Receive an email a day with our articles:Zoom through the Green Hills Zone from end to end in less than a minute.Get all the chaos emeralds in the mythical bonus stages of Sonic 2. Blast all enemies on screen with a flash by double jumping as Hyper Sonic.All of those milestones are just as exciting and fun in Sonic Origins as they were on the Mega Drive.Their timeless grandeur is, in fact, what sets Masterpieces apart from other classic video games.SEGA's 16-bit legacy has been very present in all systems after the fall of the Dreamcast.Maybe too much.And at this point in the game, it goes without saying that Sonic Origins does not get rid of the well-deserved sanbenito of being the umpteenth collection dedicated to the supersonic hedgehog and his friends.Among other things because it is.But limiting ourselves to seeing it that way is as easy as it is unfair: Sonic Origins involves the restoration of four jewels that time has treated exceptionally well.Iconic pixels reassembled under a new engine to the delight of new fans, of course, but also for lifelong segueros and the most passionate about the classic legacy of SEGA's standard bearer.Because what sets Sonic Origins apart and makes it exceptional compared to other collections and compilations of games with more titles is that from minute one it is made clear to us that SEGA has not included four ROMs conveniently decorated with a commemorative illustration of Sonic's 30th anniversary: This is the largest update ever made of the four games that founded the phenomenon around Sonic.An update in which the novelties are always at the complete service of the original work.That is, do not expect extra characters or new secrets and collectibles scattered throughout the stages.In fact, the number of rings in each game stays the same and you'll find them in the same place you last saw them.Unless, of course, you play in the new Mirror Mode.Which does not mean that it has been used to add elements here and there that do not go unnoticed by those who know each game by heart.An example is that Sonic wins the Drop Dash from Sonic Mania as a shared movement in all games, which will come in handy when competing against Metal Sonic in Sonic CD or reducing our best record in Green Hills Zone.Something you can see in more detail in our gameplay.Changes too subtle?As we will see throughout our analysis, SEGA's top priority has always been to make the classic Sonics much more accessible to the general public.To those who knew the hero in red sneakers through movies, new games or toys.Or to those who do not know it yet and are looking for a fast-paced pixelated platform in which to get lost without paying attention to the lives and sequels that lie ahead.Not with recurring solutions such as the rewind option or being able to save the game at any point, but rather by rewarding our progress and milestones.And watch out, with the extra challenge of not giving up an iota of its original essence.A double objective that Sonic Origins addresses by implementing and distributing small but not subtle novelties through an Anniversary Mode created for the occasion and a Story Mode that unifies the four games.And what is more important: the addition leaves a lot of room for the classic experience and avoids at all costs going over the heads of lifelong fans.Which, it must be said, is not easy at all.And it is that, being a little more technical, we are facing four remasters that inherit and improve the mobile treatment given to Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic 2 and Sonic CD and, in the process, finally bring Sonic 3 back through of a new version already assembled indivisible with Sonic & Knuckles.So technically it's four or five titles?We'll get to it.If you have ever played the Sonics of Mega Drive you will feel at home again.If you've never played it, you're also in luck: SEGA has restored all four games and accommodated them in Sonic Origins to give you the best possible first impression.That does not mean that you are going to have a walk between rose petals ahead, as it usually happens in many current platforms: you are going to be eliminated in a thousand different ways.Rammed, carved, crushed and drowned.But, in return, you're going to have a blast going through each level at ridiculous speeds and getting lost in them by bouncing, looping, and discovering secret areas.We have referred to Sonic Origins as a restoration of the three numbered installments of the Mega Drive and the classic Mega CD, but it is the most accurate term when it comes to defining the treatment of the games: SEGA itself has recreated each title using the most recent version of the Retro Engine, the engine used in both the 2011 and later remasters and Sonic Mania.As a result, Sonic The Hedgehog displays exactly the same content on screen as it did in 1991 but accommodates today's screens.In fact, its sprites have never looked so good, although the new fluidity obtained only shines properly in the bonus phases of later installments.Something that, possibly, will despair those who discover the power and agility of Hyper Sonic and try to use them in areas that require extra precision in jumps.From here it is time to establish if there really is a visual improvement from the reissues of the classic Sonics recently withdrawn from digital stores.Which brings us to the first key point of Sonic Origins: each of the four included games can be played in either Classic Mode or Anniversary Mode.It's worth noting that Sonic Origins replaces the revisions of the three Mega Drive classics released in 2007 for Xbox 360 and PS3 that were originally developed by Backbone Entertainment, which have aged far worse than the Sonic CD remaster in all ages. effects.However, as