Sonic Frontiers

 PlayStation 5
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2952 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,382 out of 2952
  2. Mixed: 167 out of 2952
  3. Negative: 403 out of 2952
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  1. SantodomingoLOp
    Nov 11, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es un buen juego, simple pero a la vez sólido, muy entretenido buenos jefes pero, peca en no ser bastante repetitivo en casi todos los mundos que visitamos y la creatividad de sus niveles al final del día se ve bastante limitada y pese a ser mundo abierto la verdad no es mucho lo que podamos hacer todo eso junto con varios problemas de Pops, glitches y Bugs y errores de renderisados hace a Sonic Frontiers un buen juego pero no tanto.… Expand
  2. megamangomon
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    Exciting for the future of sonic, game gives you some hope for the next installment. Other than being a good start, the game is very repetitive and empty. And lacks polish. Overall 6/10 game is a decent enough for a passing grade, but by no means a masterpeice.
  3. PastryOutbreak
    Nov 15, 2022
    6
    Pretty good at times but held back by a malicious camera that wants you dead, terrible pop in for assets, lack of variety, and buggy/janky open zones.

    The cyberspace missions are pretty neat and nostalgic of previous Sonic games but sometimes this results in near total reskins of old levels. Creatively lacking at times, this game really needed either more side content to engage with    Pretty good at times but held back by a malicious camera that wants you dead, terrible pop in for assets, lack of variety, and buggy/janky open zones.

    The cyberspace missions are pretty neat and nostalgic of previous Sonic games but sometimes this results in near total reskins of old levels. Creatively lacking at times, this game really needed either more side content to engage with (such a chao garden-like feature with the Kocos) or a much more polished experience with the core gameplay.    … Expand
  4. Brandon_A456
    Nov 30, 2022
    7
    The story in Sonic Frontiers was a major step up from the last few stories we've had in years. It isn't all that perfect, but it is way better than Forces or Lost World, by far. The characters are done at its best, as they really feel true to their character, no character ever feels ruined in the slightest. The open world itself was a good idea, and was fun at first, but it became a choreThe story in Sonic Frontiers was a major step up from the last few stories we've had in years. It isn't all that perfect, but it is way better than Forces or Lost World, by far. The characters are done at its best, as they really feel true to their character, no character ever feels ruined in the slightest. The open world itself was a good idea, and was fun at first, but it became a chore after the first world which slowly became annoying to get around, especially the second world for me. The second world and after was really annoying to get around and I wanted to rip off my hair, and the physics, movement, the camera were all annoying to deal with. The things in the open world itself like the challenges were easy, the same, and just boring. Collecting the Koco in the open world was cool, but it was annoying to try and find them since they are extremely small. Trying to avoid the enemies you don't want to fight was annoying because sometimes the camera would focus on them, when you don't want to fight them and want to focus on getting to your destination. The Cyber stages were the worst part of the game for me. The levels are the same thing we've seen over and over again and would've been better if we've gotten other levels that isn't Green Hill and Chemical Plant over and over again, and the level designs aren't that original either as they are bits and pieces of other Sonic levels. Sonic Frontiers overall is good experience to sit through but is far from perfect.… Expand
  5. Combatking42
    Aug 5, 2023
    6
    Its mid for me, boring, and not fun at all. But I do like the soundtrack and the way it looks tho. Sega if your reading this I love and respect you! But this game isnt that good in my opinion, I'm sorry but its my opinion.
  6. FireBroFilms
    Nov 13, 2022
    7
    Gameplay works fine, but needs lots of polishing still. Overall i enjoyed the Game.
  7. Lucania
    Nov 13, 2022
    7
    I think a lot of the elements in this game are great in premise. The story could be amazing (the dialogue between characters is incredible), the presentation could've been breathtaking, the ending could've been so epic, settings varied, etc etc.. in the end it feels like the game just needed more time. Despite the flaws, I still very much enjoyed my time with Sonic Frontiers... TheI think a lot of the elements in this game are great in premise. The story could be amazing (the dialogue between characters is incredible), the presentation could've been breathtaking, the ending could've been so epic, settings varied, etc etc.. in the end it feels like the game just needed more time. Despite the flaws, I still very much enjoyed my time with Sonic Frontiers... The exploration was a ton of fun, movement was at times so fluid that it brought me back to SA1, and some of the platforming challenges were a ton of fun. The cyberspace stages towards the end were genuinely really fun, and I think the blend of all these elements really made the game better. I'm very excited for a sequel that will build upon the flaws of this title, and really nail down what the future of Sonic can be.… Expand
  8. Lenlenbell
    Nov 11, 2022
    6
    SONIC FRONTIERS it's Fun and ok, but the game has junky physics, glitches, and pop in problems!!
  9. superbasedman
    Nov 14, 2022
    5
    Based man here.
    Open world is decent.
    Boss fights are fun.
    Cyberstages are mid.
    Ending is bad.
  10. TheBard009
    Nov 14, 2022
    5
    This is truly one of the Sonic games ever made
    Insert filler here in order to fit the 75 character quota
  11. Rtheom
    Nov 13, 2022
    7
    This is a great Beta for a future game. It has A LOT of great aspects that are pretty much all implemented haphazardly, but could be downright awesome with enough thought and planning. They clearly spent all of their programming time getting the open world movement/controls down but just ran out of time to make the world(s) actually feel real. I'm a lifelong Sonic fan, so this was a decentThis is a great Beta for a future game. It has A LOT of great aspects that are pretty much all implemented haphazardly, but could be downright awesome with enough thought and planning. They clearly spent all of their programming time getting the open world movement/controls down but just ran out of time to make the world(s) actually feel real. I'm a lifelong Sonic fan, so this was a decent game for me. I appreciated the callbacks, references, and cheeky nods scattered throughout that you'll only pickup if you've actually played nearly all of the other Sonic games out there. I'd probably recommend any non-fans just wait for the next game, though.… Expand
  12. Blump
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    It's a good proof of concept for an open-world Sonic game, but it falls short in some key areas. If nothing else Sonic controls wonderfully in the overworld, which is what made me finish the game despite its flaws.

    My biggest issue would have to be the actual content in the open zones. Much of your time playing Sonic Frontiers will be spent locating keys, gears, and memory tokens. These    It's a good proof of concept for an open-world Sonic game, but it falls short in some key areas. If nothing else Sonic controls wonderfully in the overworld, which is what made me finish the game despite its flaws.

    My biggest issue would have to be the actual content in the open zones. Much of your time playing Sonic Frontiers will be spent locating keys, gears, and memory tokens. These collectibles are found by fighting enemies, completing cyberspace levels, and going through short obstacle courses in the overworld. While this sounds like a fun gameplay loop I found each of these elements lacking.

    The obstacle courses are scattered everywhere throughout the islands. Each one is a quick 20 to 30-second challenge that rewards the player with a memory token or vault key. Given how fun it is to control Sonic I figured these would be my favorite parts of the game, but they ended up being my least favorite. The vast majority of these sections tend to require very little player input. There is an abundance of springs, dash pads, and grind rails that require little control from the player and guide them to the end of the challenge. Most of the player input involves holding forward and using the homing attack on a string of three balloons. It's disappointing how little platforming actually needs to be done (in the open zones) considering Sonic's smooth controls.

    Fighting enemies was also disappointing since it was hyped up in many of the game's trailers, but in the end, most enemies can be defeated by mashing the attack button. When mashing doesn't work the solution is usually to use Sonic's new Cyloop ability. Like the combat, the Cyloop was hyped up in marketing to be more impressive than it actually is. For both puzzles and combat, the Cyloop involves running in a single circle around an enemy or object and that's about it for the majority of the game. Besides the Cyloop, you can also use other special attacks by pressing one of the other face buttons during your button mashing. These look cool and flashy, but I quickly realized that most of the special moves were effectively short cutscenes that did massive damage for little effort. As far as I'm aware, Sonic has invincibility during these animations, so using them is usually more efficient than dodging or parrying. Boss enemies do offer short puzzles before you can button mash, so those were typically the most engaging. The Sumo enemies in particular were great. The true bosses of each island were also cool for the spectacle alone, but the combat was mostly more button-mashing.

    The cyberspace levels were consistently my favorite part of the game. Though I'm sick of seeing Green Hill and Chemical plant the corrupted aesthetic made them visually interesting, unlike the dull overworld that lacks a distinct visual identity. The same sentiment applies to the music which was pretty good. These levels are where you can actually put Sonic's movement potential to use. You can explore the level for Red Rings or alternative paths and push yourself to the limit trying to get faster and faster as you master the stage. My only real complaints are the reused stage themes (there are only four themes btw) and the short length of each stage.

    Overall Sonic Frontiers is okay, but it kinda feels like a tech demo at times meant to show how cool it would be to run fast in a grassy field. They were right, running fast in a grassy field is fun, but that can only go so far. If you like Sonic you have probably already bought this game and it's now your game of the year. If you don't like Sonic you'll find a middling open-world game with some cool movement. I'm somewhere in the middle. I love Sonic, but I think the game ranges from lackluster at worst and okay at best.    … Expand
  13. FredtheMole
    Nov 13, 2022
    6
    I think there's parts of the game that work, and it's definitely a step in the right direction of Sonic, but, overall, it feels extremely unpolished and unfinished. It's not hard to come by bugs and glitches completely naturally, without even trying to look for them. The worlds themselves are pretty bland design-wise, especially considering how many interesting settings Sonic has had overI think there's parts of the game that work, and it's definitely a step in the right direction of Sonic, but, overall, it feels extremely unpolished and unfinished. It's not hard to come by bugs and glitches completely naturally, without even trying to look for them. The worlds themselves are pretty bland design-wise, especially considering how many interesting settings Sonic has had over the years. The bosses are fun, at least. It's a good improvement, but we shouldn't reward a game simply for being better than a lot of the ones that came before it. Sonic Frontiers has a long ways to go, and it's frustrating how many diehard Sonic fans seem to think people criticizing the game are doing so unfairly.… Expand
  14. eggroegg
    Nov 13, 2022
    5
    Really Eh. Like REALLY REALLY Eh. It's janky and I didn't care much for the story. Maybe if you're a diehard sonic fan you'll like it, but for a game to be good, it needs to appeal to a wide audience. I've only ever played Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Mania, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and around half of Sonic Forces, and it just didn't click for me.
  15. Alcebad
    Nov 13, 2022
    5
    Does the job. Neither good nor bad, ppl says it's the best sonic they've ever played, well it's maybe time to check something else to get other points of comparison. The sonic games never really succeeded in doing a good 3d game like every mario game did, and this one confirms the trend. The part where the controls works are when the game forces only a 2d movement, which defies theDoes the job. Neither good nor bad, ppl says it's the best sonic they've ever played, well it's maybe time to check something else to get other points of comparison. The sonic games never really succeeded in doing a good 3d game like every mario game did, and this one confirms the trend. The part where the controls works are when the game forces only a 2d movement, which defies the purpose. The colors are all greyed out which doesn't invite the player to engage with the environment. I'll not mention the bugs as they are just patches away from being fixed, but the fake open world where you're told you can go anywhere only to be stopped by invisible walls or blocked by your current progression is laughable.

