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. MaxKell
    Nov 9, 2022
    10
    A lobe letter to fans of the adventure era and proof that this new formula can work.
    This entry is lacking in some aspect but is a fun, fast paced wntry with amazing music
    A really good introduction to the serie!
  2. DaniJam
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    I was very excited to play this game and it certainly does not disappoint. I've been nothing but happy with how Sonic Frontiers turned out. This is a clear redefinition of the Sonic franchise and I'm here for it all the way.
  3. CapitalTeeth
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    If this game is at all an example of what we can see from Sonic going forward, I'm all for it.
  4. Sonica
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    One of the best sonic games since sonic generations, i love the open zone and happy super sonic in game
  5. Eduarliu
    Nov 12, 2022
    10
    Sonic Frontiers es una carta de amor hacia todos los fans y aunque la critica le haya puesto un 72 para nosotros los fans de sonic esto merece un merecido 9. Jamas nos hubieramos imaginado que Sonic team se esforzara tanto en hacer un buen juego y lo han conseguido.
  6. fribidibibidi
    Nov 13, 2022
    10
    Game is deffo going in the right direction, a bit more Polish and slightly better pacing with the story could make this a masterpiece. Pre rendered cutscenes are missed and I would love for the cyber space levels (which are dull reused levels and feel awful to control) to be more like sonic adventure stages as at the moment they’re awful. The open stage though is amazing. It looked dullGame is deffo going in the right direction, a bit more Polish and slightly better pacing with the story could make this a masterpiece. Pre rendered cutscenes are missed and I would love for the cyber space levels (which are dull reused levels and feel awful to control) to be more like sonic adventure stages as at the moment they’re awful. The open stage though is amazing. It looked dull but to play it is actually so fun. The game could also be a bit harder, even playing in hard it’s very easy to destroy all the bosses with your super powerful moves and it’s easy to collect rings to keep from dying. Momentum would also be amazing but to be honest the game works fine without it. The story felt very detached. Basically use the open stages and then make sonic adventure stages to go in between them and it would be great. This quick review is more just to state what needs to improve to be a 10, if day it’s actually more of an 8 right now. Ps pls bring back a chao garden next time haha.… Expand
  7. GoldenGamer5212
    Nov 14, 2022
    9
    Sonic Frontiers is the best Sonic game to release in a decade. While the game isn’t perfect but it was expected with the new formula they’re going for, for future titles. The story was made for old fans. But if you know sonics history you will understand most references. But besides most references the story was amazing and Ian Flynn really made something that everyone can enjoy.Sonic Frontiers is the best Sonic game to release in a decade. While the game isn’t perfect but it was expected with the new formula they’re going for, for future titles. The story was made for old fans. But if you know sonics history you will understand most references. But besides most references the story was amazing and Ian Flynn really made something that everyone can enjoy. Thankfully he’s staying for good. The gameplay is wonky but fun while most puzzle related things are easy there are some annoying ones but there is a taste of satisfaction doing them. The game is great and recommend it… Expand
  8. WitheredAria
    Nov 14, 2022
    9
    I was heavily concerned about how this game would came up to be due to how I took the previous title (Sonic Forces). While it has its flaws (cyberspace levels, pop in, etc.), I got to enjoy the game during all of it. Most of the time I had a big smile on my face playing it; like I got to be a kid that enjoyed Sonic. My biggest concern was how the story was going to be written and, even ifI was heavily concerned about how this game would came up to be due to how I took the previous title (Sonic Forces). While it has its flaws (cyberspace levels, pop in, etc.), I got to enjoy the game during all of it. Most of the time I had a big smile on my face playing it; like I got to be a kid that enjoyed Sonic. My biggest concern was how the story was going to be written and, even if there's some of that character writing that I don't connect with from the last titles, you can tell there's been a huge change of mind of how Sonic is going to be handled from now on. My expectations were met and I can't wait for the next one.… Expand
  9. SolarSaturn
    Feb 18, 2023
    0
    emo game emo game emo game emo game emo game emo game emo game emo game emo
  10. 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.
  11. CharlieTj07
    Nov 17, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Frontiers es genial hasta que llegas a Rhea, la cuarta isla (la parte que no se ha podido explorar de Kronos anteriormente)
    Y luego el final del juego es horrible, y el boss final definitivo es el peor boss final de la historia de los videojuegos    … Expand
  12. Gamer12Pre
    Nov 9, 2022
    2
    Not a great game, issues with the performance and pop ins everywhere, not worth $60
  13. SiAmigos
    Nov 13, 2022
    3
    This game is abysmal. I don't know how some folks are seeing it as anything other than that, although I suspect most of them are being less than honest. I don't wanna waste any more time than I spent playing this mess, so lets get right into some specifics:

