Sonic Frontiers

 Xbox Series X
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 390 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 328 out of 390
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 390
  3. Negative: 47 out of 390
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  1. 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
  2. WackyJaber
    Dec 11, 2022
    7
    Can't help but feel like there's a lot of small inconveniences that bog down the final product of Sonic Frontiers. For game that has had the longest production time to date of any Sonic game, and the lates entry, it doesn't really look like it stands up graphically to newer games.

    The models being used for Sonic and friends have also aged, since they've been exactly the same since Sonic    Can't help but feel like there's a lot of small inconveniences that bog down the final product of Sonic Frontiers. For game that has had the longest production time to date of any Sonic game, and the lates entry, it doesn't really look like it stands up graphically to newer games.

    The models being used for Sonic and friends have also aged, since they've been exactly the same since Sonic Unleashed with nary a change. And the animation has hardly improved since the likes of Forces.

    That said, I like the overall atmosphere and an honest attempt at a Triple A title from the Sonic franchise. It tries to change the gameplay up, and because of that it feels refreshing. Not to mention, there are finally decent call backs and nods to previous 3d Sonic games. Continuity in my Sonic game, finally?

    I won't rag on the game for what it doesn't have. I still long for Spindash to make a return to a 3d title, and be as good as it was in Sonic Adventure 1. So I will only talk about what's on offer. There is something similar to the spindash in the game, call dropdash. More of a holdover from the recent 2d Sonic titles than anything though. Still, glad to see it in the game, even if it's a little hard to control in comparison to the spindash of the past.

    Can't say I enjoy the combat that much, and there's a huge pause whenever Sonic collides with enemies. So I would describe the combat as incredibly stiff. Not to mention, when Sonic gets hit there are almost nary any recovery frames to escape from death. I prefer my combat games to have super smooth action, something akin to Devil May Cry, if at all possible. But Sonic's combat isn't really that varied or sophisticated for that. Not to mention, the camera goes all over the place whenever you do anything than mash X in combat, which can be disorienting.

    I liked Big's fishing mini game, though I wish it were more involved and not as simple as it is. It's still a chill thing to dabble into though. And the catches can be hilarious.

    Dislike being trapped in 2d sections in the overworld. It can really put a stop to whatever you're trying to do if you aren't engaging in it intentionally, and just trying to get somewhere else on the map. Speaking of, there is way too much rail grinding in my opinion. Would like more variety when it comes to traversal.

    Multiple times I've clipped through walls that I'm running over, mainly when it comes to boss fights and trying to run up their arms.

    Speaking of running, there's physics in Frontiers, but they're not really that good. No matter how fast Sonic goes, whenever he runs pass a steep decline you can assume that Sonic's feet will default to being magnetized to the ground. It can be incredibly jarring to run toward the edge of a cliff only to see him very suddenly drop straight down. You can mess with the speed of Sonic's on the ground and when boosting in the settings of the game. But I choose not to mess with those, since I believe that the original settings are usually what the creators intended the game to be. And I'd say I was correct too, because as I've seen with others gameplay, turning the boost all the way up makes the dropdash basically worthless in all aspects except for getting up normally unclimbable steep inclines. Not to mention, once you get back into Cyberspace levels, Sonic's speed settings and controls go back to default, which, as far as I'm concerned, shows that default is how Frontiers is intended to be played it.

    The Pinball mini game on Chaos Island is a nightmare to deal with. Either the ball is too big, the board is too small, or both. Not to mention the physics for pinball just straight isn't there, and every time the ball comes into contact with anything their will be a lightshow that makes it extremely hard to keep track of where the ball even is.

    Finally, there's really nothing to do once you've finished the game. There are no leaderboards for Cyberspace levels, or high scores, or even a reason to keep doing the Big's fishing mini game once you've leveled up your attributes to Max. So, once you've finished the game, that's it. There's nothing else to do except explore and look around, but there's really not much to look at other than the rail cluttered horizon.

    All in all, I'd say Frontiers is a good direction. Feels more like a proof of concept than a fully realized game at times though. And Sonic Team... please bring back the spindash. I miss that so much. Or at least give the dropdash proper ball mechanics. Or better yet, both!

    Maybe now Sonic Team will give some other Sonic characters their own gameplay or game?    … Expand
  3. Conski
    Nov 11, 2022
    6
    Note: I am only seven hours into gameplay. Have attempted the first Titan but failed!

    Pros: Fun game! Lots of mini puzzles to do! Story is good! Music is excellent! Boss fights are fun! Cons: Graphics are underwhelming. Camera action is a bit wonky. The first island is okay, just doesn't feel connected while playing, it is a bit all over the place. Boss fights become dull after you    Note: I am only seven hours into gameplay. Have attempted the first Titan but failed!

    Pros: Fun game! Lots of mini puzzles to do! Story is good! Music is excellent! Boss fights are fun!

    Cons: Graphics are underwhelming. Camera action is a bit wonky. The first island is okay, just doesn't feel connected while playing, it is a bit all over the place. Boss fights become dull after you kill them once or twice.
    First Titan boss: a little underwhelming, just a button smash which I failed, I realized where I had gone wrong and will get back to it later, I guess. All you need is to smash the buttons and do a couple of combos, it seems a bit of a boring boss to be honest. I still have 3 islands to do but I have a good feeling my opinion won't change.

