Space Harrier!), but if you’ve played Yakuza or Judgment recently, you should recognize it too.

Sonic Superstars contains an homage to Fantasy Zone, an old-school arcade shooter

While playing Sonic Superstars, you no doubt noticed when it suddenly became a shooter. Frozen Base Zone Act 2 drops you into an egg shuttle, where you must shoot down ten pink enemy spawners. It’s Fantasy Zone, exactly, but with an Eggman veneer. Everything is robotic, as opposed to the weird aliens of the original.

I wouldn’t have guessed if I hadn’t just recently played the game in Lost Judgment, where it also appears as a Master System cartridge you can play in your office. Sonic Superstars also has a take on two Fantasy Zone bosses, appropriately robotified.

It’s a charming nod to a game not many people outside of longtime Sega arcade fans would know about. Or, you know, people who recently scoped out a Club Sega in Yakuza 0 or Lost Judgment.

Fantasy Zone launched for Japanese arcades in 1986. It was later ported to many consoles, including the Master System, NES, MSX, Game Gear, and more. Some may remember it being referenced in Shenmue, where its characters, including the protagonist, Opa-Opa, could be capsule toy awards.

And now you can enjoy an ode to it as an arcade shooter level in Sonic Superstars.