    Sonic's controls are not good. I would say it controls like forces, but with a cruel, monkey's paw twist. The boost has been made    This game is abysmal. I don't know how some folks are seeing it as anything other than that, although I suspect most of them are being less than honest. I don't wanna waste any more time than I spent playing this mess, so lets get right into some specifics:

    Sonic's controls are not good. I would say it controls like forces, but with a cruel, monkey's paw twist. The boost has been made thoroughly unsatisfying. I've tinkered with all the settings I could to try and make it just right, but either it's barely faster than jogging, or way too fast. If I could use that speed to -say, do death defying jumps I wouldn't mind a little uncontrollable speed. However, jumping makes all your forward velocity vanish. You can try to air-boost to make up for this, but you will never go as fast, AND you drop like a rock. However, unlike Forces, you can turn. Which is probably the lowest possible bar for a game to reach. Regardless of the problems I can identify, there is far more rot under the surface here that I want to address:

    You see, there has been a constant problem with how fans try to diagnosis the controls. Where fans identify one problem with them and blame it for everything, to which SEGA randomly decides to "fix". Only for something else to feel wrong. For the longest time the magic word has been "momentum". Which itself is not a accurate measure of what used to make Sonic feel good. The point I'm trying to make is this:

    Sonic's controls NEED to be very nuanced.

    there is no one secret ingredient to make it feel good. Sonic is inherently a much harder character to make feel good than basically any other platformer. So a whole lot more care has to be taken to make the game fun.

    But the controls aren't the only aspect of this game that are in dire straits. The open-world is a chore. No it's not "open-zone". That's a meaningless marketing buzzword to make it sound like the Dev's have created something new and original. Which is something this games sorely lacks. Almost every 5 steps I take I get trapped by a boost pad or a spring and forced into an incoherent platforming "challenge". This is especially pronounced in the third island where you constantly lose control, and are forced into mandatory 2d sections (which Sonic controls noticeably worse in).

    Speaking of the islands, there are TECHNICALLY 5 of them. 3 of them are themed exactly the same. And two of those are literally opposite sides of the same island, leaving both halves feeling severely lacking.

    But we don't just have an open world in this game, we also have traditional levels called "cyberspace". Every aspect of the cyberspace levels are stolen from other, better games. And if that were all, I'd wouldn't complain that much. But for some reason sonic controls so much WORSE in these levels. Worse than forces even!

    The games combat is just about the only thing that is "okay". It lacks any originality, but I didn't want to smash my controller like I did with the platforming. The "big new feature" of this games combat (and it's "puzzles", which is a very charitable description for some of them) is the cyloop. Where you draw a circle and then... something happens (whatever needs to happen at the time. Cyloop-Ex-Machina).
    Which if drawing circles sounds appealing to you, I recommend you check out the Pokemon Ranger games. Way more fun there, and somehow the dumb Pokemon side-games also have better stories than this one.

