‘Sonic Frontiers’ Review

Video Games

Nov 24

Screenshot from the Xbox One version — Image Source: SonicTeam

Sonic Frontiers is finally here, and it is definitely a different experience from previous titles. With its new “open-zone” gameplay style, players can run freely through the Starfall Islands while taking down enemies and searching for keys to unlock the chaos emeralds. With this new title, it’s clear that the franchise is heading in a new direction, and Sonic Frontiers lays a solid foundation for the blue blur.

Gameplay

Screenshot from the PC version — Image Source: SonicTeam

The gameplay focuses on the “open-zone” style. This style features a vast open world for Sonic to explore. In addition, island challenges unlock more parts of the in-game map. The island is also populated by various enemies for Sonic to take down using the new combat system.

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There are stronger enemies in the game called Guardians. These Guardians act as mini-bosses and offer an interesting and unique way to challenge and defeat them. They can be challenging and sometimes confusing, but they are rewarding. The Guardians drop portal gears, which are needed to unlock the Cyberspace portals.

The Cyberspace stages are the main ways the player can receive vault keys, which are needed to unlock the vaults holding the chaos emeralds. These stages are very similar to the boost formula stages of the games since Sonic Unleashed, though the physics share more in common with Sonic Forces. The stages are based on Sonic’s memories and feature environments inspired by Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic the Hedgehog and Sky Sanctuary from Sonic the Hedgehog 3&Knuckles in addition to the original environments. The level designs are also inspired by other games in the franchise. These levels have challenges within them that earn the player more vault keys.

Screenshot from the Switch version — Image Source: SonicTeam

Other collectibles include the memory tokens for each character trapped as a Cyberspace ghost. The characters include Amy, Knuckles, and Tails. These memory tokens are used to unlock interactions with said characters and Sage.

Occasionally, the player will have to complete mini-games to progress. These include a game in which you round up Kocos (the peaceful residents of the Starfall islands), a laser puzzle, a crane game, and even pinball. They are interesting, challenging, and fun diversions to the main game.

A larger mini-game is the dishing segment with Big the Cat. Sonic pays Big purple coins to use his fishing pole for fishing. Within these fishing spots, Sonic can catch fish, treasure chests, memos from Eggman, and scrolls for the Elder and Hermit Koco. It’s more fun than the fishing in Sonic Adventure and is a fun little side game.

Sonic’s skills can be leveled up throughout the game. The primary way to do this is to talk to either the Elder or Hermit Koco. The Elder Koco increases Sonic’s speed and max ring amount, and the Hermit Koco increases his attack and defense, allowing the player to swap speed and max ring amount values.

One of the gameplay’s huge highlights is each fight with the Titans. These creatures are so powerful that Sonic must transform into Super Sonic. The titans are challenging and very rewarding to defeat. Bosses of this scale are usually reserved for the final boss of the entire game, but Sonic Frontiers has the player fighting them as soon as the end of the first island.

Overall, the gameplay of Sonic Frontiers is vast and varied. There’s plenty to do in the game, and it can easily take quite some time to completely 100% the game. It’s a fun and engaging new experience for longtime fans and new players alike.

Story

The story of Sonic Frontiers takes a bit of a different direction than other titles. Eggman encounters a portal to Cyberspace on the Starfall islands and uploads his new A.I. called “Sage” into it. However, the dormant robots defending the islands are summoned upon doing this, and Sage drags Eggman into the portal, seeing these robots as a threat. Meanwhile, Sonic, Tails, and Amy travel to the Starfall islands after being drawn to them due to activities that have drawn the Chaos Emeralds to these islands. However, they are soon pulled into a wormhole to Cyberspace, and only Sonic can escape into the “real world,” with the other three being trapped. Now, Sonic must find a way to free and save his friends by freeing them from their prisons created by Sage and gathering the chaos emeralds to take down the Titans. He does this all while battling the corruption caused by the digital energy he absorbs from the prisons.

This is a darker story than what has been featured in recent Sonic games. Written by Sonic comics veteran Ian Flynn, his experience with the franchise is clearly shown. From callbacks to past installments to a story with heart and weight, it’s clear that Flynn was the right choice to write this story.

Graphics

Sonic Frontiers is a beautiful game. The environments are wonderfully detailed and diverse. Even Sonic seems to have gotten a graphical upgrade, sporting fur textures now. The game is available on all major platforms, and the graphics still look mostly the same on each version. However, the game looks and performs the best on PC. Nonetheless, each version is still pretty good.

Music And Sound

As seems to be the case with most Sonic games, the music is stellar. Some standouts are the vocal themes, especially the ones during the titan boss battles. In addition, the music during the Cyberspace stages takes a more techno approach than in previous entries, and the open-zone sections also have more of an atmospheric tone. Overall, the music in this game is some of the best in the franchise.

The sound design is also very well executed. Each sound effect aids in creating the atmosphere for each island. The voice actors also have gotten a different direction than in previous games, and it definitely fits the more serious tone of this title. Overall, the music and sound design do a lot to help create the mysterious atmosphere of this game.

Pros And Cons

Let’s start with the pros. The game is a breath of fresh air compared to Sonic Forces, and the open-zone style allows for more exploration than in Sonic Adventure. Also, it’s nice for the story to have some weight again, and the English voice cast does an excellent job of portraying Ian Flynn’s writing and conveying the serious nature of the story. One highlight is the father-daughter relationship between Eggman and Sage. Their dynamic is quite refreshing compared to his relationships with his lackeys, such as Orbot and Cubot. Ryan Bartley does an excellent job of voicing Sage and conveying her sinister side as well as her confused child side. A scene on Chaos involving her island got me choked up upon watching it, but I won’t go into it too much.

The cons, however, are just as plentiful. Firstly, this game suffers massively from pop-in on every platform. While it is arguably the worst on the Nintendo Switch version, it’s still present in all ports of the game. Secondly, the Cyberspace sections are perhaps the weakest parts of the game. Sonic’s speed in them is a bit too slow, and it would have been nice for the environments to be a bit more varied. In the open-zone sections, Sonic’s base speed is also a bit slow, and the speed powerups seem to only affect his boosted speed.

Regarding the voice acting, while the acting has definitely improved, Sonic’s voice is just a bit too low for my liking. I did get used to it, however. Also, while I typically play the game in Japanese, I have heard that the Japanese adaption of the English script is quite stiff, so it kinda hampers the experience just a bit. There are still a few glitches in the game, but they’re negligible. The camera can also be a bit jank at times, and the fact that you can’t move it at all in the Cyberspace stages is a bit confusing. Lastly, the 2D sections present in the game do feel a bit forced.

Verdict

Sonic Frontiers is the best 3D Sonic game we have had in quite some time. Though it does have some issues, it’s still quite a fun experience. I can easily see this as a solid foundation for the rest of the franchise. With some tweaks, a future game in this style could even be better than Sonic Adventure or Sonic Adventure 2. The game is fun for Sonic fans and non-Sonic fans alike, and the story is something that diehard fans of the series have been wanting for years. I highly recommend picking up Sonic Frontiers.

Developer: Sonic Team; Publisher: SEGA; Players: 1; Released: November 8th, 2022; ESRB: E10+ for Fantasy Violence; MSRP: $59.99, $69.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition

Review played on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC

Rating: 9/10

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