Sonic Origins Review | PS5

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Every legend has a beginning, and Sega’s signature blue blur is no exception. While youngsters' first introduction to Sonic the Hedgehog may be his cinematic debut from 2020, for some of us it was the original release of the Sonic trilogy back in the 1990s where it all began.

by James Michael Parry

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​@james_parry

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Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
Players: 1-2

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Sonic Origins presents Sonic, 1, 2 and 3: & Knuckles, as well as in between-qual Sonic CD, in snazzy, HD remastered fashion, pitching itself as the definitive entry point to the franchise, complete with extras like concept art and alternate music arrangements.

As a newcomer to all but Sonic 2, the rest of the series felt familiar right away, although the difficulty level can feel a little steep coming back as an adult. While not punishing, like Shovel Knight or Super Meat Boy, the slower moments of platforming, which require more precise movements, can be quite tricky, thanks to Sonic’s slippery feet, and the sprawling level design means it’s often too difficult to know if you’re going the right way.

In the original releases, the arcade-y approach saw you losing lives until you ultimately hit game over and have to start from the first act of the first stage again. In Anniversary Mode this is gone in lieu of unlimited lives. Of course, you can play in Classic Mode to recapture that magic, and to restore the original’s 4:3 aspect ratio.

In terms of variety, 1 and 2 tread much the same ground, though the latter definitely injects some more style and level variety into its later stages. CD, which introduces both Super Sonic and Amy Rose, is the stand-out in terms of mixing things up, offering a time-travel mechanic which takes you into a good or bad future at various points in the level, unlocking new paths.

Travelling through time takes some getting used to, since you’ll need to maintain speed for an amount of time once you’ve hit one of the Future or Past signs dotted about, but it soon becomes second nature and has you thinking about the best way to go to reach your goal.

Sonic 3: Sonic and Knuckles is, perhaps unsurprisingly, where Knuckles was originally introduced, through an expansion which at the time physically plugged into the original game, though here you can also use him or Tails as a character in any of the games in the collection.

Enemies are still cheap enough to rob you of rings even though you definitely, absolutely, positively jumped on them and they should have died...

As a result it’s the only game which incorporates his abilities – gliding and climbing – into the level design, and even gives him a slightly different path through the game, compared to playing the game as Sonic, where Knuckles is an antagonist.

Enemies are fairly straightforward, since they are theoretically innocent animals cruelly mechanised by the evil Dr Robotnik, generally minding their own business rather than actively seeking you out as you speed through the stage, but still being cheap enough to rob you of rings even though you definitely, absolutely, positively jumped on them and they should have died.

Where the gameplay takes a sharp left turn, and a different one each time, are the bonus stages. Each level has one or multiple, which, at best, grant you a lot of rings and even an emerald for your trouble, or, at worst, just abruptly leave you back where you started. While the variety is welcome, it doesn’t seem to build on the skills you build up by playing the game proper, and so just feels like a distraction a lot of the time.

In terms of the additional material available, the animated shorts from Sonic Mania make a reappearance here, and to get a glimpse of museum items like the concept art are interesting, but for such a celebratory release – coming on the heels of Sonic’s 30th birthday after all – you might expect a little more in terms of the making of the original games or other developer insights.

The highlight is the 2011 arrangements of some of the classic level themes, to varying degrees of success, though it’s a shame not to see the 30th anniversary concert performances available  – it’s where the game was first announced after all.

The biggest drawback with this area is that the material is locked behind coins which, though earned in-game, each costing you five at a time, so it could be a while until you’ve managed to unlock everything. There are various, if confusing, downloadable content options to grant access to further material, but nothing to write home about.

As an introduction, Sonic Origins definitely captures the good, and bad, of this era of the franchise, and the reproduction is top quality, running well with only one game-breaking bug during our testing.

​However, given this is roughly the eighth time these games have been re-released, going all the way back to the 90s in various compilations and collections, you’d be surprised if the quality was anything other than flawless on a modern system hundreds or even thousands of times more powerful.

The game experience holds up well though, and that’s what really matters at the end of the day. As an opportunity to get new players into these classics, it’s everything you’d expect, but for die-hards looking for something a little more, you could be left wanting.

Pros

• Four solid platformers, looking good for their age
• A great gateway to the classics that defined the 90s and the MegaDrive itself
• Iconic music, animation and design shine as brightly as ever

Cons

• The extras on offer don’t add much for a collection with a price tag of over £30
• Additional modes and unlockables are somewhat underwhelming
• No behind the scenes or 30th anniversary content

7/10