    Speaking of which, the plot of the game is at best "meh" and at worse incomprehensibly stupid. I must admit though, the character interactions is where I got most of my enjoyment from the game. It's a genuine breath of fresh air to see Sonic and friends actually act... friendly. So while the plot is a mess, at least the characters are pretty decent. The new character Sage is a standout, much like Shadow was in SA2. Which is the biggest complement I can give. Even so, I could've saved myself the trouble and watch these cutscenes on Youtube instead of wasting my time with the actual game.

    Music in this game is also no where near the standard this series has had. There was only one song I actively enjoyed, and it only played at the end credits. Sonic Forces had music LEAGUES better than this. Despite being- well, Sonic Forces.

    My first playthrough of this game took a little over 10 hours from start to finish. Including the "true final boss" (that boss isn't good by the way). Well under the advertised 20 hours. even so, I didn't enjoy 90% of those 10 hours, I only played that long to make sure I can give this a fair review. I mean at least Sonic Forces was merciful enough to be short.

    This game is not worth 60 dollars. I'd struggle to recommend it at 10 bucks. And I make that assessment without even considering the poor technical aspects of the game.

    If you want a fun Sonic-like game, go spend 30 dollars on Spark the Electric Jester 3.    … Expand
  14. JohnYakuza
    Nov 9, 2022
    2
    I did not find this game enjoyable. Movement wasn't very fun, and the Cyberspace levels were below expectations.
  15. 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
  16. R3PULSIVEHM
    Nov 13, 2022
    4
    This game was just disappointing all around. While it doesn't hit the same abysmal lows as previous games, it fails to reach their highs all the same. I admire the scope and ambition, but the execution fell flat more often than not. Janky mechanics and physics, the terrible Cyberspace stages and the almost laughable animation came together to create one of, if not THE most disappointingThis game was just disappointing all around. While it doesn't hit the same abysmal lows as previous games, it fails to reach their highs all the same. I admire the scope and ambition, but the execution fell flat more often than not. Janky mechanics and physics, the terrible Cyberspace stages and the almost laughable animation came together to create one of, if not THE most disappointing gaming experience of the year.… Expand
  17. Begad02
    Nov 10, 2022
    1
    Sonic frontiers is an undercooked and unoriginal mess. For a series greatly known for its beautiful , colourful and unique worlds such as the vibrant green hills and the busy bright cities , this game decides to throw out all of what made sonic special and went for the most basic and plain open world theme with just grass , desert and volcano. And then grass again for some reason. AndSonic frontiers is an undercooked and unoriginal mess. For a series greatly known for its beautiful , colourful and unique worlds such as the vibrant green hills and the busy bright cities , this game decides to throw out all of what made sonic special and went for the most basic and plain open world theme with just grass , desert and volcano. And then grass again for some reason. And again. Out of all the sonic levels , you were inspired by these ? OK. Sonic is slowest he's ever felt. Especially in the cyberspace. The cyberspace is the dumbest excuse possible. Oh , so sonic needs to regain his memories and play through green hill and chemical plant again. Like in sonic generations...And forces... And mania... how original !! Look I would've been cool if the open world was themed on Greenhill and chemical plant, but the linear format with them has gotten so stale...atleast the level design is great right ?ofcourse it is. The cyberspace has got incredible level design. Since it's from other better games. Yeah , I liked unleashed gens and adventure. I don't want to pay money to play them again but worse. The engine control and physics were not designed for these levels. Putting them here will not make your game good because you know once they run out of levels to steal their game would be awful. The combat is not that cool as they'd want it to be you just mash the attack button. You don't really need to do any combos since you level up quickly anyway. And they don't look good. Sonic jumps in the air and throws balls at the enemy- What is this ?? Is this what the character is known for ? The animation is godawful. Voice direction is bad too. The character is now a 40 year old man. I thought he was 15 ? But hey , atleast the dark story pays off. oh my god eggman has a daughter. sonics freinds are completely different. They're so lifeless. They don't move or animate, they're just talking. Reading a script. Why do the animations look straight out of a fangame ? Sonic himself doesn't animate that much and it's not to be neglected for an open world game where he's the only focus. Anyway I'm tired of talking about this game .… Expand
  18. Jole1023
    Nov 16, 2022
    0
    Not very good in all honesty, could have been something more. Very sad but it is what it is.
  19. piou44
    Nov 17, 2022
    0
    ce jeu est une honte , le décor n'a aucun sens , c'est vide, c'est moche , ça donne l'impression que le jeu à été réalisé par des stagiaires , comment massacrer la licence de sonic , et ils font ça au moment ou ils ont réussi à faire un film pas trop mal ... Sega est définitivement mort
  20. agresivepizza49
    Dec 7, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No momentum.
    Automation is off the charts, there's literally no point to make this game open world if you are going to have linear boost levels scattered around.
    Button mashing combat.
    Parrying is a joke in this game.
    Lack of polish (bugs, animations, etc.)
    Sonic's jump f*cking sucks, takes away all the speed.
    This game is AT BEST 6/10. But I am giving it 0 to decrease the user score. (This game is far away from 8, it's not even 7!)
    Story, soundtrack, voice acting are all good.
    Ending reeks of rush lmao. btw the final boss is literally an insult to sonic fans.

