Faisal Ghaffar 
Sonic remains one of the most influential video game characters in history. And despite having a surprisingly good theatrical run with its two movies, the Sonic games continue to struggle with their overall identity. Should they be in 2D or 3D? Should they be linear action or role-playing action? Sonic has had very few games that manage to stick to a consistent tone. And following the release of Sonic Frontiers, it is very obvious that the development team wanted to remove the restrictions from linear sonic games. So did they succeed, or is this another sonic game to throw down the pit?
Fun Sonic Gameplay without Restrictions
Sonic has always thrived in a 2D environment, especially with the Sega Genesis games giving you the feeling of going fast. Sonic Mania was one of the few good games to come out for the franchise, and it’s no surprise that it was 2D and managed to capture all of the magic that came with the old games. But since the old games, people have always seen sonic without his limits.
And for the most part, Sonic Frontiers manages to deliver on that promise. Not only does it put sonic in a brand new open world, but it also makes the experience of going fast amazing. Particles zip past you, and you leave a long blue trail as you start running. Sonic also controls fairly easily and can even stop just as quickly as he starts.
If there is anything that really brings down the overall experience,it’s the fact that there are some invisible walls in the game that can really limit your sense of freedom. As an overall concept, Sonic Frontiers is an interesting look at what a sonic game would look like if it was in 3D and was not linear. But as a game, it still leaves a lot to be desired.
A Whole Lot of Nothing
One of the biggest complaints that people have with sonic frontiers is that the open world is just an open field with grass. While there is plenty of elevation, it doesn’t affect how you otherwise interact with the rest of the open world. A good example to look at is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While both of these games are obviously not on the same level, Breath of the Wild manages to give its elevations more utility than just looking out into the distance. You can glide off mountains or slide down them on your shield. But in Sonic’s case, he can just run fast.
In fact, the level design is generally very lacking, despite there being jump pads and grind rails littered around the map. And “littered” is actually a very good way of describing how the level designers placed these interactive elements since they sometimes lead to nowhere. There are a few enemies around the map, but they’re tedious to fight, so you’ll likely ignore them.
Uninteresting Gameplay and Story
The Sonic games have never been very strong when it comes to their story, and Sonic Frontiers is no exception. Something is something Eggman bad, which is why Sonic needs the power of the such-and-such, so he can save the so-and-so. Sometimes the Mcguffin that he uses can make him a beast, but that’s beside the point. Even though people don’t necessarily expect a very good story from Sonic, its gameplay would need to compensate to make playing it more fun.
Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn’t live up. It can feel clunky at times, and it generally has an unpolished feel to it. The litany of bugs and glitches don’t help, either.
Conclusion
Sonic Frontiers manages to give a new spin on a sonic game that not many have seen before. However, the game still has a lot to be desired in terms of interesting gameplay and environment. While Mario Odyssey was a celebration of everything Mario, Sonic Frontiers seems like another missed opportunity by the Sonic team to really make a good game.