    All inn all, a meh game that will be forgotten.    … Expand
  16. Rica435
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    In my opinion sonic frontiers is a enjoyable sonic game but it has plenty of glaring flaws. The first thing you may notice with the game is really bad although bareabke pop in nothing game breaking. My second gripe with the game is how simple the combat is I feel sonic team could have made it a little more in depth and actually balanced some of the moves. Other than that cyber space is funIn my opinion sonic frontiers is a enjoyable sonic game but it has plenty of glaring flaws. The first thing you may notice with the game is really bad although bareabke pop in nothing game breaking. My second gripe with the game is how simple the combat is I feel sonic team could have made it a little more in depth and actually balanced some of the moves. Other than that cyber space is fun and soo is the open world props to sega for making steps forward from sonic forces.… Expand
  17. lebbi
    Nov 14, 2022
    5
    i like the game as a concept. this feels unfinished and glitchy. the open world is great, but feels slow and boring, like the designer copy pasted in the obstacles, instead of designing them for the level. the pop-in is horrendous, and they cant figure out how to incorporate DLC. i hope the next entry builds off this.
  18. bulborbplushie
    Nov 13, 2022
    6
    It was alright, that's about as much as I can say, there are a lot of good things in the game, I thought a lot of the character interactions were really nice, but I also didn't like a lot of the optional things just being kinda bland and boring, like I get that they are optional but why do they have to be so dull? There are also a good handful of bugs, in my first play-through I got a goodIt was alright, that's about as much as I can say, there are a lot of good things in the game, I thought a lot of the character interactions were really nice, but I also didn't like a lot of the optional things just being kinda bland and boring, like I get that they are optional but why do they have to be so dull? There are also a good handful of bugs, in my first play-through I got a good amount of moments of sonic just getting stuck in things he shouldn't be in but the major parts of the game that I really liked is sonics movement, the only complaint on that is jumping slows momentum and that's about it, the movement is really fun for me I just get the right to run around and enjoy my time taking in the sights, another thing I absolutely adored was the fishing bits with big the cat, the one optional part of the game I really really enjoyed. So in conclusion, its the shape of a good game just rough around the edges… Expand
  19. Seppukuma451
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    Iv played about 5 hours of this game. Which is more than dunkey played lmao
  20. LBPLevelBoy
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    Sonic Frontiers is a good game and that is for sure. However there are a few issues that keep it from being a great game. A few of these issues are:

    * Pop in * A disappointing ending * The reuse of old level themes and level layouts for cyber space * The system for upgrading with the Elder Koco * The way none of your control settings carry over to the cyber space levels * And the lack of    Sonic Frontiers is a good game and that is for sure. However there are a few issues that keep it from being a great game. A few of these issues are:

    * Pop in
    * A disappointing ending * The reuse of old level themes and level layouts for cyber space
    * The system for upgrading with the Elder Koco
    * The way none of your control settings carry over to the cyber space levels
    * And the lack of momentum (more so how jumping or boosting kills your speed)

    I will say that there are many improvements in this game from the previous Sonic titles. Some notable improvements and cool things are:

    * The story (more so how each character feels so much more in character)
    * The art direction
    * The controls (which are very customizable and responsive)
    * The open zone (which is fun to explore and discovering new enemies is fun too)
    * The music
    *And the boss encounters! (The boss encounters have to be the coolest part of the game)

    I would recommend this game if you’re looking to get into sonic. They try many things with this title. Some things work well and some are maybe underwhelming. But the good mostly outweighs the bad I would say.

    If they update the game hopefully they fix some of the issues I mentioned. Some small quality of life changes could also be:

    * Option to remove super speed cutscene after 400 rings
    * Option to remove boost sound filter when boosting
    * Ability to replay end island boss encounters
    * Feature to leave 2D section when desired
    * Making the game detect you beat the final boss after beating it
    * and of course revamping the systems for upgrading your speed and ring capacity with the elder Koco

    As a Sonic fan it’s an 8 but overall as a videogame fan, with its issues I have to give Sonic Frontiers a 7.    … Expand
  21. Fatal_Baguette
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    While not perfect this is a solid game that is a step in the right direction. Story is pretty solid but the presentation of it is lacking and leaves more to be desired. Sonic feels the best he's ever been, and in my opinion he controls leagues better than Adventure 1 and 2. Combat is basic but entertaining, the moment where the combat really shines is with the Titan fights. And while I'mWhile not perfect this is a solid game that is a step in the right direction. Story is pretty solid but the presentation of it is lacking and leaves more to be desired. Sonic feels the best he's ever been, and in my opinion he controls leagues better than Adventure 1 and 2. Combat is basic but entertaining, the moment where the combat really shines is with the Titan fights. And while I'm on those, the titan fights are the new standard for Sonic boss fights, they are epic with some of the best boss music a Sonic game has ever had. Really hope Sonic Team and Sega takes what worked with Frontiers and rolls with it, cause if they do then Sonic has a bright future ahead of it.… Expand
  22. Manic_06
    Nov 15, 2022
    7
    as a sonic fan, i like this game, but some flaws can't be avoided, cyberspace is just slower generations levels, and pop-in is insane. i feel like sonic team should of made a new engine insted of reusing hedgehog engine 2. Combat and boss fights are from metal gear rising: revengeance, and feel excellent. exploration is fun in the begining, but becomes a chore very quickly.
  23. OkayLol
    Nov 13, 2022
    5
    Game left much to desire. Subpar story, the combat was essentially just how fast you can spam one button and the pokemon rangers loop drawing, you are very limited on the areas you can go (despite the game being open world), etc…

    If you really want this game, wait for a sale for half off or less (coincidentally, the game is already being sold for half off at gamestop and amazon, even    Game left much to desire. Subpar story, the combat was essentially just how fast you can spam one button and the pokemon rangers loop drawing, you are very limited on the areas you can go (despite the game being open world), etc…

    If you really want this game, wait for a sale for half off or less (coincidentally, the game is already being sold for half off at gamestop and amazon, even though it literally just launched a couple days ago…)

    Extremely overhyped and disappointing    … Expand
  24. SteinyMo
    Nov 9, 2022
    7
    It is by no means a perfect game but it's definitely good if you're looking for a fun and casual game to play. The combat and traversal in the open world is enjoyable however the movement seems to lend itself to the open world rather than the linear more classic sonic levels. The linear levels were still fun just because of the visuals. The game is unfortunately just buggy enough to remindIt is by no means a perfect game but it's definitely good if you're looking for a fun and casual game to play. The combat and traversal in the open world is enjoyable however the movement seems to lend itself to the open world rather than the linear more classic sonic levels. The linear levels were still fun just because of the visuals. The game is unfortunately just buggy enough to remind me I'm playing a Sonic game. I would find my self hitting ledges at weird angles to go slowly floating in the air despite going top speed a decent amount. The camera also feels odd as it drifts away from enemies even when locked on making it hard to use the cyloop mechanic on bigger bosses and just making the boss battles harder in general. The plot is relatively basic but that's what I would expect from a Sonic game. Overall it's a fun game if you don't take it too seriously.… Expand
  25. Awkylold
    Nov 9, 2022
    6
    It's definitely not GREAT, but the most problematic stuff is just "technical jank", the gameplay itself is incredibly solid, albeit a little unpolished.
  26. Hinzoto
    Nov 9, 2022
    7
    A mediocre game with interesting purposes, but it fails during execution. A lot of flaws of collisions, terrible physics and soulless environment. Cyber levels are short, very linear and repeating the assets of Sonic Generations and Forces. The positive point goes to the Original Soundtrack (maybe the major point). If you like generic Open World game and avoiding this is a Sonic game, youA mediocre game with interesting purposes, but it fails during execution. A lot of flaws of collisions, terrible physics and soulless environment. Cyber levels are short, very linear and repeating the assets of Sonic Generations and Forces. The positive point goes to the Original Soundtrack (maybe the major point). If you like generic Open World game and avoiding this is a Sonic game, you can love this, but if you're a root fan and understand the essence, avoid this, it's another test of laboratory using the franchise.… Expand
  27. Kidderaang
    Nov 13, 2022
    5
    As a long time sonic fan, sonic frontiers has disappointed me. I think ian flynns story was overhyped and not much happened. Sonic & Knuckles characterization was great! Tails was cool too, but maybe too on the nose with the writing. And amy...is fine but a little boring. I miss her Sonic X days. She had a lot more personality when Lisa Ortiz was voicing her. The open world is superAs a long time sonic fan, sonic frontiers has disappointed me. I think ian flynns story was overhyped and not much happened. Sonic & Knuckles characterization was great! Tails was cool too, but maybe too on the nose with the writing. And amy...is fine but a little boring. I miss her Sonic X days. She had a lot more personality when Lisa Ortiz was voicing her. The open world is super repetitive and the cyber space levels are even worse than forces. I do think the next game can be better, but they've got a ways to go. Vocal songs and titan bosses go hard tho.… Expand
  28. SilvrSez
    Nov 13, 2022
    5
    Sonic Frontiers is not a game I had very high expectations for. The game did surpass those expectations but not by much. The open zone feels incredibly lifeless. They are empty, filled with what feels like randomly placed rails, springs, dash panels, and other various sonic assets. They don't really feel like places, more like test stages with themes. It's not entirely unfun though, it canSonic Frontiers is not a game I had very high expectations for. The game did surpass those expectations but not by much. The open zone feels incredibly lifeless. They are empty, filled with what feels like randomly placed rails, springs, dash panels, and other various sonic assets. They don't really feel like places, more like test stages with themes. It's not entirely unfun though, it can be a little fun sometimes. What isn't fun at all are the cyberspace levels. A complete downgrade from the boost levels we saw in Unleashed, Colors, Generations, and somehow even Forces. While the levels can have decent design sometimes (mostly because they take them from better games) Sonic does not control well in the slightest. Everytime I jump I feel like I'm fighting with the game, and Sonic is not fast at all in these levels. These are easily the worst parts of the game, and in my opinion, some of the worst Sonic gameplay we have ever gotten in the history of this franchise. There are some things I do love about this game though. The boss fights at the end of each island are AMAZING and are just super hype, especially with the music they used. The fishing minigame with Big the Cat is also very nice and relaxing, and I enjoyed doing it a lot. Overall, Sonic Frontiers is a game with some highs, but insanely low lows. I do think a casual fan would enjoy this a lot, but if you're a hardcore fan, it's a 50/50 chance you may love or hate this game.… Expand
  29. Jakedematteo
    Nov 14, 2022
    5
    Just boring to me. The worlds generally feel empty with nothing of note in them. The cyberspace stages are fun but the controls are god awful in them. This could be good, but isnt.
  30. dharma
    Nov 21, 2022
    6
    At this point, Sonic Team should simply give up its flagship franchise to a third party developer, who can do the job better. The ideas are there: an open world Sonic. The gameplay loop is also better than previous entries, but heck, the game looked so bland in comparison to its main 'competitor', the Mario games that you will be essentially bored to death. It is a step in the rightAt this point, Sonic Team should simply give up its flagship franchise to a third party developer, who can do the job better. The ideas are there: an open world Sonic. The gameplay loop is also better than previous entries, but heck, the game looked so bland in comparison to its main 'competitor', the Mario games that you will be essentially bored to death. It is a step in the right direction and at the very least the game engine is solid enough for the next game to be better.… Expand
  31. sugarpixel
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I’d give it a 7.5 if I could, fyi. My favorite part about this game was the use of past lore and building upon it, as well as the more serious take on Sonic in general and its characterizations again. I’ve been an avid Sonic fan ever since I was a kid, and I won’t lie, the Adventure era more or less is the only style of the games I genuinely love. Another thing I enjoyed about the Adventure era was the generally more serious tone they had alongside well-written dialogue. So as you can imagine, I haven’t really enjoyed the games much since Sonic Colors came out. I cannot stand the use of 2D platforming, and I cannot stand the unfunny, childish dialogue and stories. After so many years, at least the childish writing finally stopped. I truly appreciate that.

    The combat: An interesting type of gameplay for Sonic, I thought it was really fun and cool to see Sonic do all the different types of attacks. Unfortunately I had many issues with the combos not triggering. But going forward I don’t think I’d mind this type of combat system being used for boss fights.

    The open world: I’ve never been a fan of open world games but this one isn’t so bad. The objectives are clear and I typically know exactly where I need to go. One thing I’ve truly missed in recent Sonic games is the hub worlds, this is kinda like that, not quite, but it made me happy to be able to just run around as Sonic again and go from objective to objective. Although, I had many issues with Sonic launching off of bumps wanting to do flips in the air when I’m just trying to get from point A to point B. The worst offender in the open world though is when it locks you to 2D platforming. Especially when you’re casually running around and just happen to come in contact with a 2D section. This is the most frustrating and annoying thing in the game to me. Anyway screw Chaos Island, all my homies hate Chaos Island.