SEGA has stated, despite the fact that it is possible to access the first two Sonic The Hedgehog through different collections in current systems, play for free on mobile phones and are even in the Nintendo Switch Online Service, the The only way to currently play Sonic 3, if we don't have it, is through Sonic Origins.An ugly gesture, of course, but in a collateral and intentional way, it also represents an additional claim for the whole.Although, over the last few years we have seen how SEGA's classics have returned with a completely renewed and much more current look, including emblematic characters from the house of the caliber of Wonder Boy: Dragon's Trap, or Alex Kidd himself in Miracle World DC, it must be admitted that the Mega Drive Sonics sprites have not aged one iota in 30 years, but if they were replaced, a good part of their essence and identity would be lost.Another thing is that in Sonic Origins each adventure has been accommodated to reach a new generation of fans.Because, after all, it is an anniversary to which everyone is invited.Classic Mode in each of the four Sonic Origins titles is everything you'd expect from a genuine Mega Drive experience.Games that established the timeless greatness of 16-bit consoles.There are improvements, it must be said, since in addition to showing the bluish hero and his pixelated worlds with a better appearance than the original versions and previous remasters, including the new screen ratio, you will not have to start from scratch every time you start, since that the game saves the game automatically at each save post.Ahead, four masterpieces that preserve the spirit of SEGA as remembered by its fans.Scenarios full of life, with tons of evilly placed enemies and hilarious mechanisms and loops.Each of them full of secrets and designed to travel at speeds that even exceed the speed of the camera that follows Sonic, leaving the door open for us to get lost whenever we cross the finish line before the timer hits ten minutes.Worlds that will also challenge our jumping skills and reward our ability to observe the routines of the most insignificant enemies and the final bosses.Locations that will constantly tempt us with alternative routes, revealing a ring that might seem impossible to pick up, although there is always a trick to achieve it.And, between zone and zone, bonus phases capable of bringing out the best and the worst of ourselves.Anniversary Mode is not the alternative to Classic Mode, but in Sonic Origins it becomes the main experience.It is less challenging, of course, since in it the lives are unlimited and if the timer reaches 10 minutes it stops, but the game continues.However, the advantages end right there: if you take damage you will lose all the rings and if you fail to recover any, you return to the last turned post or, failing that, to the beginning of the level.Not having a life limit in Anniversary Mode adds a new nuance to the game that revolves around coins.We will get one for every hundred rings collected or on monitors where there were otherwise extra lives.From here the question asks itself: why do we want coins?In this way, Sonic Origins recovers through coins the idea of ​​unlocking content little by little to extend an already quite generous replay value, but at the same time gives them a special value: unlike other collections and compilations of games classics, SEGA ruled out the possibility of offering advantages such as rewind or manual saving.Meaning, you're going to have to fight to get every Chaos Emerald in the bonus stages of every game, and there's a very real risk that you'll run out of coins before you do.Unless, of course, your thumbs retain muscle memory or you're a Jedi.In addition to the two previous modes, in Sonic Origins a third option has been introduced that, without being particularly original, is as welcome as it is challenging: Total Challenge Mode is a manual Boss Rush that confronts us directly and without preamble to each one of the Final Bosses of each game with three lives.A way to add more replayability to each title from the outside and fast-track access to the highlights of each adventure.That's not to say there aren't any shortcuts to Anniversary and Classic modes - the same tricks that worked on the Mega Drive and have been missing from other editions of the classics, like Backbone Entertainment's now-retired versions, are back in Sonic Origins.So it is possible to access the level selector for each game by performing the corresponding button sequence on the home screen, and the same applies to Debug mode or the options to transform into Super Sonic.Although, to be honest, before giving these classic tricks a chance, we recommend that you enjoy the surprises and challenges of each game in the traditional way.Among other things, because you will be turning your back on the true greatness of classic Sonic.Returning to the content created for Sonic Origins, the interface is simple and very accurate: each classic game with its respective modes is represented by the island where each adventure takes place.South Island for Sonic the Hedgehog, Never Lake for Sonic the Hedgehog CD, West Side Island for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Angel Island for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles.We can switch between islands using the direction buttons or jump to the big map and choose comfortably.That said, in this archipelago we find two additional islands:In fact, the Museum is pure fanservice: beyond the new animated scenes for the Story Mode we can find from sketches, illustrations that are true rarities, classic themes and musical remixes and even three extensive fragments of the Sonic 30th anniversary concert.These two