Sonic Frontiers Xbox Series X Review
| Game: | Sonic Frontiers |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | SEGA |
| Developer: |
In my younger days, I was a huge Sonic the Hedgehog fan, but after circa 2006, I was losing interest in the blue blur and his speedy games. They were changing, SEGA adapting them to a newer and younger audience, one who could keep up with the “boost-to-win” formula a lot of Sonic’s games would implement from around 2010 onward. It just wasn’t for me, finding the fast gameplay too manic and uncontrollable.
Then around 2017, two new Sonic games were announced: Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces. Seven years later and I thought to myself it was about time I tried to get back into Sonic games, see how they have evolved. And, honestly, neither game was quite for me. Sonic Mania, again, felt too manic and even cluttered, and the less said about Sonic Forces the better. I played both, but again, they just weren’t for me (though I would play Mania over Forces any day).
Cut to a few more years later, and I was given Sonic Colours Ultimate as a gift. I briefly played it and haven’t been back since. Clearly the formula of those games still wasn’t gelling with me. I say all this because I have been around for a good portion of Sonic’s games on their release, have seen them change over time and not always necessarily for the better, with many receiving scathing reviews. 10+ years I went barely playing a Sonic game because I simply couldn’t get used to the new system that had been introduced. Other factors played a part too, such as the lack of personality in any of the characters, Sonic’s cringy one-liners, and stories being overly cartoonish. I guess that’s what SEGA was aiming for, but as an older Sonic fan, I felt alienated.
Then Sonic Frontiers comes along and it’s safe to say that I’m addicted. It’s a game that I actually feel like I want to go back to, and it’s been a long time since I have felt that way about a Sonic game. While some of the boost system is still in place, it manages to incorporate a genre of game I’m very much at home with – open world (or rather “open zone”). Not as open as some players would perhaps like, but open enough to give the illusion that there is a lot to see and do. Starfall Islands–the new setting of this adventure–is basically the hub that joins all the boost levels together, Sonic spending much of his time on the island hunting for the Chaos Emeralds.
There are five separate islands that make up Starfall Islands, Sonic having to visit them all to collect the Chaos Emeralds and save his friends, all whilst trying to unravel a new mystery – who is Sage, where is Eggman, and what is the story behind this mysterious island?
The story is written by Sonic the Hedgehog Archie & IDW comic writer, Ian Flynn, and you can definitely tell the story was created by a comic writer. That’s not a criticism by any means, but the story is bizarre to say the least. Storytelling in Sonic games hasn’t been the series’ strong point for a long time, but here it’s nice to finally see a story that isn’t all wise-cracking and one-liners. Sadly, however, while Frontiers tries to up the ante, with there being an attempt at character development and some mild drama to up the stakes, the story still falls a little flat in its execution, with a rushed, anti-climactic ending, stilted dialogue and some forced character arcs. Saying that, it is still a step in the right direction for the series, story-wise.
Gameplay is where the game excels, Sonic jumping and grinding his way around each island, which feels very cathartic. His goal is to collect memory tokens which are needed to talk to Amy, Knuckles and Tails, who are all trapped in cyber space. Once they are unlocked, they will chat with Sonic–this being an attempt to develop the relationship between Sonic and his friends–or give him small quests to complete, which usually revolve around the cute new little critters of this universe, called Koco. There is one character to find per island, and their icon will appear in numerous locations on the map, making it simple to find them and learn more about the story.
Controlling Sonic around the islands is fun, and boosting at high velocity and running freely through the terrain is very liberating. All five islands are well designed, suited to Sonic’s speed and agility, with lots of space to run. Each island is full of rails and bounce pads and boost pads, all enabling Sonic to complete small- and large-scale grinding sections that reward you with a memory token. Some sections are simple 3D, with camera angles capturing Sonic in all his agile greatness. Other grinding sections will have you complete them side-on, 2.5D style, harking back to the Sonic games of old. However, these 2.5D sections can become a bit of a bother. As the camera angle is fixed in these sections, while running around, Sonic can snag them from time to time, almost as if the camera is pulling him towards it, and this can result in him being thrown haphazardly across the map as you try to divert away. When running at high speeds, you can also see a lot of pop-in as objects load into the map, sometimes appearing right in front of you. Navigating some islands can also be a cause for frustration. You have a map to help you locate different areas, but it doesn’t help you to actually reach that area. There was a lot of to-and-froing as I tried to find the correct path, platform or rail to reach a higher area, or over to another section of an island.
As for how Sonic controls, Sonic can feel a little floaty when jumping around, which can lead to some depth perception issues, and there are times when he will use a boost pad or light dash and afterwards will come to a standstill rather than keeping up the momentum. Other than that, he controls well, with Frontiers having the best controls since the Adventure days; I finally feel I have control over Sonic again. As well as his usual set of skills–running, jumping, homing attack–this time Sonic comes with a whole new set of skills that he can unlock. Sonic Frontiers leans heavily towards RPG games this time around, having a level-up system in place to upgrade Sonic and his skills. To do this, Sonic needs to collect Skill Pieces (collected from downed enemies or box containers), then you can select which skill you would like to unlock in the skill menu once you have acquired the right amount. There’s not a lot on offer–I completed the skill tree very early on, making the Skill Pieces redundant quite quickly–but what is available makes Sonic very powerful, and he can take down enemies with ease.
Sonic’s first skill he gains is the Cyloop, in which he can create a blue circle which, once it has been cross connected, will result in various effects, such as the ability to conjure rings, tokens and other collectibles out of the ground. This move can also be used to solve puzzles and attack enemies, such as knocking a shield off them if they use one. Other moves Sonic can gain include Sonic Boom, a kick that sends shockwaves towards enemies, giving small amounts of damage in quick succession; Phantom Rush, a meter that, once filled, allows Sonic to perform attacks at a faster rate, very useful in Titan boss fights; and Recovery Smash, a move that allows Sonic to recover from an enemy hit if the on-screen prompt is pressed quickly enough. There are more moves to discover, with quite a bit of variation, some being more powerful and effective than others.
