A Thrilling and Ambitious Refresh of the Sonic Franchise
Sonic the Hedgehog franchise might have started over 30 years ago, but it never ceases to surprise its fans and attract new players. Sonic Frontiers, the latest addition to this addictive series, is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and released by Sega in 2022.Â
Players step into Sonic’s plushy running sneakers and navigate the mysterious but enchanting realm of Starfall Islands. It is the first open world in the franchise, but Frontiers successfully merges traditional and platformer elements to provide an engaging experience.Â
The goal is to compile the Chaos Emeralds and combat robotic villains and gigantic Titans. However, the journey is anything but easy.Â
Finding a way out of this puzzling wormhole requires overcoming complex challenges, solving puzzles, jumping on wacky rails, collecting items, and staying focused, as Starfall Islands resemble a formidable playground. Yet, despite all these traps and unexpected difficulties, some argue there’s not much depth to Frontier’s plot.Â
But this entry might have more to offer than it seems at first glance. So let’s dive deeper into this gameplay, its strong points, and its downsides.
When Frustration, Addictive Exploration, and Mesmerizing Visuals Come Together
Sonic Team built the foundations for Sonic Frontiers in 2017 after releasing Sonic Forces. They decided to introduce a new template for the future Sonic games, as they did in 1998 with Sonic Adventure.
Takashi Iizuka, the head of the Sonic Team, envisioned the new entry as an open-ended design and adjusted Sonic’s capabilities to fit this world. So on November 8, 2022, they published Sonic Frontiers for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
Despite their enthusiasm to develop a different game, present it to loyal fans, and reach a younger audience, Sonic Team and its innovative entry encountered mixed reviews. I recognize the artistry of the open world but I also think that the gameplay could be more immersive and varied. On the other hand, many players had more positive feedback and disagreed that the game was repetitive.
But our whole team that Sonic Frontiers is both enjoyable and frustrating. This entry likely has one of the best narratives in the franchise, and it incites you to invest yourself in the game emotionally.
The breathtaking world and intricate story are compelling, and the influence of similar open-world games (e.g., The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) is nearly palpable. Yet, Sonic Frontiers didn’t learn much from these stories.
 Distracting Mini-Games and Compelling Visuals
The characters we all love, Amy, Tails, and Knuckles, often appear overly serious and gloomy. The game also encourages you to discover how the seven mighty Chaos Emeralds ended up in mysterious Starfall’s Islands and why the enigmatic portal opened in the sky, sucking in Sonic’s Team.Â
The group finds themselves in a baffling digital dimension called CyberSpace. Although this realm resembles those from previous Sonic environments concerning appearance and gameplay, Sonic’s friends appear as glitchy virtual projections.
You will quickly learn that your objective is to fight creatures called Titans and save your best friends. The task is more challenging than you might like, as you’ll need Super Sonic’s support to make that happen.Â
The road ahead is tricky, demanding a lot of zipping around and completing side-quests and mini-games while maintaining speed and staying ahead of time. You’ll need fast reflexes and a skilled approach when boss battles, as you might strike a grind rail or bounce pad if you accelerate too much.Â
Even though the principal Sonic controls are swift, jumping should feel more precise. Hence, if you’re not careful, you could find yourself stuck in an animation, going in an entirely different direction than you wanted.Â
The visuals are luscious and captivating and invite you to explore the world. Thus, the soundtrack greatly supports the presentation and encourages you to interact with the environment.
Frustration arises with somewhat unexpected mini-games that tend to distract you from the main gameplay. For instance, the pinball game might feel infuriating after some time, as you’ll likely need at least one hour to beat it due to the luck factor involved.
You’ll often feel you want to return to core combat and roam this immersive ambiance, but you can’t escape the mandatory diversion games. Nevertheless, boss battles are much more engaging and have an animesque feel.
Indeed, the pacing could be faster, which could detract new and impatient players from giving it a chance. You may also encounter a few camera setbacks, although nothing overly distracting nor impacting the gameplay.
However, Sonic Frontiers would benefit from some improvements, as it already has the potential to be among the best this year. Nevertheless, if you ignore the minor issues, this game is addictive, and you can overcome the challenging mini-games and battles after practicing a few times.
Despite Requiring Ironing Out, Sonic Frontiers is Worth Your Time
Sonic Frontiers has a lot to offer, and claims that it is repetitive should allow you to give it a chance. The developers have thought of details and introduced many twists, turns, and enemies to make this journey memorable and fun.
Sometimes it may feel like they even added too much, making it hard to keep up with everything. Thus, Sonic is fast and requires animations supporting that speed.
But that’s where Frontiers shows its ambition but needs to back it up with powerful and consistent controls. It should always feel smooth and pleasing to move, yet that’s only sometimes the case, and navigating jumping is often wonky.Â
Although only some things run all the time swiftly, that doesn’t hinder the momentum and detract from enjoying the game. Instead, the lush environment, relaxing exploration, and satisfying dialogues and soundtrack compensate for what’s lacking. Â
Sonic Frontiers also takes the gameplay to a higher level with adding a skill tree, open-world mechanics, and great customization options. That makes Sonic’s progress and growth more palpable and interacting with the game more rewarding.Â
This entry refreshed the story and introduced new elements to the franchise, creating excitement about the future of the series. Thanks to that, Sonic Frontiers is inherently worth playing, and it will captivate you with novelties and thrilling endeavors.
Summary
Sonic Frontiers is a game with a lot going for it, but is somewhat held back by the technical issues of a character as fast as Sonic. It does provide a path forward into a new era of Sonic games that could revive the series and unite the fans behind it.
Overall
70%Pros
- There’s a satisfying flow to the open-ended nature of exploration and progression
- Combat is simplistic but fun, with plenty of enemy variety
- Bosses are grand in scale and spectacle
- Bite-sized Cyber Space levels encourage replayability
Cons
- Sonic’s movement is floaty and imprecise, leading to some platforming frustration
- The repetitive gameplay loop gives way to tedium by the end
- Some of the mini-bosses are tiresome and repeat too frequently
- Cyber Space levels lack visual variety
