Sonic Colors: Ultimate

About

Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a remastered version of the 2010 platformer game, Sonic Colors. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog as he explores an extraterrestrial amusement park to free an alien race known as Wisps from the clutches of Dr. Eggman. The game features high-speed action, various abilities gained from the Wisps, and improved graphics for an enhanced gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,016 reviews

music52 positive mentions

stability106 negative mentions

Sonic Colors Ultimate retains the charm of the original game while introducing new features like the Jade Wisp and the Sweet Spot Homing Attack, enhancing gameplay.
The level design is creative and colorful, providing a fun experience with varied environments and engaging platforming mechanics.
The remastered soundtrack offers a mix of original and remixed tracks, allowing players to choose their preferred audio experience.

The port suffers from numerous technical issues, including stuttering, poor audio mixing, and visual glitches, which detract from the overall experience.
The cutscenes are poorly upscaled from the original, resulting in a lack of polish and a jarring transition between gameplay and story segments.
The removal of the lives system and the introduction of the Tails Save feature has been criticized for making the game too easy and less challenging.

music
184 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
60%
12%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the original soundtrack as one of the best in the series, while the remixed tracks are often seen as hit or miss. Players appreciate the option to switch between the original and remixed music, though some express disappointment with the quality of the remixes, describing them as a downgrade. Overall, the soundtrack remains a highlight for many, contributing positively to the game's vibrant atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack is still one of the best in the series and the colorful graphics and scenery still make this one of the most beautiful Sonic games I've played.”
- “The music is exceptional, as is the norm with Sonic.”
- “A great Sonic experience with fun gameplay, a decent story, varied level theme/design and of course a killer soundtrack.”
- “The remixed music sounds terrible but you can play the original.”
- “But the only biggest turn down was the damn music remix, like why did they remix the songs in some of the levels and kept some of it to its original music.”
- “The new music remixes, while not nearly as bad as I feared they would be, still don't compare to the original 2010 soundtrack.”
gameplay
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
61%
9%
The gameplay of "Sonic Colors: Ultimate" retains the fast-paced, platforming-focused mechanics of the original Wii version, with the addition of new wisps that offer unique abilities to enhance level exploration. While many players find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, particularly in speedrunning contexts, there are mixed opinions regarding the heavy emphasis on 2D segments and some technical issues, such as stuttering and glitches. Overall, the experience is seen as fun but polarizing, with some fans praising it as one of the best boost games, while others criticize its restrictive design and reliance on gimmicks.
- “The gameplay is still fast-paced and entertaining, with plenty of variety thanks to the wisps that offer unique abilities.”
- “Overall, the gameplay is very fun, and I enjoyed it; it keeps the pace going and the worlds are very fun to explore.”
- “Sonic Colors is an interesting game that simultaneously focuses on refining the boost-style gameplay introduced in Sonic Unleashed while also getting experimental with the wisps as power-ups that switch up the gameplay mid-level.”
- “This game was the worst boost Sonic experience I've had all my time with the franchise; the restrictive gameplay and 2D-centered game design killed this game. I'd say the storybook series were a better Wii game than Colors. If you enjoy the 'regular' boost gameplay from Unleashed and Generations, you will probably not enjoy this game.”
- “I hate the wisps; annoying distractions that slow the gameplay down.”
- “It seems slow to me, the wisp mechanic wasn't really doing it for me, and the game just feels like it lacks polish.”
graphics
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
18%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the remastered visuals for being overly reliant on bloom effects, leading to washed-out colors and a loss of the original art style. While some appreciate the enhanced textures and cleaner visuals, others find the overall presentation inferior to the original, citing numerous glitches, stuttering, and a lack of graphical options. Despite these issues, some players still enjoy the colorful scenery and creative stage themes, suggesting that modding can improve the visual experience significantly.
- “The soundtrack is still one of the best in the series and the colorful graphics and scenery still make this one of the most beautiful Sonic games I've played.”
- “Not to mention creative stage themes, really nice visuals and one of, if not my favorite soundtracks in the franchise.”
- “The visuals look a lot 'cleaner', the cutscenes are re-animated and look a lot better than the weird AI upscaled cutscenes of base ultimate, the menus look better and most if not all of the visual glitchiness of base ultimate is fixed with the mod.”
- “The graphics for the base game are okay but leave much to be desired, being overly reliant on bloom that makes the colors appear more washed out.”
- “The art style is ruined, the gameplay suffers from multiple new glitches, there's frequent stuttering and pauses during levels, the audio mix is a mess, there's massive loading times and all the cutscenes are AI upscaled videos instead of re-rendered.”
- “The gross lighting, forced tails save, graphics constantly flickering, stuttering, and the general lack of polish makes this hard to recommend.”
stability
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
2%
93%
The game's stability has been a significant point of contention among players, with many reporting a variety of glitches and bugs that detract from the overall experience. While some users have noted that many issues have been patched over time, others still encounter frequent stuttering, input lag, and visual glitches, particularly in specific levels. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some players finding the game enjoyable despite its flaws, while others consider it a poorly optimized port that fails to meet expectations.
- “It's still just as fun as the Wii version and really isn't as buggy (from my experience) as people make it out to be.”
- “It even runs great on the Steam Deck.”
- “The game runs fine on my machine (no lags, no freezes, no crashes).”
- “However, this is a pretty bad port of the game due to a new amount of glitches/bugs that weren't in the original.”
