Sonic Origins to feature an ‘adapted’ soundtrack for Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Who’s Bad?

The mysterious legacy of the Sonic 3 soundtrack has reared its head once again, as Sega has revealed that upcoming retro compilation Sonic Origins will not feature the original score from the 1994 release. Instead, Sonic 3 & Knuckles will feature an “adapted” soundtrack, faithfully recreated by composer Jun Senoue.

Sonic fans had been awaiting news on the Sonic Origins soundtrack situation, well aware that Sonic 3 score is mired in misty red tape due to the alleged input of one Michael Jackson, who supposedly composed some of the game’s tracks despite not actually being credited in-game. Since its release, both members of Michael Jackson’s team and Sega executives have delivered mixed messages as to whether “The King of Pop” did indeed work on the best-selling Sega Mega Drive title, with no real confirmation either way.

New: @SEGA's @KatieChrz on Sonic 3 & Knuckles' partially adapted soundtrack in #SonicOrigins:

📢 "We can't use all of the original sounds [from S3&K]. Jun Senoue has been working really hard to adapt the original music that was composed in 1993 for Origins,"#SonicNews pic.twitter.com/7va4T76QdZ

— bsky.app/profile/tailschannel.com 🦋 (@TailsChannel) June 9, 2022

In a special Sonic Origins live stream held yesterday, social media manager Katie Chrzanowski clarified that the Sonic Origins edition of Sonic 3 & Knuckles will feature a recomposed version of the original score, with Senoue even utilizing original Sega Mega Drive technology and his original collection of Digital Audio Tape (DAT) to truly capture that classic 16-bit feel.

While the fact that Sonic 3 is not being 100% replicated in its entirety will be a disappointment to the fanbase, Senoue is one of the best in the biz, with no doubt that the tweaked score will be equally as compelling as the one that Jackson did… I mean did not… write.

Sonic Origins launches June 23 on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.