Last year on June 23, “Sonic Origins” made its debut on modern consoles and PC as a new way to play the original Sonic games with the enhancements of the Christian Whitehead mobile ports, such as widescreen and bonus content. While a serviceable way to experience those classic titles, many fans found “Sonic Origins” to be rather disappointing due to its glitches, odd port jobs, and the replacement of the tracks composed by Michael Jackson and his crew in “Sonic 3 & Knuckles.” 

Half a year later on March 23, “Sonic Origins Plus” was announced, an updated version of the game that housed even more games and content in the compilation. Releasing on June 23, 2023, “Sonic Origins Plus” will be available as both a digital and physical release for all consoles and PC a year after the original “Sonic Origins,” and on time for Sonic’s 32nd anniversary.

Much like “Sonic Mania Plus,” which “Sonic Origins Plus” gets its namesake from, the updated rerelease will feature new playable characters, or in this case, a singular new character, unlike “Sonic Mania Plus’s” duo of Mighty and Ray. “Sonic Origins Plus” will see Amy Rose’s first 2D playable appearance since the Sonic Advance trilogy on the GameBoy Advance. Amy will take advantage of her signature Piko-Piko Hammer in order to make her way through stages in her own unique way compared to the trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Speaking of whom, Knuckles will now be playable in “Sonic CD,” when he previously wasn’t.

“Sonic Origins Plus” will also feature new games, in particular Sonic’s adventures on the 8-bit Sega handheld, the Game Gear. Some of the titles included are “Sonic Chaos,” “Sonic Triple Trouble,” and “Tails’ Adventure.” Most of these games haven’t been rereleased in quite a long time, with the latest release being from the HD port of “Sonic Adventure DX” on Steam. The physical version of “Sonic Origins Plus” will also contain a twenty page art book, and a reversible box art cover with art in the style of the Japanese covers of the 16-bit titles on the Sega Genesis.

“Sonic Origins Plus” is looking to be an exciting revision to an otherwise lackluster original outing for the classic collection. With new games in stock, and a whole new character to shake up how to play these old titles, “Sonic Origins Plus” might become the definitive way to play the games that made Sonic a gaming icon to begin with.