Sonic Frontiers Reviews
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 feels like a turning point for the character and while not everything works, the open world, new abilities, and story are the real standouts.
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
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.
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
A lot of Sonic Frontiers is still a mess, actually, and Sonic himself still doesn’t feel great. Those two things alone will keep a lot of players away, and I can’t blame them. Still, there’s something about Frontiers that no recent Sonic game can match. It’s ambitious, and its core gameplay loop actually works. It’s downright engaging. I spent a lot of my time with Sonic Frontiers having a ton of fun, even if there were just as many moments where I was frustrated and ready to be done with it. This isn’t a great game, but it’s one that should satisfy Sonic fans desperate for an interesting game starring their favorite blue blur, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like the series may have a sense of direction. There’s still work to be done to make it more than that, but this is a big step in the right direction.
Sonic Frontiers can't offer any outstanding visuals, but some of the levels give a strong nostalgic vibes, while open world segments are filled with some great boss fights and nice puzzles. Frontiers is definitely better than anything Sonic Team has done in the past 10 years time, so it is a step in the right direction at the very least.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Worlds are colliding in Sonic the Hedgehog’s newest high-speed adventure! In search of the missing Chaos emeralds, Sonic becomes stranded on an ancient island teeming with unusual creatures. Battle hordes of powerful enemies as you explore a breathtaking world of action, adventure, and mystery. Accelerate to new heights and experience the thrill of high-velocity, open-zone platforming freedom as you race across the five massive Starfall Islands. Jump into adventure, wield the power of the Ancients, and fight to stop these new mysterious foes. Welcome to the evolution of Sonic games! Reviewed on the Nintendo Switch.
Despite the nature of this recognisable mascot character, Sonic Frontiers is perhaps best enjoyed when you take the time to see everything each island has to offer. Be it combat, platforming, or exploration; there is something in it for every kind of Sonic player, even if frustrations are never too far away. Yet, the overall direction of Sonic Frontiers is exactly what the series needs, and hopefully, future releases will continue to build on this foundation and go full steam ahead.
Big,fun, impresive at times, a little rough around the edges maybe, but Sonic: Frontiers is a step in the right direction for Sega and the beloved blue blur.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As a longtime fan of the Blue Blur, I am overjoyed by Sonic Frontiers and what it represents for the series moving forward. With solid new gameplay ideas, an engaging and rewarding story, one of the best soundtracks in the series, and a good length, it’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had with a Sonic game. What holds it back are inconsistent visuals, a general lack of polish in some places, and not being particularly newcomer friendly. That being said, it’s a game I can still recommend with ease because of the sheer amount of heart it has, and how addicting it is when taken on its own terms. It’s a new frontier, and the air has never been so fresh.
Messy, overcomplicated and slow to start, but fun once it picks up speed.