The announcement trailer for Sonic Colors hit my YouTube inbox out of nowhere towards the end of my freshman year of high school back in 2010. 16-year-old me, being autistic, read the “Colors” in the title quite literally, thinking it must be a coloring game designed for preschool and kindergarten-aged kids. After two minutes of wondering whether it was some kind of joke, I clicked the link to the trailer and saw Sonic running towards the big blue horizon with Tails and loads of squid-like creatures – I later found out these were called Wisps – sky-writing the word “Colors” in iridescent rainbow lights that lit up my mood like a Christmas tree. Later that year, I bought the game for the Wii as soon as it hit store shelves and was amazed at how the Wisps took Sonic to heights he wouldn’t normally reach.
Now, 11 years later, Sonic Colors: Ultimate is set to launch on September 7 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch — an unexpected announcement to come out of the Sonic 30th Anniversary stream back in May. Recently, I got to see the remaster for myself, and the gameplay, lighting, and other new surprises were a breath of fresh air for a lifelong Sonic fan.
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I was expecting to play through the Tropical Resort, Sweet Mountain, and Starlight Carnival zones to get the full scope of what I would be experiencing when the full game comes out, but due to technical difficulties in connecting to Sega’s servers, they generously sent me gameplay clips of the first three acts of Tropical Resort to work with. As disappointed as I was to not be able to play through every zone due to circumstances beyond my control, three clips was more than enough for me to see the difference between the original Sonic Colors and the remastered version.
Every act starts with Sonic doing his usual stretches, and from the first second of the first stage, I caught the lighting brightening up every fiber of his body, which is a big glow-up from his totally dark appearance in the original game. The lights on all the signs posted throughout Tropical Resort are brighter, and you can read them ten times clearer than you could in the original version – whether you wear glasses or not. On the top left corner of the screen, Tails’ face replaces Sonic’s, signifying that the Tails Save mechanic has rendered the typical life count system obsolete. Partway through, Sonic grabs two gold coins that may as well be Aztec currency judging by the Sun symbol in the middle. It later dawned on me that those Aztec-looking coins are actually Park Tokens, which you can use at the in-game souvenir shop to buy cosmetic items for Sonic.
The debut of the Jade Wisp in Act 3 surprised me, if not scared me. After Sonic refamiliarizes himself with the Cyan Laser and Yellow Drill Wisp — the latter of which doesn’t show up until Sweet Mountain in the original game — he encounters the Jade Wisp that makes him go Ghost like Danny Phantom and slingshot himself to platforms he used to be able to reach without it. Since the purpose of the Jade Wisp is to fly through walls of hard-to-reach areas to obtain Red Star Rings and other items, it should be used when that need arises.
You know those victory dances Sonic performs after receiving the final score and rank in the original Sonic Colors? The end stage screens in Ultimate have a little timer in the form of a color-changing line at the bottom of the screen that burns from right to left, giving Sonic 15 seconds to collect every Ring and item before he jumps up with joy and dismounts into his victory pose, exuding more happiness by smiling with his mouth open instead of keeping it closed like he did in the original.
The customization menu delivers a full course of eclectic colors and designs for Sonic’s gloves, shoes, and his running aura. I was taken aback when I saw that Sonic’s gloves were yellow in the reveal trailer for Sonic Colors: Ultimate, thinking it was some sort of bug in the programming. I was relieved to see that it’s an actual customization feature that allows you to make Sonic’s gloves as yellow as Bugs Bunny’s in the new Looney Tunes short films, as well as mix and match his apparel with cheetah print, rainbow tie-dye, galaxy brain, and Cruella de Vil’s favorite, Dalmatian spots. The best part is the profile picture options are not restricted to Sonic, Tails, Yacker, and Dr. Eggman like in the original game. I can set it to any Sonic or Sega character I want, although I’m most likely going to pick between Sonic, Amy, and Shadow.
Although much of the gameplay remains the same, Sonic Colors: Ultimate is shaping up to be the ultimate Sonic the Hedgehog experience for fans new and old. With all the bright lights, colors all around, and brand new features, the remaster feels like a great opportunity for longtime fans like myself to revisit an old Wii favorite while still being a nice introductory package for new Sonic fans who want to experience the game on current-gen consoles and reach for the stars.
