However, since there are currently no details on when that patch will be released or what exactly it will address, all I can do is speak from my own experience playing the 1.0.3 version. I should note before we get into this that Sega’s social media manager for the Sonic franchise has confirmed on Twitter that there will be an upcoming patch for the game to address some issues. Others, like the Orange Rocket that sends you 100 feet into the air without letting you tilt the camera up at all before firing, are just frustrating.Īs a Switch port, Sonic Colors Ultimate strips away a lot of love I had for the original game by somehow being an inferior version.
Some, like the Purple Frenzy that changes you into a ferocious beast that breaks down obstacles, are a blast. These brief transformations can be a neat change of pace, but most of them are fleeting at best and never have the same utility or fun factor of Sonic’s innate moves. Wisps temporarily transform Sonic, drastically changing how the game is played for a short time. Unfortunately this means that if you’re not interested in replaying levels to improve your fastest times, then you’ll probably end up underwhelmed by the game’s shorter length of around six hours.Ĭolors’ signature shake-up to the formula was the addition of Wisps: alien allies that can be found in levels to give you special powers. This sort of level design lends Sonic Colors to being a game that is incredibly fun for speedrunners since you’ll want to explore levels to find the quickest way to the end. Levels are designed with multiple paths that you can traverse through, with there typically being a fast path that requires a lot of technical skill and a slow path that you’ll end up on if you aren’t up to snuff. This is probably the part of Colors that has aged the worst, and while this was improved a lot in the next game (Sonic Generations), it can feel like a step backwards a decade later. The downside is that the controls can be a bit frustrating any time you’re doing anything but moving straight ahead, which Sonic Colors unfortunately asks you to do every few levels.
This setup makes for a version of Sonic that feels like a natural evolution of the original Genesis games into 3D, capturing both the speed and precision platforming that made the series famous. You only have a limited amount of boost power though while it can be regained easily by defeating enemies or collecting pickups, you’ll run out of energy quickly if you use it for too long. The boost style’s namesake is a signature ability that Sonic can use to, well, boost! At the press of a button, he gains a large burst of speed that also deals damage to anything in his way and helps clear gaps that you normally wouldn’t be able to jump over. Gameplay swaps back and forth between a behind-the-back view that feels almost like an on-rails game and a side view that matches traditional 2D platformers.
Sonic Colors is what fans of the series call a “boost style” game. Sonic Colors Ultimate promised to be a welcome chance to replay that beloved classic, and while I believe the actual game itself holds up, Sonic has undoubtedly had a rough transition to Switch. It’s second only to Generations in my mind, lacking some fine-tuning and polish of that successor but still managing to succeed at an experience that’s kinetic, flashy, and sometimes genuinely funny. SEGA previously said “the teams are listening and assessing for an upcoming patch.” We’re hopeful that SEGA will continue to deliver Sonic Colors: Ultimate updates outside of version 1.0.4 to continue improving the experience.After its original release on Wii over a decade ago, Sonic Colors became one of my favorite games in the Sonic franchise. It can also be accessed immediately through the system’s home menu.
If you’ve played the game recently, your Switch console will download the patch automatically. SEGA has confirmed that version 1.0.4 should be live for all users now, with more patches to come “in the near future”. It shows that players may still encounter long load times compared to the Wii original and other current systems, occasional frame rate dips, and other glitches. YouTuber TWIP has taken a closer look at the Sonic Colors: Ultimate patch in a new video, which you can find below. Thankfully, it seems that this has now been taken care of. Some players have come across a variety of issues since launch, but one of the most significant problems involves a visual distortion that could be seizure inducing. Right now it’s only available on Switch and not any additional platforms.īased on initial research fans have done, it seems as though SEGA may have addressed a major glitch. Sonic Colors: Ultimate has been updated to version 1.0.4.