I wonder if there are any gamers out there who have yet to play the original Sonic the Hedgehog? If so, this could be their chance to indulge, as Nintendo has announced that the original Megadrive game is coming to the Switch this August.

It’s being bundled with Thunderforce IV as part of the Sega Ages lineup, which sees a number of classic games being made available in the Nintendo Switch eShop. In fact, these two titles will be the first to kick everything off, priced at an eye-watering 925 yen each (roughly nine dollars… don’t worry 😉 )

This will not be the original, unadulterated Sonic the Hedgehog though. It sounds like it will be more of a Star Wars: Episode IV Special Edition, with elements from the 3DS version being included, such as the spin dash. Apparently, the title will also come with the Mega Play arcade version of the game, which is distinctly different from the Megadrive original. For example, there are only four zones: Green Hill, Spring Yard, Star Light, and a truncated version of Scrap Brain. There are also zero special stages, and each level comes with its own unique time limit which causes instant death if you’re too slow. Ouch.

Fans of classic gaming can also look forward to retro titles Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Gain Ground and Phantasy Star making an appearance on the Nintendo Switch in the future, although there’s been no word on any release dates as yet.

Will you be purchasing (or re-purchasing) the original Sonic the Hedgehog when it launches on the Switch next month? And are there any other classic Sega titles you’d like to see on the release schedule?