Sega finds the crossroads of the series’ linear legacy and its “open-zone” future in Sonic Frontiers, paying homage to both eras of the game. The expansive Starfall Islands encourage exploration, while the linear CyberSpace stages provide the typical speed-based Sonic experience.
Despite flaws on both sides, Frontiers is a generally enjoyable experience that is a step forward for the franchise.
Keep your pace up!
You’ll have to perform a variety of little missions to fill up the map of each island; most of them are quick and satisfying. However, towers and giant opponents are scattered across each island zone, and climbing these is necessary for progress.
Unfortunately, Sonic’s motion gets fussy in these instances — the poor man isn’t at his greatest when he loses momentum — which means you’ll tumble straight back down regularly.
It’s alright the first few times, as you can typically zip right back up. But you’ll probably make many mistakes, where climbing a tower or returning to a boss’ weak point gets boring.
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Sonic Frontiers: Sonic fights!
The gameplay of might seem routine since clicking the attack button will get you through most of Sonic Frontiers’ battles. You may employ a variety of combinations and moves, but there’s little motivation to go beyond the fundamental assaults that smash usual foes and bosses.
The Titan bosses that await you after each island are stunning, and the music has significant noughties overtones. However, they rely too much on rapid time event button clicks.
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Sonic and His Pals
The plot is typical Sonic material, with the mysteries of the Starfall Islands and an extinct alien species developing as you free Amy, Knuckles, and Tails from interdimensional captivity. It’s sparse in the early hours but becomes more common in the game’s later stages.
However, you are unlikely to find the tale fascinating, owing to the lackluster voice acting. This seems especially surprising considering the recent films instilled such a strong feeling of fun in this band of anthropomorphic animals – only Tails voice actor Colleen O’Shaughnessey reprises her film role in Frontiers.
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Conclusion
Sonic Frontiers’ visuals are vibrant and pleasant but nothing spectacular. The broad zones are a tad drab, and the character representations are simple (though Sonic’s quills are visible, which is fantastic).
These were most likely technical sacrifices to keep the game working on the aging PS4, Xbox One, and Switch hardware.
Sonic Frontiers is neither the failure that the Sonic Cycle has trained us to expect nor the brilliance that Sega fans had hoped for. Instead, it’s a huge step forward for the franchise and hopefully lays the groundwork for a fantastic sequel.
