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. 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 Character models and level design seemed outdated, which hindered my immersion in the game world.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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. NightmareYT
    Aug 10, 2023
    7
    Good game. Could've been better, I would've liked some of my nitpicks with speed being oddly slow in a sense but also it's just a few things that annoyed me that others probably won't be mad about. DON'T PAY FULL PRICE FOR THIS GAME THOUGH! IT'S NOT WORTH 60 DOLLARS!
  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. MetaMikeG
    Jul 18, 2023
    7
    The people giving this game perfect scores are clearly delusional sonic fanboys or just infants, no in between. I’m a sonic fan, I have been since the day I could comprehend video games. But to say this game is perfect or truly great is actually hurting the franchise, if Sega thinks they did an amazing job with this game, things are never going to get better. This game is “great” for aThe people giving this game perfect scores are clearly delusional sonic fanboys or just infants, no in between. I’m a sonic fan, I have been since the day I could comprehend video games. But to say this game is perfect or truly great is actually hurting the franchise, if Sega thinks they did an amazing job with this game, things are never going to get better. This game is “great” for a sonic title, but compared to other games, it’s honestly laughable.. laughable with some great aspects, it’s very wonky at times and poorly level designed (some worlds far more than others) there’s tons of questionable decisions I can’t fathom why the developers would make, easy little tweaks here and there that would’ve made the game much better. I’m not going to go into excruciating detail, but those that have played it know what I’m talking about and how many poor design choices and bugs there are. I get it, making a game about someone who runs super fast is challenging.. it’s in a league of its own in many ways, but there’s no excuse for some of these things. Especially when it took over 5 years to make this game !!! The only reason this game gets a 7 from me and not a 6.5 is because of the amazing titan fights and overall soundtrack.. it may even be just a 6 if it wasn’t for those. Is it a step in the right direction?? Compared to horrendous, stale, boring titles like sonic forces. Yes, definitely. But Sonic Team has A LOT of work to do for their follow up game.. here’s hoping the last DLC pack brings some more fixes and replay value to the table with it’s probably real ending to the game. (I hated the ending we currently have btw)… Expand
  7. Sonicandmario
    Jul 3, 2023
    7
    This game is a bit buggy but rarely at time glitches. This game is fun doesn't take itself too seriously but is not too cheesy either. This game is fun and would 100% recommend it if your a sonic fan
  8. 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
  9. 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.
  10. 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
  11. diealegend
    Apr 6, 2023
    6
    The game could’ve been polished up better. The enemies do not look interesting to look at all. They look like they were made last second. There was good ideas installed in this game like open zone and a attempt at a good story. The story failed to be interesting compared to games like sonic adventure, sonic adventure 2, and even the worst sonic game of all time sonic forces. But this gameThe game could’ve been polished up better. The enemies do not look interesting to look at all. They look like they were made last second. There was good ideas installed in this game like open zone and a attempt at a good story. The story failed to be interesting compared to games like sonic adventure, sonic adventure 2, and even the worst sonic game of all time sonic forces. But this game just had a better playing style than forces I will admit. But overall drag shouldn’t be pleased with this. Sonic adventure 1 & 2 style of gameplay are the key to these games with a great story. Even sonic the hedgehog the game from 2006 was better than frontiers despite all the fixes it needed. Sega please make a great sonic game it’s overly needed. The chao garden & sonic adventure and other cool sonic games await us but only if you start trying to be greater than what has been done already. There hasn’t been a great story since after sonic adventure 2… with exceptions of 2006 sonic. Please bring the great hedgehog back.… Expand
  12. Tweetyty
    Mar 24, 2023
    5
    A thirty dollar game pretending to be worth sixty dollars. Try to buy it on sale.
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. Smooth1e
    Feb 15, 2023
    7
    This is a solid game. it's not the greatest sonic game, but honestly It's a lot better than what we've been getting.
  17. XLinkX
    Feb 15, 2023
    7
    Great ideas came when making the game but the unnecessary introduction of old sonic mechanics are the thing that ruined part of this game for me.
    I'm talking about the cyber space levels,they are so out of tone in relation to the rest of the game,they feel unoriginal and from what I felt the controls and sonic movements are made for the open world,not for these mediocre levels that they    Great ideas came when making the game but the unnecessary introduction of old sonic mechanics are the thing that ruined part of this game for me.
    I'm talking about the cyber space levels,they are so out of tone in relation to the rest of the game,they feel unoriginal and from what I felt the controls and sonic movements are made for the open world,not for these mediocre levels that they put to increase the level of hours.
    It wouldn't be a big problem If they were optional,but they aren't, the rest of the game is pretty fun,and both the boss battles and music are crazy good.    … Expand
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. ChelseaFFC
    Jan 19, 2023
    7
    I would personally give this game 7.5.
    I had fun with frontiers I enjoyed the story and especially the references to past sonic games. The writers for this game need to remain for the following games in the future. I enjoyed sonic characterisation but the supporting cast of tails, Amy, knuckles Eggman and sage were very well done and stayed true to their characters from previous games    I would personally give this game 7.5.
    I had fun with frontiers I enjoyed the story and especially the references to past sonic games. The writers for this game need to remain for the following games in the future. I enjoyed sonic characterisation but the supporting cast of tails, Amy, knuckles Eggman and sage were very well done and stayed true to their characters from previous games (namely the games of the 2000 era), of course, minus sage because this game was the introduction to her character I hope she returns for future games

    the open world was fun, I loved the environments especially the first two islands, the controls in the open world game were solid and well done.
    the music for this game is phenomenal and I would recommend purchasing the soundtrack
    the cyberspace and fishing were a nice addition to the game bite-size versions of the boost stages from prior games although with the boost being depowered.