    Boss fights: Easily the best part of the whole game. This made every Sonic fan’s dreams come true. This showed everyone just how badass Sonic can be. The animations paired with the metal music was absolutely stellar. I definitely want the boss fights in future Sonic games to be as cool as these were.

    Bullet hells: I do not care for these. This isn’t even close to what I think of when I think of Sonic. Please do not put these in the next Sonic game unless they’re side minigames. I wasn’t too upset with it until I got to the final boss of the game. Seriously why in the hell would you make the final boss of a Sonic game a bullet hell. Especially when the previous boss fights were so kick ass.

    Pinball: As a Sonic fan, I’m used to pinball in Sonic games. However, the requirement of 5 million points was overkill. Also how could you not make Sonic the pinball?

    Story: I adored how much talking I got to do with all the other characters in this game. I loved getting some real insight on the inner workings of these guys. A lot of the cutscenes in this game made me very emotional. I loved seeing some real development in these characters after so many stagnant years. And all the extra pieces of lore we got were really awesome. Especially when they haven’t built on this specific part of the lore since Sonic Adventure 1. However I do wish there was more of a backstory to “The End.”

    Music: The music in Sonic games is always killer. Of course I loved the music in this game. But I’ve seen some people try to say it’s the best yet or that the new guest singers are better than Crush 40 and I have to stop you there. Absolutely not; Crush 40 will always be number one for me and I truly missed them in this game. I need Jun’s guitar’s specific sound and Johnny’s rough and deep voice back. Would’ve pushed my rating to an 8.5 because I personally put a lot of stock in the soundtrack of games. I hope they cover one or more of the songs at least. But hey, I’ll always love Ohtani. Fantastic job as usual, king!

    Cyberspace stages: For this specific game, the shortness of these levels work. In Forces it didn’t work at all because that was the whole game. In the future though I would prefer longer levels, only 3D platforming, and mini puzzles to all be included in each level. Basically, I’d prefer the Adventure era gameplay, surprising. BUT, for this game, since there is so much else to do, the cyberspace levels work as they are imo.

    Fishing: I love a fishing minigame as much as the next person, and I definitely enjoyed fishing in this game. But it is weird how you can essentially speedrun the game by choosing to just fish instead of doing anything in the overworld. Freaking adored the Egg Memos though, that is a genius reward for fishing.

    The #1 thing I hope for the next game: We need multiple playable characters back. Each with their own style of gameplay. Sonic is great but he’s never been my fave. Not when we have Rouge and Shadow and Silver and all these other fantastic characters I love.    … Expand
  32. PSI_Mae
    Nov 10, 2022
    6
    7/10 is a good score metacritic’s color system just sucks. I’d highly recommend giving this game a shot. A lot like legends Arceus, it still has a long way to go to perfecting its gameplay, but these are really solid grounds to work off of, and it would be a big mistake if Sega didn’t use this game as a blueprint for future games, like they did with Sonic Unleashed before it
  33. Amesfan
    Nov 11, 2022
    7
    The game was fun and ok, nothing great and nothing bad, people are just overhyping it and coping because they experienced over a decade of mediocrity The game had junky physics, glitches, pop in and pop out problems, empty open world, last two islands are supposed to be part of the first island but that got scrapped, not to forget they look lifeless and cringy
    Combat is good but    The game was fun and ok, nothing great and nothing bad, people are just overhyping it and coping because they experienced over a decade of mediocrity The game had junky physics, glitches, pop in and pop out problems, empty open world, last two islands are supposed to be part of the first island but that got scrapped, not to forget they look lifeless and cringy
    Combat is good but repetitive, cyberspace levels are worse than generations levels, music was good but not the best, final boss fight was a disappointment and lame, story was better than theeta era games but tried to hard to sound deep
    Overall a not bad game but i expected better    … Expand
  34. Mitchfynde
    Nov 11, 2022
    7
    I don't know how they did it, but they made one of the best Sonic games of all time in 2022.
  35. Taaseen
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    The game is good for sonic standards, but for a game in general it's not that great, sonic team has a good foundation to build a great game in the future though
  36. undersearobut
    Nov 13, 2022
    7
    ANYONE WHO GIVES THIS GAME A 10 OR A 0 IS LYING TO YOU. No different than some political party ego stroker who's an agenda zombie. BOTH SIDES.Think for yourself, but hopefully i can give you a eager attempt at a review thats trying to be as unbiased as possible. Its absolutely hilarious to see people who give this game a 10 and say something like "its absolutely sad to see people reviewANYONE WHO GIVES THIS GAME A 10 OR A 0 IS LYING TO YOU. No different than some political party ego stroker who's an agenda zombie. BOTH SIDES.Think for yourself, but hopefully i can give you a eager attempt at a review thats trying to be as unbiased as possible. Its absolutely hilarious to see people who give this game a 10 and say something like "its absolutely sad to see people review bombing this game." Sir, you're doing the same thing that review bombers are doing. LYING TO YOURSELF AND THE PUBLIC. Story is like an 8 but the storytelling is a 6. It doesn't try to do too much with the scope, but in that scope it doesn't do it well enough with disjointed storytelling. Dialogue writing is like an 8, voice acting...Sonic is like an 8.5 but everyone else is like a 7. Sage would be better but the whole idea is to be monotone and I believe that doesn't deserve anything more than a 7 on principle alone. Sonic doing something new is an 8 but the same old jank that has plagued 3D Sonic since its inception is a 6. Music is a solid 8.5. Enemy and boss graphic design is an 8 but their actual combat execution is a 6.5. Why does the 3rd island suddenly change up how every single open zone puzzle switches to 2.5D? It was fine, should have had a healthy balance throughout the whole game instead of just shoving them in this one jarring stage. Why does the game require you to climb a wall instead of running up it for the first time when you're 3 minutes into climbing an objective tower and 75% though the game? Repeating the SAME EXACT formula for each of the four main open zones is not 10 out of 10 gameplay. Its a 6, but ill give the overall gameplay design a 7.5 because their is just an absolute insane amount of rails to grind and springs to bounce on. Don't get me wrong, Sonic Frontiers on surface interaction level is a fun experience. As a whole game package is stumbles on its final execution and lacks the polish of anything worthy of earning over a 7. Aiming means nothing in fishing; 7. Just like Pokemon Legends: Arceus, this game is a semi-rushed and a not fully realized concept game. I am ok with that. Call it what it is, a valiant attempt at trying something new.
    Put more time in the oven an some polish, maybe an actual final boss and call me back in a couple years. Anyone who gives this game a 10 but complains about how other review outlets are lying to you about what it actually deserves needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and probably talk to a therapist about how to become a critical free-thinking individual.
    This should be more a review of the Sonic fanbase than of Sonic Frontiers. Anyway, the game took me about 20 hours to earn all the achievements and complete the game. Included in that time: At least twice waiting 7ish minutes to do a night time objective to uncover my map because there is no way to change time of day. It also includes roughly FOURTY MINUTES total time to upgrade all 198 points into Speed and Ring Capacity because you can only do one point at a time and the whole process takes like 12 seconds for 1 point increase. Did someone playtest that part? Surely 10/10 quality.
    I think what you see I'm getting at is a lot of these things that are going into this game are great. If it could just execute and stick the landing it could be an 8.5 game. A lot of the gameplay issues that show up are the same issues for the past 2 decades in 3D Sonic. Focus on fixing that core gameplay problem then you can candy coat it. 6.8/10 I can't put 6.8 as a rating. Again this is a 6.8. Think for yourself judge for yourself in everything you do.    … Expand
  37. KingOfRock
    Nov 9, 2022
    6
    It's not that Sonic Frontiers is a bad game, it's that it's an already dated one that's trying to catch up on trends that passed 5 years ago. Open world games may still be popular, but this one's trying hard to be Mario Odyssey or Breath of the Wild and it's just not them. The open world itself in the game is vast, but empty and lifeless. The levels play well enough but unlocking them canIt's not that Sonic Frontiers is a bad game, it's that it's an already dated one that's trying to catch up on trends that passed 5 years ago. Open world games may still be popular, but this one's trying hard to be Mario Odyssey or Breath of the Wild and it's just not them. The open world itself in the game is vast, but empty and lifeless. The levels play well enough but unlocking them can be tedious and annoying while the levels themselves don't follow any real pattern most of the time. They also blend together and have roughly the same layout. The game controls fine, but that means little when there isn't a lot to do. It's not broken, it's just forgettable and behind the times.… Expand
  38. AgentCookie108
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    This game **** sucks. Team Sonic is just not capable of crafting quality Sonic games anymore. The fans can continue to eat this piece of mediocrity and wish death upon anyone who criticizes it.
  39. Nicc_cc
    Nov 16, 2022
    5
    So much of this game works, and for that, its the best sonic game in 20 years. but so much of it also does not work at all. I can't believe the pinball part made it past Quality Assurance at all. Janky bossfights and a slurry of overworld respawning enemies that keep the camera hostage all slow down sonic in his first good playground where he can go faster than ever.
  40. FlimboBlimbo
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    Morio Kishimoto needs to stop directing Sonic games because he obviously does not understand what makes Sonic unique or interesting.

    I enjoyed the game at times but Sonic Team's game design is so antiquated. This really does not feel like a polished game released in 2022, in fact this doesn't even feel like a game that should've released in 2004. The map is not designed for Sonic. It    Morio Kishimoto needs to stop directing Sonic games because he obviously does not understand what makes Sonic unique or interesting.

    I enjoyed the game at times but Sonic Team's game design is so antiquated. This really does not feel like a polished game released in 2022, in fact this doesn't even feel like a game that should've released in 2004. The map is not designed for Sonic. It mostly feels like a Phantasy Star Online 2 asset flip with Sonic randomly plonked in. You'll spend most of your time running around flat boring empty fields with no sense of momentum or actual physics. You'll get bored after the second island and once you complete the game you won't remember a single thing about it.

    Sonic CAN be so much better than this. They need better direction.    … Expand
  41. The_Zashster
    Nov 16, 2022
    6
    Sonic Frontiers is a love letter to 3D Sonic fans and a return to form in many ways. Beside some minor technical issues, the game honestly delivers in so many aspects!
    The open zone gameplay is one of the most fun ways to traverse in any open world game, there is nothing in the market right now that gives you the same feeling of exhilarating speed. With this kind of speed however, you    Sonic Frontiers is a love letter to 3D Sonic fans and a return to form in many ways. Beside some minor technical issues, the game honestly delivers in so many aspects!
    The open zone gameplay is one of the most fun ways to traverse in any open world game, there is nothing in the market right now that gives you the same feeling of exhilarating speed. With this kind of speed however, you might think it'd be a bit hard to control but not at all after some getting used to, it controls almost perfect with some hiccups here and there but nothing to detract from the fun of traversal!
    Cyber Space is this games equivalent of botw shrines and they are such a fun pace breaker from the open zone, they are very short but super fun to speed run.    … Expand
  42. Azlex2334
    Nov 17, 2022
    7
    Pretty decent, Really big step in the right direction for 3d sonic games, I would recommend
  43. SuperLuigi
    Nov 22, 2022
    5
    This game had some potential, but just missed the mark in everything it tried to do. The cyberspace levels are wonky and boring, the over world is filled with tedious objectives, the story takes itself way too seriously and is overall confusing or has a lot of buildup that leads to nothing, is never mentioned again, or is extremely underwhelming. (although writing and story is a huge stepThis game had some potential, but just missed the mark in everything it tried to do. The cyberspace levels are wonky and boring, the over world is filled with tedious objectives, the story takes itself way too seriously and is overall confusing or has a lot of buildup that leads to nothing, is never mentioned again, or is extremely underwhelming. (although writing and story is a huge step up since unleashed). Not a fan of Ian Flynn's take on the characters (again its a step up since unleashed, but the characters still don't act like how they used to pre colors), and I don't like how he tries to make everything canon to the games (Sticks from boom spin off is mentioned as well as his own character tangle from comics which is so cringe). The voice cast I am still not a fan of, Sonic is too deep, Amy is too serious and sounds like Minnie mouse, Tails too girly, Knuckles is fine. Overall the game is the best Sonic game since Generations (not an accomplishment but a step in the right direction for sure).… Expand
  44. Wwilliams23
    Nov 30, 2022
    5
    I played the game for an hour or so and never went back. Something about it didn't grab me. I think this type of game is just outdated. I think Sonic could have his own great game, but this is not it.
  45. torani
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    Mediocre game. I don't understand why this is being highly rated. Even older titles such as Super Mario Odyssey are much more fun as a platformer over this. Story is cringe-worthy at best.
  46. cbruscato
    Nov 27, 2022
    6
    Let's start withe the good. Sonic Frontiers is Sonic at his highest form we have seen in some time. The speed can really be felt, even though the world is huge. In fact, that is an advantage because it gives Sonic more freedom to run around then he has ever seen. I'm kind of mixed on the boss fights, but they are fun and engaging. Just not sure that it belongs in a Sonic game. SomeoneLet's start withe the good. Sonic Frontiers is Sonic at his highest form we have seen in some time. The speed can really be felt, even though the world is huge. In fact, that is an advantage because it gives Sonic more freedom to run around then he has ever seen. I'm kind of mixed on the boss fights, but they are fun and engaging. Just not sure that it belongs in a Sonic game. Someone played too much Shadow of the Colossus.

