Sonic Frontiers
MSRP $59.99
“Sonic Frontiers is loaded with downright puzzling design decisions, making for 2022’s most bizarre game.”
Pros
Impressive scale
Combat is ok
Cons
Poor sport really feel
Laughable story
Busted collectible financial system
Frustrating boss fights
Ugly graphics
If I needed to describe Sonic Frontiers in a single phrase, that phrase can be “Huh?”.
While not outright damaged like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) or Sonic Boom, Sonic Frontiers is a closely misguided sport that muffles good concepts with questionable narrative, technical, and gameplay design selections. Sonic Team continues to display that it’s not fairly positive what to do with the blue blur, taking a wild swing with a sport that tries to rival open-world video games somewhat than double down on the strengths of newer titles like Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania, or older successes just like the Sonic Adventure sequence.
I’ve reviewed some horrible video games this 12 months, however none have left me as confused as Sonic Frontiers. Its jerky gameplay makes for a lackluster Sonic entry, design issues result in a mediocre open-world sport, and weak visuals don’t even place it as an awesome current-gen showpiece. I had a completely baffled look on my face all through the whole lot of Sonic Frontiers‘ 20-hour runtime, and you probably will too. It’s not unplayable; it’s simply disagreeable to play.
Story stumbles
Sonic Frontiers‘ lengthy checklist of issues begins with its narrative. Sonic, Amy, and Tails are all interested in the Starfall Islands by their Chaos Emeralds. When they arrive, a mysterious power knocks Sonic out and sends his buddies (& Knuckles) right into a digital dimension. Sonic explores the island from there, discovering that his pals are trapped in Cyberspace and that an unstoppable power that worn out an alien civilization could quickly return. Meanwhile, a mysterious digital woman named Sage, who has a stunning connection to Eggman, taunts Sonic as he explores the world
We’re caught with a Sonic sport narrative aiming to show the cartoon sequence into one thing rather more severe and never doing it properly.
I get the sense that Sonic Frontiers needs to be a mature, somber sport (Roger Craig Smith portrays Sonic with a deeper voice right here). Not far into its story, it turns into clear that Sonic Frontiers is a sport about dying and transferring on. Characters consistently muse about love, dying, and in the event that they’ve carried out sufficient with their life. Sad music performs over flashbacks to cutscenes you watched simply hours earlier, and the sport’s remaining shot needs to make you cry. Like Sonic Forces, it’s onerous to take any of it severely until you’re totally purchased in on the franchise’s intensive lore.
With each new dialogue scene, I discovered myself both utterly puzzled or laughing onerous at how severely the sport was attempting to take itself. The story turns into more and more nonsensical because it goes on, and it’ll possible solely reside on resulting from viral YouTube compilations of its oddest moments (it’s like somebody constructed a sport only for Dunkey). Once once more, we’re caught with a Sonic sport narrative aiming to show the cartoon sequence into one thing rather more severe and never doing it properly. That strategy has by no means labored for Sonic Team, so it’s no shock that it struggles right here.
Then, you really begin enjoying the sport, and issues solely worsen.
You’re too gradual
To give Sonic Frontiers credit score over video games like Sonic 06 or 2014’s Sonic Boom, it’s not riddled with glitches (at the least on PS5, the one platform we had been in a position to play it on previous to embargo). The worst glitch I ever bumped into throughout my playthrough was a water texture flippantly glitching from sure angles. No, the problems listed here are a lot more durable to resolve than a bug; they’re elementary design points. At probably the most fundamental stage, Sonic simply doesn’t really feel good to regulate. He begins transferring very slowly (gamers can improve his pace stat with a collectible), aided by a lift button that feels extra like Sonic Lost World’s dash. I used to be in a position to tweak Sonic’s pace within the sport’s settings, however doing so negated one of many sport’s key development hooks. It was an early second that highlighted how Sonic Frontiers’ is busted by default.
Jumping and homing assaults really feel sluggish and stilted, making seemingly simple jumps extra irritating than they should be. Sonic doesn’t hold momentum properly both, exacerbating all these points. Even should you’re operating quick or utilizing a lift pad, Sonic will abruptly cease the second your finger leaves the management stick. Short cinematics usually butt in to interrupt Sonic whereas he’s operating round (any time he reaches max rings, the sport abruptly cuts to a video of him sparking as much as point out that his high pace has raised), and odd digicam angle shifts can ship Sonic flying off in an unintended path.
Sonic both strikes at full pace or by no means, and when your foremost character doesn’t management properly in a platformer, it’s basically going to harm your complete sport. These are basic items that even Sonic Adventure 2 received proper in 2001 that really feel like they might be higher right here.
