Sonic Origins is the Sonic anthology that Sonic the Hedgehog fans, including myself, have been waiting for years to play. Being able to play the classic Sonic titles in their original glory AND in an updated fashion thanks to Anniversary Mode should make newer players' journeys less perilous than the journeys we had on our Sega Genesis in the 90s. Sonic is more forgiving than ever. You'll be hit with all the nostalgia from Sonic 1, 2, 3, and CD, although some of the content has been changed. I only wish that this content was taken one step further: More playable content and animations, please!
Childhood summers in Chicago were memorable for a few reasons, one of which was Sonic the Hedgehog. Every July/August I would visit my Grandmother for a week, and upon getting to her house I would take out her SEGA Genesis and hook it up in my bedroom, where I would spend every morning/evening of my Chicago vacation playing Sonic 2, 3, and Pinball. My cousins and I would pass the Genesis controller around and try to complete each game as fast as possible, always getting stuck on Sonic 3’s Carnival Night Zone’s Act II. It wasn’t until high school when I figured out how to get past Carnival Night Zone, and boy, it was satisfying to complete Sonic 3 as a teenager after a childhood crusade of trial and error.
Sonic Origins is the Sonic anthology most fans have wanted for years. It has Sonic 1, 2, 3, CD, and additional modes for Sonic fans to test their skills while scratching the classic nostalgic itch.
Sonic 1, 2, 3, and CD play just like they did on the Sega Genesis, and I’m so glad that the graphics have been ported over to modern consoles in the glorious yet horrendously restricted 4:3 aspect ratio. As an owner of a widescreen television, I’m glad to see that Sonic is not stretched out and/or overly pixelated and solidified as a relic of classic gaming.
To compliment the four-game anthology, Sonic Origins features a Museum that contains illustrations, movies, and music from each of the Sonic games. You can unlock content in the museum by spending coins, a unique currency that can be obtained by playing any of the Sonic games or by completing missions. Thankfully, obtaining coins is not a grind-fest, and unlocking content feels like a nice touch for those who want to see their achievements in the classic Sonic games manifest toward a larger and more visible goal.
If you thought that the arcade-style form of Sonic was too difficult, then Anniversary Mode is the game mode that you’ve patiently been waiting for. Each of the games in Sonic Origins has an Anniversary Mode that lets you play the classic Sonic games without fear of losing your progress if you die. When you die, you’re simply sent back to the most recent checkpoint (or start of a level if you hadn’t found a checkpoint yet). If you met the conditions to play the Bonus Game and failed to get a Chaos Emerald, you can use a Coin to try that Bonus Game again without having to start a level over.
The addition of Anniversary Mode is a blessing. Sure, it makes Sonic easier to play for the most part. At the same time, it makes the classic Sonic titles more accessible for newer audiences. I don’t have kids, but if I was to introduce Sonic to children, Anniversary Mode would be the de facto means of getting them hooked on Sonic. No longer do players have to start all the way the the beginning because they kept drowning in Labyrinth Zone (Sonic 1) or racing Metal Sonic in Sonic CD.
The extra modes of Sonic Origins are fun, but they’re good for short-term fun. Boss Rush is quite difficult, as you’re left with zero coins. Mirror Mode forces you to break away from your speedrunning muscle memory and play levels in reverse. Missions provide short-form objectives and reward your skill and swiftness with coins to unlock extra content in the museum. Again, they’re cute for a taste, but they won’t be enough to satisfy a long-term player investment.
I must commend Sonic Origins with adding small animated Sonic shorts that are shown at the beginning and the end of each Sonic game. Tyson Hesse and Jasmin Hernandez’s animations are short but sweet, setting the stage for each Sonic game in a fitting manner. However, these shorts are indeed that: short. They remix the Sonic music well, but I would have loved some longer-form animation sequences that show off Sonic’s journeys. After watching each and every animation (and loving every second, I might add), I can’t help but want more.
Sonic Origins is not all positive nostalgia. As a Sonic fanboy, I’m disappointed to report that there are indeed shortcomings in this anthology. The horror! The snail’s pace! The sadness! Jokes and my personal bias aside, Sonic Origins underdelivers on preserving auditory nostalgia and addressing longstanding gameplay issues beyond what was introduced in Anniversary Mode. Even more: Confusing pre-order bonuses.
I’m sure you’ve read the recent news stories about Sonic 3’s soundtrack, and I’m sure you know about Michael Jackson’s involvement with Sonic 3‘s (Genesis) music. Recently, one of the Sonic creators confirmed that Jackson did indeed work on the OST. However, this music is not present in Sonic Origins at all. I understand that there may be licensing issues and other legal roadblocks preventing that music from being present, but I wish SEGA took it one step further beyond integrating other versions of the music (the “Lost Tracks” of Sonic 3 that were initially available in the prototype of Sonic 3). OCRemix exists; Sonic Mania remixed the classic music of other games that still tapped that nostalgia itch while sounding modern and unique. The fact that no such remixing took place here to preserve some of the most mysterious music in gaming is a real letdown, as the “new” Sonic 3 tracks don’t feed the beast.
Some of the gameplay is indeed aged, and Sonic Origins was an opportunity to address the major pain points of Sonic’s original gameplay, be it coin placements, the gravity of underwater platforming, the frequency of bubbles spawning in underwater levels (I’m looking at YOU, Labyrinth Zone!), and the physics of platforms colliding with ceilings/instadeaths. I appreciate how Anniversary Mode did away with Game Overs across the board and added forgiveness levers in the form of spending coins to try Bonus Rounds again. However, these additions fail to smooth over some of the more difficult portions of the original Sonic titles. Underwater platforming sucks. Respawning in an area with no rings and dying to a projectile sucks. I am disappointed that this opportunity was missed in making some of the platforming portions less janky.
Confusing pre-order bonuses. Why? I understand that the industry has shifted into getting player commitment early, but the confusion surrounding the several editions of Sonic Origins stained Sonic’s legacy, especially among those who patiently waited for the day when Sonic 1, 2, 3, and CD would get a remaster. The Digital Deluxe version’s additions are nearly all cosmetic. I won’t tell you how to live your life, but I will say for certain that I struggle recommending the Digital Deluxe to anyone other than the diehard Sonic fan, and even then it may be worth waiting for that edition/DLC to go on sale. Having other content, be it exclusive level redesigns, other characters, or even new modes that aren’t yet in Sonic Origins may have been worth it.
Sonic Origins is the Sonic anthology that Sonic the Hedgehog fans, including myself, have been waiting for years to play. Being able to play the classic Sonic titles in their original glory AND in an updated fashion thanks to Anniversary Mode should make newer players’ journeys less perilous than the journeys we had on our Sega Genesis in the 90s. Sonic is more forgiving than ever. You’ll be hit with all the nostalgia from Sonic 1, 2, 3, and CD, although some of the content has been changed. I only wish that this content was taken one step further: More playable content and animations, please!
