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

People have been able to do that already? I only tried one, got a D... but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing.

 

Y'all. They COOKED with the spindash. It's better than it has any right to be. Can't get much video right now but they are starting to appear online.

 

Here's one, looks pretty sweet.

 

Heads up that there are spoilers out for Update 3 found in Update 2, including animation and gameplay data for Tails, Knuckles and Amy.

@bluwolfblitz on Twitter has been datamining Update 2; this Tweet and this Tweet thread contains data found for Update 3, and there's quite a lot of stuff that's been unearthed. I highly recommend avoiding this stuff if you want to remain blind about Update 3's details.

Additionally, apparently the story script for Update 3 has also been datamined, according to this Tweet and similar Tweets. (No actual story script spoilers are in that Tweet I linked.)

 

I nabbed a savefile with the Spindash. It's really, really good. It makes the movement so much more fun, I adore it. You can basically do SA1-style Spindash jumps with the jump deceleration turned off in settings.

However. They fucked up the implementation really, really bad. Why the is making the movement of the game this much better locked behind a grueling unlock of every single action chain minigame S rank?? What is this, Sonic and the Secret Rings? Classic Sonic Team monkey paw, they did it with flying colors but stumbled and fell at the finish line... This should be available from the start of the game because it's just so much fun, I can't stress how much I love using it, but I guess I'm not using it outside of new game+ and completed files..

 

The new physics options are nice. Bit of a shame "resume boosting when you land if you're holding the button" wasn't one of them, though.

Also, not to sound ungrateful, but... I would've preferred the update content had been a new area instead of apparently scattered around the existing islands. Unless I'm missing something obvious, I don't remember the islands well enough to pinpoint what's old and what's new. (Speaking of: Can revealed springs/panels/ramps please not turn back into chest beacon things? Ever? That'd be nice.)

...Haven't they been teasing the addition of a Spin Dash for a while now? Why lock it away until after you beat the new batch of challenges?

Almost wishing I'd waited to play the game so more of this could've been built into my first playthrough. Maybe booting up NG+ to start semi-fresh would help, but I'd at least wanna nab the Spin Dash first. Maybe max a few things out with Big.

 

Yeah that requirement for the spin-dash is ridiculous. Maybe like S-rank 3 of them if they wanted people to try out the new challenges. No idea when I'll have time to do them all.

 

When you get to them, I'd say it's fairly obvious that it's new. The new level design uses mechanics and philosophy that the vanilla game doesn't. For example, one challenge actually has wall climbing to be a major element you have to learn instead of just relying on boost pads.

It's funny how upset people are getting over a rather standard idea of an unlockable mechanic (but it's kind of annoying how people are so willing to yell "incompetence!" or "they goofed!" simply because Sonic Team wants people to play the game first [which is funny considering that difficulty and lack of challenge was also a common critique of Frontiers, and I genuinely think the new level design and Action Challenge address that well]).

I even think needing to S-Rank EVERY challenge is kind of harsh, but I have absolutely no problem with Sonic Team asking me to earn it. Gives me a reason to try the OTHER new content they made.

But from what I've seen, the Spin Dash doesn't "make the movement better", it breaks it. Sonic can launch off slopes and at greater speeds than simply running off of them, it's faster than boosting (rolling naturally is), the Spin Dash jump is ridiculous, and it can hurt enemies when the boost can't. You can even get free tricks.

It's a game breaker. There is a good reason why it's unlockable.

 

No, it makes sense to complain about that. An upgrade that makes the game way more fun for people shouldn't basically require acing the majority of the game to unlock, especially a fundamental staple of Sonic gameplay that's been around for years. If they wanted it to not break the platforming, they simply should have made it not break platforming.

 

It breaking the platforming is the fun part. The game was clearly not designed for a Spin Dash, so unless it's made as underwhelming as the Drop Dash, or the rest of the game changes, you kind of have to make it that good.

And like I said, I think the requirements are a bit too high, but acting like it's a folly for making an unlockable is kind of silly. The deceleration settings and boost jumping already adds to the movement, and those are toggles in a menu.

If by teasing you mean "Sonic Team accidentally left it in the first update's coding", yeah.

 

Do you think the spindash can not be fun without being overpowered?

 

It can be fun without being overpowered, but I like it better overpowered and don't mind having to earn it.

But then I'm someone who doesn't think Frontiers needs these new additions, but I definitely won't shy away from them or argue for its removal.

 

Stupid question what are the action chain challenges? The timed posts where you run through orbs?

If so I’ll never get the spindash. I’m ok without it but I agree it’s a ridiculous requirement.

 

It's about respecting people's time. Not the first (or worst) example in a Sonic game.

In open world titles I generally don't go for 100%, just play through the main story. It's ok to lock something silly, like a taxidermized squirrel (RDR2), behind a completionist challenge. But the spin dash is iconic and something fans want to see.

If it's really that broken, maybe it should have been relegated to NG+ (and no other requirement), and make that clear from the start. Eh, I won't complain more. It was their decision. But it simply puts it out of my reach for the foreseeable future. And after hyping it in the teaser, that doesn't feel great.

 

I'm sorry bro but I'm the biggest Frontiers dickrider and even I can't defend this. Saying 'it breaks the game' is dumb. It doesn't need to break the game to be fun, they could easily nerf it and it would still be fun as fuck, because playing around with it, rolling down slopes and using your momentum off of slopes is what makes it fun, not just that it allows you to basically fly. You can turn up the air deceleration in settings and it's still just as fun.

 

Honestly, the impressions on the new movement options I’m seeing here have me more compelled to pick up Frontiers again than complete Tears of the Kingdom, and I think that’s pretty big, personally. I’m blown away that the team actually took so much feedback to heart and made real changes to the game - I was pretty cynically feeling that such changes would be far more limited and the spin dash wouldn’t live up to the hype.

On unlocking the spin dash - obviously I’ve not played the update yet so my opinion could change, but I’m fine with needing to do update content to unlock it, even from the standpoint of a new run through the game. The vast majority of the game just wasn’t designed with the spin dash in mind but I imagine it’s massively gratifying once unlocked, which I think has the makings of a great late game unlock. Again, however, maybe my feelings will change on this and, on the second thought, just playing through the action chain challenges should be enough. Having to get S-Ranks in all of them is beyond the pale.

Was any of the new content placed on Rhea Island? Would be nice to keep adding reasons to actually explore that area.

 

Easy mode make the Action Chains MUCH, err, easier.

 

My God, the Spindash looks so fucking satisfactory to use.

 

I can see why they locked it. That boy can fly now.

 

Imagine the currently Sonic Frontiers gameplay + this level design: