Sonic Origins Release Date Officially Announced

Sega have finally confirmed that the remake/remaster of the first four Sonic games will be releasing this year on the Blue Blur’s birthday! Along with the announcement of the release date for Sonic Origins comes a new trailer, screenshots and all the usual pre-order incentives. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Sonic Origins brings together the first four (but really five) Mega Drive (Genesis for you North Americans) games in the Sonic series. Each one has been painstakingly remade for modern consoles, while still retaining their original appearance. The collection is due to launch on 23rd June, which also happens to be the 31st anniversary of the original Sonic The Hedgehog release.

The list of games is:

• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Sonic CD
• Sonic The Hedgehog 2
• Sonic 3 & Knuckles

From the trailer Sonic, Tails and Knuckles can be selected as the main character on every game. While Knuckles was playable in Sonic 2 and 3 via the unique Sonic & Knuckles lock-on cartridge it marks the first time he’s playable in the original game. On the face of it, this is great but it does mean that the Blue Sphere challenge – a game you unlocked by connecting S&K with Sonic 1, could be missing. I’ve reached out to Sega to see if this is indeed the case.

Eagle-eyed viewers of the trailer have also noticed that Sega have been teasing the inclusion of Sonic 2‘s missing levels; the Hidden Palace Zone and the Proto Palace Zones. Both were cut from the original game but were reinstated in the 2013 mobile remasters by developers Head Cannon. Since Sonic Origins is using the mobile remakes as a starting point, this will mark the first time these zones have been officially released for the console versions. It’s worth noting that Head Cannon were also involved with the remake of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and with their work on the sublime Sonic Mania, we know the package is in safe hands.

According to Sega’s PR Sonic Origins will not only offer the classic experiences from each of the games but also an Anniversary Mode. This experience gives players a full screen display, come and offers players an infinite number of lives as well as a lovely looking full screen mode. There will also be a mission mode across all games that challenges players to complete certain actions in order to unlock a gallery packed with goodies and extras.

It wouldn’t be a Sega remaster without a few quirks and Sonic Origins is no exception. When it releases, the game will only be available digitally. It’s possible we’ll see a physical release later down the line, ala Sonic Mania but for now we’re stuck with a digital only collection. Not only this, but will come in two forms: the Standard Edition which is up for pre order at £32.99 and Digital Deluxe edition coming in at £36.99.

The digital edition includes a Hard Mode, character animation in the main menu, camera controls over the main menu islands, character animations during music islands & additional music tracks from other Mega Drive titles. To be blunt, these extras should be included in the main game as standard, and with a £4 difference between the two versions, it boggles the mind why Sega didn’t bundle everything together and just charge the higher price.

Sonic Origins will release for PlayStation 5 & PS4, Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One, PC & Nintendo Switch on 23rd June.