Sonic Origins Review

Sonic Origins Review – Written by Jose R. Vega

Purchased product for this review.

It has been over 30 years since SEGA brought us Sonic the Hedgehog. It was instrumental for giving us a mascot that has stood the test of time, clashed with other characters and is still going strong to this day. But in terms of games, there have been many with the classics still holding up to this day. The problem is well, a means to play them. Sure, Sonic the Hedgehog 1, CD and 2 have been ported many times and improved upon but not Sonic 3 & Knuckles. That changed when SEGA would announce Sonic Origins. It’s a collection consisting of Sonic’s best games. Does it deliver as a compilation or is SEGA really grasping for straws?

Sonic Origins is a game that compiles four of the best 2D Sonic games. They consist of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Why do I mention this? Simple. Three of the four games have been ported over to later consoles over the years but not Sonic 3 & Knuckles. There have been many reasons with one of the biggest being Brad Buxer and his involvement with the game’s music. This unfortunately has hampered the game from being ported until this year with Sonic Origins. I’m happy that this game can be experienced by people who never played it.

In terms of the game itself, you have access to all four games: Sonic 1, Sonic CD, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. They can be played either in the original Classic mode or in Anniversary Mode. Classic Mode is just that, the original games as they were intended. Anniversary Mode is a feature that was introduced in later ports of Sonic 1, CD and 2. In Origins however, you don’t get game over. Instead, you collect Coins. Coins can be obtained either by getting 100 Rings, hitting a Coin box, getting 50 rings in a bonus stage, etc. They have a function and it’s for unlocking things in the Gallery Mode. Not only that but all four games can be played sequentially via the Story Mode. The Story Mode also includes animated cutscenes that happen before and after completing the game. It adds a certain cohesion to it and in my opinion, I love it. The animated cutscenes are really well done and capture the feel of Sonic and the other characters.

Sonic Origins also added some quality of life improvements. For starters, they implemented features from Sonic Mania such as the Drop Dash and the ability to control Tails while flying as he grabs Sonic. It’s some features that are definitely needed. They not only help make the game feel fast but also add more in terms of exploration. I like it. Not only that but Sonic 3 & Knuckles has some additions that help streamline the overall experience. This means the final boss from the original Sonic 3, Big Arms is included and the aftermath that followed. That blew me away. In addition, the game also has a Mission Mode. They range in difficulty and challenge. Skilled players who do well in these can earn coins to go towards unlocking stuff in the Gallery. Overall, not really much on the matter but the Gallery is pretty cool as there’s a lot of music, concept art, movies, the works. It’s great that they put so much into this. It’s well done.

The length of Sonic Origins isn’t long. If players are just playing all four games normally, it would take 6-7 hours. Completing and finding everything though will extend to about 13 hours. The games look great and play great. They still hold up. Heck, even Sonic CD allows you to switch between American and Japanese music. That is a plus. The music for the Sonic games are still fun to listen to, with one exception: Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Many of the tunes are still intact but three zones has had their music changed due to legal issues with Brad Buxer. What we get instead are inferior versions of music from the prototype/PC version. I can understand that the composer Jun Senoue tried. Not only that but the Super Sonic theme feels meh, as if he’s reminding us of Sonic the Hedgehog 4. I feel bummed by it but it shouldn’t dissuade anyone from experiencing Sonic Origins.

The game had issues at launch, mostly since it had to be rushed out to tie into the franchise’s 31^st anniversary. Fortunately they have been ironed out but when it first released, there were issues. As a fan of this series, I feel disappointed and it’s made worse due to interviews revealing the fact that the game had to be rushed out. SEGA didn’t give the developers behind it time to iron out the bugs and it’s messed up. I can understand it’s for the sake of an anniversary but seriously. SEGA always seems to take one step forward, two steps back. That is a problem that should simply end. It has improved but not by much. Fortunately for people who own Sonic Origins on Steam, they can mod it to add the original music.

In conclusion, Sonic Origins is a great collection, compiling four Sonic games that are considered the all time best. Issues aside, the games run great and play great. If you can tolerate some issues, then I highly recommend it. With two different ways to play, you’re in for a journey. The developers put a lot of care into this and you got to respect their dedication in spite of SEGA’s insistence to rush this out. Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Of course if you feel this ain’t enough, fire up an emulator and play the originals, the way they’re meant to be played.

I give Sonic Origins an 8 out of 10.