Longtime Sonic fans and newcomers alike are looking forward to the release of Sonic Colors: Ultimate in just a couple of months. The original game's exclusivity on the Wii has made it pretty difficult to access for those that don't have the proper equipment, but now the remaster is going to give more gamers than ever before access to one of the best modern Sonic games. Sonic's 30th anniversary has been an exciting time for a number of reasons, and this is just one more to get in on the festivities.
The fact that Sonic Colors: Ultimate is even happening is a testament to how much the original game has held up. Sega won't just be taking the original Sonic Colors and shipping it out without any new features, however. The company seems to know just how much Sonic Colors means to fans, and it's taken care to expand on the game with new features and various quality of life improvements. Sonic Colors: Ultimate is following in a long line of platforming remasters that have permeated the industry for the past few years, so it's worth taking a look at what this version does differently from the original.
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As is expected with most remasters, Sonic Colors: Ultimate has much better graphics than the original version. Considering the original Sonic Colors came out on the relatively underpowered Wii, the 4K, 60 FPS upgrade to Sonic Colors: Ultimate is going to be a significant improvement. Mysteriously enough, however, Sonic Colors: Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch won't support this upgrade. The game will still have much more vibrant HD graphics, but it won't be nearly as upgraded as on other consoles. It should be said that this likely has more to do with the hardware of the Switch than anything else.
Sega made the wise decision to make Sonic Colors: Ultimate much more than a graphical upgrade with few other additions. But the game will also have a handful of new features to keep players entertained and to differentiate it from the original Sonic Colors.
A new mode called Rival Rush has been added that will allow players to race against Metal Sonic through various levels in the game. Additionally, a new Wisp ability called Jade Ghost lets players phase through parts of the map in order to access new areas. This is perhaps the most surprising addition because it fundamentally changes how levels can be approached compared to the original game. On top of all of this, Sonic Colors: Ultimate will also have unlockable customization options that give Sonic new gloves, shoes, and even colorful auras that trail behind him as he runs.
In addition to its new content, Sonic Colors: Ultimate has a couple of new accessibility features that allow gamers to play however they'd like. Players will be able to customize their control schemes, which has admittedly become an expected feature in most games nowadays but is still nice to have considering the original Sonic Colors was controlled by the Wii remote.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate will also have a new Tails Save feature that will make progressing through levels much easier for those that want the help. The feature essentially serves as an additional checkpoint that will have Tails save players if they fall down a pit. It's a great way to keep players from getting discouraged by such a setback, and it allows the game to flow faster because players won't have to go through parts of the level that they've already seen.
Sega and Sonic Team already seem to be doing a very good job at making sure Sonic Colors: Ultimate provides a unique experience from the original game. After the many pitfalls that the Sonic franchise has faced over the past few years, it's nice to see that the blue blur is hitting his stride in this burgeoning generation. With hype building around Sonic Colors: Ultimate and the rumored Sonic Rangers, it seems that now is a very good time to be a Sonic fan.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate releases September 7 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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