Sonic is now a Hollywood star and SEGA picks up where it all started, from the series games released on Mega Drive in the first half of the 90s.
It’s a very lucky time for the Sonic franchise. Between film adaptations (run to retrieve our review of Sonic 2 The Film) and new television series, the “second life” of the very fast blue hedgehog by SEGA is in a phase of rediscovery of its values ​​and its narrative universe, as d ‘ on the other hand it testifies to the announcement of Sonic Prime on Netflix or the arrival of a Sonic TV series on Knuckles.
And after the splendid free operation a few years ago (read our Sonic Mania Plus review), now it is the turn of the classic chapters of the saga to come back into vogue with a brand new edition. Let’s talk about Sonic Origins, a collection that finally brings back the original episodes of the brand on the console ecosystem, enriching them with various new features, not least a remastering that readjusts the format for modern screens while retaining the graphic framework of the beginnings.
From Sonic The Hedgehog to Sonic 3, dive into the past
From the first hour Sonic was able to enter the two-dimensional platform market with arrogance, establishing himself for his peculiar idea of ​​gameplay and for the unique level design compared to its fierce competition. Both of these characteristics looked to the idea of ​​speed as the absolute engine of a unique game design, which radically changed the cards in the 2D panorama, greatly differentiating itself from various and renowned competitors such as Super Mario.
The result is a series that sees the protagonists of the Sonic Origins Collection unique exponents of a videogame season that has remained engraved in the minds of the players, which still deserves to be relived or known by newbies, perhaps waiting to understand how the original Sonic concept will be declined in the next iteration of the brand (for all the other questions on the matter we invite you to read our test of Sonic Frontiers) . And so we have the legendary Sonic The Hedgehog progenitor of the original trilogy, followed by Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. To complete the package there is Sonic CD, an interlude episode published between the second and third. These are titles that go beyond the simple philological value: Sonic Origins confirms how all four of the original games of the franchise have aged with great dignity and are capable, even at thirty years and countless videogame generations away, of schooling in conception. of a 2D platformer. In any case, it must be admitted that the price to pay, for old and new players, is a rather woody feeling as regards the movements and the management of the jumps. An exquisitely retro sensation, however, which gives a pleasant vintage flavor to an experience that is born to remain fully conservative.
In fact, it should be noted that, with the exception of a resolution upgrade that we will explore in the next few lines, whoever decides to purchase the new SEGA collection will find themselves in their hands the original episodes of 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 for Sega Mega Drive, all embellished with some interesting content additions. Returning to the proposal of Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic CD and Sonic 3, playing the numbered triptych continuously restores a priceless sense of nostalgia and playful coherence.
Through the trilogy, in addition to rediscovering the “origins” of the narrative universe of the blue hedgehog and the mythology of the saga, it is possible to retrace and deepen many of the most rooted playful traits of the entire series. From the structure of the stages, divided into two or three areas, to the totally crazy conformation of the levels, if necessary divided between vaguely realistic natural landscapes and scenarios with a distinctly sci-fi imprint.
And hand in hand with the advancement of the adventure of Sonic, Tails and the confrontation with Knuckles – who originally, just like in the second live action film, was an ally of the evil Robotnik – we have the opportunity to relive the evolution of iconic porcupine, from the introduction of the double jump, to the appearance of the charged attacks.
Absolute peculiarity within the Origins tetralogy is however Sonic CD, which to this day is still one of the most popular episodes of the franchise. Innovation of this interlude episode were indeed the timelines: the various levels in fact host signs linked to three different timelines, namely past, present and future. Crossing these portals, provided you have reached a certain degree of speed, significantly modifies some gameplay cues, namely the difficulty of the stages, the presence of some enemies, the music and the landscape itself. Furthermore, the choice of the player to go through some time portals rather than others can also determine the ending of the game. Sonic CD was the first title in which, flying over the Special Stages, some were introduced three-dimensional segments in real timeuseful to facilitate movement between two areas of the same level otherwise too distant from each other.
