Sonic Frontiers Reviews
Sonic Frontiers reinvents the franchise with open-world exploration, nostalgic Cyber Space levels, and a fantastic soundtrack. While technical issues and repetitive combat hold it back, its bold direction and creative ambition make it a promising step forward for Sonic’s 3D future.
Sonic Frontiers takes lessons from games across the industry and puts its own spin on them. For the first time in many, many years Sonic Team united varied elements into a cohesive package. Breathtaking soundtrack, bold steps forward on a core formula, and spectacular boss fights dash past pop-in and difficulty issues to create the best Sonic game in many years.
If this was just a collection of the mini-levels thrown together with a sort of hub area to hone your skills, Frontier may have been a solid Sonic game. As it stands though, there’s so much wrong with this that it’s hard to know where to start. Some will undoubtedly have fun with this one, pointing out other, worse, Sonic games on the market, but compared to platforming giants like Mario and Crash Bandicoot, this one barely stumbles out the gates before being left in the dust.
Sonic Frontiers deserves credit for being a true departure from previous series installments. The open-zone structure is a great concept that frees the developers up to experiment with Sonic’s speed and abilities in new ways. Where the game comes up short is in its stale rehashing of classic stages, a control setup that could stand to be simplified, and performance woes that suck players out of the gameplay experience. With plenty of DLC and patches on the way, hopefully Frontiers can become a better version of what came out at launch. In the interim, it’s a buggy affair that entertains and frustrates in equal measures.
SEGA has decided to give the series a bold swerve, veering toward today's top genres, but without betraying the spirit that has distinguished it since its early days. Although with a very problematic technical compartment, the title manages to entertain and engage, thanks to the freedom granted and the spectacular staging in the most concussive sections. Hopefully, this path taken by the Japanese software house will allow the blue hedgehog to hurtle toward a bright future. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, a decent effort by the Sega team and they should be praised for their future vision for the series.
Ultimately, that’s the feeling I leave Sonic Frontiers with. It’s not perfect and it could never be perfect with the chances it takes but ultimately the chances are generally the best parts of the game. I have not been this excited to talk about a Sonic game since Generations which was over a decade ago. Sonic is fun, and I think a lot of people will have fun with it. I hope the team expands upon what they built here because I genuinely believe the next game built off this framework could be amazing.
Sonic Frontiers is a wonderful addition to the Sonic series. It offers exciting exploration and high-octane gameplay that will keep players engaged. While there are minor issues with collision and controls, these do not greatly impact the overall enjoyment of the game. It is a must-play for anyone interested in Sonic.
Sonic Frontiers feels like a turning point for the character and while not everything works, the open world, new abilities, and story are the real standouts.
Though it lacks a bit of final polish, Sonic Frontiers finally breathes new life into a franchise that's been on life support for far too long, and, fittingly enough, paves the way for great new things in the future.
Sonic Frontiers is a bold new move for our favourite hedgehog. The open worlds give a sense of freedom and there is a lot to do. Unfortunately the most of it is the mandatory collecting of a lot of stuff to progress through the game. The controls feel good, but at higher speeds they won't always work and the camera is a total disaster. This makes the game way less enjoyable than it should be.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
When I got to test Sonic Frontiers at Gamescom 2022, I already had a feeling that something truly unique might be at hand. When reviewing the final product, it was a joy to realize that my initial positive impressions didn’t fade—in fact, quite the opposite. At this time of year and in this state of mind, the new Sonic fits incredibly well. And best of all: if this is the direction Sonic Team wants to take the series, fans can finally be hopeful about the future of the blue blur.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Sonic's entry into new, for him, gaming paths is overall successful, despite any problems. With a little polish and attention to detail, the next game in the series (at least I take it for granted that there will be one) has the foundations in place to finally look eternal rival Mario in his three-dimensional, bubbly eyes.
Open world Sonic should have happened a long time ago. One can only hope that they decide to give it another shot. Should that ever happen, we can just hope that they learn their lessons making this one. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a new Sonic game or are interested in a light single player experience, you could do worse than Sonic Frontiers. You could probably do better, but you could definitely do worse too.
Sonic Frontier’s kinesthetics are not perfect, but it is hard to not be engrossed by the intense sense of speed and be in awe by the visuals. Shockingly, this game aimed at children has a lot of respect for them. When the tutorials are done, there is no hand-holding and it is on the player to blaze their own trail.
The most ambitious Sonic game of recent years has arrived and wants to drag us into its new world. With Sonic Frontiers, the series goes down new paths and there are thoughts on the venture, however what is the result? Christos Hadjisavvas analyzes.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Sonic Frontiers is great, but it could have used some polish in some areas. In saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Sonic Frontiers. The game feels like almost anyone could enjoy it. Even as a lapsed fan, I could follow the story and feel for each of the characters, and most of their plights were relatable.
This has been one enjoyable ride and it is great to see how well Sonic has fared in his latest outing. Exploration is fun, running around an island and going from grind rail to grind rail. The variety of challenges and collectibles are balanced, and combat has evolved via the new Cyloop ability, although this does get a little repetitive by the end of the game. There is never really a dull moment to be had, and there is plenty of content to power through. This is a game that every Sonic fan needs to play. Hopefully Sonic Team and SEGA follow up with a direct sequel as they have the formula nailed just right.
Sonic Frontiers takes many steps in the right direction for Sonic games. Still, its biggest fault is that it tries to do so much, with how well it accomplishes everything varying greatly between interesting and frustrating. Longtime Sonic comics writer Ian Flynn penned parts of the story, and its narrative and music are some of the game's highlights worth mentioning. The moments that work in Sonic Frontiers can be fun and captivating, but as soon as players start to feel a groove, they're thrown into something different, changing what they're doing and creating a choppy flow to progression. The foundation for a consistent experience in the next 3D Sonic game is here, but Sonic Frontiers feels more like a test than a proper renaissance for the series quite yet.
Sonic Frontiers is a flawed but fun title that introduces some new ideas that could bring the Blue Blur back to the spotlight, namely the open world and combat, that are satisfying enough and might be expanded in future titles where they can be fully realized.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review