Sonic Frontiers Thread - PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC

It's pretty funny that Frontiers has support for doing unautomated loops, wall running, etc etc with 0 issues built into it and the actual game just... doesn't use it. Sonic Team is so smart <3

 

IIRC pretty much every 3D Sonic game has the player controller capable of doing all of that. Sonic Team just never really made use of it after 06.

 

Sonic Team avoids natural loops not because they somehow don't know how to make them, but they choose to keep loops as cinematic setpieces and reduce player error involved.

It's not about being "smart", it was and has always been a deliberate choice ever since, as ArcanaLuna points out, that game where the loops were terribly broken (along with every thing else), and with the games since being more automated and streamlined.

The Final Horizon Cyber Space stages goes back to using non-automated loops (eh, sort of. There's still automation but it's more "correcting" Sonic than "forcing him to go through the loop"), they're experimenting with levels that encourage more player control as a reflection of the open zone's design.

 

Maybe they'll also let individual stages control the same as the open zone next time, too.

But yeah, those stage mods look incredible, with a few changes to the overall framework of frontiers, I think they'd be even better (small stuff like some jank with staying on slopes while spindashing and homing attacks delay even in cyberspace)

 

I never thought I would post on this forum again. I've been retired from the Sonic fandom lol, with the exception of the movies I hadn't consumed any Sonic content in a few years now.

Anyway, I just got frontiers for the first time a few days ago. I haven't bought a sonic game Since Mania because SEGA wouldn't give me my open world 3D sonic momentum platformer and I finally gave up waiting for them.

I was pleasantly surprised by this game. My perspective is skewed, I'm coming in after what apparently are multiples updates to the game. I think there have been 3 major updates?

It took me a few hours to really get my groove into the game but once I started really grasping the flow I've started having a lot of fun. I don't know how anyone could come away from this project and think Sonic Team didn't put a lot of effort into this, they clearly gave it their all here for whatever budget they had. And it really feels like a big budget sonic game even though it comes with it's share of issues. I have lived through the entire history of the franchise since Sonic 1, so for me to say this feels like a big budget sonic game surprises even me, I don't think the franchise has seen this level of investment since Unleashed.

For crying out loud, even the story actually made me feel something. The STORY, which I basically always laugh at when it comes to 3D sonic. I like that they attempted to unify the continuity even though some of it was a bit on the nose. The tone of the characters dialogue matched the somber plot and the environment.

I am having so much fun just blasting around the maps and finding ways to keep my speed going. Sonic actually feels pretty good to control most of the time. I don't like how my momentum from running doesn't transfer to the air but I've gotten used to finding ways to maintain it which usually involve actions off of cliffs.

The cyberspace levels need a lot of work to "feel good", they are lagging behind the rest of the experience with how stiff the controls are, although I get why they did what they did. However I will say that I appreciate their inclusion and enjoy the soundtrack and the variety of options given to the player. If they could somehow get the 2D physics right it would open up replayabliity even more here.

This game feels like one that I will playthrough twice and then probably not pick up again, as much fun as I am having. I haven't completed the game yet, I've only beaten the first 3 islands, but this is probably the best overall 3D sonic I've ever played. Including Sonic Adventure 1 (which has long been my favorite 3D sonic) and generations.

But regarding the "twice" comment, the nature of this game is that it is a giant theme park of set pieces. It is fun going through them all and finding ways to keep up your speed as you move around the islands. This style though doesn't lend itself to replayability too much. Such is the nature of puzzle gameplay, once they are solved, they are useless. Sonic's platforming is tied to that, each set piece is a one and done. I can't help but think what might happen if you allowed the player to utilize momentum to experiment more with the environment, so that all setpieces get reused over and over as new paths become revealed and unlocked. This is the stuff that made me replay Sonic 3 and knuckles hundreds and thousands of times in my childhood. I'm sure there is a balance to be struck with what the gameplay formula they have already established, and opening up the door for stuff like this.


Anyway, I've told my other friends who are also now old men with families, that Frontiers is worth playing. I look forward to the rest of the game. I heard about the spin dash so I'll give that a try whenever it unlocks for me, I've been doing all the action chain thingies.


TLDR this game for me with the amount of content available, the variety, the boss fights (which are much better than any Sonic game before it, period), the pretty cool soundtrack (even though the music isn't really of my typical pallete), the story which actually wasn't confusing and stupid for once and evoke emotion. I'm overall pretty impressed with this game, it looks good and feels good to play for the most part, flaws and all (forgot to mention the pop-in, which i normally wouldnt care that much about except it actually does affect your exploration because you cant tell sometimes where objects/platforms are). A refined version of this, with some inclusion of momentum gameplay from the start, I think would be a 9/10 game for most reviewing outlets. This game is probably somewhere between a 7.5 and an 8 for me, around the same as generations, contender for best 3D sonic. I would say that it probably is the best, I have had even more fun here and would give it the nod. I no longer really even crave a Sonic Adventure 1 remake with momentum, I just want them to focus on tightening up this with feedback from knowledgeable fans.