    On the bad, let's start with the technical:
    *Pop-in for days, they didn't even try to hide with some cyberspace transition or dithering, just complete parts of the level appearing out of nowhere.
    *Crashes, this seems unique to the PS5 platform, but nonetheless this game is very poorly optimized for the PS5; and I recommend playing it on Xbox or PC if you can. None of the platform features are on display, no VRR, no 3D sounds, no improved haptics.
    *Flying through the map. In my playthrough I got yeeted through the map on multiple occasions, and it seems like there are some substantial collision bugs set throughout the open world.

    Non-Technical:
    *The open world enemies are more annoying than actual fun encounters, you will quickly learn to just run past them unless you need some collectible they hold.
    *While I appreciate the attempt at a story, that's all it is, an attempt. A shot and a miss. They really don't even want to tell you what is going on for *most* of this game, with cryptic cutscenes that expose nothing of the situation. It's "your princess is in another castle" on overdrive. People are comparing this to SA2 and I hate them for it. This is nothing even remotely close to SA2. The cutscenes border on SA1 laughable.
    *The camera is once again the final boss of a Sonic game. They have this really horrid idea to "lock" the camera in certain situations (read: a lot), and it jerks the perspective away from the player just because you ran past a certain enemy in the open world. Even in the traditional Sonic levels (called CyberSpace Levels here), you have to run the track once just to see which direction the camera is going to lock in and play against it. It keeps you from freely looking around and exploring the levels other than the golden path, and a couple alternates (left of right, or top and bottom).

    The game overall feels incomplete, like they were just throwing ideas at the wall to try to make a game out of. From jump rope, to pinball, to really weird puzzles that don't fit with Sonic at all. Half the time I couldn't even find the motivation to continue playing, because the story certainly isn't compelling. I can't find myself to rate this negatively, but it's just a mediocre game. One day I dream we will get a Sonic game that rises to the fit and finish of Mario. Today ain't that day.    … Expand
  47. PMG-Writer
    Nov 19, 2022
    7
    Thus, SEGA managed to release a good title for the console with "Sonic Frontiers". The controls and the story are among the game's highlights. Unfortunately, the voice actors and the graphics are not always convincing and make a big minus point in the rating. At least you can still get and use some great content as fans in the digital version. On the whole, "Sonic Frontiers" is a decentThus, SEGA managed to release a good title for the console with "Sonic Frontiers". The controls and the story are among the game's highlights. Unfortunately, the voice actors and the graphics are not always convincing and make a big minus point in the rating. At least you can still get and use some great content as fans in the digital version. On the whole, "Sonic Frontiers" is a decent game and shows its strengths from time to time, but unfortunately also some weaknesses.… Expand
  48. ICounterSlash
    Nov 17, 2022
    7
    As a long-time Sonic fan, Frontiers is the Sonic game I never knew I wanted, it has a lot of highs and a couple of lows, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that Sonic’s future is bright.
  49. BrownieEXE
    Nov 9, 2022
    5
    It's a good attempt in setting Sonic in the right direction, but with the game feeling like a test game, unpolished, over recycled assets, non original cyberstages, ok story (boss fights are sick though), this is not worth full price. Sonic Team still has alot of work to do. Sonic is not back

    wait for a sale or a price cut
  50. arisemicolon
    Nov 9, 2022
    5
    Once you get into the flow of the game and learn how it works, the open world feels like a huge level, connecting so many platforms together smoothly gives u a real sense of being sonic
  51. Ashuro
    Nov 10, 2022
    5
    Just perfect.

    Better storyline than anything we've had since Sonic Unleashed. Writing, lore and characters ultra respected, dialogues without bad joke not funny. Gameplay is perfect, not perfect because it lacks momentum etc... Some camera bugs and clipping but that's it. Ultra giga fun with a preference for the Open-Zone (cyberspace is both better and worse than Colors/Forces). The    Just perfect.

    Better storyline than anything we've had since Sonic Unleashed.
    Writing, lore and characters ultra respected, dialogues without bad joke not funny.

    Gameplay is perfect, not perfect because it lacks momentum etc... Some camera bugs and clipping but that's it.
    Ultra giga fun with a preference for the Open-Zone (cyberspace is both better and worse than Colors/Forces).
    The fights are fun and sometimes require good approaches to be successful.
    And I've rarely seen such an epic boss in my life (the Titans), good big vibes from Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Unleashed.

    Warning: This game is addictive. The music is too good.

    So that's it, the Sonic Cycle is broken, Sonic is BACK!    … Expand
  52. Meerkat1
    Nov 14, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is fun. People hate is because the ending is unfinished, and while that is a problem, the game is good overall. The story was very well written and a lot more detailed than any story since 2006.… Expand
  53. Conq_
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    This game is a major breakthrough for the Sonic franchise and I have very high hopes for where this will go from here. However, this game is not a 10, or a 9, or an 8, or even a 7/10 and giving a 6/10 could be seen as somewhat generous, even coming from the perspective of someone who has been waiting for a Sonic game of this quality for a long time. There are a variety of issues with thisThis game is a major breakthrough for the Sonic franchise and I have very high hopes for where this will go from here. However, this game is not a 10, or a 9, or an 8, or even a 7/10 and giving a 6/10 could be seen as somewhat generous, even coming from the perspective of someone who has been waiting for a Sonic game of this quality for a long time. There are a variety of issues with this game, such as many game-breaking bugs and the worst pop-in I've ever seen in a video game, the combat is not very good, the locations are functionally the same, etc. However, this is still a huge stepping stone for this franchise and is finally a Sonic game that leans more towards good, but on its own as just a video game this is nothing special.… Expand
  54. Uhohstinkyhaha
    Nov 17, 2022
    7
    Generally an enjoyable game, but it lacks any substance. It's music is pretty good and the voice acting is nice. The story is about as bland as the level design. This game I felt was very short too, not really putting in much time to complete but I guess that's what happens when you create an open zone game not an open world. I started to feel that by the third zone they had started toGenerally an enjoyable game, but it lacks any substance. It's music is pretty good and the voice acting is nice. The story is about as bland as the level design. This game I felt was very short too, not really putting in much time to complete but I guess that's what happens when you create an open zone game not an open world. I started to feel that by the third zone they had started to give up. Things seemed less thoughtful and the minigames were kind of janky. I assume they intended the whole game to include just sonic in these zones and no memory stages and minigames because they are so limited and often feel like copies of older games reskinned. Also upgrading speed is a massive pain… Expand
  55. Samuel_Currier
    Nov 16, 2022
    7
    While this game has its issues, being pop in and a an incredibly boring and childish story. The game can be fun at times, they nailed sonics speed during free roam, cyber space is a hit or miss. Sometimes I incredibly fun other times it feels weird and clunky. Overall there is some fun to be had here. I'd recommend forming your own opinion from watching gameplay.
  56. Boxo_Foxo
    Nov 16, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Frontiers is Sonic's first great 3D action game in over a decade. Sonic controls responsively through out 4 and 1/2 large open hub areas called the "Starfall Islands." Along with one of the best soundtracks in the series, best characterization of Sonic and his friends since the Dark Era, and a heart wrenching story makes this an unforgettable experience your first time through. The combat is fun and addictive as stringing together different moves feels both flashy and fun, and the Super Sonic fights are some of the most HYPE sequences in the entire franchise.

    However this game suffers greatly in other areas. It suffers from a lack of an interesting art style, an over abundance of forced linearity in the open zones, poor cut-scene quality, poor animation quality that will have sonic snapping between key poses with absolutely no transitions whatsoever, along with lacking in a core game play loop that stays fun across it's 15-30 hour campaign. The mini cyberspace stages control like crap as Sonic is magnetized to the ground and home attack chains take so long to complete it's better to avoid enemies if you wish to achieve S ranks.

    /// This segment contains spoilers for the ending of Sonic Frontiers ///

    The game's ending also leaves much to be desired, by playing the game on normal difficulty or below, Sonic fights the final titan as the game fades to black and the credits roll with no genuine ending. By playing the game on hard however, Sonic will fly up into space with Sage and fight the AI voice that has been guiding you through the game, threatening to destroy all of creation as it takes the form of the Moon. It's then where the game pulls a complete 180, Instead of a big climactic Super Sonic fight alongside Sage as you fight together and take down this ultimate evil. You instead play an omage to touhou; thrown in with little rhyme or reason. Followed by an extremely easy quick time event as sage then sacrifices herself to destroy the Moon. It then abruptly ends as Sonic and Co. get on a plane and fly off into the sunset, Sonic not reflecting on Sage's sacrifice or the journey he just experienced. Leaving a really bad taste in your mouth as the game raises more questions then answered.

    Sonic Frontiers is a rushed, janky, but enjoyable step in the right direction. A foundation to build an even greater experience upon. 7/10    … Expand
  57. Isaac8849
    Nov 16, 2022
    5
    This game is like a fan-made Unity game that you see a youtube trailer of but it never comes out. Except this did come out, somehow. This game is open-world, for some reason, but also you must go a certain and only one way is the right way to go to do anything that matters. This game is a game, but nothing more than that. Exceptionally mediocre and flat. Just make Sonic Mania 2
  58. ReNForce9231
    Nov 16, 2022
    7
    There's a lot of improvements to be made in future patches, the lack of real momentum is a bummer, but the game really grows on you over time. I thouroughly enjoyed playing it, but it is by no means perfect. To this day, I believe Project Hero 2019 still has the best 3D sonic control. Here's a link if you're curious: https://youtu.be/bEcWQEQWY6w
  59. BEEFY_5_LAYER
    Nov 17, 2022
    5
    I genuinely love sonic games but this one could have used some more polish before release. All of the animations are stiff and strange looking, the way Sonic’s momentum stops whenever you jump or just stop moving is so janky. When the game is letting you go fast in some of the cyberspace levels it’s SOMEWHAT fun which is why I’m not rating this game below a 5. But if I want to play a gameI genuinely love sonic games but this one could have used some more polish before release. All of the animations are stiff and strange looking, the way Sonic’s momentum stops whenever you jump or just stop moving is so janky. When the game is letting you go fast in some of the cyberspace levels it’s SOMEWHAT fun which is why I’m not rating this game below a 5. But if I want to play a game with that cyberspace gameplay, I’ll just boot up Sonic Generations or Colors.

    The presentation is seriously lacking, I don’t care for graphical fidelity, but the art direction here looks like something that could be made using mostly stock assets in stock unreal engine. You will be constantly running into walls that just pop out of nowhere. These issues kind of go away in the cyberspace levels where things are actually cool looking.

