Sonic Frontiers Review – Xbox Series X

Sonic the Hedgehog has been the jewel (an emerald, perhaps?) in Sega’s crown since the 90s, but recently the blue blur has seen a resurgence for a new generation with successful movies and a new show on Netflix blazing the streaming charts.

With word that the Japanese studio was to take Sonic into an ‘open zone’ world of gameplay, many have been eagerly awaiting to see whether the transition into free-form island hopping at blistering speeds was the right one.

Well, Sonic Frontiers is here, delivering a whole new experience on a raft of platforms – with some compromises depending on where you play. Does this usher in a new era for Sonic the Hedgehog?

Well, read our Sonic Frontiers review to find out!

 

Gameplay

Rings litter the landscape, and missions unlock new rails to grind and methods of traversal to previously inaccessible areas – there is a real sense of progression and adventure, but with your friends all along for the ride, it’s never that sense of desolate loneliness from something like Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild – a clear inspiration in broad strokes.

Each island oasis has a member of your crew captured, and you need to perform various tasks to not only set them free, but piece together the story of the strange new world in which you inhabit.

This drip-fed, dynamic storytelling has mixed success, but you’ll be blazing a trail through the levels too quickly to be overly concerned. Core gameplay is an interesting mix of the usual traversal, but every few moments there’s a new mechanic, a different way to tackle enemies or a breathtaking vista to take in, keeping things fresh.

One challenge is that the controls – despite being heavily customisable between speed and responsiveness – make it a bit of a learning curve to point Sonic in exactly the direction you’d like to go.

Thankfully, skill trees steadily dole out new moves and attacks – useful, as these islands are filled with hostile robotic foes – to make getting around a breeze once a few are unlocked.

Elaborating on the open-world nature of the game, it is great to see a tower in the distance, plot out a path to reach it at breakneck speed, and then encounter an elaborate platforming puzzle to reach its summit.

Another interesting wrinkle in the otherwise straightforward gameplay are the ‘cyberspace’ missions.

Pulling you out from the open world segments, these fast-paced missions evoke the feeling (and some of the wonky controls) of earlier 3D Sonic efforts – time trials that see you hurtling through well-designed sections to grab rings, jewels and beat records to unlock new sections of the world.

Designed for replayability, these are really exciting portions of the game where split-second reactions shave hundredths off a time, only to find a shortcut that saves seconds…a great feeling every time.

Collectability is key throughout Sonic Frontiers, where collecting little creatures enables you to upgrade both your speed and ring capacity, with the latter meaning you might be able to last a little longer in the cinematic and thrilling boss battles.

A curious mish-mash of old-school platforming with very current-gen obsessions with open-world map expansion and discovery, Sonic Frontiers finds a groove all its own once you understand its unique take on things.

 

 

Graphics

Sonic Frontier’s graphics were a welcome surprise, with that clash of photorealistic areas with the cartoony and fluid depiction of Sonic giving it a feel of pre-rendered cutscenes at many times – it really is a visual marvel.

Mountains, towers, big bosses, and angular, reflective, robotic enemies are brilliantly designed and depicted.

The textures are as good as they can be, making Frontiers feel every bit like a modern-day Sonic game in general, equal parts immersive and impressive.

We particularly love the visual distortion and ‘noise’ that are practically its own character throughout, making the cyberspace stages feel genuinely otherworldly and glitchy…there’s a reason that the logo itself is filled with the distinct treatment.

However, there is quite a gulf between experiences, depending on the platform that you opt for –  whilst we enjoyed a silky 60fps on the Xbox Series X copy that came in for review, it’s clear that last-generation hardware is fairly compromised when it comes to the Sonic Frontiers from a graphics – and to some degree gameplay – perspective.

But once you compare the graphics of any other platform with the Nintendo Switch version of Sonic Frontiers, that’s where things start to get complicated. The comparative visual downgrade is material, and whilst the same core experience, there’s a bit to be lost depending on where you play.

That’s not to say that the gaming experience itself is found lacking – Sonic Frontiers is one of the best Sonic games in Sega’s history, and impresses across the board when it comes to gameplay and graphics.

 

 

Sound & Music

One lesser-known aspect of Sonic’s enduring popularity was its incredible soundtracks over the years, and we’re glad to hear that Frontiers maintains the tradition and keeps things as thrilling as ever.

The game is full of electronic dance tunes for many stages, Lo-Fi trip-hop for minigames, and overall jazzy music – reaching an awesome heavy metal crescendo for boss battles – when it comes to usual gameplay.

Easily overlooked, but a key aspect of the overall sonic (and Sonic) experience, the audio does not disappoint.

Pricing & Availability

Available on everything from Nintendo Switch to PC, both generations of PlayStation, and all three of the Xbox, you can find the right place to play Sonic Frontiers regardless of which platform you own. Do bear in mind that the biggest graphical flourishes and fastest gameplay are reserved for current-gen systems…

 

 

Final Verdict

Sonic Frontiers is proof that Sega can finally crack the conundrum of delivering a modern experience filled with nostalgic elements and series staple trappings throughout. A curious marriage that takes a little to get one’s head around but Frontiers delivers some incredible supersonic adventures as soon as you do!