/5. Sega’s Sonic Colors Ultimate is an outstanding 3D Sonic game that sees some enhancements to various components of the original release. However, some of the new “Ultimate” additions feel somewhat forced and unnecessary, marring what otherwise ends up being a great overall package. My name is Xander, I am in Grade 12, and this is my review.
Sonic Colors sees Sonic and Tails stopping the evil Doctor Eggman from using his new interstellar amusement park to take control of various planets across the universe. The newly introduced inhabitants, the Wisps, need Sonic's help as Eggman seeks to use them as a new energy source.
The standout feature of Sonic Colors is the Wisps. They impart new powers on Sonic that he can utilize for a short period of time. Each of the different planets introduce a new Wisp that allows Sonic to travel to places he could not previously reach. Once a new Wisp is unlocked, players can return to previous planets and use the newly unlocked Wisps for further exploration, adding a great amount of replay.
Sonic Colors Ultimate is a remaster of the original Wii classic with added content, but these new additions might not be what returning fans are seeking.
Park Tokens have been added across all the levels, some hidden and some in plain sight. These tokens are simply used to unlock a series of customizable cosmetics for Sonic. This feature feels underwhelming and isn’t likely to entice players of the original game to double-dip for the Ultimate version.
However, Sonic Colors Ultimate also adds two new gameplay features: Tails Saves and Rival Rush.
Tails Saves replaces the life system in Sonic Colors with a new restart system. The player starts with three Tails Saves and they can be found throughout the level similar to the previous extra lives in the original game. However, now when the player dies instead of restarting at the last checkpoint, the player is dropped off to the last platform edge before they died retaining all of their collectables and rings. While this makes an already easy game even easier, it might be a good feature for very young children.
The new Rival Rush challenge adds Sonic races against Metal Sonic on some of the levels. While these are somewhat enjoyable, the rewards earned are more (not) exciting cosmetics, tokens to buy more cosmetics, or more Tails Saves.
Overall, Sonic Colors Ultimate core gameplay is still exhilarating and it is an immense amount of fun, as was the original on Wii. I highly recommend it as one of the better 3D Sonic games in the series. Long-time Sonic fans might be disappointed with the lack of creativity in the new content and it feels like this content was simply added so Sega could advertise new enhancements to this older title. However, the new coat of paint, higher resolution, better framerate and a wider availability of platforms to play Sonic Colors Ultimate on, makes the journey worth taking again.