    This game has some SERIOUS issues. Sometimes It feels like I'm playing a PS2 game. We are in the year 2022 and I can't believe the developers make very easy and stupid mistakes as if we are in early 2000s. I would like to talk about these issues but due to usage of letter limit, it would be really hard because I have so many things to say.

    If the fans want a good, heck actually, a GREAT sonic game. They need to stop acting like this: "Oh WOW!!! Voice acTing so CooL! OH THE sOUNDTRAcK THe CuutsceNEs!!"
    90% of sonic community is like this due to them being kids and only playing sonic games. Go play other videos games and then come back to Sonic and see how far back he really is.

    If you enjoyed the game, it's cool. Sometimes I had fun moments too but that doesn't make it a good game. You can still have fun moments playing Sonic 06.

    Sincerely,

    A sonic fan who does not overhype a mediocre sonic game with serious issues and doesn't get mad on other fans who says the truth. A sonic fan who has been around in this community for 2 decades and genuinely loves the Sonic character.    … Expand
  21. Nobodyplay
    Nov 14, 2022
    0
    De los peores juegos del año, aburrido a mas no poder, y la calidad grafica es pesima
  22. MooningManz
    Nov 14, 2022
    0
    Just generally very unpolished and unfinished in a lot of ways, needed more time. Open zone is okay, I respect it a lot for trying something new but they don't go far enough with it at all, combat in it is not fun. With all that being said I would be lying if I said I didn't have some fun with this game, its an interesting foundation and one that I hope is built and improved upon.PoorlyJust generally very unpolished and unfinished in a lot of ways, needed more time. Open zone is okay, I respect it a lot for trying something new but they don't go far enough with it at all, combat in it is not fun. With all that being said I would be lying if I said I didn't have some fun with this game, its an interesting foundation and one that I hope is built and improved upon.Poorly designed in a great number of aspects, can be very janky, cyberspace levels suck and make forces' levels look great, pretty buggy (I've had 3 crashes so far among other bugs).… Expand
  23. dxtr01
    Nov 14, 2022
    2
    Repetitive gameplay, boring story, not enough playable characters.
    I wish for the next Sonic game to at least try to explain all the conveniently placed platforms that are there for Sonic to utilize in every stage, and to add more playable characters other than Sonic, kind of like Sonic Heroes, but minus the mandatory group selection. They should also have their own stages and collectibles    Repetitive gameplay, boring story, not enough playable characters.
    I wish for the next Sonic game to at least try to explain all the conveniently placed platforms that are there for Sonic to utilize in every stage, and to add more playable characters other than Sonic, kind of like Sonic Heroes, but minus the mandatory group selection. They should also have their own stages and collectibles along with new special mechanics for each characters. Is that too much to ask from a company as big as Sega? Surely funding a massive scale Sonic game like the one I described is not beyond their budget.
    In my opinion, it would make for a more immersive experience overall. Details like that go a long way.    … Expand
  24. saltylake
    Nov 13, 2022
    2
    Although there are quite a few good moments, there are far more where the overwhelming jank begins to show itself. I know as sonic fans we take what we can get but this is really not good enough, and we shouldn't pretend it is.
  25. SecretDonkeyFan
    Nov 14, 2022
    0
    (serious review) On behalf of all sonic fans, this game disappointing. It's just not a fun game. You should not have fun with this game. It's buggy, jumpy, you jump around a lot. It's that type of game, if you enjoy that type of game then buy this game.
