It's been a pretty good time to be a Sonic fan for the past couple of months. The blue blur's 30 anniversary has been moving steadily along since the beginning of the year, and fans finally got the big news that they were waiting for at the recent Sonic Central presentation. The event showed off new Sonic DLC tie ins with other Sega games, and there was even a brand new Sonic game teased for 2022. On top of all of that, perhaps one of the most exciting pieces of information to come during the event was the announcement of a long-awaited remaster in the form of Sonic Colors Ultimate.
Sonic Colors Ultimate will be bringing players back to the world of Sonic Colors, a game that many casual and hardcore Sonic fans alike consider to be one of the best modern Sonic games. There are a number of factors that go into determining whether or not a game is worthy of some kind of remaster, and the fact that Sonic Colors has remained so well-liked is a testament to the quality of the game. It makes Sonic Colors worth evaluating, to better understand why it stands out from other modern Sonic titles.
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One of the biggest challenges that many modern Sonic games have faced is perfectly blending classic 2D Sonic gameplay with the 3D Sonic gameplay that was introduced in the late 90s and early 2000s. There are some games that have done one better than the other, but there is often a struggle to seamlessly incorporate both. Sonic Colors was able to strike a healthy balance between 2D and 3D gameplay, featuring some of the tightest platforming and speediest gameplay out of any Sonic title. It's a rare instance of true Sonic gameplay fusion, and it's done wonders to keep Sonic Colors in the favor of fans ever since its release.
Sonic games over the years have introduced a number of gimmicks to keep gameplay exciting and help one game stand out from the rest. Sonic and the Black Knight brought players to the world of Arthurian legend, and Sonic Unleashed had players take control of a werewolf version of Sonic, but many of these gimmicks had a hard time sticking. Sonic Colors' outer space setting gave way for a collection of new characters knowns as Wisps. These cutesy alien creatures gave Sonic a handful of new in-game abilities, and they've proven to be one of the best new additions to the franchise. They've even inspired a whole new animated project, Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps.
Out of the many issues that modern Sonic games have had, one of the most prevalent has been consistency. Some Sonic games have been better than others, but there are times where a Sonic game is so thoroughly disappointing that it just leaves players scratching their heads about what went wrong. Sonic Boom is one of the most infamous examples of this, but Sonic Colors managed to show a very high level of polish that was refreshing to many fans. Even 11 years later, it's still one of the most hiccup-free Sonic experiences that players have had the pleasure of playing through.
The Sonic Central presentation promised more information throughout the year, so there's likely much more for Sonic fans to look forward to for the 30 anniversary. Sega and Sonic Team have already gotten off to a pretty good start, and there's really no telling what more they could do to stir up the already high excitement of fans. It's probable that the teased Sonic title, which leaks have shown to be titled Sonic Rangers, will get some kind of full trailer later in the year, but until then fans will just have to remain patient. Sonic Colors Ultimate should prove to be a great way to build anticipation until more news drops, and it could give players a taste of what's to come.
Sonic Colors Ultimate releases September 7 on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.