In a few days, Sonic Colors: Ulitmate will release with a host of upgrades and new features for fans to try out. The game was originally a Wii exclusive and remained such for years. Many bemoaned this fact, as the game had garnered a reputation for being one of the best 3D Sonic the Hedgehog games, even one of the best games in the series. Many pointed to either Sonic Colors or Sonic Generations as the peak of Boost-eragameplay, and there have been plenty of fan projects over the years to partially recreate it in games that had been ported to PC. Fortunately, that will no longer be necessary once Ultimate releases on all platforms.
Despite not being a new Sonic game like the upcoming Sonic 2022 Project (rumored to be titled Sonic Rangers), this partial remake is such an upgrade in functionality and visuals that it could be considered a new game. With the removal of the life system and implementation of a brand-new Wisp, there is little doubt that Sonic fans will be able to fall in love with the game all over again. There are plenty of major changes to get excited about, and fortunately Sega and Sonic Team have been very open about what those are.
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Sonic Colors: Ultimate Boasts All-New Features
One of the biggest draws of Ultimate is its promise of a different experience from the original game. One example is the new Jade Wisp, which debuted in Team Sonic Racing. This Wisp gives Sonic the Jade Ghost power, allowing Sonic to go through solid objects in order to discover alternate paths that were not in the original game. This all but guarantees Sonic fans will be able to experience this game in new ways, and provides unfamiliar hiding spots for the new bonus-unlocking Park Tokens. Thanks to the removal of lives and the presence of Tails Saves to further mitigate progress lost from death, the potential for exploration is off the charts.
Fans had best familiarize themselves with these potential alternate routes, because they can put their skills to the test in a new Rival Rush mode. While the original game already had Virtual Hedgehogs playable in Game Land, Ultimate will re-introduce Sonic’s long-time rival Metal Sonic. Not a lot of details are present for this mode right now, but it appears to be a glorified Time Attack with rewards. Those rewards coupled with the new framing make Rival Rush an enticing way to play through certain levels a second time, though. With plenty of new visual customization options to unlock for Sonic, fans probably won’t need to be told to tackle it twice.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate’s Visual and Performance Polish
The new modes and ways to play Sonic Colors: Ultimate are nothing to sneeze at, but there are lots of improvements under the hood as well. The controls are tighter than those of the Wii original, and there are even different control layouts, allowing for more precise play than before. The Homing Attack also has a new feature, the “sweet spot attack,” in which timing it just as a green circle overlaps the reticle will award Sonic with Boost energy and a rainbow trail.
However, one of the biggest changes to Sonic Colors: Ultimate is its new presentation. While the game sports plenty of new animations and assets to fit with the times, it will also run at 60 FPS and have 4K support on all platforms except Nintendo Switch. Combined with the aforementioned tightened controls and new animations, this has paved the way for Sonic Colors: Ultimate to potentially be the best looking and playing 3D Sonic game ever. Throw in a remixed soundtrack, and there’s no way Sonic the Hedgehog fans should skip out on Sonic Colors: Ultimate.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate releases September 7 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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