additional islands are much more than an extra compared to what Sonic Origins offers the player: they revalidate the value of the classic content, notably reinforce replayability and invite those who lived Sonic's best stage and those who know him in passing. or more recently to celebrate their 30 springs together.Both giving direct access to emblematic musical themes that have transcended popular culture and through platform action games that have no living history of the video game, with a gameplay capable of obsessing new players and all the successes that left everyone hallucinating. a generation in the 90's. Including the also lucky possessors of the Brain of the Beast.And it is that many games from ten years ago would like to be preserved half as well as Sonic 2.With the cards on the table, it's clear that Sonic Origins is both a collection of remasters of the Mega Drive and Mega CD Sonics and a fantastic compilation of material put together for the 30th anniversary of SEGA's standard-bearer.Said like this, it seems like little compared to other previous compilations of the supersonic hedgehog that are more generous in content and in which it is possible to access considerably more titles, but it is also true that the treatment received by the restored classics has little to do with the above.However, in Sonic Origins there is room to add content not released on the Mega Drive and other collections.SEGA has done much more than port the classics to the new engine and create a generous media gallery.And despite the fact that the novelties, which there are, do not shine as much as the classic games, it is very clear that they do not intend to either: the idea around Sonic Origins was always to revalidate for 30 more years the value of each one of the games that started the phenomenon.And despite its flaws, which are very visible, it must be admitted that there are reasons for Sonic 2 to continue to be played for three more decades.As minimum.The biggest enemy of 16-bit Sonic is neither Robotnik nor the good guy from Super Mario, but what is known as the retro ceiling: the unwillingness to play retro titles before the ones we became obsessed with or started playing with.For some, that retro roof is in the first Atari 2600 games or the later Spectrum.For others, the strict difficulty of the NES games is a problem.And, we are not going to deny it, most of the bonus phases of the first Sonics were capable of making us lose our heads.Sonic Origins was born to destroy the retro ceiling of the new generations of players without giving up its genuine essence, to the great delight of those of us who lived through the birth of the phenomenon.Being an extension of the commitment of that SEGA that, for years, has strived to create new games starring Sonic that can be enjoyed by all generations of fans of the character.Although, to be fair, the current Sonic Team has a hard time finding the exact point.Quite the opposite of the Mega Drive.Because getting all the Chaos Emeralds and seeing Super Sonic on the screen is something that anyone passionate about platform games must experience.Through Sonic Origins, the pixels of what are, on their own merits, the four most acclaimed -and reissued- games of a video game icon whose success today goes far beyond consoles and PCs are revitalized. And SEGA knows it very well and it keeps it in mind by adding new options to excite those who know each phase by heart and excite those who have never had the pleasure of playing the Mega Drive classics.And it is that SEGA and Headcannon have squeezed the possibilities of the new Retro Engine, and despite the fact that its creators are not satisfied with the result, at the time of writing these words we have completed the four games and we have only run into two bugs .Interestingly, the two in Sonic CD and related to the crazy physics that have always characterized the sensational Sonic Mega CD.Which, by the way, has received in the process a remastered version of its animated opening and closing, as well as the ability to switch between the Japanese and Western soundtrack.We can start debating whether the four Sonic installments included in Sonic Origins deserved a remaster or it was better to update and relaunch the ones that were already available digitally, but the underlying problem was still there: each of the games is a pixelated platformer with Limited lives and continuations and Machiavellian bonus phases that take you out at the slightest mistake.Something that we only see with good eyes those of us who lived it in its day.Another thing is what you mark on the price tag, which can be another type of barrier in sight.However, between the successes and failures of the game we come across another not so comfortable reality: Sonic Origins celebrates the anniversary of its standard-bearer forgetting along the way what made it so different from all other games.And despite the enormous work behind it, it is a bet on the future and too conservative, which lacks that brave and transgressive point that defined the best stage of SEGA.That great claim that, in addition to serving as a tribute, avoids comparing what Sonic Origins offers with other previous compilations.Restoring the legacy of classic Sonic is both an obligation and a responsibility.Perhaps Sonic Origins is not the definitive batch or the last one we see before the end of the decade, but instead it achieves another even greater milestone: that it revalidates the greatness of the classic Sonic that blew our minds on Mega Drive, revitalizes its milestones and make them timeless again.Share Sonic Origins analysis: SEGA revalidates the greatness of classic Sonic, but forgets the essentialsMore Sites You'll LikeSee more articlesSee more videos