Even if you’re running fast or using a boost pad, Sonic will abruptly stop the moment your finger leaves the control stick. Sonic doesn’t keep momentum well either, exacerbating all these issues. Jumping and homing attacks feel sluggish and stilted, making seemingly easy jumps more frustrating than they need to be. Image used with permission by copyright holder It was an early moment that highlighted how Sonic Frontiers’ is busted by default. I was able to tweak Sonic’s speed in the game’s settings, but doing so negated one of the game’s key progression hooks. He starts moving very slowly (players can upgrade his speed stat with a collectible), aided by a boost button that feels more like Sonic Lost World’s sprint. At the most basic level, Sonic just doesn’t feel good to control. No, the issues here are much harder to resolve than a bug they’re fundamental design issues. The worst glitch I ever ran into during my playthrough was a water texture lightly glitching from certain angles. To give Sonic Frontiers credit over games like Sonic 06 or 2014’s Sonic Boom, it is not riddled with glitches (at least on PS5, the only platform we were able to play it on prior to embargo). Then, you actually start playing the game, and things only get worse. That approach has never worked for Sonic Team, so it’s no surprise that it struggles here. Once again, we’re stuck with a Sonic game narrative aiming to turn the cartoon series into something much more serious and not doing it well. The story becomes increasingly nonsensical as it goes on, and it will likely only live on due to viral YouTube compilations of its oddest moments (it’s like someone built a game just for Dunkey). With every new dialogue scene, I found myself either completely puzzled or laughing hard at how seriously the game was trying to take itself. Like Sonic Forces, it’s hard to take any of it seriously unless you’re fully bought in on the franchise’s extensive lore. Sad music plays over flashbacks to cutscenes you watched just hours earlier, and the game’s final shot wants to make you cry. Characters constantly muse about love, death, and if they’ve done enough with their life. Not far into its story, it becomes clear that Sonic Frontiers is a game about death and moving on. I get the sense that Sonic Frontiers wants to be a mature, somber game (Roger Craig Smith portrays Sonic with a deeper voice here). We’re stuck with a Sonic game narrative aiming to turn the cartoon series into something much more serious and not doing it well. Meanwhile, a mysterious digital girl named Sage, who has a surprising connection to Eggman, taunts Sonic as he explores the world Sonic explores the island from there, discovering that his friends are trapped in Cyberspace and that an unstoppable force that wiped out an alien civilization may soon return. When they arrive, a mysterious force knocks Sonic out and sends his pals ( & Knuckles) into a digital dimension. Sonic, Amy, and Tails are all attracted to the Starfall Islands by their Chaos Emeralds. Sonic Frontiers‘ long list of problems begins with its narrative. It’s not unplayable it’s just unpleasant to play. I had a thoroughly baffled look on my face throughout the entirety of Sonic Frontiers‘ 20-hour runtime, and you probably will too. Its jerky gameplay makes for a lackluster Sonic entry, design problems lead to a mediocre open-world game, and weak visuals don’t even position it as a great current-gen showpiece. I’ve reviewed some terrible games this year, but none have left me as confused as Sonic Frontiers. Sonic Team continues to demonstrate that it’s not quite sure what to do with the blue blur, taking a wild swing with a game that tries to rival open-world games rather than double down on the strengths of newer titles like Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania, or older successes like the Sonic Adventure series. While not outright broken like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) or Sonic Boom, Sonic Frontiers is a heavily misguided game that muffles good ideas with questionable narrative, technical, and gameplay design decisions.
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