Sonic Origins

About

"Sonic Origins" offers a high-definition remastered collection of Sonic's classic adventures, including Sonic 1, 2, 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. With new areas, animations, and anniversary mode, players can choose between original resolution and limited lives in Classic mode, or unlimited lives and revamped fullscreen resolution in Anniversary mode. Completing missions unlocks new content, challenges, and Special Stages, providing a fresh take on the classic series.

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

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,189 reviews

music128 positive mentions

stability179 negative mentions

Great way to play classic Sonic games with modern enhancements like widescreen support and unlimited lives.
Includes nostalgic animated cutscenes that connect the stories of the games.
The addition of playable characters like Amy and Knuckles in all games adds variety and fun.

The game suffers from performance issues, especially on lower-end PCs, with laggy menus and crashes.
Sonic 3's music has been replaced due to licensing issues, leading to disappointment among fans.
The pricing is considered too high for a collection of older games, with many recommending to wait for sales.

music
1,101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
79%
9%
The music in "Sonic Origins" has received significant criticism, particularly regarding the replacement of iconic tracks from "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" due to licensing issues with Michael Jackson's compositions. Many players find the new music, which is based on earlier prototype versions, to be of lower quality and less memorable than the originals, leading to a diminished experience. While some users appreciate the ability to mod the game to restore the original soundtracks, the necessity of doing so has left a sour note for many fans who expected a more polished and faithful remaster.
- “The classic Sonic games hold a special place in my heart, and I have developed a great appreciation for their particular brand of visual style, incredible music, and simple but entertaining mechanics.”
- “In addition, there is an impressive amount of bonus content in the form of music tracks (not just music from the games, but orchestrated and arranged tracks from various sources), illustrations, and movies.”
- “The music in Sonic 3 is okay, but mods can bring back the old music, and that makes it 1,000,000 times better.”
- “The music in Sonic 3 has been replaced with inferior versions, which is a huge disappointment for fans of the original soundtrack.”
- “The new music for Carnival Night, Ice Cap, and Launch Base zones is so bad that the composer should be criticized for it.”
- “The replacement music tracks for Sonic 3 are of pretty low quality, and the new arrangements sound worse than the original tracks.”
story
482 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
71%
3%
The "story" aspect of Sonic Origins has received praise for its cohesive narrative that links all four classic games through beautifully animated cutscenes, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the new "story mode," which allows them to play through the games sequentially, creating a unified storyline. However, some critiques highlight that while the mission mode adds extra challenges, it can feel underwhelming and lacks depth compared to the main games, with many missions being perceived as simplistic or repetitive.
- “The story mode, which allows you to play all four games consecutively, is a welcome addition. The new animated cutscenes beautifully tie the story together.”
- “The amount of effort and work that have been put into the new cutscenes is mind-blowing, creating a wonderful story that connects each classic game.”
- “I really enjoyed playing through the story mode as it stitches the games together into one cohesive experience, and the animated cutscenes are a great touch.”
- “The mission mode is a pathetic addition to the game that hardly contributes anything nor takes advantage of what each game has to offer and instead serves as nothing more than just another game mode.”
- “The story mode is a little pointless, it only really serves to connect these games by removing the title screens, and it forces you to play as Sonic.”
- “The additional mission mode and the museum are not enough content to justify the price of the game, especially with as many issues as there are with it.”
graphics
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
78%
6%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting issues such as blurry visuals, poor pixel scaling, and a lack of graphical options, which detracts from the remastering experience. While some appreciate the enhanced widescreen support and new animated cutscenes, others feel that the overall visual quality does not meet expectations, especially when compared to previous remasters. Additionally, performance problems related to the game's reliance on integrated graphics have frustrated users, leading to crashes and lag on various systems.
- “The graphics and performance are awesome!”
- “Players can dive into Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD with high-definition graphics, enhanced opening and ending animations for each game, and a fresh coat of polish.”
- “The new graphics truly are nice and Sonic 3 looks great; it's by far the most noticeable change.”
