The Sonic series has had an unpredictable few years. As such, Sega can't help but bank on nostalgia. That shows with the myriad of anniversary releases like Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania, and they've proven it again with Sonic Origins. This collection remakes the first few entries, supposedly offering the definitive experience for fans.
How ironic that those same fans are dissatisfied with the package. Sonic Origins comes with several glaring omissions and technical issues. At best, these demonstrate negligence. At worst, it reeks of laziness. To regain their good faith, the folks at Sega would do well to patch these problems.
6 More Modes
Fans have several options for how to experience the levels here. The Story Mode weaves them together into an organic narrative. The Mission Mode poses various challenges and a ranking system. Classic Mode frames everything in the old 4:3 aspect ratio. There's even a Boss Rush for each title. At first glance, it all seems like a treasure trove of content.
That impression fades once you compare it to the past. Previous Sonic collections included even more options. Time Attack a 100-ring Challenge Mode were just a couple of these. It's unclear why such excursions are absent here. Players love to test themselves, after all, and that attitude couldn't be more appropriate for a series emphasizing speed.
5 Customizability
Those used to personalized playstyles will likely sigh at the bare-bones settings. Fans can only change basic aspects of the camera, sound, and gameplay. If they want a finite number of lives like the old days, then they must settle for the Classic Mode and its smaller aspect ratio. They can't use this feature in other modes. This is a bizarre limitation, especially in the grand scheme of things.
Past ports have afforded a wealth of options for players to tweak. Fan-made versions let players customize everything down to specific renditions of each music track and which sprites to use. Sonia Mania was a great example of this freedom. Compared to that, Origins feels restricted in nearly every area.
4 More Playable Characters
The promo material touts new playable characters, but this is somewhat misleading. Sure, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are available for most games, but the latter is left out of Sonic CD. It seems the "new characters" are the tag-teams of Sonic & Tails and Knuckles & Tails, each of which function as a single character. Suffice it to say, that's not what fans expected or wanted.
This switch is even more despicable after getting players' hopes up. The developers teased Amy and Metal Sonic in both the marketing and the animated cutscenes, but neither of them are available. This would have been a chance to not only let them shine, but also the myriad of other characters who've shown up over the years. Many of them, like Rouge and Shadow, have similar abilities to those already here, so a simple palette swap would have sufficed. This isn't unheard of for a remake collection. After all, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy let fans play as Coco for all three entries. There's no reason a sprite-based platformer couldn't do the same.
3 Menu Navigation
The developers must not want fans to fiddle with the settings. That's clear when playing, as they can't access the Options Menu by simply pausing. They have to exit the level, change the settings, and re-enter the level. However, even that is easier said than done.
Oddly enough, Sonic Origins has no Main Menu. It takes players straight to the Level Select screen. To tweak the settings, they must go to the Museum tab. The resulting list of options is convoluted in itself. All of this micromanagement makes the menus a chore. Categorizing and streamlining these tabs would go a long way toward improving the presentation.
2 Bugs
Luckily, Sonic Origins has no game-breaking bugs. Nothing jumps out at fans like in theGrand Theft Auto"Definitive" Editions. Sadly, it's the subtle issues beneath the surface that really add up.
The collection carried some crunch in development. That definitely shows, particularly with Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Fans have encountered various glitches in the short time since release. Characters can run through walls, float on waterfalls, and do other impossible feats. The Sonic style of platforming requires peak precision and measured momentum; random occurrences like these are obviously a problem in that respect. Patching these hindrances should be an utmost priority.
1 DLC
It's dumb enough to add DLC to games that were around long before such a greedy practice, but the additions here are downright sorry excuses for content. They include new difficulty settings, letterbox options for the background, extra music tracks, and a few new sprite animations. Alternatively, fans can get all of this in the Deluxe Edition for five bucks extra. In essence, Sega is charging more for superfluous fluff.
They squandered a great opportunity for genuine additions. Why not incorporate new and unseen levels? The extra charge might have been a way to put the Michael Jackson music back into Sonic 3, acting as a compromise for the rights issues. As it stands, Sonic Origins is already too expensive at $40. If the folks at Sega had the gall to throw DLC on top of that hefty price tag, then they should have made it worthwhile.
Sonic Origins is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.