Zipping through this new world for Sonic the Hedgehog reveals an imperfect sandbox with rough edges. It’s still so fun you’ll mostly forget the issues.
We apologize for the delay in getting this review up. Scheduling circumstances meant we needed to swap out writers for the article.
If you’ve ever wanted a cross of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Tony Hawk and Forza Horizon, with a smidge of anime epic boss battles thrown in for good measure, you’ll have a pretty decent idea of what Sonic Frontiers is like. It’s nothing similar to Sonic games before it. Where the Sonic Adventure games felt like roller coaster rides glued together with an ambitious but flawed story attempt… and other modern Sonic games have felt like quick cash grabs by a company using its mascot for easy money… Sonic Frontiers is altogether different. Instead, this feels like a studio yearning to prove it can play with the big boys again. It falls short of its lofty goals, but not for trying.
By now, you’re all probably aware that the game’s art direction feels “muddy” and the pop in is atrocious. Neither issue will likely dampen your fun very much. Instead, I have found that although I long for zippy songs and sunshiny levels, this is a very clever game doing something unique. It’s genuinely fun. It’s lacking the polish and skill brought to you by other Triple A studios but it also is fresh in that there is so much going on here that doesn’t exist in anything else. An open world (open zone) game where you’re shooting from rail to rail in the middle of the sky, running at racing game speeds on the tail of a massive boss character, attempting to rescue your friends who live in some sort of in-between state of existence… it’s all specific to this title.
Would I have preferred to have explored Green Hill Zone, Hill Top Zone, Mystic Ruins and the Death Egg in beautiful, bright colors? I think that would have been more fun, especially if they were set up in a similar open zone system. Would I prefer a better momentum system brought into the game so that hitting max speeds felt like a real achievement? You bet. But even with all the potential I see ahead for Sonic games (if only they can achieve it), this game is still really good and worth most gamers’ time. There are so many things that are so clever and should be a part of the franchise for forever to come.
The ability to run a circle around items and enemies to interact with them using the trail behind Sonic? Brilliant. Having your boost speed tied to the number of rings you have collected? Genius. Now we just need giant rings as a way to teleport to locations a la the Sonic movies and you really have tied so much together!
Sonic Frontiers is no perfect game. It’s glitchy, it’s experimental. But it’s also a ton of fun, surprisingly zen — and I think it’s a great Christmas gift for pre-teens, all the way up to eighties kids. There’s just something very relaxing about this game as you explore, imperfectly for sure, a world that is different to Sonic… yet a nice sandbox to become the blue blur for a little while.
Review Score: 8/10 (Great)
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place. As always, drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts!
I’ve seen some streamers playing Sonic Frontier. The game looks excellent, and is clearly aimed squarely at kids. Hopefully this one does well.