Justin Mercer
Each platformer will be playable in either Classic and Anniversary mode. Both options include fully remastered visuals, but Classic presents them in the original 4:3 aspect ratio while Anniversary mode offers full widescreen support. As far as gameplay is concerned, Classic features the traditional difficulty with limited lives and game overs, while Anniversary lets you play through each title with unlimited continues. The collection will also feature a Story mode that allows you to play through all four games as a single continuous adventure, with newly created animated cutscenes bookending each one.
Brand new gameplay modes include Boss Rush and Mission Mode for each entry. The former lets you battle each of the game’s bosses without needing to progress through the levels that lead to them, and the latter sees players overcoming specific challenges to earn that coveted S rank. Each game also has a Mirror Mode, which allows you to play them backward.
Finally, the video revealed a new currency included in Sonic Origins in the form of coins. Coins are hidden throughout each game’s Anniversary mode and can also be earned through Mission Mode. Coins can be spent to unlock content in the in-game museum such as music, concept art, or videos, and can even be used to retry the games’ challenging special stages.
Sonic Origins will be released on June 23 and will feature updated ports of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic CD (1993), and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994). If you can’t get enough of the blue blur, you can check out new screenshots of Sonic Frontiers, or take a look at Big the Cat’s upcoming appearance in Netflix’s Sonic Prime.