Collectathon chaos
To give Sonic Frontiers some credit score, its scale is spectacular. The 5 Starfall Islands are the most important Sonic ranges we’ve ever gotten, and the sport took me about 20 hours to beat with a wholesome quantity of exploration. But greater doesn’t at all times imply higher, as every island is bizarrely constructed. While folks have been calling this Sonic’s model of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it’s extra akin to a Ubisoft open-world sport.
This is a sport of goals and collectibles. Players traverse massive environments to gather numerous currencies, all of which have completely different capabilities. Playground-like rail and platform obstacles populate the islands and attending to the top of these usually rewards Sonic with Memory Tokens used to speak with characters and progress the story. Players can even encounter minibosses known as Guardians that grant Gears which let gamers entry linear Cyberspace ranges. Beating Cyberspace ranges and finishing bonus goals grants Keys, which gamers redeem to gather Chaos Emeralds, additionally wanted to progress the story.
On high of that, gamers may also discover collectibles that elevate Sonic’s assault energy, protection, pace, and ring depend, discover purple cash to be used in a fishing minigame, and purchase Skill Pieces that can finally accrue into Skill Points. While there’s at all times one thing to gather, all these collectibles are poorly distributed. Obstacles are laid across the open world in a haphazard method, so it’s simple to enter one midway by way of its setup (think about stepping onto a rollercoaster backward).
The map isn’t useful both due to the way it’s unveiled to gamers. Sonic can discover and full numerous mini-challenges to disclose a number of the map, however that’ll solely reveal scattered squares of the grid-like map somewhat than every part within the surrounding space, bungling one thing that the majority fundamental open-world video games get proper. Even when you will get the map to disclose the placement of a Cyberspace stage or miniboss, these elements of the sport include their very own caveats.
The total collectible financial system is damaged.
Cyberspace ranges are linear phases structured in a method that might be acquainted to those that’ve performed latest Sonic video games. These extra centered phases that decision again to traditional Sonic areas like Green Hill Zone initially appear to be they might be a excessive level of the sport. Unfortunately, these too are marred by Sonic’s poor momentum, which feels even worse in smaller areas the place gamers are presupposed to consistently increase and go as quick as doable. On the miniboss entrance, gamers can defeat some in a short time whereas others are five-plus minute fights. Coupled with the lackluster physics, it’s uncommon to ever get into Sonic Frontiers’ open-world stream.
Sega
That doesn’t matter, although, as your complete collectible financial system is damaged for 2 causes. First, gamers can receive essential gadgets by way of random enemies and Cyloop (a brand new capability the place Sonic can create a streak of power whereas operating) drops. Alternatively, Sonic should buy these collectibles en masse from Big the Cat with tickets earned in a easy button-timing fishing minigame, which I at all times had greater than sufficient Purple Coins to entry. What would take you over an hour to grind for within the open world might be earned in mere minutes by fishing.
Would you somewhat wrestle with tough physics, lengthy boss fights, and irritating Cyberspace ranges for hours on finish as I did at first, or fish for 15 minutes and purchase every part required to progress the plot? By the top of the sport, I wished to do the latter. In an try to present gamers the instruments to play their very own method, the builders made elements of their sport redundant by design.
Titanic troubles
One side of Sonic Frontiers that isn’t instantly weak is fight, which this sport emphasizes with its miniboss Guardian fights, enemies scattered all through the islands, and colossal boss fights on the finish of every island’s story. Sonic has a couple of fundamental assaults and the power to parry and evade from the beginning, and gamers can unlock the Cyloop and extra abilities by way of the talent tree with factors. Combat is straightforward, and most of the animations simply don’t look good, however this a part of the expertise is at the least understandable and works as supposed when Sonic engages in a battle.
While fight’s gratifying with fundamental enemies and miniboss Guardians, it doesn’t honest as properly throughout Super Sonic fights with the Titan bosses of every world. These Titans are gigantic mechanical creatures that Super Sonic should defeat, and initially, their hulking dimension is spectacular. These battles shortly deteriorate, although. Instead of being primarily based on talent, the fights are on an arbitrary timer decided solely by what number of rings Sonic has when coming into the battle. Throughout these fights, Sonic’s rings will drain, and also you’ll routinely lose if all of them run out, even should you’re in the course of an animation, a fast time occasion, or one hit away from a remaining blow. If you don’t improve Sonic’s coin-carrying capability and grind cash with Cyloops earlier than you battle bosses, you’ll possible battle to beat them.
Tying off all of these gripes, presentation is an issue right here too. The digicam usually can’t deal with the dimensions of those fights and can lose monitor of Super Sonic or intention in an unhelpful path. Some boss animations really feel borderline unfinished too. In specific, the third boss spins round in fast circles that appear like a personality mannequin being dragged round by an invisible hand. These each point out one other downside with Sonic Frontiers: it’s simply not a handsome sport.