    The music was good, I’m still listening to the 1-2 cyberspace music. Story and voice acting was passable. I’m so tired of reviews for games this year featuring the phrase, “this is a step in the right direction…” Yes! It is! But why can’t we just get to where we’re going already? Gamers need to higher their standards for AAA games, otherwise AAA developers will lose the craftsmanship that have given us the great games of the past. I love Sonic, and this guy deserves a 10/10 game, not a “step in the right direction.”    … Expand
  60. Marshiam
    Nov 17, 2022
    5
    This is what a Sonic game should be! Is it perfect? No. Is it engaging fun that makes you feel strong as Sonic? Yes. If you are able to definitely play the pc version on 60fps mode, it’s the way the game is made to be played. I’ve switched between that and the PS4 version of the game, and I would say it is still more than playable with lower frame rates or older hardware. The problem liesThis is what a Sonic game should be! Is it perfect? No. Is it engaging fun that makes you feel strong as Sonic? Yes. If you are able to definitely play the pc version on 60fps mode, it’s the way the game is made to be played. I’ve switched between that and the PS4 version of the game, and I would say it is still more than playable with lower frame rates or older hardware. The problem lies in that it is not as smooth or visually stunning, two things that really make the open zone stick the landing. This game strives in it’s open environments when you can flow between set pieces in creative and fast paced ways. This is not always an option however which leads me to other issues. Poor animations, a lack memorable and functioning set pieces, odd and lazy decisions for cyberspace stages, and overall polishing problems are just some issues that plague this game, but I can’t help but admire the ambition and how overall fun it is as a whole package. These are building blocks for Sega to start making complete games for the blue blur, instead of half baked forced out messes or glorified tech demos. You care about the story, you care about the gameplay, you care about the characters and that’s why it’s a good game. It’s not perfect, but the start to something great. Unless you lack the skill to control Sonic both fun & freely this game is automatic 8.5/10 & could be 10 if there weren’t any of these issues.… Expand
  61. ryukoprop
    Nov 18, 2022
    7
    I am just another review in the piles of them, but I am a very hardcore Sonic guy. Going into this my expectations were infinitely low and they were mostly blown away. This site might list 7 as in the yellow but 7 to me means good, this is a GOOD Sonic game with a mountain of MINOR problems. It's not buggy, it can be a little rough and slightly unpolished but for the most part, my problemsI am just another review in the piles of them, but I am a very hardcore Sonic guy. Going into this my expectations were infinitely low and they were mostly blown away. This site might list 7 as in the yellow but 7 to me means good, this is a GOOD Sonic game with a mountain of MINOR problems. It's not buggy, it can be a little rough and slightly unpolished but for the most part, my problems with this game are not stability of the product at all. Cyberspace is probably the absolute worst and slowest Sonic has controlled in 3D, I would rather fight 06 bugs and glitches then play Cyberspace levels. At least 06 can genuinely be fun sometimes, Cyberspace is just slow as **** and braindead, it functions completely fine and never ever bugs out but its just ****ing boring man, slow and boring. THANKFULLY, that's only like 10% of the actual game and the rest of it is, pretty fun? The best thing about Frontiers for me is just how well Sonic himself controls in the "open zone". He's fast, and when not weirdly being magnetized to the floor, he can jump pretty far. The titan fights are the highlight of the game easily, and I really appreciate most of the non ham-fisted nods and references to past Sonic events, be it niche or iconic. I also respect their effort to fix Tail's inconsistent characterization and Knuckles too. I don't have problems with Ian Flynn or his depictions of the characters, I think he did a good job. The final two islands are pretty disappointing after a good first three though, and the ending is pretty meh. When it comes down to it, the best parts of the games are easily the titan fights and music. I think it's thoroughly deserving of a 7/10, but like most Sonic products, not many people actually play these things. People formulate and take opinions from the internet, because it's Sonic. He has to be bad right, never good? Never even decent? This is a step in the right direction, would like to see more.

    Played on PS5    … Expand
  62. J3tulio
    Nov 18, 2022
    7
    Sonic Frontiers da una de cal y otra de arena en casi todos sus elementos de juego, pero al final es un solvente sandbox que nos permite disfrutar de unas 40-50 horas con los movimientos, habilidades y velocidad del famoso erizo azul a nuestro antojo, siguiendo nuestro propio camino y explorando a placer. No destaca especialmente en casi nada, incluso tiene como pegas lo vacío de su mundoSonic Frontiers da una de cal y otra de arena en casi todos sus elementos de juego, pero al final es un solvente sandbox que nos permite disfrutar de unas 40-50 horas con los movimientos, habilidades y velocidad del famoso erizo azul a nuestro antojo, siguiendo nuestro propio camino y explorando a placer. No destaca especialmente en casi nada, incluso tiene como pegas lo vacío de su mundo y lo tosco de sus mecánicas de combate, pero engancha. Si eres fan de Sonic puede que no sea tu juego favorito, pero lo exprimirás hasta el último de sus anillos dorados.… Expand
  63. A_game_enjoyer
    Nov 20, 2022
    6
    Sonic frontiers is an average game. Not good nor bad. Positive points: The game is very to pick up and play and is pretty fun breaking the normal sonic formula by being an open world wich I am a big fan of. The combat is also pretty decent.
    Negative points: The game is janky and unpolished (especially on the switch version) and is very repetitive the dialogue is also pretty unatural and    Sonic frontiers is an average game. Not good nor bad. Positive points: The game is very to pick up and play and is pretty fun breaking the normal sonic formula by being an open world wich I am a big fan of. The combat is also pretty decent.
    Negative points: The game is janky and unpolished (especially on the switch version) and is very repetitive the dialogue is also pretty unatural and bad. I also didn't like the "normal sonic levels" or whatever you call them.
    Overall however, I think it is a step in the right direction by the sonic team and hopefully, one day, we will get an actually good 3d sonic game.    … Expand
  64. wlsrms2
    Nov 27, 2022
    6
    i like sonic. fast and clean. open world is really big. this is massive challenged. but sonic team is successful. because really good. but, i like a old school sonic.
  65. Renzokuken
    Dec 12, 2022
    6
    It's been 24 years since Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Team still haven't found a way to make controlling sonic feel good. The physics, controls and texture pop in ruin what is otherwise a fairly decent sonic game. Even in classic sonic stages they've managed to make the game feel like Sonic is running through custard, and that's the bit they normally get right.

    The only saving grace are the    It's been 24 years since Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Team still haven't found a way to make controlling sonic feel good. The physics, controls and texture pop in ruin what is otherwise a fairly decent sonic game. Even in classic sonic stages they've managed to make the game feel like Sonic is running through custard, and that's the bit they normally get right.

    The only saving grace are the boss fights, otherwise this is an entirely skippable experience.    … Expand
  66. TsukasaHiiragi
    Nov 27, 2022
    5
    Pro's

    Excellent graphics Excellent soundtrack Plenty of content Con's Awful camera Can be very frustrating Overly complex moves Extremely cliche at times Sonic is *too* fast at times which affects gameplay Perhaps I'm playing a different Sonic Frontiers compared to all the sonic fanbois, bots and fake review accounts artificially boosting the score, because this game    Pro's

    Excellent graphics
    Excellent soundtrack
    Plenty of content

    Con's

    Awful camera
    Can be very frustrating
    Overly complex moves
    Extremely cliche at times
    Sonic is *too* fast at times which affects gameplay

    Perhaps I'm playing a different Sonic Frontiers compared to all the sonic fanbois, bots and fake review accounts artificially boosting the score, because this game isn't that good at all, sure the graphics and soundtrack are pretty good but what do you expect from a current gen console like the PS5? As for the game, it had promise but falls flat pretty quickly with graphical glitches all over the place, the camera is terrible often the biggest source of frustration, it basically can't keep it sometimes, occasionally will change position on you confusing the player which leads to more frustration and generally is very bad for the game.

    The gameplay on some levels is so fast that it becomes actually frustrating as the the elements are clearly designed for twitch reflexes otherwise you can fail very easily, sometimes you can fail on some cyberspace levels due to bugs and glitches too, trying to get that perfect S-Rank run and have one minor thing slow you up gets old fast, would have actually been better to slow the speed down a bit to give the player some extra breathing room when making near pixel perfect jumps from rails to rails or trying to perfectly time a jump and miss.

    The game itself isn't a true open world game, its based around fairly large and somewhat linear islands in which you can do certain things in what order you want, but you are still required to complete highly linear typical 'cybserspace' sonic levels which are not too bad, except the control system makes it much harder than it needs to be, instead of sticking with standard move sets it opts for more moves than a street fighter character and gets progressively more annoying later.

    The open world part is exactly what you expect, an open barren world with basically theme park rails, jumppads and everything associated with Sonic all over the place, it looks fairly stupid if I'm being honest because its basically everywhere, that increases with tricky perfect jumps needed as you progress.

    Sound and music are excellent though, typical levels have some unique music tracks with some that are definitely banging, voice acting is also on par it's just a shame that the rest of the game doesn't live up to expectations.

    Finally, Sonic Frontiers is a prime example of the Sega and Sonic fans rushing in to defend their champion from a lackluster game, the same way Zelda or Mario fans do the same. Sonic Frontiers is merely an average game that could have been much better but suffers from a myriad of issues which severely affect the fun factor and cause unnecessary frustration for the player, there is no excuse for shoddy camera angles or it failing to keep up with your character, especially in 3D platformers where you need to be able to see clearly where you are jumping, and/or a camera that keeps up with your character.    … Expand
  67. SuperDuck23
    Jun 28, 2023
    7
    While Sonic Frontiers didn’t do much for me, I can see how fans of the series would enjoy it. The levels within the open world are by far the highlight, as the rest of the game felt empty and looked a bit rough around the edges to my eyes.
  68. lolhhh
    Nov 11, 2022
    6
    A pretty good game, not perfect, but the music is great, and the boss battles are excellent biomes could be a bit more varied though, and the pop-in can be annoying, but the world and exploration are very good story is better than most recent sonic games combat can get repetitive though all in all above average game
  69. ZXSth
    Jan 27, 2023
    6
    Sonic Frontiers is a beautiful mess. It is hard for me to stay completely invested in the game for long periods of time because of its excessive simplicity, reliance on old ideas, and story-related struggles; however, behind its flaws lies a beautiful and accessible story, some impressive gameplay moments and a shockingly gripping and awesome soundtrack, all of which manage to buoy itsSonic Frontiers is a beautiful mess. It is hard for me to stay completely invested in the game for long periods of time because of its excessive simplicity, reliance on old ideas, and story-related struggles; however, behind its flaws lies a beautiful and accessible story, some impressive gameplay moments and a shockingly gripping and awesome soundtrack, all of which manage to buoy its other, more cumbersome features.

    My main gripe with this game is that in the face of some beautiful story ideas, Sega's unwillingness to have the characters' movements and expressions match up more convincingly to their dialogue really brings down some truly powerful moments. Sonic and his friends have what is easily the best dialogue and interactions in the entire series, and the moments that exemplify this are bogged down by facial movements and body language that feel clunky and over-exaggerated. Additionally, the occasional long pauses in dialogue are shockingly destructive to the impact of the characters' words. If you can suffer through how stilted the characters sometimes look while delivering this dialogue, you will find something to enjoy in their meaningful interactions - it's not Shakespeare, but it can be quite touching at moments.

    The main gameplay loop - one part Ubisoft-style open-world traversal with insultingly simple puzzle-solving, one part familiar speedy platforming, and one part grand boss battles with. occasional quick-time events - is a mixed bag. The open world is aesthetically gorgeous, but the collection of various trinkets and tokens within it grows tiresome fairly quickly. And while definitely engaging and possibly the best of any Sonic game in recent memory, the bite-sized "Cyberspace" levels in which you engage in linear platforming are over in a flash, and feel overdone and too familiar by this point in Sonic's multi-decade existence. The boss battles are where the game's best facets are on full display: The spectacle is outrageous; the overall giddiness I got out of seeing the sub-5-foot hedgehog pal tear apart a gigantic, towering cyber-mechanical monstrosity is undeniable, and the music leans hard into Sonic's reputation for angsty edginess.

    Speaking of the music, I believe that is, as is often the case with 3D Sonic games, Frontiers' single strongest asset. The open world's sombre piano ballads, Cyberspace's toe-tapping drum 'n' bass, and the boss battles' anthemic pop-punk/screamo bangers (some of which feature Sleeping with Sirens' Kellin Quinn on vocals, no less) really help this game's various tones all feel balanced, with each part of the game feeling so much more authentic and powerful. because of the excellence of the music.