- “The graphics on the other hand did disappoint me; for being a remaster, the graphics don't look too different from the original games.”
- “The game uses your integrated graphics card, something a game shouldn't do at all.”
- “Blurry visuals due to bilinear filtering.”
stability
191 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
2%
94%
The stability of "Sonic Origins" has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a range of glitches and performance issues, particularly in "Sonic 3 & Knuckles." While some users experienced minimal bugs and enjoyed smooth gameplay, others encountered significant problems such as freezing, slow loading times, and unresponsive controls. Overall, the game is seen as a buggy collection that feels rushed, with many hoping for future patches to address these issues.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “No glitches at all; I would recommend.”
- “There were virtually no glitches (minus the Tails sound effect one that has been fixed) and all the games played just fine.”
- “The initial launch of the game was plagued with performance issues, and minor inconveniences throughout the playthrough (including many glitches in the rushed Sonic 3 & Knuckles).”
- “This is a buggy mess on PC.”
- “This release is astonishingly buggy and rushed, and until/unless Sega addresses some of the many issues, this is just a worse way to play games you can already play just about anywhere else.”
gameplay
172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The gameplay of the Sonic collection has received mixed reviews, with many praising the nostalgic mechanics and updated features like the drop dash and anniversary mode, which offers unlimited lives and improved visuals. However, some players have noted issues such as bugs, inconsistent physics, and a lack of gameplay customization options, which detract from the overall experience. While the remastered titles maintain the core gameplay of the originals, the presence of glitches and some design choices have led to a divided reception among fans.
- “The classic Sonic games hold a special place in my heart, and I have developed a great appreciation for their particular brand of visual style, incredible music, and simple but entertaining mechanics.”
- “Fast and fun gameplay with a great mix of platforming, diverse level design with all sorts of interesting stuff to find, and just the right amount of challenge.”
- “The gameplay is still fast, and the cleaned-up audio on most titles comes across wonderfully.”
- “The retro engine ports are nice, but they fail to reach a low bar by being plagued by a thousand small issues that diminish the gameplay experience significantly.”
- “The bugs, while each one is minor, are numerous and can detract from the overall gameplay experience.”
- “The gameplay itself is fine, exactly how I remember the original games feeling, but the visuals and audio are plain bad.”
optimization
137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
53%
39%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly in the menus, which often lead to crashes and stuttering. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay on high-end PCs, others have struggled with poor performance even on capable systems, largely attributed to the inclusion of Denuvo DRM. Overall, the game appears to be poorly optimized, requiring adjustments to settings for a better experience, and many players feel it falls short of expectations for a remastered collection.
- “The graphics and performance are awesome!”
- “Played for many hours and didn't encounter any performance issues or bugs.”
- “Widescreen and perfectly optimized for PC.”
- “The initial launch of the game was plagued with performance issues and minor inconveniences throughout the playthrough, including many glitches in the rushed Sonic 3 & Knuckles.”
- “The game has really poor optimization and lags constantly.”
- “Sonic Origins is a good collection of incredible ports of iconic games that falls flat on its face due to its unnecessarily heavy use of DRM, optimization problems that lead to issues within the games themselves, and many other small problems.”
monetization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
5%
93%
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many reviewers expressing disappointment over the lack of polish, missing features, and misleading advertising regarding new content. Players feel that the collection fails to honor the legacy of the original games, instead prioritizing profit through DLC and a high price point for a subpar product. Overall, the sentiment is that the game is a poorly executed attempt to capitalize on nostalgia, leaving fans feeling cheated and frustrated.
- “The game has a museum where you can buy items (don't worry, there are no microtransactions) with coins you can earn by playing the game and its other game modes such as boss challenges and brand new special missions.”
- “But don’t get this at full price, since it’s a cash grab in that case.”
- “This is simply a cash grab and if you want to truly experience these games as they were intended with perks to boot then use the fan decomps in which you get widescreen, 60fps, 4k & up, extra characters, lossless music or custom music, restored content, the list goes on.”
- “This was supposed to be a celebration of 30-31 years of Sonic, but it's been marred by bare-minimum remastering, and downright slimy alternate product-removal, monetization, and DLC.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