Not a 3D Blast
Even enjoying on PS5, Sonic Frontiers is an unpleasant sport. Animations are weak throughout the board, with Sonic and his enemies snapping into sure positions somewhat than trying dynamically animated, even when transferring. Sonic Team additionally determined that the Starfall Islands ought to look “realistic” (in quotes as a result of these environments don’t appear like they’re from a AAA sport in 2022) somewhat than the stylistically cartoony like most Sonic video games, and that alternative doesn’t work properly on a number of ranges.
Textures are blurry, the lighting is poor, and the obstacles that populate every island look off. While that could be the purpose, as these objects are from Cyberspace, additionally they appear like they had been laid about with none actual rhyme or motive. They find yourself feeling unnatural somewhat than international, which isn’t the supposed impact. It seems like an newbie Unreal Engine 4 or Unity Sonic tech demo, but it surely’s not. This is a AAA mainline Sonic sport made on a proprietary engine by Sonic Team (and a few fan-made 3D Sonic video games even look higher).
Sonic Frontiers additionally suffers from horrible pop-in, even on a current-gen console (I can’t think about the way it performs on a Nintendo Switch). Running across the 5 Starfall Islands, you’ll consistently see lighting, enemies, and objects which can be mere ft away pop in proper in entrance of your eyes. Not solely does this make the sport look low high quality, but it surely additionally stunts open-world exploration, because it’s usually tough to see a complete platforming gauntlet. The greatest a part of video games like Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, and even The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is seeing one thing within the distance, pondering “I want to go there,” and doing it. Sonic’s visible shortcomings make this an impossibility.
At its greatest, Sonic Frontiers is middling … and it’s not usually at its greatest.
The digicam doesn’t assist in that sense. Not solely is it a ache in boss fights, but it surely isn’t good when exploring the world as properly. When Sonic will get right into a small crowded area, the digicam has bother specializing in him. That’s a standard problem in platformers, however what’s much less forgivable are digicam points whereas exploring the open world. When operating round, the digicam will typically lock on to random enemies or minibosses because it expects you to battle them.
Sonic Team additionally determined that some obstacles would work higher from a 2D perspective, so the digicam will shift to that and lock itself in place, even if you find yourself solely close to these obstacles. This makes it very simple to get disoriented throughout each fights and exploration, as you received’t have the ability to exit a platforming part that you just’ve by chance stumbled into. 3D Sonic video games aren’t any strangers to unhealthy cameras, however Sonic Frontiers doesn’t have the gorgeous world design, memorable set items, or enjoyable gameplay to make up for it.
The worst sport of 2022
Even with all of these complaints, I nonetheless don’t really feel like I’m protecting the total breadth of disappointment right here. Here’s a bulleted checklist of a number of the sport’s weirder moments, so you will get an excellent higher sense of how perplexing this sport is (gentle Spoilers for the sport observe):
Every evening, a poorly defined slot machine minigame pops up that lets Sonic accrue purple cash. It covers the display screen as Sonic runs around the globe at some stage in the evening, making a continuing cloying sound whereas obscuring key UI.
Bizarre minigames punctuate key story factors, a few of which play just like the irritating herding missions from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
At the top of a 3rd world, there’s a rage-inducing pinball minigame that forces gamers to attain a whopping 5,000,000 factors to progress. You solely have three balls.
I soft-locked myself in a Cyberspace stage by shedding my momentum on a loop-de-loop and was additionally in a position to stroll up 90-degree slopes if I moved slowly sufficient.
A late-game world ditches the open-zone thought and has Sonic scaling large towers. One, specifically, is extremely tough to navigate as a result of sport’s poor momentum.
Characters carry up earlier Sonic sport remaining bosses in conversations that sound like Family Guy characters establishing cutaway gags.
Sega
At its greatest, Sonic Frontiers is middling … and it’s not usually at its greatest. In 2022, there’s no motive to select up Sonic Frontiers until you’re a lifelong fan already bought on the sport (these gamers have been by way of worse). If you need a fast-paced sport with an awesome sense of momentum, I like to recommend OlliOlli World. If you need a story that’s in all places and incoherent however finally comes collectively in a satisfying method, play Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Want to lose your self in an open world? Play Elden Ring. Sonic Frontiers is just not the perfect at something it does, even inside 2022 alone.
It may not be as a lot of a technical mess as another Sonic video games, however that’s not a really excessive praise. Sonic Team tried to do one thing radically completely different with Sonic Frontiers, which is a decent path for a inventive group to go in, however the fundamental design selections right here simply don’t really feel properly thought out. Even if Sonic felt good to regulate, a plethora of different poorly executed points would’ve held the sport again. The smartest thing I can say about this sport is that it’s playable on PS5 — not precisely a glowing level of reward.
Digital Trends reviewed Sonic Frontiers on PS5.
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