    Overall, Frontiers is saved, in my mind, by its more daring story decisions and absolutely gorgeous soundtrack. Otherwise, the game feels unable to escape Sega's looming shadow of nostalgia-baiting and gatekeeping of new ideas. If Sega decides to keep handing the reins to new writers, and continues welcoming new ideas from people who are clearly passionate about Sonic (especially mechanically), I can see future games in the franchise becoming so much more than what Frontiers is.

    In sum: Sonic Frontiers is held back in many ways, but offers some really excellent moments. It is a subjectively enjoyable game, and will especially appeal to former Sonic fans who were left feeling disenfranchised and disillusions by the hedgehog's prior outings.    … Expand
  70. giannis2001
    Feb 9, 2023
    6
    Definitely a huge improvement from the last games, but still this new open world style has issues and needs a lot of work. I feel like I'm doing the same thing all the time. Random mini challenges all around, 1 minute tracks, and some bugs(yet minor most of the time) ruin the experience for me a bit. Also, roaming around with speed is very fun, but the momentum doesn't feel right doneDefinitely a huge improvement from the last games, but still this new open world style has issues and needs a lot of work. I feel like I'm doing the same thing all the time. Random mini challenges all around, 1 minute tracks, and some bugs(yet minor most of the time) ruin the experience for me a bit. Also, roaming around with speed is very fun, but the momentum doesn't feel right done times. I believe this formula definitely has potential if they fix some things with the game.… Expand
  71. SenpaiEXE
    Nov 12, 2022
    6
    Sonic Frontiers is a really mixed game with some positives and a lot of negatives.

    Pros: + Phenomenal OST, especially for the Titan boss fights + Great graphics and overall art style + Really good story and writing, something that hasn't been a thing for over 13 years now in this series + Great open world controls, not perfect, but still very solid + There is fishing in this game    Sonic Frontiers is a really mixed game with some positives and a lot of negatives.

    Pros:
    + Phenomenal OST, especially for the Titan boss fights
    + Great graphics and overall art style
    + Really good story and writing, something that hasn't been a thing for over 13 years now in this series
    + Great open world controls, not perfect, but still very solid
    + There is fishing in this game
    + Titan bossfights while undercooked like a lot of stuff in Frontiers are really hype
    + Combat while repetitive and button mashy has its moment of fun to be had

    Now for the negatives:
    - REALLY bad animations that look incredibly unfinished and very goofy, due to how low effort they are
    - The constant pop in is so bad it makes the first Wipeout games sweat nervously
    - Constant floating rails, platforms etc. look incredibly distracting and look like somebody went into a lvl designer and slapped around a bunch of assets to not make the open world look empty and shallow
    - Cyberspace is trash all around from it's controls, to lvl themes, to no original lvl layouts
    - The game is way too easy even on hard difficulty
    - 2/3 of the open world activities are flat out boring
    - WHY IS THERE 2D IN AN OPEN WORLD GAME??
    - The physics feel like something straight out of 06

    Overall: Frontiers is a REALLY undercooked game that needed at least 1 more year of dev time, regardless there is some enjoyment to be had with it. It's nothing special, nor is it anything God awful like forces is.    … Expand
  72. Mikireq
    Nov 15, 2022
    5
    Un quiero y no puedo. El mundo abierto no le ha sentado nada bien. Popping exagerado y gráficos de dos generaciones atrás. Es divertido, no lo negaré, pero Sonic se merece más
  73. Megazx456
    Mar 7, 2023
    6
    Sonic Team is definitely taking a bold step in a new direction for the Sonic franchise. The game introduces a semi-open world concept, with multiple islands to explore, each with its own unique aesthetic. The change in environment and tonal shift for the series is striking, with low saturation colors and high pastel hues replacing the vibrant primary colors of classic Sonic levels. TheSonic Team is definitely taking a bold step in a new direction for the Sonic franchise. The game introduces a semi-open world concept, with multiple islands to explore, each with its own unique aesthetic. The change in environment and tonal shift for the series is striking, with low saturation colors and high pastel hues replacing the vibrant primary colors of classic Sonic levels. The game's progression loop, while sounding convoluted, is satisfying and flows naturally, with mini-bosses, Cyber Space levels, challenges, and platforming sections to uncover memory tokens and upgrade items. Sonic Frontiers is undoubtedly the best 3D Sonic game in more than a decade, but that's not saying much considering the quality of the previous 3D titles we've gotten within those years.

    The game's inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is apparent, and while it works well within the game's sci-fi conceit, it doesn't play anything like Link's five-year-old adventure. The game's open-world design is not as expansive as Breath of the Wild's, but it's enough to keep Sonic fans engaged. The game's map, complete with various markers, is not something that players would feel compelled to look at, as the game does an excellent job of guiding players toward points of interest. However, some may find the game's exploration and progression loop repetitive, with the same basic gameplay loop on each island. Not to mention how egregious the pop in are within the game, which are very persistent throughout my 27 hours of playing through it

    Despite its flaws, Sonic Frontiers offers a decent and sometimes satisfying fun experience for fans of the series. The game's unique environment and tonal shift, coupled with the new semi-open world concept, make it stand out from its predecessors. The game's progression loop, while sounding convoluted, works well and flows naturally. Sonic Frontiers is worth playing for fans of the series and platformer fans alike, but it may not be enough to win over those who have been turned off by the series' previous. I only hope that sega actually takes the proper steps forward and stops repetting mistakes that they clearly should've learned from over a decade ago    … Expand
  74. CustardPuff
    May 12, 2023
    5
    This game conflicts me for several reasons, as a fan of Sonic for as long as I can remember. For one, the music is great, as per usual, and the storytelling is definitely a step up from recent entries in the series, but the gameplay has so much jank and inconvenience, the envrionments do not feel much like a Sonic game, the combat is basic (covered by its flashy animations), the pace feelsThis game conflicts me for several reasons, as a fan of Sonic for as long as I can remember. For one, the music is great, as per usual, and the storytelling is definitely a step up from recent entries in the series, but the gameplay has so much jank and inconvenience, the envrionments do not feel much like a Sonic game, the combat is basic (covered by its flashy animations), the pace feels unnaturally slow sometimes and it feels like Sonic Team were throwing in random ideas to see what would stick in the final 25% of the game. While it can be pretty damn fun at times, it is still quite rough around the edges.… Expand
  75. FRANCISCOGTA98
    Nov 11, 2022
    5
    Rendimiento pésimo, popping constante, historia regular, graficos basicos, tiene una buena base pero es malo en apartados tecnicos.
  76. mikufan84
    Feb 23, 2023
    5
    Its gameplay, physics and other aspects, it's a definite attempt to address the criticism of Forces and its higher quality script is well noted. However, I found its lack of linear gameplay (and the Cyberspace levels) and repetitive ''open-zone'' format rather uninteresting. Its purpose is to build new ways to explore the island. And then what? Not a side quest, or anything else to exploreIts gameplay, physics and other aspects, it's a definite attempt to address the criticism of Forces and its higher quality script is well noted. However, I found its lack of linear gameplay (and the Cyberspace levels) and repetitive ''open-zone'' format rather uninteresting. Its purpose is to build new ways to explore the island. And then what? Not a side quest, or anything else to explore or to do. Half of this feels like it is testing the waters, and the other half has some genuine merits. I was impressed by its OST, and some of the models. The bosses themselves are tedious, not necessarily hard but definitely requires some thinking, which I appreciate. The final boss, very unpleasant. I can't fall in love with this game. But I am glad people do and it is improving Sonic's reputation. It just is not for me and I don't have an interest in replaying it.… Expand
  77. SushiMess
    Nov 23, 2022
    7
    Story was pretty good, the gameplay is fun but i feel like it gets repetitive over time. I don’t think the game is empty but rather has a large field so that you can run on bc it’s a sonic game. However the pop ins really halt the experience. Story is good and the antagonist is interesting. Overall game is pretty good but the messy pop ins and bugs brings down the score for me. I thinkStory was pretty good, the gameplay is fun but i feel like it gets repetitive over time. I don’t think the game is empty but rather has a large field so that you can run on bc it’s a sonic game. However the pop ins really halt the experience. Story is good and the antagonist is interesting. Overall game is pretty good but the messy pop ins and bugs brings down the score for me. I think this is a right step to the future of sonic games though… Expand
  78. tewatson715
    Feb 4, 2023
    6
    Sonic Team did the unthinkable: they made a video game.

    Sonic Frontiers is okay, and definitely a step up from Sonic Forces, but there's a lot about this game that misses the mark. Firstly, the story. It looked intriguing in trailers, and Ian Flynn was even hired to be a part of it, but as a whole it's really not that interesting. Sonic and friends find themselves on these islands and    Sonic Team did the unthinkable: they made a video game.

    Sonic Frontiers is okay, and definitely a step up from Sonic Forces, but there's a lot about this game that misses the mark. Firstly, the story. It looked intriguing in trailers, and Ian Flynn was even hired to be a part of it, but as a whole it's really not that interesting. Sonic and friends find themselves on these islands and trapped in cyberspace somehow, but Sonic manages to escape cyberspace and starts to track his friends and the chaos emeralds down. As he does so, the main villain of game named Sage follows him and continuously tells him to give up as he won't accomplish what he's trying to do. Sage has a really cool design and I was interested to learn more about her, but again, there really isn't much to grab onto. Eggman created her to obtain the chaos emeralds or stop Sonic or something, but that's all she really boils down to. There are moments later in the story where she wonders if she can see the positives in people the way that Sonic does with Tails, Knuckles and Amy, but that's about it. The story boils down to Sonic finds all the chaos emeralds on an island, defeats the big bad boss on said island, repeat 4 more times and then the game ends. It's surprisingly mundane, especially considering this game's scope and who worked on the story in the first place. What doesn't help things is this game's voice acting, which is terrible. I have no idea how this happened, especially considering mainstays like Roger Craig Smith and Mike Pollock still voiced the characters in this game, but it feels like the script was handed over to the voice actors of the Horizon games and it makes everything feel inconsequential.

