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While Sega’s Sonic games have been hard to describe without using clichés (“rough transition to 3D”, “variable quality”, etc.) the combined efforts of Christian Whitehead, Headcannon Studios, and Pagoda West Games have been much more reliable. Their version of Sonic CD from 2011 smoothed out the bumps in the original game, and their mobile ports of Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 were the definitive way to play those games for years. Then their original game, Sonic Mania, was released to widespread acclaim.
Now, they’ve redone Sonics1, CD, 2, and 3 & Knuckles all over again in Sonic Origins. However, its reception ended up more mixed than their previous efforts. For every good point, there was a drawback. So, here are the pros and cons behind Sonic Origins.
9 Love: Sonic Got Spruced Up
This isn’t just a generic collection of Genesis ROMs. Headcannon and co remade the games within the Retro Engine, the same program that produced Sonic Mania and their earlier works. As such, it has some improvements over the original games. For example, the new Anniversary Mode makes all its games widescreen, and gives them all a stable 60FPS frame rate.
It also gets rid of the Lives system and Time Limit in favor of letting players mess around to their heart’s content. They can also retry Special Stages if they screw up. Granted, it costs Coins to do so. But they’re all over the place in Anniversary Mode. Plus, with the smoother animation, better draw distance, and tighter controls, players will be getting those Chaos Emeralds in no time.
8 Hate: Sonic Got Bugged Up
The games being remade on a new engine means their old bugs have been mostly eliminated. Masochists can even toggle Sonic 1’s Spike Bug (spikes kill Sonic no matter how many rings he has) on or off in that game. But they also introduced some new ones that can trip people up. The Drop Dash comes back from Sonic Mania, but players can’t change direction with it like in that game.
They could also use it to outrun the screen in Sonic 2’s Aquatic Ruin Zone and die. The music may restart after getting a 1-Up or Coin Monitor, and Tails might get left behind in Sonic 3&K’s Blue Sphere games. According to Simon ‘Stealth’ Thomley of Headcannon, Sega rushed them to complete the game in time. If they were more patient, they might not have had to promise fixes in the future.
7 Love: Sonic 3 (And Knuckles) Is Back!
Sonic 3&K is arguably the best of the Genesis games, yet it’s received less love than its forebears. The last time it got any release was over a decade ago, with the Sonic Classics Collection on the Nintendo DS, and a de-listed PC Steam release in 2011.
Christian Whitehead and Headcannon had offered to remaster the game in 2014, like they had for Sonic 1 and 2, but it never went beyond a pitch project. Then, 8 years later, they finally got to do that by including Sonic 3&K on Sonic Origins. As they say, it’s better late than never. Except there was a reason Sega was so shy to bring it back.
6 Hate: Sonic 3 (And Knuckles)’ Music Isn’t Back!
While Sonic 3&K’s original credits cite producers like Brad Buxer and Scirocco behind the soundtrack, there’s a reason original Sonic producer Yuji Naka referred to it as the ‘Michael Jackson music’. No one outside Sega or the music team really knows how involved the King of Pop was with Sonic 3&K. Yet fans across the years have noticed his style in the finished product.
Whether it’s because of Jackson, or other music producers, Sonic 3&K’s soundtrack has been the source of legal issues. As a result, Sonic Origins had series music producer Jun Senoue remix Sonic 3&K’s prototype tracks to replace the original tunes. Sadly, his remixes are weaker than both, sounding comparatively weak and weedy. Maybe Sega was better off throwing more money at Buxer, Scirocco and co.
5 Love: It’s Widely Available
Sega has re-released their classic games on every subsequent generation since the Genesis. Yet they were usually bog-standard, straightforward ports with little to no frills. It’s hard to go back to Sonic 1 after using the Spindash in Sonic 2. Likewise, the Sonic 2 mobile port’s Special Stages are better than the originals. However, aside from a few lucky examples, players had to deal with the original, jittery, Spindash-less Genesis games.
Until now, anyway. Sonic Origins brings back those quality-of-life improvements into one package across all modern consoles. Whether they own a PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, or PC, they can Spindash in Sonic 1, see what’s coming ahead in Sonic 2, Drop Dash in all the games, and more. Sonic Origins is everywhere and can be played anywhere.
4 Hate: It Costs How Much?!
As neat as these improvements are, are they really worth $39.99? That might be a reasonable price for a new game on release. But the Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games are either pushing 30 years old or are already past that point. If they were people, they’d already be working office jobs.
The lack of a $40 price tag makes Sega’s previous Sonic re-releases look more appealing, which is probably partially why they de-listed them from digital storefronts. Fans might want to wait for the price to drop on Sonic Origins, especially if a console is their only option. Though, if they have a PC and are more tech-savvy, there are cheaper options to experience the classic Sonic games.
3 Love: All The Trimmings
There’s more to Sonic Origins than just a list of remastered ROMs. The Story Mode connects all 4 games together, complete with some nice animated cutscenes by Powerhouse Animation Studios. Following a script by comic writer Ian Flynn, with designs by Tyson Hesse, they make for a nice visual treat.
There are also some extra modes to dabble in once the player’s completed all the games. Boss Rush Mode pits them against the game’s bosses in order, and Mission Mode gives them challenges that gradually get trickier. On their own, they’re just little extras. But they also give the player more Coins to help retry those Special Stages, or buy Concept Art, Music tracks, and more.
2 Hate: They Cost Extra
If $39.99 wasn’t enough, the game has DLC. Sega actually put out a table listing the different DLC packs and editions and what they include. Thankfully, Boss Rush, Mission Mode, Story Mode, and the like are in the standard game as is. So, it’s easy to wave the DLC off as fluff.
The issue is what Sega decided fans should cough up an extra $3.99 for, either separately or as part of the game’s ‘Digital Deluxe Edition’. Like the Mirror Mode (already unlockable in-game), 100 Coins (can be cheated with Debug Mode), letterbox backgrounds, main menu character animations, camera tracking on the main menu, hard missions, and extra music tracks. Imagine paying a total of $42.99 for a fancier hub screen and some Knuckles Chaotix tunes. It’s ridiculous.
1 Love: The Gameplay
At the end of the day, Sonic Origins is still a solid package. The price is too much, the DLC is laughable, and it has a few bugs. However, that price will come down over time, the joys of letterbox backgrounds can be ignored, and it’s nowhere near the buggiest game around. It’s positively sturdy compared to other games in the series, even more acclaimed ones like Sonic Adventure.
Players can still get the same thrills and spills they had on the Genesis. Like looking desperately for an air bubble as the Drowning theme plays in Sonic 1. Fighting the weird bosses in Sonic CD. Unlocking Super Sonic in Sonic 2 and speeding past those annoying badniks in Metropolis Zone. Bringing down the Death Egg for good in Sonic 3&K. They’re all a joy to experience. So, while Sonic Origins isn’t perfect, it’s still worth playing.
Sonic Origins is out now on Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.