An edition full of news
In any case, the content offer of Sonic Origins is not limited to offering the four games in a “carbon copy” version of the originals. Each title, in the main menu screen, is available in two different versions: the Anniversary mode, which allows you to play with the updated functions on a 16: 9 screenrepresents the best way to live a retrospective experience without giving up the pleasure of high definition, and in our opinion it is the flagship of the production.
The visual rendering in 16: 9 is excellent: the work done by SEGA on this front – which called it to adapt the original graphics to the new generation screens – seemed to us to be commendable and able to enhance the graceful pixel art. In any case, for all those purists who do not want to do without breathing the atmosphere of the cathode ray tube, the Classic mode, which allows you to play each chapter in its original format on a 4: 3 screen. It should be noted that, if the latter option is chosen, the canonical black bands on the sides of the screen are replaced by two colored bands, bearing the colors and symbols (the proverbial Rings) that have always accompanied Sonic’s iconography. The result is an experience that is retro but appropriately revisited, so our dispassionate advice is to resort to the excellent Anniversary Mode.
The content innovations of Sonic Origins do not end there. At the end of the main menu we find several ideas that considerably increase the replayability of the Collection. There is first of all “Missions“, section divided into two different sub-categories: we have the canonical special missions, which require you to meet certain requirements in a given time limit. Story modewhich allows you to play all the titles in the collection without interruption, as if you were in front of a single great video game.
Each game, however, has an additional feature entitled Assault on the Boss. The purpose of this mode is to face the bad guys of the various titles in succession without completing the levels of each Zone. Completing this particular Run and the Missions allows you to collect numerous coins to spend in the Museum. This additional section of the collection includes a regular collection, featuring the game’s main soundtrack and cutscenes, and a premium collection, which instead offers several additional items that can be purchased with the aforementioned currency. Put simply, the new Collection dedicated to the timeless classics of SEGA is more than a remastering of the four original titles: Sonic Origins is a real anthology dedicated to Sonic, a grandiose celebration of the supersonic icon well distributed between classic elements and content made specifically for this iteration. We refer, for example, to the numerous video interludes, the legendary and spectacular opening themes of the various Sonic 1, 2, 3 and CD, and the original Origins intro-outro, developed with an impressive care for the animations and with a style that respects the historical sequences. The cinematics collection even includes the 6 episodes of the miniseries Sonic Mania Adventurescreated to celebrate the release of Sonic Mania Plus.
Unfortunately, not all the components of this delicate nostalgia operation are to be commended. For example, the publisher’s choice of package some of the most fascinating and unique add-on content in the form of paid DLCwhich can be purchased in two different forms: to obtain these add-ons it will be necessary to buy the package separately from the respective digital shops, or to obtain theDigital Deluxe edition of Sonic Origins for instant access to exclusive content.
The additional content includes the Premium Fun Pack and the Music Pack: the first allows you to unlock more difficult missions, the ability to customize the background for the side bands, bonus animations for the characters in the menus and a music player with remastered audio tracks. The total cost of the Deluxe edition, around 45 euros, is only 5 euros more than the standard version. A price that, after all, does not seem insurmountable for those who want to get the most out of the experience offered by Sonic Origins, even if we are not convinced by the idea of ​​obtaining content considered “premium” compared to the basic ones.
Sonic Origins Version Analyzed PlayStation 5Sonic Origins is a must-have collection for fans old and new of the lightning-fast SEGA icon. The collection is designed to pay homage and celebrate the beloved blue hedgehog, as well as to readjust the visual presentation without sacrificing the exquisitely vintage taste of the classic. The work of revising the original format in 16: 9 is nothing short of commendable, while the content offer – which offers different and intriguing replayability solutions – seemed abundant and adequate to the list price. The only blemish on the operation in our opinion is the decision to package some additional content in the form of paid DLC. A very questionable distribution choice which, however, given the cost at which it is proposed, we feel we can partly justify.
