SONIC FRONTIERS game review (6) (age rating 7+)
It’s finally here! Our first open world Sonic game and it did NOT disappoint. Sonic Frontiers not only gives us an adventure in multiple huge open worlds, but the game also pushes different boundaries with a bunch of new aspects that steer away from what people tend to expect from Sonic games. I’m so excited to review it!
As always, this review will be spoiler free!
*all images are screenshots from the game taken by me.
Gotta go fast!
Sonic Frontiers is very much a game for old Sonic game fans and new ones.
From skill trees, to different abilities and climbing gigantic robots and creatures. SEGA definitely wanted to make a statement with this game.
The game starts off with a mysterious and intriguing cutscene before thrusting us into a sense of nostalgia in a familiar running stage format of the game, which many OG Sonic fans will instantly recognise.
Listen, the way I was bopping to the music in the first couple of minutes during that stage segment was too funny.I loved it, but we’ll dive into the music a little later because that needs a whole segment of its own.
These Portals of Nostalgia– as I like to call them– are known as cyberspace levels and you can find them all over the open world. Each portal is different and many are homages to old Sonic game stage levels, with you trying to reach the goal as quickly as possible, collecting rings and avoiding danger at high speed.
I love that SEGA remained true to the heart of Sonic, and yet expands it even wider through this open world aspect.
Big Wide World!
GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS! I love the open worlds in Sonic Frontiers. A lot of effort was put in to make the worlds visually stunning.
To be able to just run around, grind, jump and explore the different areas is so much fun. It’s so huge and the world turns from night to day, which is another touch I really liked.
As you explore, there are lots of mini challenges to do, which unlock parts of the map. There are also little creatures known as Kocos, which very much reminded me of the famous Chaos from previous Sonic games, but as you play the game, you’ll find out they are quite different, and not just in appearance.
One of the things I also noticed, especially during free roam, was the strangely pleasant mature vibe of the game that came through as you play. From the music, to Sonic’s voice and just the general atmosphere of the world. Sonic Frontiers appears to take a slightly more serious and mature approach to the game, but still very much child friendly.
I really liked this change of pace, because at the same time, you get doses of the young fast paced action scenes during the portal challenges and boss fights.
Sonic? Is that you!?!? 🤨
Mate, I had to include this. The way Sonic’s voice threw me off was too funny!
During the opening cutscene when we finally get to see Sonic, my first thought was “Huh? Why is his voice so deep?” Haha!
I’m so used to hearing a cool, slightly energetic kind of voice in Sonic games that hearing this slightly mellow version of his voice took me by surprise. But you know what? It did grow on me the more I played the game and it feels almost like this is an older and more mature version of Sonic, which made sense with the overall mood of the game.
The story has a few different branches that at times can be a little bit disjointed, but it all comes together in the end and I’m sure you’ll love.
Music
Banging. Let me tell you, the music in Sonic Frontiers is on an epic level. It almost made me feel like a kid again, hearing the music during the boss fights, but with a new twist.
I even had to post a tiktok, just to shout it out. Because the first official post fight had me jumping in my seat with hype:
*Spoiler for the first boss fight in Tiktok video.
Some of the music composers include: Tomoya Ohtani, Kenichi Tokoi and Takahito Eguchi.
Gameplay
There is a lot of love about the gameplay of Sonic Frontiers, and the homage it shows to older Sonic games, such as Sonic Adventures 2, but with a very fresh approach that makes this game so much better. So, aside from the cyberspace levels, when you’re free roaming the world, Sonic can use various abilities that can be unlocked during the game and help you during epic boss fights.
For example, there’s an ability called Cyloop that you unlock very early on, in which you create a trail of light behind you and can run around and complete a circle around an enemy to attack them. You can also create a random circle in the grass as you’re running to create rings.
On that note, just like other Sonic games, in Sonic Frontiers, coins are your health. Run out of them and get hit by an enemy then it’s game over and you have to try again at whatever moment you were in.
There are also a lot of different things to collect in the game too, which can either be fine, or slightly overwhelming if you’re not a huge gamer.
There are purple coins, portal gears, Kocos, hearts, memory tokens and more. Each with a different use, so sometimes it can feel like a bit much to keep track of, however, this is only a minor thing and many of them are actually aren’t too hard to collect.
For example, the portal gears are mainly obtained by fighting special monsters during free roam. There’s also so many different types of enemies that the game keeps you on your toes. I love that you can’t just button smash your way through monsters and enemies, you have to be tactical and think each action through.
One thing that did throw me off when I initially played the game (with a playstation controller) was the triangle symbol that appeared on objects and enemies in the game to signal you to use the homing attack.
I often found myself pushing the triangle button on my controller instead of the square one (which is the homing attack button) haha. However, it wasn’t long before I got used to it haha.
Accessibility
Impressively, Sonic Frontiers puts quite a bit of effort in making sure it can be played by all kinds of players.
One of the key changes you can make is Sonic’s speed. The players have control of the pace and whether that’s literally at supersonic speed (ha!) Or a slightly slower one for easier control, it’s up to them.
Another great setting is one that helps players with motion sickness. Early on in the game, players are informed that if they suffer from motion sickness they can switch on a crosshair effect which takes away from the motion blur.
There are other settings too, which can change the graphics and make things easier as well.
Bugs/glitches
Right off the bat I did experience some issues where I couldn’t put the game in full screen mode on PC, however, after a quick Google search found out this was just a PC issue, and the devs are working on it.
Also as a side note, certain options in the settings cannot be changed until you reach a specific point in the open world zone.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed Sonic Frontiers and it’s a brilliant revival of the Sonic IP. I like that SEGA didn’t shy away from trying something new and I firmly believe it worked.
The game can be enjoyed by first time Sonic gamers and OG fans of the games. It truly caters to both in different ways, and whilst Sonic’s voice was something that threw me off at first, I did enjoy the mature feel of the game and what a story! I’m so excited for the future of the Sonic gaming franchise.