Sonic Colours Ultimate Review: A good port that lies underneath the glitches

Tails’ Channel web team writer Azul reviews the Sonic Colours remaster. “The reaction was divisive, but a good port lies underneath the glitches that need to be patched as soon as possible.”

As part of the celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary, 2010’s Sonic Colours was brought back to modern consoles and PC in the form of Sonic Colours Ultimate.


Let me be straight forward with this: I didn’t come across any visual glitch, but I have indeed come across some audio ones. There are some issues that clearly need to be patched. But this will be more about my experience with the game itself than what others, including Donnie and Dakiii, have showcased.

The experience was a fun time all around. There are some neat additions, like the Metal Sonic Rival Race, that made me yearn even more for a hypothetical Sonic Rivals 3. The Jade Ghost Wisp is also a very welcome addition, with the wisp being very intuitive to use, and offers a new way to traverse some areas.

Remixes

One of the contributors to the game’s divisiveness among fans was how it altered the music. New remixes are placed on Acts 1, 2 and 3 of each planet, with the original compositions being used from Acts 4 to 6. While I view it as an addition, making each act have a distinct song, it can be off-putting for those that have come to associate the original soundtrack with certain moments and set-pieces within the game.

The remixes themselves are solid, Tomoya Ohtani brings his flair that he has been using for a while, that being dance floor esque music, somewhat similar to some of the music he did for Sonic Forces. I found myself bopping my head to some of the tunes, with an special shot out to Planet Wisp’s Act 1 remix.

Jun Senoue also brings some new compositions to the game, and like most have pointed out, Terminal Velocity’s remix is absolutely amazing, and in my opinion, manages to be even better than the original. Senoue also brings his usual flair for great remixes, with great electric guitar prowess, like the second phase of the Nega Wisp armor.

Customizations

Another diferential this remaster has is the ability to customize Sonic. By collecting Park Tokens, players are able to buy cosmetics for Sonic to wear. The most interesting ones being related to Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog film. But there are still some missed opportunities. I could easily see the Soap shoes being an alternative set of shoes for Sonic to wear, as well as his Riders outfit, etc.

Sonic Colours Ultimate’s customization menu. (SEGA)

The game also added a new feature related to the homing attack, where if the player hits the button at just the right moment, boost is added to the boost gauge, giving a new dynamic element for gameplay, and it’s actually one I hope is kept in future Sonic titles.

Quality-of-life improvments

The updated visuals are, for the biggest part, gorgeous. While there can be too much of a bloom sometimes, the game has never looked this beautiful before. And a strong point of the PC version is how customizable the graphics can be, which can help make the game run buttery smooth for those that don’t have a strong PC for gaming, with the graphics being a compromise.

Another feature the remaster has brought that has proven to be rather divisive is how it got rid of the life system altogether, and added the Tails Save feature. I’m one of those that believe that the life system is an outdated game element that was a carry-over from the days where one could not save their progress, but I do understand how some would like for the player being able to choose if they do or do not want to use the life system.

HD Updates Spotlight video for Sonic Colours Ultimate from Sonic’s official YouTube channel. (SEGA)

But, at the end of the day, it’s still Sonic Colours. You’ll get your fun out of this remaster if you either liked the original game, or if you’re open minded in regards to Sonic games. Some of the issues I have with the game haven’t gone away, as well as those things that I liked about the original game. My thoughts about Sonic Colours are still the same ones I had when I played the game for the first time all of those years ago. It’s a good game, but it’s not my favourite in the series.

Story

While I’m aware that humour is something personal to each person, most of the jokes present in the game’s story didn’t get much of a chuckle out of me, and Sonic’s characterization still stands out when compared to previous entries, with the blue hedgehog seeming unable to take almost anything seriously. Sonic can be a jokester, sure, but he knew when to be focused on action, and when to be laidback.

Sonic Colours’ story leaves much to be desired. (SEGA)

But I must agree that Eggman is the best aspect related to this game’s story. Most of his lines are solid, and his PR announcement said during the levels are absolutely hilarious (one thing that I want to point out is that Ultimate made Eggman’s PR announcements louder, making it easier for players to catch the jokes). The Orbot and Cubot dynamic is also another great aspect that came from this game, and I’m glad that they’re still around to this day.

Gameplay

The game features gorgeous visuals and neat creative ideas for levels, ones that we don’t see during your usual Sonic affair. Sonic runs in a food world, takes rollercoasters on an asteroid belt, runs in the middle of a space battle, and much more. The game is brimming with creativity.

The gameplay is mostly solid, but it really tends to get finicky when dealing with platforming. This really comes to a head with how platforming heavy the game can be (an element which I’m not too big of a fan), it makes your time more difficult than it should be.

But still, Sonic Colours is a good time, as well as Sonic Colours Ultimate. I really hope the game gets patched soon, so others can have the (mostly) solid experience I had with the game. If there was someone, just like how Takashi Iizuka mentioned, that recently got introduced to the Sonic series, I’d recommend them start with Ultimate if they want to get a feeling of how the 3D games are.


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The Bottom Line

Sonic Colours Ultimate (PC)
75 100 0 1
Sonic Colours is still my least favorite boost Sonic game, but I'd be lying if isn't a fun one. It's a fun time for fans and newcomers alike, and Colours Ultimate, with just some patches, could very well be the Ultimate way for fans to experience the game. I'll give the remaster the same grade I gave to the original all of those years back.
Sonic Colours is still my least favorite boost Sonic game, but I'd be lying if isn't a fun one. It's a fun time for fans and newcomers alike, and Colors Ultimate, with just some patches, could very well be the Ultimate way for fans to experience the game. I'll give the remaster the same grade I gave to the original all of those years back.
75/100
Total Score iThe score was generated on a 100-point percentage scale, though reviewers were suggested to scale by 5-point increments for overall consistency.

The Good

  • The Jade Wisp is a very welcome addition to the Wisp roster, being very fun to use.
  • Great remixes from Tomoya Ohtani and Jun Senoue.
  • Gorgeous updated visuals with 4K graphics.
  • Great Graphic customization for the PC version, allowing the game to run very smooth even if you have a less than desired computer.
  • Some improvements that bring new life to the game, like the races against Metal Sonic.
  • All the strong points that the original Colours had are still present.

The Bad

  • Audio glitches popped up ocasionally, with music being missed in some sections of the game.
  • Players not being able to choose if they want to use the life system or not, as well as Tails' save.
  • The bloom can be too much at certain times.
  • Players not being able to choose if remixes should or should not be played during the game.
  • All the weak points that the original Colours had are still present.
Total
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