After announcing Sonic Origins during the Sonic Central event last year, Sega has finally revealed more info about the latest Sonic games collection. It contains Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, CD, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles is available as one game after years of being kept separate. Sonic Origins also features missions, an in-game concept art museum, and new animated cutscenes to tie all four games together.
While the new animations created for Sonic Origins look great based on the game's announcement trailer, it shines a spotlight on what may be the game's biggest oversight. While it makes sense that the new intros and outros to these beloved titles would focus on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, it makes the absence of Amy as a playable character in Origins more clear than ever.
Sonic Origins' Playable Characters
Sonic Origins has what the game calls "Anniversary Mode," which seeks to improve the classic games while adding new accessibility features, widescreen support, and more. One perk that this mode has above the original titles is that players can enjoy playing as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles through all three numbered titles. Tails is also available in Sonic CD, due to the fact that Origins is using the same re-release of CD from 2011 that featured him as a playable character.
However, watching the trailer showcase previews of the new animations that do their best to include Amy, parts that focus on all four of them together makes Sonic Origins feel incomplete as a result. While it's great that the collection gives players the option to experience these games with new characters, it falls short overall. Knuckles isn't playable in Sonic CD, and Amy is once again left out - not playable in any of the available titles.
What Sonic Origins Needs to Do For Amy
Even though it's disappointing that Amy is again left out on Sonic's adventures, it's understandable why. The only sprites for Amy that are available in these games were sprites allowing her to chase and hug Sonic in two levels of Sonic CD. In order to make her playable, those working on Sonic Origins would need to make entirely new sprites that mesh with the old ones, as well as spend the time programming a specific set of moves just for her. However, this isn't something that should have stopped her from being included.
Considering Sonic Origins has brought on the help of fans like Sonic Mania before it, the team could easily bring in a fan who has experience creating characters for mods of games such as Mania. If the effort and development ended up being costly, Amy could easily be added to Origins' Digital Deluxe Edition, or as a special DLC character to help make up the cost.
Amy being left out of Sonic Origins may feel like just a technical oversight, but it's perpetuating a larger pattern. Sonic Mania, the latest 2D Sonic game, was created from the ground-up. Not only were Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles given new sprites and moves for Mania, but entirely new playable characters Mighty and Ray were added to the game's Plus expansion. While many fans excused Amy not being in Sonic Mania under the idea that Mania took place before Sonic CD, Origins places CD before Sonic 2, so this no longer explains her absence - especially in light of Mania's Amy-themed Easter eggs.
Sonic Origins makes it, so continuity shouldn't excuse the lack of a playable Amy Rose anyway, as Knuckles and Tails are playable in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The same can also be said for the lack of Knuckles in Sonic CD. Sonic Origins definitely could have done more to treat all the characters in the collection equally, as the current selection is left feeling awkward as a result. Even if putting more time to strengthen the roster of playable characters would have just added to Origins' DLC packages, fans wouldn't need to watch the female lead in Sonic the Hedgehog once again be side-lined.
Sonic Origins will release June 23 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.