64%
11%
Overall, "Sonic Origins" offers significant replayability through its collection of classic titles, enhanced by features like boss rush, mirror mode, and various missions that encourage exploration and mastery of the games. While some players express disappointment over missing content and bugs, many appreciate the nostalgic value and the new challenges that keep them returning to the game. The inclusion of unlockables and achievements further adds to the replay value, making it a worthwhile experience for both new and returning fans.
- “This title has the most replay value by far, and you could probably play the same stages many times and still find new areas and secrets.”
- “Sonic Origins Plus introduces a range of unlockables that add depth and replay value to the game.”
- “For all the flaws that are being mentioned in the negative review bombing, Sonic Origins is the best official collection of the classic Sonic games with a ton of replayability value via the boss rush, mirror mode, blue spheres mode(s), time attack, and leaderboards.”
- “Saying that I will no longer play this game may be perceived as negative, but there is hardly any replay value in a Sonic game.”
- “I appreciate the replayability that they've tried here and all, had high hopes due to Sonic Mania; however, multiple tracks from Sonic 3 have been replaced by completely different ones, no more Ice Cap Zone etc... and the ones they've replaced them with are nothing like what they replaced... very disappointing. For the classic experience, I suggest you look at better alternatives.”
- “They do include extra features such as boss rush, mirror mode, and a few extra side challenges to add replay value, but these won't last you very long and completing all of them is completely optional.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from its numerous glitches and bugs, which players find more amusing than frustrating, leading to unexpected comedic moments. Many reviewers highlight the absurdity of certain game mechanics and music replacements, often laughing at the game's shortcomings rather than being deterred by them. Overall, the humor is described as a mix of intentional and unintentional comedy, making the experience entertaining despite its flaws.
- “Getting achievements for watching the videos is kind of hilarious.”
- “I find the glitches in this game to be more funny than annoying in my opinion, I approve and recommend this :D”
- “The collection is just okay, but I am reviewing it positively because the carnival night replacement music is just so goddamn funny to me, I gotta recommend it.”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a strong sense of nostalgia and joy, particularly for long-time fans of the Sonic franchise, who appreciate the heartwarming return to their childhood memories. However, this sentiment is tempered by frustrations over technical issues, such as bugs and music compromises, which detract from the overall experience and leave players feeling disappointed despite the game's emotional resonance. Ultimately, while the game evokes fond memories, the execution has left some fans feeling bittersweet about their investment.
- “Fast forward for the announcement of Sonic Origins and I was rather thrilled to give it a shot, returning back to my childhood memories that filled me with joy. Thanks to the new Sonic movies and my introduction to Sonic Mania, I was finally united with Sonic after almost 10 years of not touching a single Sonic game.”
- “A heart-warming compilation with minor issues that does not ruin the overall experience.”
- “Don't let these issues keep you from enjoying this heartfelt, warm experience; they are extremely minor in contrast to the fresh experience that Origins offers.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
9%
82%
Players find the grinding aspect of Sonic Origins to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the streamlined approach to collecting rings in earlier titles, many feel that the grind for coins and unlockable content is tedious and detracts from the overall enjoyment. The addition of challenge modes and boss rushes offers some relief, but the necessity to repeatedly play through levels for currency can become frustrating, especially with certain gameplay mechanics feeling cumbersome. Overall, the grind is seen as a nostalgic yet laborious element that may not reward players sufficiently for their efforts.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Very fun game with a lot of nostalgia but also very grindy to get 100%.”
- “Not only is the blur extremely harsh, but you can't even play as Knuckles in Sonic CD (an incredibly weird choice). Another thing that got me upset is how hard it is to get coins; you just have to keep grinding the same game in order to put a small dent into the unlockable content.”
- “Also, the cutscenes are cool and seeing a bunch of the art and some of the music in the game is also really cool in the museum, but it isn't worth grinding all that stuff with the new coins if it isn't giving you any reward.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is negatively impacted by poor audio quality, which detracts from the overall experience, particularly during challenging moments like the Eggman fight.
- “Even the first seconds were borderline difficult; somehow, the Eggman fight was arguably worse, and the audio quality was ruining the atmosphere of the game.”