This is a sub-page of Sonic Origins.
Sonic CDThe remake attempts to make it more similar to the original game, to varying results.
Sonic 3 & KnucklesThere's so much here that it needs a whole page to itself! Lock-On Technology, anyone?General Game Differences#
For detailed info on each game and their differences to the originals, see Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Sonic CD.
- Each game has two modes: "Anniversary Mode" and "Classic Mode".
- Anniversary Mode features a 16:9 aspect ratio and removes the lives system - where you would once obtain lives and continues, you instead obtain Coins. In addition, the time limit has been removed, so you get both infinite lives and infinite time. When failing a Special Stage, you can restart it by spending a Coin. This mode also enables the Drop Dash, a move that debuted in Sonic Mania.
- Classic Mode features the standard lives system and 10-minute time limit. Games in Classic Mode run in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and Sonic can't use the Drop Dash.
- Starting a game in Anniversary Mode will bring up a character select screen where characters that weren’t previously playable in the original games (i.e. Tails, Knuckles and Amy in Sonic 1) are available as options. Strangely, however, these characters can still be played as in Classic Mode via each game's level select code, except with Sonic CD.
- The copyright sprites were changed for the first two games.
Sonic 1 (2013) |
Sonic 1 (Origins) |
Sonic 2 (2013) |
Sonic 2 (Origins) |
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- The Drop Dash in Sonic 1, 2, and CD behaves differently compared to Mania - it doesn't have a proper animation, and when you hit the ground it actually charges up a Spin Dash for one frame before releasing. This behavior doesn't apply to 3 & Knuckles, where it behaves the same as in Mania.
- Furthermore, prior to the 2.0.0 patch, in Sonic 1 and 2, it was impossible to jump backwards after activating the Drop Dash due to the games' "roll lock", a physics quirk that prevents players from going backwards in mid-air after a rolling jump. This mechanic didn't exist in Sonic CD and was removed from this remaster of Sonic 3. Oddly, enabling Sonic 3 items via the Level Select in 1 and 2 (which also enables the Insta-Shield) disabled roll lock, fixing the issue. v2.0.0 removed roll lock across the board, making the Drop Dash consistent between 1, 2, and CD.
- For some reason, you cannot play as Sonic and Tails in Sonic 1 without going through the character selection in the Level Select. This might be because of a bug where collecting six Chaos Emeralds with Sonic and Tails crashes the game, though even as of the 2.0.1 patch that fixes this issue, they still haven't been added. Conversely, the Knuckles and Tails option for Sonic 2 has been upgraded from that to a default option.
- Interestingly, a glitch where you select Sonic/Amy and Tails in the Level Select, exit to the title screen via the pause menu and start a new game with Knuckles will allow you to play as Knuckles and Tails, like in Sonic 2.1 This won't work with a saved game or have Tails be saved to it if exited or completed, and the ending logo will still say "Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails" as it does with Amy and Tails. This also won't work with giving Tails a Tails partner.
- Prior to the v1.4.0 patch, Tails' AI in Sonic 1 and 2 is broken in that he doesn't respawn when fallen behind. To fix this without updating, either the player must use the airlift function, or a co-op player must temporarily take control of Tails.
- This is because the values used in the Drop Dash implementation in those games overlaps with the values used for controlling the Player 2 AI. Because of this, every jump resets the respawn counter, among other things.
- Prior to the v1.4.0 patch, the Museum music player mislabeled the names for most songs from Knuckles' Chaotix and Sonic 3D Blast.
- Proto Palace Zone is no longer accessible in Sonic 2 without hacking, with its cheat code now being needed (alongside Debug Mode) to select Hidden Palace Zone from the Level Select, otherwise being inaccessible there now even if it's already been discovered by the player.
- Boss Attack Zone is also no longer available, having of course been superseded by the collection's new Boss Rush mode across all games.
- Both Zones still exist in the files alongside Egg Gauntlet Zone from Sonic 2 and can be accessed by hacking.
- Desert Dazzle, from SCD (2011) also exists in the files & can also be accessed by hacking.
- There are also a few S1 test missions.
- The music has been changed from previous ports.
- Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 now use their original soundtracks as opposed to the remastered soundtracks seen in their mobile releases. Specifically, they seem to have been sourced from the hardware recordings made for the Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack album.
- Sonic CD uses different loops for its music compared to the 2011 remaster. The Japanese soundtrack's loops are sourced from the Sonic the Hedgehog CD Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition album, while the U.S. soundtrack's loops are based upon the original Sega CD version, rather than being sourced from the Sonic the Hedgehog Boom album like the 2011 remaster. Additionally, the vocals for "Sonic - You Can Do Anything" and "Cosmic Eternity - Believe in Yourself" have been restored; they used instrumental covers in the 2011 version. More info on this game's music differences can be found on its sub-page.
- Sonic 3 & Knuckles replaces certain tracks with their alternate versions from the leaked November 1993 prototype build and Sonic & Knuckles Collection. It also has an entirely new song used when characters turn into their Super or Hyper forms. More info on this game's music differences can be found on its sub-page.
- The audio mixing in general is a little wonky - the music is quite soft, and some sounds are louder or quieter than they should be. The music seems to be rendered out from its native implementation to more typical sound streams as well, which leads to differences in how they sound during speed-ups the game uses. Quality seems lower than the originals in many cases, partly as a result of this. In addition, the implementation doesn't match the original for these cases.
- The Level Select screens for cleared save files in Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 are made inaccessible, now just allowing the final level to be replayed indefinitely like in SCD (2011). Oddly enough, Sonic 1's Level Select screen can still be accessed by placing a Signpost or Capsule with Debug Mode in Final Zone, as was the case in the original remaster release.