Having multiple attacks means Sonic can chain combinations of attacks when confronting an enemy. Unfortunately, there is no score that you can achieve by combining attacks, meaning there’s no real motivation to achieve as high a score as possible when using these moves. It just looks cool. But by combining moves, however, it does help to fill up the Quick Cyloop meter that can be used in conjunction with other moves as another way to help take down enemies.
As well as unlocking skills, they won’t be very effective unless Sonic upgrades his power and defence. You do this by the trading red and blue seeds Sonic finds with a Hermit Koco, who will automatically raise the level of each skill depending on how many seeds you trade with it. Sonic can also upgrade his speed and the number of rings he carries. To do this, Sonic needs to pick up the cute little Koco that are scattered across the map and return them to the Elder Koco. Each skill can be upgraded to a maximum level of 99, and while I didn’t manage to achieve this, even upgrading Sonic’s speed to around 35 he could still run at a fair pace with the assistance of his boost, which is made even faster when Sonic reaches the maximum amount of rings he can carry, giving him a blue electric glow akin to his Sonic movie counterpart, a nice call-back. Upgrading the amount of rings Sonic can carry is also very useful for Titan boss fights as, with Sonic using his Super form, rings are depleted, so it helps to have a fair few on hand.
One aspect of the game that some fans where apprehensive about was how realistic the islands look compared to Sonic himself, being that he is a blue cartoon animal, an issue that has plagued certain Sonic games before, most notably Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). It’s a contrast that has never blended well, and even though the same can be said here, at least the ancient and alien aspects of the plot and environments makes sense – this isn’t Sonic’s world, and there are no humans wandering about.
Each island Sonic visits has its own theme, as is usual for these types of platform games, meaning there’s nothing that makes them particularly original. There’s the tropical location, desert, volcanic region, and rustic ruins, of which two islands are stylised in this way. Some islands can look a bit grim and melancholy, and don’t feel like something you’d expect from a Sonic game, with environments usually being colourful and lively. Thankfully that is left to the boost stages–which can be accessed in any order via Portals, which are unlocked using gears collected from downed enemies–and gives a nice breather from the running around and collecting on the main islands.
The boost levels are short and sweet, and balance platforming and speed very well. Levels are based on classic Sonic zones–Green Hill being one of them, of course–and in each level there are four objectives to try and complete, which include finishing the level within a certain time frame, finishing the level with a certain number of rings, collecting all five red stars dotted throughout the level, and simply reaching the goal. Upon completion of one or more of these goals, you will be rewarded with a key, and when you have collected enough keys, they can then be used to open Chaos Emerald vaults.
As you are running and boosting your way around these levels, an odd choice of music to accompany the action is the use of generic dance tracks. It sounds more like music that can be heard in an early 2000’s nightclub than a Sonic game, and it doesn’t blend well with the cartoony style of the zones. I guess Sonic Team wanted to take a break from remixing original classic Sonic songs again? Fans always look forward to the music as much as the story and gameplay, and Sonic games have always been known for their thumping soundtracks. Sonic Frontiers has been praised for its tunes, though I feel the tracks are overrated. I don’t find them memorable at all and aren’t songs you can sing along to; they aren’t on the same level as Live & Learn, Escape from the City or I Am (All of Me). The soundtrack here is definitely not the best the series has to offer.
The new enemies of this game, called Titans, gigantic robots built to defend earth, are the reason why Sonic needs to collect the Chaos Emeralds; he can only defeat them in his Super form. The size and scale of each Titan gives Shadow of the Colossus vibes, in that Sonic has to climb them to reach the last Chaos Emerald located on top of them. These are the final boss of each Island, becoming available once Sonic has collected the first 6 Chaos Emeralds. An odd design choice is to have the Chaos Emeralds scatter after Sonic has defeated a Titan, meaning they need to be collected all over again on the next island. Seeing Sonic defeat each Titan is truly a spectacle, particularly one that he ends up throwing around effortlessly, proving his might in his Super Sonic form.
If you’re looking for a break from all the running around, a little venture that players can partake in is fishing. Sonic can find a Portal that leads to an area where Big the Cat will let you fish. Here, Sonic can collect many fish, and other secrets too, exchanging purple coins for items only accessible from Big. These include extra Koco, seeds to increase your power and defence, and even audio logs from Dr. Eggman, giving some insight into the story and his connection to Sage.
There were a few little references in the game, including references to Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure. One of the robot designs look very similar to the Egg Walker Tails faces and is even defeated in a similar way too. Sonic even quotes a line from the Archie comics and SatAM cartoon. A game that celebrates 30 years of Sonic, it makes sense for there to be little call-backs to previous games and media (Sticks the Badger is even mentioned by Amy).
Recently it has been announced that there is going to be new DLC for the game, which I am very much looking forward to. There’ll be a new Juke Box, photo mode, Challenge mode, new Koco (the designs of which are cute, but their differences never served any purpose as far as I can tell), new Open Zone Challenges, and Sonic’s birthday (whatever that may be). There will even be new playable characters, and a new story, which will all add some longevity to the game.
Sonic Frontiers once again changes the Sonic formula, one that is a step in the right direction for the series. More akin to the collectathon games of old, Sonic Frontiers manages to balance old and new ideas well. A new formula for SEGA, hopefully they’ll have learned a thing or two for a more polished and much anticipated sequel. Here’s hoping that this sets the precedent for Sonic games to come.
