Despite having a generic open world with stage assets thrown in, reused level design and aesthetics for the Cyberspace levels, and one of the most disappointing endings I’ve experienced in a video game, Sonic Frontiers somehow manages to be a good game that is the best 3D Sonic game we’ve had since Generations.

The sense of speed and movement Sonic has, while not primarily momentum based, makes it fun to traverse the landscapes and break puzzles when utilized well. The addition of settings to turning speed and bounce height as well as a slight nerf to the boost among other things help to mitigate some of the shortcomings of the Physics. Although I’d much prefer a traditional momentum based system in a game of this design, this is the best controlling Sonic we have had in the Boost-era.

The writing is commendable too. With the addition of Ian Flynn to the staff (a well regarded Sonic comic writer) we now have the best characterizations of Sonic and Co. since the Adventure games. Dialogue is also littered with references to various titles in the series that fans will enjoy. Although the plot isn’t anything to write home about, it is engaging, expands the lore, and still a major improvement from what we have got in the Boost-era.

All in all, Sonic Frontiers feels like a good first step in the right direction for 3D Sonic after the limbo the character has been in for the past 15 years. If you are a Sonic fan, you will enjoy this game. If you aren’t but are a fan of platformers, pick it up when it gets a price drop.

It is definitely a game that had me addicted. To this day, still the only 4x game I'll ever touch and I think that deserves credit. I found myself really involved in roleplaying in the world and it found itself quickly skyrocketing to the highest game on my Steam Playtime (still is as of writing this). Today, I struggle to get back into it due to time commitment, but I definitely could re-engage deeply if given the opportunity.

== Expansions ==
Utopia: 5/5 literally an essential piece of the puzzle, without this the whole game would crash in on itself
Apocalypse: 3/5 Pretty fun, but rarely a massive implement in my runs, only really adding the Great Khan if nothing else
Megacorp: 5/5 My favorite DLC, Megacorps are my favorite thing in the game period
Federations: 4/5 Another banger, but a little overpacked
Nemesis: 2/5 Very mid addition, most of the mechanics are easily forgettable
Overlord: 3/5 Pretty good, but just Federations Part 2
Galactic Paragons: 4/5 has a lot of cool things but is knee-capped by semi-poor integration, cool ideas tho
Astral Plane: 4/5 basically Ancient Relics but not horribly unbalanced
The Machine Age: 5/5 the best DLC

== Story Packs ==
Leviathans: 4/5 Really fun mini-bosses, not much else
Synthetic Dawn: 4/5 I forgot this was a DLC, but it is pretty good for options
Distant Stars: 3/5 for the 3 music packs in this, because i don't know what else is in this
Ancient Relics: 2/5 While I think it's fun for mid-game boredom, the actual things you get from this dlc break the game, since artifacts are broken as s***
First Contact: 4/5 So far, sick af, great new mechanics that flesh out the pre-FTL system

== Species Packs ==
Plantoids: 3/5 they look nice, adds some civics and traits
Humanoids: 2/5 mostly garbage, only worth it for the origin
Lithoids: 4/5 Best species pack
Necroids: 3/5 Pretty fun, but very limited in its use
Aquatics: 4/5 Pretty damn fun, the origins are sick af
Toxoids: 4/5 The best bang for your buck pack, even if most of the stuff is mid