  26. LeagueFortnite
    Nov 15, 2022
    4
    Good concept and huge possiblities for Sonic. Sadly this game feels stiff. I clipped through the map 3 times, controls going wacko mode in fights, death by nothing, Sonic getting stuck soft locked on the terrain..., LOD popping and a map that feels empty compared to it's 2D sections. The small puzzle to unlock the map feels rushed and brainless. The levels and unlockable abilities skillGood concept and huge possiblities for Sonic. Sadly this game feels stiff. I clipped through the map 3 times, controls going wacko mode in fights, death by nothing, Sonic getting stuck soft locked on the terrain..., LOD popping and a map that feels empty compared to it's 2D sections. The small puzzle to unlock the map feels rushed and brainless. The levels and unlockable abilities skill tree is super cool but sadly I got through most of the game without really needing to use them (still fun though for those that do use them). Overall I wouldn't recommend this game but I do see a lot of potential for a future game. Take time to really polish what you have and you'd get an amazing Sonic game. I know that this could've been much much better and look forward for future games.… Expand
  27. kway
    Nov 17, 2022
    4
    More generic mediocre gameplay, straying further away from the decent path Sonic Mania was taking. Right back to Sonic 06 type mediocrity
  28. BrianJ1992
    Nov 9, 2022
    0
    Game is boring and repetitive. It's just a bunch of automated set pieces in the air that gives you a collectible that makes you feel like you've done something when you really haven't and when you're on the ground it's just flat or janky terrain. It's fun to move around for a little bit, but it gets old fast.
    Combat is also pretty mindless, it's just mashing a button and than occasionally    Game is boring and repetitive. It's just a bunch of automated set pieces in the air that gives you a collectible that makes you feel like you've done something when you really haven't and when you're on the ground it's just flat or janky terrain. It's fun to move around for a little bit, but it gets old fast.
    Combat is also pretty mindless, it's just mashing a button and than occasionally spamming a special move, I find it very repetitive. A lot of the puzzles feel like they're made for babies and the story was just confusing and underwhelming.
    I don't really recommend playing this game, it's very aimless in design.    … Expand
  29. Toska123
    Nov 14, 2022
    1
    Good try Sega, but still not great. This is a game about Sonic the Hedgehog, it should be fast-paced intense action-platforming, which should be incredibly easy to implement into a video game. And yet, you somehow make it boring as heck.
  30. Cosmic06Star
    Nov 10, 2022
    2
    Was very hyped when this game was officially announced, but started losing hope in it the more I saw of it. I was still optimistic and hoping for the best, but this game clearly shows that Sonic Team isn't capable of ever making a decent Sonic game.

    The graphics, performance, dialogue, camera controls, enemies, combat, all of these are mediocre at best and absolutely awful at worst. It's    Was very hyped when this game was officially announced, but started losing hope in it the more I saw of it. I was still optimistic and hoping for the best, but this game clearly shows that Sonic Team isn't capable of ever making a decent Sonic game.

    The graphics, performance, dialogue, camera controls, enemies, combat, all of these are mediocre at best and absolutely awful at worst.

    It's such a shame I was actually excited for a sonic game for once. I think it's time to give Sonic to another younger team to work on it, maybe then we will actually get something good.    … 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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