Sonic Origins

Sonic Origins
Also known as: Sonic Origins Plus Developers: Sonic Team, Headcannon, Evening Star Publisher: Sega Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch Released internationally: June 23, 2022 (original), June 23, 2023 (Plus) This game has unused animations. This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has unused modes / minigames. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused items. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has revisional differences.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

This page is rather stubbly and could use some expansion. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue this article?

Sonic Origins is a compilation of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic CD, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. It also includes a Story Mode featuring new animated cutscenes that string the four games into one seamless adventure, and a Mission Mode where you can complete challenges and obtain Coins. Coins can be used to unlock music tracks, concept art, and videos in the Museum.

All games have been completely remade in the Retro Engine, featuring an optional 16:9 widescreen mode, new features, and various quality-of-life updates. While Sonic 1, 2, and CD have all been previously released on other platforms, 3 & Knuckles was built specifically for this collection, and features some alternate music based on tracks used in a prototype build of Sonic 3 due to copyright issues, although some of the versions heard are notably closer to how they were in Sonic & Knuckles Collection. Also, for better or worse, there's no way to play Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or Sonic & Knuckles separately.

An expansion, Sonic Origins Plus, adds Knuckles into Sonic CD, Amy Rose as a playable character in all four of the main games, emulated versions of Sonic's entire Game Gear library (all 12 games!), and a physical release with a reversible cover and artbook - much in the same vein as Sonic Mania Plus five years prior.

To do: * Compare differences between the initial iOS remasters and the versions seen here. Desert Dazzle exists in Sonic CD (though was also present in the original 2011 release). Likewise, Boss Attack Zone is in Sonic 2, and there seem to be a pair of test missions in Sonic 1. Other unused/scrapped Zones/missions may be present as well. Mentions of a Retro Engine debug menu for Sonic 3. The menu is technically accessible by loading the Sonic 3 .rsdk file with a Sonic Mania executable, but even if it's not directly accessible from Origins, there's still strings that should be mentioned on this page. Loading it on the RSDKv5 decomp without a Game.dll file goes further than with the Mania executable. This needs documentation. Possible early versions of Sonic 3 Zones, as there are some Stage folders labeled "old" or "... - Copy" in the Switch release. Patch v2.0.0 is live. Document any fixes and Plus-related changes not already here. Plus itself is also out. Find unused content related to it. This Twitter thread may have unused sprites. The Game Gear Sonic 1 has been modified to tone down strobing effects in Sky Base Act 1, as has the Game Gear Sonic 2 in Crystal Egg Zone. Check for any other modifications in the rest of the Game Gear games. Leftover content from Mobile version, among other stuff

Sub-Pages

Sonic CD It'll take Sega Forever to find the hidden content! Time to break out the TCRF CD add-on.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles There's so much here it needs a whole page to itself! Lock-On Technology, anyone?

Unused Graphics

Artwork	Name	Description
	Black-White Amy sprite	A black-and-white version of Amy's death pose, much in the same vein as an unused graphic present in Sonic 1, 2, CD, 3, and & Knuckles, is present in Amy Rose's sprite sheet. Did they finally come through and use it this time? ...What do you think?
	Special Stage Amy 1-up	An Amy extra life icon for Special Stages in Sonic 1. This matches up with the one for Sonic in the original game, and the ones for Tails and Knuckles in the 2013 remake, but those weren't used originally, and this isn't used now.

Leftover Game Data

The Origins executable contains leftover strings from the then-unreleased Sonic Frontiers. This makes sense, considering both games utilize Hedgehog Engine 2.