    I am glad I bought the game but also feel I should have waited for the first price drop.    … Expand
  4. Endymion_Var
    Nov 12, 2022
    5
    Apenas y puede la consola con este juego
    como tiene bugs y poping esta versión.
  5. dwilliamp
    Nov 10, 2022
    5
    Some of the negative critic reviews are questionable after playing. The graphics are great and the gameplay loop is insanely addictive and rewarding. The story is grown up and interesting though it feels a bit disconnected as it can have long gaps between short story videos depending on how you’re playing.
  6. Saizuky
    Nov 18, 2022
    5
    Un magnífico juego casi a la altura de Sonic Adventure, este último es difícil de superar.
    Un juego de aventuras y plataformas con cinco mapas gigantescos para explorar, en el que está lleno de diversas pruebas para ir consiguiendo las llaves para adquirir las esmeraldas, y recuerdos de tus compañeros.
    Un juego con el que pasaras unas horas muy entretenidas. Sonic Team se arriesgó mucho    Un magnífico juego casi a la altura de Sonic Adventure, este último es difícil de superar.
    Un juego de aventuras y plataformas con cinco mapas gigantescos para explorar, en el que está lleno de diversas pruebas para ir consiguiendo las llaves para adquirir las esmeraldas, y recuerdos de tus compañeros.
    Un juego con el que pasaras unas horas muy entretenidas.
    Sonic Team se arriesgó mucho con este juego, y para mí, han ganado.    … Expand
  7. Bobbybanks
    Jun 27, 2023
    6
    I didn’t come into this expecting too much. In that respect, it delivered. The islands felt bland and repetitive. The quests were so repetitive that half the time I forgot what the rationale was in doing them. I found myself simply following the waypoints, like a chore. But despite all that, there is still hope that this is the start of something good.

    The best thing in this game was    I didn’t come into this expecting too much. In that respect, it delivered. The islands felt bland and repetitive. The quests were so repetitive that half the time I forgot what the rationale was in doing them. I found myself simply following the waypoints, like a chore. But despite all that, there is still hope that this is the start of something good.

    The best thing in this game was running around feeling tiny as Sonic. It felt like being an ant, in a good way. I’d love to see this mechanic in a Zelda or even a future Mario game. The music is perfect too. And that’s it for faultless things…

    The cyberspace missions were pretty good, and I genuinely had to put thought in in a lot of them. Being able to choose which missions to do to advance saved a lot of tedium, but the map system was prohibitive in finding all of them. I probably missed a few portals, and definitely didn’t get to all the fishing spots. Technically, the game didn’t help itself. Railings popped in everywhere. By the last section, I found myself having to carefully search for the start and end of each rail, lest it pop out of view, in the search for memory tokens - another tedious and arbitrary quest.

    Although the combat was mostly just mashing the same button over and over, it was satisfying - especially when fighting a difficult boss. Speaking of difficult bosses, the final boss certainly wasn’t this. It was very underbaked. In fact, a lot of the game was underbaked. I think for future Sonics, the team need to focus on massive open worlds, where as tiny as you feel, you use your speed and momentum to solve natural-feeling environmental challenges - supplanted with shrine-like cyberspace. They should drop the chimera of rails, hills and portals for a grittier open world. And I do believe the seeds of this game have been sown in Sonic Frontiers, even if it wasn’t the ultimate game.    … Expand
  8. ESCArtist
    Jan 7, 2023
    7
    As far as an open world Sonic game, I think this was very well done like a polished version of Sonic Adventure. My complaint with this game is that it got very repetative after the first 2 islands. There are many collectibles in this with most of the game requiring you to collect vault keys, tokens, gears etc. to progress. The story IMO was pretty average to bad. While it was fun runningAs far as an open world Sonic game, I think this was very well done like a polished version of Sonic Adventure. My complaint with this game is that it got very repetative after the first 2 islands. There are many collectibles in this with most of the game requiring you to collect vault keys, tokens, gears etc. to progress. The story IMO was pretty average to bad. While it was fun running around, unlocking all the skills and fighting different enemies it needs more variety. The cyberspace mini levels became more of a chore after a while as well.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Hey Poor Player
    Nov 29, 2022
    60
    I spent a lot of my time with Sonic Frontiers having a ton of fun, even if there were just as many moments where I was frustrated and ready to be done with it. This isn’t a great game, but it’s one that should satisfy Sonic fans desperate for an interesting game starring their favorite blue blur, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like the series may have a sense of direction. There’s still work to be done to make it more than that, but this is a big step in the right direction.
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  2. Generación Xbox
    Nov 27, 2022
    73
    Big,fun, impressive at times, a little rough around the edges maybe, but Sonic: Frontiers is a step in the right direction for Sega and the beloved blue blur.
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  3. Xbox Achievements
    Nov 23, 2022
    65
    Sonic Frontiers is a fascinating move into open world for the Sonic franchise. It's frequently flawed, and doesn't always match the heights of Sonic's best games. But the fact that it occasionally does reach those highs, while offering a totally new experience, is pretty impressive, and leaves Sonic Team with a strong foundation to improve upon.
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