Sonic Origins Plus PS5 Review. Sonic Origins gets an upgrade with a host of new additions to its already impressive Sonic package. Is it worth shelling out a little extra for a little more? Find out in PlayStation Universe’s Sonic Origins Plus review for PS5.
Sonic Origins Plus Review (PS5) – Sonic Collection Shifts Into a Whole New (Game) Gear
I have to admit that if you gave me a copy of Sonic Origins Plus and a copy of Sonic Origins, I don’t know if I’d easily tell the difference. In fairness, there’s no obligation to change the overall presentation for a handful of new bits, but then perhaps marking this out as a brand-new version of the game wasn’t necessary either.
Admittedly, it’s a bit of a silly grumble to have, especially as existing Sonic Origins owners can upgrade to Plus for a small fee and newcomers can snag the lot for the same price as the base game. The approach to it is the observation I’m making, rather than a criticism of the package itself.
And what is new may not be immediately obvious, but it is notable. First up, Amy Rose is now playable across the existing games. So you can take the besotted pink hedgehog through the likes of Chemical Plant Zone and Ice Cap Zone just like you can do with Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails (who are also now playable in Sonic CD). It’s nice to see Amy get added here, especially ahead of the upcoming Sonic Superstars where she is among the four playable characters in a traditional Sonic game as well.
Gearing up
But that’s not all! No, we also get the entire library of Sonic Game Gear titles added to the lineup. So that includes the previously portable versions of Sonic 1&2, and dedicated titles such as Sonic Chaos, Tails’ Adventure, and Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble. I’d argue this is an important package of games to add to Sonic Origins because when celebrating the blue blur’s history, it’s been very easy to forget the myriad of escapades he’s been on for handheld consoles. From the fantastic Sonic Pocket on Neo Geo pocket to the Game Boy Advance’s top Sonic Advance (naming wasn’t always inspired it seems).
The Game Gear, that bulky battery thief I loved all too briefly in my youth, had 12 titles, which all show up here in good nick. The quality of these games varies, which is not too surprising given they are decades old and from a handheld console. The versions of the first two Sonic games are really good variants with their own interesting spins on their big brothers. I have a fondness for the Tails games too that is part bias toward the character and part nostalgia. Miles deserves his own games either way.
Every extra from the deluxe edition of Sonic Origins (such as BGM, art, etc) has been packed in here as well, so for now, this is the definitive Sonic early history package until the inevitable next round of additions is made. And you just know they will be. That may well colon your thinking on this upgrade.
Extra Extra
Nothing’s really changed about the games themselves. As Mike Harradence points out in his review of the base game, this is a fantastic nostalgia trip for those that grew up with Sonic, and for me, it’s become the new traditional way to replay my favorite Sonic games, something I find myself doing with a steady frequency even 32 years on from that first exciting and transformative encounter with the Blue Blur. Those little tweaks and changes to make these classic a bit more palatable for newcomers and offer fresh challenges for old hands makes these games special all over again. Sonic’s future has rarely looked brighter than it does now. And it’s all thanks to studios that knew how to tap into the series’ past.
Sonic Origins is due out on PS5, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on June 23, 2023.