GameCleared
EventPlayed
TreasureMemoryGot
MonumentCleared
SculptureCleared
FirstLightPillar
FirstPortalIn
FirstPortalCleared
FirstPortalFailed
FirstChaosEmeraldStrageOpen
FirstChaosEmeraldStrageGet
SecondTutoIslandSage
ChaosEmeraldGot
BossAppearEvent
AncientBridgeCleared
GiantStatueCleared
GiantBridgeCleared
WaterfallBreakCleared
KodamaElderFirstTalked
KodamaHermitFirstTalked
FishCaught
NewFishFirstLooked
FishingBigFirstTalked
VoiceDiaryCaught
UIParryTutorialWatched
UIKodamaTutorialWatched
UIFishingTutorialWatched
UILightPillarTutorialWatched
UIMapMenuTutorialWatched
FishingSpotId
GrowFlowerStartDay
StageCaption
PortalEventExit
ScrapeBallErased
LightPoleCleared
DataRelicEnabled
BreakableColumnCrumbled
TotemPoleCleared
LimitedTimeGateCleared
GuideLightCleared
ExtendPillarCleared
ResonatorCleared
LineFlowerCleared
ObjItemDropped
KodamaTaked
KodamaElderTalked
KodamaHermitTalked
KodamaHermitSlept
SageSlept
TimerSwitchCleared
LaserReceiverCleared
TimerPanelCleared
OneWayPanelCleared
OneWayPanelManagerCleared
GateOpen
MiniBossKilled
MiniBossSpawned
FishingPortalEventExit
EventConditionCleared
MapOpened
PortalBitShow
PortalBitGot
PuzzleBarrierOpacityCleared
JinglePlayed
ActiveLightPillarNum
SealedObjectStatus
LightPillarStatus
LightPillarGroupStatus
FloorSwitchStatus
ImpactSwitchStatus
SlashCommonCleared
RotatableMirrorStatus
MovableMirrorStatus
RotatableStatueStatus
PuzzleBarrierStatus
PortalStatus
PortalBitNum
FishCoinStatus
FishingPortalStatus
TreasureChestStatus
EscapeLightStatus
GrowFlowerStatus
LaserRelicStatus
MusicBoxStatus
PowerupSeedStatus
WarpMonitorStatus
GimmickInfoStatus
KodamaFollowersNum
KodamaStockNum
TailsStatus
AmyStatus
EnemyDeadNum
MiniBossHealth
BossArea
GrowFlowerStartHour
GrowFlowerStartMin
TimerRingFlag
KodamaHermitUseDay
KodamaHermitUseHour
SageUseDay
SageUseHour
SageUseMinute
PlaySequenceId
TutoWallTime

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.
• The copyright sprites were changed for the first two games.

Sonic 1 (2013)	Sonic 1 (Origins)	Sonic 2 (2013)	Sonic 2 (Origins)

• 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. 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, 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.
• 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. 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.

Revisional Differences

v1.4.0

Released on August 6, 2022, with the following changes:

• Added several more functioning cheat codes to the Level Select in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which had been discovered in the files long prior.
• Tails' AI has been fixed across the games, removing a bug where he would continuously jump off-screen, refusing to respawn to your location.
• Several songs in the Museum have been renamed to match what they're supposed to be called.
• Removed Coin Monitors from Debug Mode, so as to prevent players from artificially increasing their Coin count this way.
• Fixed a bug in Sonic 2 that caused the sound effect for collecting rings to be interrupted when collecting them in quick succession.
• Fixed a bug in Sonic 3 & Knuckles where the stages in Competition Mode required two controllers to be paired, regardless of the selected game mode. (Switch only)
• Various bug fixes.

v2.0.0

Released on June 22, 2023 to coincide with the release of the game's Plus DLC, with the following changes:

• A new Sonic Team intro was added.
• Added banner under the Museum section promoting the DLC. Selecting it takes the player to the dedicated shop of whatever system they're playing on. Removed when the player already owns the DLC, obviously.
• The web manual can be viewed offline via the title screen.
• Added button mapping to the Options menu for consoles. This was previously only available on the Windows version.
• All four main games have the usage of three action buttons restored, as opposed to the two action buttons it was prior (outside of Blue Sphere, where it was still three different buttons to jump with).
• Removed roll lock physics from Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 (the other two games didn't have it from the start). As a result, the Drop Dash now controls exactly as intended across all games (though the actual implementation still slightly varies). Strangely, this also affects Classic Mode.
• Several springs have had their physics altered to better match how they were in the original games, such as one spring that was infamously gimped in Mushroom Hill Zone Act 2, and one in Metropolis Zone Act 3 that would launch the player straight into a set of spikes on the ceiling as opposed to the character not quite reaching them.
• New routes have been added to the levels in Sonic CD's Anniversary Mode for characters like Knuckles.
• Selecting Knuckles in Sonic 2 now changes the color palette of the Zone title cards from blue to green, as they were in the original version of Knuckles in Sonic 2.
• Knuckles can now Spin Dash out of a Glide's drop like in Sonic 3 & Knuckles across all four main games.
• Fixed the Launch Base Zone ending cutscene in Sonic 3 & Knuckles so that Eggman is now layered correctly behind the platform.
• Fixed the Hyper Ring monitor in Sonic 3's Debug Mode containing a corrupted HUD color palette.
• The signpost sprite is now recolored when playing as Amy to fit her pink color scheme.

Knuckles/Tails	Amy

• Various bug fixes.

However, it introduced a new bug:

• Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles's Boss Rush modes now warp the player into the full games' levels if loaded from a previous save.
  • Doing the same as above in Sonic CD's Boss Rush now redirects the player to the 2011 remaster's main menu.

v2.0.1

Released on August 24, 2023, with the following changes:

• The infamous bilinear pixel filter has been removed, making the game much sharper with anti-aliasing disabled.
• Players can toggle the Game Gear sound to Mono in the Options Menu, addressing the "double audio" issue.
• Game Gear games will now fit into the provided screen space properly.
• Hyper Amy (Amy with the power of the 7 Super Emeralds) will have after-images while running. However, if you watch the entirety of Amy’s intro scene arriving on Angel Island, then Hyper Amy will have no after images for all of Angel Island Act 1 (unless she goes to a Bonus Stage or dies).
• Several previously-missing frames have been added to Amy's animation in the Sonic 2 Special Stages.
• Metallic Madness Zone Act 2 item boxes location and contents are properly placed.
• In Quartz Quadrant Zone Act 2, Amy will no longer disappear as the camera moves away in certain conditions.
• Players can now pause the game while in Doomsday Zone.
• In Boss Rush mode against Egg Tilter, Knuckles will have proper rolling animations from springs.
• In Flying Battery Zone, spin-dashing into the magnetic presses will no longer result in instant collision death.
• The correct description for "Jump" is now present in the Chinese localization of the Sonic 3 & Knuckles digital manual.
• In Competition Mode, Knuckles' change direction movement has been adjusted.
• Additional physics adjustments have been made in Sandopolis Zone
• Menu text will no longer shrink after entering the Museum and returning to the Main Menu.
• Amy will now be able to complete stage loops while using her Rush Attack.
• The game will no longer crash after collecting the 6th Chaos Emerald as Sonic and Tails in Sonic 1.
• In Sonic CD, Extras that have been unlocked will permanently remain unlocked.
• In Sonic CD, Amy will appear in the proper coordinates after time traveling in certain levels.
• Save Data corruption will no longer occur in rare instances on PC.
• Various bug fixes.

However, it introduced new bugs:

• In the console versions, Tails can no longer be played all the way through Sonic 1, as the game crashes when he goes underwater in Labyrinth Zone or Scrap Brain Zone Act 3.
• Tails' physics are messed up in Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, causing him to occasionally jump much higher than he’s supposed to in certain areas.

v2.0.2

Released on October 25, 2023, with the following changes:

• Fixed the bugs introduced in the previous patch.
• Sonic 3 and Knuckles’ Competition Mode results screen “WIN!!” and “LOSE” graphics (respectively, for the player who wins a race and for the player who loses) now appear. Before this patch, the results screen would inexplicably have both players listed as “TIE” regardless of the actual outcome of their race.

Internal Project Name

Various files in the game, such as some sound archives and textures, refer to the game as "Hite".