    However, this game has some issues that I would strongly recommend that SEGA (sonic team) fix for future entries in this series if they are to continue with the open-world gameplay.
    The controls in the cyberspace levels were not that great which is strange because the open-world controls were excellent in my opinion even without adjusting the sliders.
    the placement of the obstacles was odd and doesn't go with the environment. instead of placing obstacles anywhere (like the floating rails or platforms), they should've been built into the islands so they look like they're part of the island itself.
    for example, the platforms on ares island should've had sand on them or resembled a canon and the ones from Kronos island should've had leaves or vines
    I wasn't a fan of the over-excessive 2D on chaos island and how my camera got locked into 2D immediately when entering an obstacle course section.
    one major issue I had was the pop-in for a 2022 game it was unacceptable and sonic team needs to work on their engine issue to avoid this or come up with ways to make it less obvious as other developers have.
    the combat was alright but I wish there was more depth to it    … Expand
  22. DogpackStudios
    Dec 28, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Frontiers is a mixed bag for me. The setup is the worst one I have ever seen for a story. The game has a Open zone that is barren visually and is full of stuff to do. Pop-In is very noticeable in the Open Zone. The Cyberspace stages are terrible. They have different controls then the Open Zone and can't be customized. There is only 4 stage themes. Green Hill, Sky Sanctuary, Chemical Plant, and Random City (Not it's real name). The last one is a random city! This does not make sense with the reason why stage themes and layouts are reused because they are pulled from Sonic's memory or some crap. The final boss is a failed Gamecube game! The worst final boss ever! The combat is alright. Big's fishing minigame can break the entire game if you would like to skip the Cyberspace stages. The story has to many call backs. The story is great though. The best the characters have been since Sonic Unleashed. The Father, Daughter relationship between Dr. Eggman and Sage made me sad. Why is a red moon planet ai thing the main villain after all? You stop like a rock and fly off rocks in the Open Zone. Cyberspace 1-2: Flowing has the most unreasonable S Rank time than the rest of the game? Why did that happen? There are three forest worlds in the game. Kronos Island, Rhea Island, and Quranos Island which is just Kronos Island. There is really only 3 islands instead of 5. This game is unfinished. I will remember it as a mixed bag. I do see potential though.… Expand
  23. 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
  24. xxAxisxx
    Dec 10, 2022
    7
    Vorweg: Ich habe noch nie einen Sonic-Titel gespielt. Dieser sah interessant aus und ich war gespannt, was Sonic in einer "Open-Zone" so zu bieten hat.

    Grafik: absoluter durchschnitt, nichts besonderes, aber (bis auf manche Wettereffekte) nicht schlecht. Weltendesign: Die Zones sind nicht nur generisch, sondern auch trist designt. Noch dazu, die Welten machen KEINEN Sinn. Während in    Vorweg: Ich habe noch nie einen Sonic-Titel gespielt. Dieser sah interessant aus und ich war gespannt, was Sonic in einer "Open-Zone" so zu bieten hat.

    Grafik:
    absoluter durchschnitt, nichts besonderes, aber (bis auf manche Wettereffekte) nicht schlecht. Weltendesign:
    Die Zones sind nicht nur generisch, sondern auch trist designt. Noch dazu, die Welten machen KEINEN Sinn. Während in klassischen 2D Games es darum geht, kreative Level zu designen, funktioniert das hier überhaupt nich. NICHTS in der Welt macht Sinn, sämtliche Rails und Bumper etc sind einfach nur in die Welt geklatscht und dienen dazu, das Movement von Sonic voran zu treiben. Schön und gut, es funktioniert, aber diese müssten Sinnvoll in die Level integriert werden. So wirkt es für mich falsch und stört gewaltig das Gesamtbild, das ohnehin nicht überzeigen kann. Gameplay:
    Die 2-D-Level sind das Beste am Spiel, und auch da kann es nicht mit den Großen Titeln der Serie mithalten. Die "Rätsel"... Ernsthaft, sowas war schon vor 20 Jahren nicht neu.
    Die Kämpfe... Zumindest die Bosskämpfe sind stark, schade dass der Rest so stark abfällt
    Und wer immer sich dieses bescheuerte Sammelsurium an Marken, Münzen, Zahnrädern und sonst was ausgedacht hat, mir fehlen die Worte. Einfallsloser, dröger und sinnfreier gehts kaum.

    Story: Kein Nennenswerter Faktor, weiter im Text

    Mein Fazit:
    "Ganz gut" beschreibt das Spiel perfekt. Die deutlich besseren Wertungen wurden klar von nostalgisch verklärten Fans geschrieben (zumindest die meisten)
    Wer Freude an hirnlosem Sammeln hat und sich einfach fix durch die Level bewegen will, wird viel Freude haben. Das Grundgerüst des Spiels ist aber eine absolute Frechheit, und es ist mir unbegreiflich, wie man heutzutage noch so ein einfallsloses Spiel entwickeln kann, das doch einen so großen Namen trägt. Die Richtung stimmt, aber leider hat sich der kleine Blaue Igel in der Weite ganz schön verrannt. Mal schauen was der Nachfolger bietet    … Expand
  25. 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
  26. 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.
  27. 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
  28. Glowz
    Dec 3, 2022
    7
    The game was great but I do have some issues the pop in of the rails and platforms really breaks my immersion also I don't think the graphics live up to next gen but also theirs a switch port. The cutsenes kind of disappointed me but glad to see the blue blur's games stepping and getting new footing
  29. 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
  30. 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.
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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.
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  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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