    In terms of gameplay, it's decent, but definitely not the greatest thing out there. Sonic Frontiers shifted its focus to "open zone" gameplay, where you have multiple large environments to run around, find collectibles and complete objectives. In concept, it's very similar to a game like Super Mario Odyssey, just not as fun. The environments look pretty, but there aren't many landmarks to distinguish areas from each other and there is a TON of pop in, which I'm assuming is there to help the game run smoothly but it's still distracting. There are various collectibles that unlock different things, and many of them are obtained by doing short platform challenges or rail grinding, and that's most of the gameplay loop. Find a spring or a set of rings, run around a bit and you have a collectible. It's consistent with what 3D Sonic games are all about, it's just repetitive and not very enthralling. There are also cyberspace stages to find scattered around each of the islands, and these are short stages that play like Sonic Unleashed, Colors and Generations. These can be fun but at the start of the game they're UNBEARABLY slow, and for some reason the second cyber stage is almost impossible to get the S rank on. If you want to make the cyber stages more enjoyable, you have to upgrade your speed, and I don't understand why this is a thing. Sonic's meant to be fast, so why make us go out of our way to make the stages fun? There are multiple other things that can be upgraded as well, such as ring capacity, strength, defense, and a skill tree for Sonic's combat abilities. This is another main part of the game: there are enemies scattered all around the islands and some can be defeated with a simple homing attack, though others require certain abilities to be defeated. The combat in this game is alright, but it can be almost entirely avoided when you upgrade yourself enough. The one exception to this is the various minibosses, which can sometimes be a massive pain but they drop more valuable collectibles, so there's at least a bit more of an incentive to go after them. Then there's the task of acquiring the chaos emeralds. Firstly, this is something you have to do for every single island because after each major boss fight, the chaos emeralds are suddenly scattered around again, which is DUMB. There's not even a story reason for this, you just need to get them again. And while most of them are collected in a similar fashion, at least one will need to be collected by doing arbitrary minigames that feel like a waste of time. Plus, to actually reach the bosses, Sonic will sometimes need to do something completely out of left field like a claw grabbing minigame, Ikaruga, or pinball. These also make no sense and I have no idea why they're here. The Ikaruga gameplay is even the final boss of this game! The bosses in general are alright, and they have great music, though they can be frustrating if you don't know what you're doing, and the game sometimes doesn't tell you what to do. Overall, Sonic Frontiers definitely had potential as a new version of a Sonic game, but it feels like a prototype of a better game and after finishing it, I had no reason to go back to it. This wasn't the game Sonic Team needed to rejuvenate Sonic, and that bums me out.    … Expand
  79. EasyGamerBoi
    Aug 18, 2023
    6
    Sonic games aren’t my go-to, the amount of Sonic games I’ve finished could be counted on one hand. That being said I was still excited for this new take on Sonic, even though it came out a day before God of War… whose bright idea was that? Despite shotty pre-release footage I still had my hopes up since the concept of Frontiers was so intriguing to me. It ended up being a good game, butSonic games aren’t my go-to, the amount of Sonic games I’ve finished could be counted on one hand. That being said I was still excited for this new take on Sonic, even though it came out a day before God of War… whose bright idea was that? Despite shotty pre-release footage I still had my hopes up since the concept of Frontiers was so intriguing to me. It ended up being a good game, but far from a great one.
    Positives first, Sonic never lacks on great soundtracks, even games I haven’t played I’ve heard amazing songs from, but OMFG Frontiers has one of the best soundtracks in recent gaming history. I haven’t been able to stop playing the vocal tracks since I finished this game months ago (yes I’m very slow at writing reviews). This game truly excelled at its main boss fights, the first 2 are some of the most hype s**t I’ve ever played. I would play an entire game with this style of super combat! The graphics are also really nice if a bit drab in certain locations. Area variety wasn’t all that colorful for a Sonic game. There’s also a surprisingly relaxing fishing mini game that can bust the game in half if you use it enough LOL. The main story is also enjoyable but didn’t hook me as much as SA2 did.
    Now I have to use everyone’s fav buzzword for gaming reviews, JANK. Sonic Frontiers isn’t utterly broken but I don’t think I’ve ever played a jankier game. Playing Pokémon Violet then Frontiers back to back was absolute hell on Earth. I don’t go out of my way to play rushed or broken janky games for content, so my tolerance with unpolished games isn’t that high. Sonic Frontiers TANKS it’s own rating for me just off of how it controls. The collision detection feels random, the running speed feels too slow for the fastest thing on Earth even when upgraded, at the time I played this game there were no immediate updates to fix any speed or collision issues. The amount of times I flew off a rail randomly or a jump had absolutely no momentum drove me to near madness by the 2nd zone. Controlling Sonic feels BAD & soured the entire experience. Combat can be fun at first but other times it’s a clusterf**k. The gameplay loop got old by the middle of the 2nd zone too, collectathons aren’t my cup of tea. The first zone was the only one I enjoyed to the end, simply because it was all new to me. I’m not a fan of the mini games required for Chaos emeralds either, thankfully I got lucky with that pinball one on my first try that everyone seems to hate lol. Some of them were fine on paper but made so much worse because I had to actually play them with all this jank. It all culminated in the abhorrent 3rd zone, a string of volcanic islands separated by impassable gaps in the sky that are connected by single points, making you wonder why the islands are so damn big for no reason. It’s such a pain to travel to said singular point just to go to another island with the same trash gimmicks. Have fun flying off the rails on the way to the next island too with this game’s non-existent but also overbearing physics. The boss of the 3rd zone is also one of the most frustrating fights I’ve ever experienced. The jank of Frontiers really ruined Find Your Flame for me. That’s unforgivable. The 3rd island also emphasized another dumb decision, why doesn’t the map clear as you travel it? I did a lot of the dumb 2D side missions to clear some fog but after the 2nd zone they just feel like janky time wasters. The map should clear out as you travel so it’s not just a huge empty unhelpful blob of nothingness should you want to ignore annoying side content. Speaking of, Sonic needs to ditch these cyberspace 2D levels if they ever want a truly great 3D Sonic experience. These levels all blend together & annoy the piss out of me whenever I was forced into playing one. I’m sure they would be fine in any other game, just not in one with barely basic control of your character. I don’t mean to be so negative & act like this game is unplayable & broken because it’s not. But playing Frontiers felt like I was fighting it to have a shred of fun nearly every step of the way after the first zone. Which is unfortunate because I really was looking forward to this direction for the series, it has potential & I hope if there’s a Frontiers 2 we get something polished to a finer degree.    … Expand
  80. jonjohn048
    Aug 26, 2023
    6
    I was a massive Sonic the Hedgehog fan as a kid with how he could run so fast and remembered loving Sonic Unleased on my PS3 and watched YouTubers play the other Sonic games back then but as I started to grow up, my excitement for him wore down until I saw some of the trailers for this game back then and it reignited my love and interest for Sonic but after 28 hours of this game, I kindaI was a massive Sonic the Hedgehog fan as a kid with how he could run so fast and remembered loving Sonic Unleased on my PS3 and watched YouTubers play the other Sonic games back then but as I started to grow up, my excitement for him wore down until I saw some of the trailers for this game back then and it reignited my love and interest for Sonic but after 28 hours of this game, I kinda regret the time I put into it which is something I take no pleasure in since I wanted to love this game. Now I will say this, it gets a lot of things right as a Sonic game such as the soundtrack, combat, story (at least not until the end), playing at your own pace, enemy variety, and the feeling of speed. Firstly, it's pretty much a given that Sonic soundtracks are something special and this game is no exception thanks to the rock metal getting you all hyped up, calm music to keep you relaxed while looking around, exciting music to help you feel rushed when trying a challenge and it lands no matter what. The combat is simplistic but that's good since you can learn some cool moves with just a few buttons and it's always fun to watch Sonic use the moves to bully the bad guys. The story in my opinion is not the greatest but it at least gives the characters justice with the writing and performances being true to their source materials although I will say with how short the cutscenes were and how poorly told the story and lore were, the story is nothing short of mixed bag. There's also this fishing minigame where if you play enough of it, you could get the resources needed to move forward in the game meaning if you don't want to explore in the world (which I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to with how boring it is), you can use this minigame to do it all or you can explore the world if you want meaning you can play this game at your own pace. The enemy variety while a mixed bag on how fun they are, I can at least give SEGA credit for coming up with enemies dedicated to their own zones in the map making them somewhat memorable and thank god you take them out differently because if you could take them out the same way, I'd cancel out this compliment. Finally, Sonic is a joy to control in the open world with how tight he and responsive he feels to quickly control so when there's nothing in your path, it can be relaxing to run around in the world. Now with all that being said, all these positives are pretty much hammered by everything else to the point where I was left unsatisfied and unless the upcoming DLC is good, I never want to go back to it. The open world content is some of the worst open world content I've ever seen with how simplistic it is to the point where I feel so bored doing them and it's extremely rare when I ever took the puzzles/challenges seriously and even when I took it seriously, it's only because of how annoying the world was when it shifted to awful 2D sections but what's worse about those is that the camera could break at these 2D sections messing up your viewpoint, for some reason, SEGA literally put NOTHING in the 4th island making me believe this game was rushed for the sake of 2022 GOTY nominations and the team didn't have enough time to put anything interesting in this island, there's also this tiny little thing where the even tiny rock in the way could send you flying in the air for no reason, the pop in is SHOCKINGLY aggressive to the point where if you're doing anything, you have no idea where to go and you could mess up challenges with how awful the rendering distance is so you won't know where to go to rack up points, I can understand this if it was on the Switch on a PS5 when the game already doesn't look particularly good? That's practically inexcusable. The game also shoves in some RPG elements in here but you can actually fill up the skill tree FAST leaving nothing else to with the remaining skill points you may have left once you fill it up, when I finished the game, I had 180 skill points left with how unbalanced this game was. Finally, the final boss for some reason was locked behind the hard difficulty meaning some people are gonna be confused by the ending if they don't play on this setting, wasn't explained in the story, and was unfun to take down pretty much souring my overall opinion on the game. Overall, this was one of the most unsatisfying games I've ever played and left me really disappointed with how SEGA should've delayed this game if it meant it could release it a better state, to be clear, it's obvious they have a working formula here that I could see work in a future Sonic game but this isn't the one so I suppose we can only hope the upcoming DLC can prove that to us. Normally I'd be ok if this game was $40 at launch, but the fact I paid $60 makes me both LIVID and enough to the point where you're better off watching the cutscenes in a YouTube video rather than go out and buy it in my opinion.… Expand
  81. kyuuka
    Dec 4, 2022
    7
    they have the formula for a good game but the world feels soulless and just an open space for a tech demo. the pop-ins are very annoying and bosses felt janky. it was an alright experience but I don't recommend getting it at full price.
  82. Endymion_Var
    Nov 12, 2022
    7
    Es la mejor versión.
    Un juego entretenido, pero repetitivo; apenas esta a la altura; esperaba más de este Sony.
  83. alan_w_c
    Dec 5, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ironically, the copy-paste Cyber Space level designs are far more engaging than Open Zone's Unity level designs. Don't even get me started with the final boss The Moon. By far the worst final boss in the Sonic franchise. It makes Forces final boss seem like a masterpiece.… Expand
  84. RIVERPLATE14
    Sep 1, 2023
    5
    As someone who isn't a die-hard Sonic fan, I went into this game with an open mind. However, my overall experience was disappointing.

    Firstly, the gameplay didn't resonate with me. I expected a fun and engaging experience, but instead, I found the controls awkward and the gameplay mechanics lacking in enjoyment. The supposed speed felt forced and frustrating, rather than providing a    As someone who isn't a die-hard Sonic fan, I went into this game with an open mind. However, my overall experience was disappointing.

    Firstly, the gameplay didn't resonate with me. I expected a fun and engaging experience, but instead, I found the controls awkward and the gameplay mechanics lacking in enjoyment. The supposed speed felt forced and frustrating, rather than providing a smooth and exciting gaming experience.

    The graphics were also a letdown. While I don't demand cutting-edge visuals, I felt that the graphics quality was below par for today's standards. Character models and level design seemed outdated, which hindered my immersion in the game world.

    Furthermore, the story failed to capture my interest. I appreciate a good narrative in games, but in this case, the story felt dull, and the characters lacked depth or charisma.