- “The art style is ruined, the gameplay suffers from multiple new glitches, there's frequent stuttering and pauses during levels, the audio mix is a mess, there's massive loading times and all the cutscenes are AI upscaled videos instead of re-rendered.”
- “Even after 18 months in epic purgatory, the game is still incredibly buggy and unoptimized, with constant stutters and visual/audio glitches.”
story
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
73%
14%
The story of "Sonic Colors" is generally viewed as simplistic and lacking depth, often described as a basic "Sonic beats Eggman" narrative with cringy dialogue aimed at a younger audience. While some players appreciate its light-hearted charm and nostalgic appeal, many criticize it for being underdeveloped and serving merely as a backdrop for gameplay, with little engagement or investment in the plot. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point in the game, overshadowed by its fun gameplay and colorful design.
- “The story for Sonic Colors starts off with Sonic and Tails visiting an amusement park that Dr. Eggman has created.”
- “The story of the game is simple and not hard to follow, and I think this adds the charm that classic Sonic fans will enjoy.”
- “With the game's backdrop being a colorful amusement park, the story takes on a light-hearted theme with multiple instances of jokes and quips.”
- “The way the story works is also terrible, with horrible plot elements and little to no backstory.”
- “The plot deliberately does not even try to be more than an excuse plot and is just the barebone sonic-beats-eggman story with remarkably unwitty and cringy dialogue.”
- “Its so bland the story is just 'Eggman captures aliens, stop him' nothing else. The gameplay is actually very fun but it's like 85% 2D.”
optimization
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
49%
44%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant issues such as frequent stuttering, lag spikes, and long loading times, which detract from the overall experience. While some users have experienced stable performance without major issues, others have noted that the game remains poorly optimized, particularly on certain platforms, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. The presence of Denuvo DRM has also been cited as a potential factor contributing to performance problems.
- “In terms of performance, I haven't experienced any issues as the game runs at a solid 60 fps and looks incredibly smooth.”
- “Performance is good, runs 4k 60fps fine on a middling GPU (RTX 2080).”
- “Only had crashes 3 in total during the 18 hours I spent on 100% this, and besides some weird stutter when picking up 1-ups, the performance was stable.”
- “The art style is ruined, the gameplay suffers from multiple new glitches, there's frequent stuttering and pauses during levels, the audio mix is a mess, there's massive loading times, and all the cutscenes are AI upscaled videos instead of re-rendered.”
- “Even after 18 months in epic purgatory, the game is still incredibly buggy and unoptimized, with constant stutters and visual/audio glitches.”
- “It's a shadowdropped steam port of a butchered, badly-optimized, epic-exclusive PC port of a mediocre remake; with numerous problems that make me scoff at its former platform exclusivity, problems which have never been fixed and most certainly will not be fixed.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
11%
The humor in Sonic Colors: Ultimate receives mixed reviews, with some players finding the glitches amusing and appreciating Eggman's commentary, while others criticize the writing as subpar and lacking cleverness. Many feel that the humor falls short of expectations, often likening it to low-quality Saturday morning cartoons, and suggest that it may not resonate even with younger audiences. Overall, the game's comedic elements are seen as inconsistent, with a few standout moments overshadowed by a general lack of wit.
- “The setting is so pretty and detailed, made even better by the funny commentary Eggman gives to parkgoers in every level.”
- “It's also kinda funny and sad that Eggman doesn't show up before boss fights to taunt Sonic or something, and Sonic ends up just talking to the unresponsive robots instead.”
- “Characters: 9.3/10 (quite funny if you ask me)”
- “In conclusion, Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a joke and a very unfunny one at that.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
Overall, the game's replayability is enhanced by the addition of collectibles, new level designs, and customization options, appealing particularly to fans of the original. However, some players feel that the extra content is minimal and somewhat superficial, limiting the overall replay value compared to other titles in the series. While certain features, like the option to turn off motion blur, are appreciated, their limited application across levels leaves room for improvement.
- “+ Lots of new customization options, even if they're very surface level, do offer more replayability and are a nice option.”
- “The extra content is quite minimal and tacked on, which is a shame when you consider how replayable Sonic games usually are.”
- “The jade ghost wisp is also less shoehorned in than I expected and adds new sections of level design, both to increase replay value and skip over some parts of slower-paced levels.”
- “Fans of the original will enjoy the added collectibles like park tokens and the red rings, which increase the game's replayability.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with multiple users labeling it as a "cash grab" that feels rushed and inferior to the original. Despite the base game being enjoyable, the ultimate version is perceived as a poorly executed attempt to profit from fans.
- “Colours itself is a fine game, but man, Ultimate just reeks of cash grab.”
- “Very cash grabby.”
- “A cash grab port that shouldn't have even been released in the state it was in; it looks inferior to the original.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect frustrating due to random "time-outs" that disrupt gameplay and make farming points feel punishing rather than enjoyable. While the game features a mix of fast-paced and slow-paced sections, some levels are criticized for being overly tedious, with slow mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Additionally, issues with rail grinding and certain setpieces contribute to a sense of brokenness in the grinding system.
- “So you'll randomly get a 'time-out' at the edge of your screen. This is very frustrating because you don't even have fun farming points; you need to do it, and if you do, you still get punished. Argh.”
- “But while there is a nice mix of fast-paced running and slow-paced puzzle sections, some sections of levels can be way too slow and tedious, like buttons you have to stand on for 5 seconds just to cross and autoscrollers that move really slowly.”
- “Rail grinding and some set pieces are just broken.”