The announcement ofSonic Originswas seen as Sega delivering a love letter to fans. The reissue of the originalSonic the Hedgehog,Sonic CD,Sonic the Hedgehog 2, andSonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knucklesis something that fans have been requesting for a very long time, after all. That excitement has since been tinged with frustration, however. Sega has since confirmed the various launch editions ofSonic Origins, revealing a variety of unforeseen pre-order content, DLC, and further monetization.To start,Sonic Originswill be launching in two different editions, a standard edition and the Digital Deluxe Edition. Some of the differences between the standard and deluxe editions are leaving fans confused. For example, the deluxe edition ofSonic Originsfeatures “Character Animations” both in the game’s main menu and music islands. There are also “Camera Controls” over the many menu islands, additional music tracks from the MegaDrive/Genesis games, and hard missions included with the Digital Deluxe Edition. Much of this functionality seems like it should be standard, making the standard edition ofSonic Originsseem more like a stripped-down version of the game.RELATED:New Sonic Origins Collection Containing Classic Games Releasing Next YearSega will also be offering twoDLC packs forSonic Origins, currently listed as “Coming Soon.” These two DLC packs, the Premium Fun Pack and Classic Music Pack, are simply a different way of acquiring DLC offered in the Digital Deluxe Edition or as part ofSonic Origins' pre-order DLC. It’s a complicated monetization scheme for, again, content that many fans feel should be included by default.
The pre-order DLC forSonic Originsis a particular point of contention for fans, however. The Start Dash Pack, available solely bypre-ordering either edition ofSonic Origins, is the only way to acquire Mirror Mode forSonic Origins. It doesn’t appear to be available in either of the DLCs.
Also within the pre-order DLC is an extra 100 Bonus Coins, which appear to be an in-game currency used to unlock various content likeSonicmusic. It’ll likely be earnable in-game, but the inclusion in the pre-order bonus has some thinking it’ll be a monetized currency, as well. That, in turn, has many worried thatSonic Originswill have further frustrating monetization.
What’s important to remember is thatSonic Originsis a premium game. The standard edition costs $39.99 and the Digital Deluxe Edition costs $44.99. It isn’t clear how much of the now-revealed DLC will be accessible though in-game means, but what is clear is thatSegais monetizing the game well beyond what many see as necessary just to giveSonicfans access to five classic games.
Sonic Originsreleases June 23 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
