This review contains spoilers
Sonic Frontiers is a game that genuinely surprised me. I've been playing Sonic games since I was little, I'm pretty sure the first game I ever played was a Sonic game. This franchise will always have a special place in my heart, however, my history has not eliminated the fact that the sonic games of late haven't been exactly great games. This franchise has been going through something of an identity crisis, and after seeing the initial gameplay of Frontiers, I was extremely skeptical. It took me a couple months after the game came out to even pick it up because I just wasn't feeling Sonic, and didn't expect this game to change that. I'm happy to say I was very wrong. This game, whilst having a lot of flaws, is a fresh take on the franchise that I believe will lead to a return to greatness for this series.
For starters, the story of this game was surprisingly captivating and interesting, and I was glad to see that the writers made an effort to link the games of the past with Frontiers. Characters will mention past events in conversation, and If they continue down this path then there will be a better sense of cohesion between games, with arcs that could span multiple games. That idea is exciting. The expansion of the lore was clever and added context to games as far back as Adventure 2, and that, I find extremely refreshing. The soundtrack is awesome as always, with a mix of calming tracks and heavy metal epics that match the tones of their respective gameplay segments. Speaking of gameplay, that aspect is perhaps the most mixed bag of the game. I was surprised at how enjoyable the gameplay loop was, however, I definitely understand the criticism and am optimistic about how it can be innovated in the future. The combat was a definite standout, having much more in-depth moves to use is a refreshing upgrade from simple homing attacks. I wish there was a bit more variety in the gameplay loop, whilst it was fun at first, things got a bit more formulaic towards the end and ultimately got stale. The graphics were also hit or miss, sometimes the game would look nice and other times it would look downright bad. Hoping to see an improvement in future installments. My favorite aspect of the game is the way characters are handled. It felt like there was a lot more depth this time around, and that comes with the more mature tone this game takes. Every character has a distinctive arc and, most importantly, they are changed by the end, in a way that it feels like they are setting the arcs up to be expanded in future games, which I love. A standout for me was Eggman, who was give a much more humanised role in this game. He didn't even really feel like the villain, and by the end, I honestly felt sorry for him. This feels like it could be the last game where Eggman is in an antagonistic role, as he seems to be transitioning to a more sympathetic, hesitant ally who cares only about his daughter. Sonic is as good as always, he remains the ray of light that brings everyone up. Whilst I'm not a fan of Roger Craig Smith's performance in most of his Sonic appearances, this game was definitely my favourite performance of his and it might have convinced me to be less cynical if he returns in other games. Amy's one was weird though, she kinda sounded 12 and 67 at the same time. Spectacle is another aspect that this game handled well, the super sonic boss fights are engaging and cool to watch, and I think they can only go up from here in that aspect. Overall, Sonic Frontiers is a game I went in with very low expectations, and rolled credits feeling honestly reinvigorated with this franchise. For the first time in a while, I'm excited for what comes next, and I encourage everyone to give this game a proper try. An exciting new road in the Sonic franchise!
For starters, the story of this game was surprisingly captivating and interesting, and I was glad to see that the writers made an effort to link the games of the past with Frontiers. Characters will mention past events in conversation, and If they continue down this path then there will be a better sense of cohesion between games, with arcs that could span multiple games. That idea is exciting. The expansion of the lore was clever and added context to games as far back as Adventure 2, and that, I find extremely refreshing. The soundtrack is awesome as always, with a mix of calming tracks and heavy metal epics that match the tones of their respective gameplay segments. Speaking of gameplay, that aspect is perhaps the most mixed bag of the game. I was surprised at how enjoyable the gameplay loop was, however, I definitely understand the criticism and am optimistic about how it can be innovated in the future. The combat was a definite standout, having much more in-depth moves to use is a refreshing upgrade from simple homing attacks. I wish there was a bit more variety in the gameplay loop, whilst it was fun at first, things got a bit more formulaic towards the end and ultimately got stale. The graphics were also hit or miss, sometimes the game would look nice and other times it would look downright bad. Hoping to see an improvement in future installments. My favorite aspect of the game is the way characters are handled. It felt like there was a lot more depth this time around, and that comes with the more mature tone this game takes. Every character has a distinctive arc and, most importantly, they are changed by the end, in a way that it feels like they are setting the arcs up to be expanded in future games, which I love. A standout for me was Eggman, who was give a much more humanised role in this game. He didn't even really feel like the villain, and by the end, I honestly felt sorry for him. This feels like it could be the last game where Eggman is in an antagonistic role, as he seems to be transitioning to a more sympathetic, hesitant ally who cares only about his daughter. Sonic is as good as always, he remains the ray of light that brings everyone up. Whilst I'm not a fan of Roger Craig Smith's performance in most of his Sonic appearances, this game was definitely my favourite performance of his and it might have convinced me to be less cynical if he returns in other games. Amy's one was weird though, she kinda sounded 12 and 67 at the same time. Spectacle is another aspect that this game handled well, the super sonic boss fights are engaging and cool to watch, and I think they can only go up from here in that aspect. Overall, Sonic Frontiers is a game I went in with very low expectations, and rolled credits feeling honestly reinvigorated with this franchise. For the first time in a while, I'm excited for what comes next, and I encourage everyone to give this game a proper try. An exciting new road in the Sonic franchise!