Anyway, there's my thoughts!

 

So this was an issue on launch, but luckily since you're coming in after the updates, you do have the option to fix this. Under game settings scroll down a bit and you'll see a slider called "Jump deceleration" just crank that to 0 and all your momentum in air will be preserved (Unless triggers force you to slow down). Hope that'll make your experience more enjoyable!

 

Thank you, going to give this a try. If it works I will stay with this for the second playthrough which I assume is a newgame+ sort of deal.

 

Thanks for posting, always wanted to hear the perspective of someone who's first time with Frontiers was after the updates, but I guess in the end it doesn't really change much about the core game.

I don't know if you know about this yet, but in the options there are sliders that change the way Sonic feels. In particular there's Jump Deceleration which if set to 0 will keep all of your ground momentum when you jump.
Oops, didn't read the post above.

 

I just unlocked the spin dash.

Lol.

It's busted. But in a good way. Maybe frontiers 2 would be designed more for this kind of physics (hopefully) but it makes sense why you can't have it until the end of the game.

Ironically I used the drop dash a lot during most of my playthrough to Traverse slopes that weren't intended for running. That with better air momentum would've had the same effect on my exploration as the SD, albeit not with the same power.

 

Heeeey, picked up the steam version in a sale has anyone had any luck running it on linux? I'm getting abysmal performance and now the DRM has appeared to have locked me out completely.... what fun.

 

I primarily played Frontiers on Steam Deck and was able to run the game solidly at 40hz and didn't have any issues with DRM. Wish you luck getting it to run alright!

 

Been casually going through Frontiers over the past week or so, got to the final island and am going for the “real” ending, which I never did because I heard it was some kaizo bullshit until they patched it.

This last section is a marked improvement over the initial areas of the game, without a doubt.

The island actually feels like a proper playground, with an abundance of tasks and actually challenging and fun platforming to be had throughout. I’ve been through Amy and Knuckles’ initial portions so far, and I forgot that this last area’s platforming actually took the game’s physics into account!

I started this a few months back and never finished it because the controls were kinda bad for at least Knuckles, but they mostly seem fixed now? His gliding was so clunky, but there’s less wind up now and the turning I think is better too? It’s actually kinda nice to fly around as him, and the climbing & gliding sections they set up are pretty fun.

This game is absolutely a tech demo, and I’m really hoping it leads to something great next. I’ve actually really been enjoying this playthrough, despite the game’s many warts.

 

I couldn't finish Final Horizon as well but did finish it to get ready for Generations. But I gotta ask, who had the idea to put all those trees here:

Spoiler

And I did like the extra challenges, but it made me think that the game was asking you to step up for certain tasks, while the character handling and controls just didn't meet expectations.

Even after adjusting the controls, I felt like I was constantly fighting both the controls and the camera, especially during the tower sections. Like they never made me feel it was unbeatable, but the frustration mostly came from those two things.

There were also random new elements introduced during crucial parts that weren’t present in the base game—like the cyloop in the grinding rail tower to make springs appear, or having to dodge to target another section of the boss, instead of just letting you do so like with the other titans.

I still enjoyed it, though. I just hope they learn from this for the Shadow content in Generations.

 

I’m hoping that Shadow is to the point and doesn’t overstay its welcome, Final Horizon is definitely the best gameplay in the game, but it’s soooo fucking long and ridiculously hard at points.

Whatever they do after Shadow Generations better have a more interesting world to explore. Frontiers all around just looks bland as hell and the actual fun platforming in the game looks literally copy pasted lmao

 

Honestly, the next Open Zone should be a neon-lit city akin to Casino Night, Stardust Speedway or the first half of Speed Highway.

Not only would that be fun to look at, the Tony Hawk series serves as proof of how easy it is to organically integrate ramps, slopes and grind rails into urban environments.

 

They took those Hire This Man projects too seriously.

 

I mean, yes but also we're looking at stage concepts pulled directly from previous games. It ShGens looked like anything else then it would be one crazy fuck up. A better comparison would be Cyberspace.

 

The city Cyberspace stage actually looks very good but... we only have one original theme for Cyberspace...

 

Honestly, I wish the other Cyberspace themes would've also used assets from multiple different Generations levels. The City theme feels so much more original than the rest just because it's not restricted to a single level's assets.

They could've done an original industrial theme by combining Chemical Plant and Planet Wisp assets, an original temple theme by combining Sky Sanctuary and Seaside Hill assets and so on.