    In summary, I felt that I didn't get my money's worth from this game. While it may have pleased some Sonic fans, for me, the gameplay, graphics, and story fell short of my expectations.    … Expand
  85. Headstrongwolf
    Nov 10, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Frontiers leaves much to be desired in terms of replayability, and for a grande finale. The final boss is extremely underwhelming, even on hard mode where you have to do an extra mini game to defeat it. Unless you are adamant about getting all your trophies and achievements, the game offers little to no replay value post story.… Expand
  86. Sorrows2
    Nov 10, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Over all definitely best game in the past decade, nice to see upgradable combat and versatility/variety in Sonics move set. Open world and serious story are a massive draw as a long time Sonic fan. This game hits all the key points on the head, the only thing that I would change is the cyber space levels. There needs to be more variety in locations and better controlling for Sonic.
    This is obviously a smaller part of the game and is immediately forgiven when they allowed me to go super sonic and beat the ever living snot out of massive titans!
    Pop in was minimal, graphics were good but not perfect If you are a Sonic fan and like lore, excellent game play, references to other characters from other Sonic media, insane fluidity in movement and traversal, this game is perfect for you.    … Expand
  87. Zhisui
    Nov 11, 2022
    5
    Increible juego, su jugabilidad , su trama, su paisajes y escenarios son algo que hacen de este juego diferente y unico. Recomendado
  88. badblocks
    Nov 13, 2022
    6
    First time playing a new 3D Sonic since Unleashed, and I was excited. After playing it, I can say that it's a lot like Pokemon Legends Arceus in the sense that it's a great idea and a great new direction for the series, but flawed by bizarre design choices and a SEVERE lack of polish. It's not fun to be running along and into a bumper and just... fall through it like it doesn't exist andFirst time playing a new 3D Sonic since Unleashed, and I was excited. After playing it, I can say that it's a lot like Pokemon Legends Arceus in the sense that it's a great idea and a great new direction for the series, but flawed by bizarre design choices and a SEVERE lack of polish. It's not fun to be running along and into a bumper and just... fall through it like it doesn't exist and have to start a segment over. Or press the boost button and just go flying off the stage. Combat is sadly pretty trivial even on hard, as all moves are WAY overpowered-- if you aren't just mashing the basic combo, you can just spam any other move, like Sonic Boom, and enemies will go down in seconds, completely unable to touch you. And what's up with the parry? If timing doesn't matter at all how is it fun to use? It makes it essentially a "hold this to win" button.
    Fluidly chaining together between rails and springs in the open world, from one "section" to the next, is very satisfying and fun (when it works and the jank doesn't ruin your run), but sometimes you're sent flying off in places you didn't expect, leaving you asking "wait where am I, where did I go"?
    Lastly, I like the idea of the collectibles. Beat bosses in the overworld to beat boost formula stages to get chaos emeralds. However, most collectibles become almost instantly worthless as you can just find keys and cogs randomly by defeating basic enemies or doing cycloop circles. Why bother playing the actual levels if the game just dumps keys on me constantly? Or why even play ANY of the game if I can just spend a few minutes fishing for all the resources I need? The collectables really should only come from the bosses, cyberspace levels and little platforming sections in the world. No digging treasure and getting a dozen memory tokens or a key, no one-shotting a grunt with a homing attack to get a cog... make me PLAY THE GAME to earn the rewards.
    Even with these flaws I had a ton of fun playing this game. I really hope the rough edges get smoothed out with the next release, the future has potential for sure.    … Expand
  89. PoloSwoolish
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    Running around the islands, fighting enemies, beating cyberspace levels, fishing with big, and character interactions with each other are all good and fun in this game, but it could’ve been so much more. I hope to see sega improve on what they built because this format has so much potential. But as of now, sonic frontiers is a fun time but I wanted more.
  90. Gelatine75
    Dec 4, 2022
    7
    Great game not as goog as the player says but not as bas as the critics says as well.
    Sega have something they can do a master piece for the next game but for now here is the problem i find in the game:
    -Empty open world - You always does the same things in the ow, speak to your companion, find keys and then find emerald. -Not enoigh level asto gain some keys. But just buy it to make    Great game not as goog as the player says but not as bas as the critics says as well.
    Sega have something they can do a master piece for the next game but for now here is the problem i find in the game:
    -Empty open world
    - You always does the same things in the ow, speak to your companion, find keys and then find emerald.
    -Not enoigh level asto gain some keys.

    But just buy it to make tmyour own opinion if your interest, like always never liqten critics or players.    … Expand
  91. ForRealDonut
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    It is important to know that I rated Forces a 5. If I could give this game a 6.5 on Metacritic, I would.

    Pros: - Better than Forces - Established characters are treated with respect in terms of writing - Could be a template for a better future game - Running around the open zones at max speed can be enjoyable and is novel Cons: - The collectibles and progression system are    It is important to know that I rated Forces a 5. If I could give this game a 6.5 on Metacritic, I would.

    Pros:
    - Better than Forces
    - Established characters are treated with respect in terms of writing
    - Could be a template for a better future game
    - Running around the open zones at max speed can be enjoyable and is novel

    Cons:
    - The collectibles and progression system are borderline meaningless
    - The cutscene quality and story presentation are extremely poor
    - Enemy attacks often poorly telegraphed or obscured visually
    - Cyberspace levels use the same 4 tilesets, several are literal copy-paste levels from other Sonic games
    - 2D stages still a thing despite the absence of Classic Sonic
    - One of the most baffling decisions ever made in gaming for the final boss fight    … Expand
  92. Vidril
    Jun 29, 2023
    5
    The best game Sonic Team has made in a decade, although that's not exactly a high bar.

    - The music is good, as all Sonic games should be, but is now way more inconsistent in it's quality. The boss themes are a great shake up to it's usual style, but most of the other themes are very forgettable. - The graphics and overall visual presentation looks 1-to-1 like an uninspired SFM Sonic    The best game Sonic Team has made in a decade, although that's not exactly a high bar.

    - The music is good, as all Sonic games should be, but is now way more inconsistent in it's quality. The boss themes are a great shake up to it's usual style, but most of the other themes are very forgettable.

    - The graphics and overall visual presentation looks 1-to-1 like an uninspired SFM Sonic fan game.
    - The player animations range from pleasantly acceptable to straight up absent.
    - The character acting and animations are severely limited to the point where half the time they're just running the base standing_idle animation which is extremely noticeable when the character's eyes and hands are so prominent.
    - The environment visuals and design look extremely uninspired. Very generic and there was never a point where a location caught my attention or drew me anywhere.
    - The insanely small render distance makes it so everywhere except right next to you looks like an empty barren wasteland

    - The character feel is often irritating, as all 3D Sonic games tend to share. Every single movement option has a number of clunky aspects that make them inconsistent at best.

    - The open world challenges are almost impressively uninteresting and they get repetitive almost immediately. The challenges are so mind-numbingly easy they could put a player into comatose.

    - The normal Sonic cyber levels are (while on rare occasion have a fun difficulty for S rank) all almost exclusively reused content from prior games, with the formula being to spin a wheel of four of Sonic's prior stages twice, and combine the visuals of one and the 1-to-1 map design of the other.

    - Sonic's combat in Frontiers actually starts off pretty enjoyable as you learn what does what. Unfortunately though once you learn what each of your moves do, it quickly reduces to a button masher with extra set dressing as most of the options to your disposal are deceptively shallow.

    - There are an alarming amount of bugs and gameplay hiccups that the game suffers from. The amount of times I found myself clipped into a piece of geometry or flown off into space because I ran too fast on a slightly jagged piece of ground is more than I could count.

    - The boss fights, by Sonic standards, are quite theatrically entertaining, but you will be mostly fighting the camera and shoddy implementation instead of the boss for the parts that are actually playable.

    - The story and writing is pretty entertaining at times and the voice cast brings a solid performance, although the dialogue was sometimes painful and the VA's were left to completely carry the character acting with very stiff animation not doing them any favours.

    In summation: Sonic Team break new ground for the recent installments by adding aspects that were at least sometimes enjoyable this time, although still unable to reach the level of quality of the rest of the industry or even to the quality of many of their fan-made games or spiritual successors.    … Expand
  93. SANCT1TY
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    Pros -
    Music, Story, Character interactions, 3 great boss fights, Big Fishing, and world building
    Cons - No enemy variety, a lack of enemies, only enemies of the same type spawn with each other so no variety in battle, a lackluster final battle, a lackluster skill tree, and the game needs some polish Overall, this is the biggest step in the right direction for Sega and I'm happy    Pros -
    Music, Story, Character interactions, 3 great boss fights, Big Fishing, and world building
    Cons -
    No enemy variety, a lack of enemies, only enemies of the same type spawn with each other so no variety in battle, a lackluster final battle, a lackluster skill tree, and the game needs some polish

    Overall, this is the biggest step in the right direction for Sega and I'm happy they're gonna make games like frontiers.    … Expand
  94. Mahareshi
    Nov 15, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You've either been successfully gaslit by Sega, or you haven't. This game isn't that good.… Expand
  95. Xenosodara
    Nov 15, 2022
    7
    Overall fun and definitely a step in the right direction, but the lack of polish weird physics and laziness in certain areas bring the experience down. Still fun though, hopefully we can see less pop in,
    more momentum physics, and more interesting open zone themes in the next game.
  96. epicgamner
    Mar 22, 2023
    7
    I'm not going to come out here and tell you that this game is a 10/10, because it's not. The game is flawed in so many ways technically and mechanically that we'd be here all day if I went over it all. It's both too long and too short, there's really only 3 islands, and the final boss is a letdown to say the least. But damn it, it's fun. It's really fun. Flawed in a lot of huge waysI'm not going to come out here and tell you that this game is a 10/10, because it's not. The game is flawed in so many ways technically and mechanically that we'd be here all day if I went over it all. It's both too long and too short, there's really only 3 islands, and the final boss is a letdown to say the least. But damn it, it's fun. It's really fun. Flawed in a lot of huge ways to be sur, but this game creates a very exciting blueprint for the future. Really could have used that extra year or two in the oven though, because then we'd really have something special on our hands. Also for the love of all that is holy keep Ian Flynn writing the stories or at least the banter between characters because that was great throughout the whole game. Overall, give it a go if you're a sonic fan or have a high tolerance to jank and it sounds like this game might be up your alley (also get the PC version if you can because that's the one that's got mods).… Expand
  97. Swaguar
    Nov 23, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Frontiers is an excellent attempt at a new formula to sent the foundation for the series going forward I love the combat and the open zone however after the first two islands u start to notice a dip in quality in the rest of the islands an example of the 3rd island using a lot of 2D elements which we would have hoped to believe will no longer be in 3D Sonic games as we have Classic Sonic who is fully 2D so we would rather have Modern Sonic Play in FULLY 3D other than that i had a lot of fun in my play through the one very disappointing experience I had was the final boss on hard mode after all the amazing super sonic fights on the first three islands to have the final boss be a literal arcade shooter while we got arguably the best super sonic fights in the series Sonic frontiers sets a good foundation for the next up coming games in the series however it just needs a little more tweaking such as fully 3d open zone islands original cyberspace levels/ traditional sonic levels in full 3D ( as much as we love green hill and chemical plant it’s time for us to get ORIGINAL DESIGNS SEGA) as well as the final boss not been a let down compared to the other bosses other than these issues u will have a blast with Sonic Frontiers… Expand
  98. Bsminzza
    Nov 24, 2022
    6
    I love it sonic!! But i like old type sonic. Please comback YUJI!!! But, i play this title
  99. Smoogey
    Nov 24, 2022
    5
    the game is fine. it has some fun parts but the best word to describe it for me is mediocre. it is pretty obvious its trying to do what breath of the wild did or what odyssey did and it is better than their normal output but this game still has some issues. hopefully sega can increase the quality next time but for now just stick with sonic mania.
  100. Banan4k656
    Nov 25, 2022
    7
    sonic frontiers, a game that shows that Sega wants to return the former popularity of the blue hedgehog. And we can say that they almost did it, namely, they corrected the characters' characters, made excellent bosses And so on. But they again squeezed the budget, it has always been like this, they didn’t even make a normal final boss.In short, the game is not bad, but Sega again clampssonic frontiers, a game that shows that Sega wants to return the former popularity of the blue hedgehog. And we can say that they almost did it, namely, they corrected the characters' characters, made excellent bosses And so on. But they again squeezed the budget, it has always been like this, they didn’t even make a normal final boss.In short, the game is not bad, but Sega again clamps down on budgets, because of this the game is raw, as well as a sucky final boss… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 90 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 90
  3. Negative: 6 out of 90
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 24, 2024
    60
    The idea and vision of the game is absolutely fabulous. In practice, however, the game is brought down by its execution, which you can see through after a short while and then the game has nothing to surprise you with. [Issue#324]
  2. PSX Extreme
    Feb 22, 2023
    30
    There is nothing remotely redeeming about this game. Nothing that even the most die-hard loyal Sonic Fans would or should advocate for. I hope that one day someone who cares enough about this franchise could give us something-anything of substance. A fan can hope, can’t they? A fan can hope.
    Read full review
  3. GameOver.gr
    Feb 4, 2023
    80
    Finally, after almost 25years of half measures and mostly mediocre titles, Sonic has finally reached the 3D levels of gameplay it needed to reach. Yes, the pop in is absolutely inexcusable and the ancient gatekeeping grindy methods damage the flow of the game for no reason, but a wonderfully built base exists here, with a highly entertaining adventure in wonderfully melancholic world and a surprisingly well founded story, thankfully clean of Sonic’s annoying 3rd tier friends!
    Read full review
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