A lot has been said about Sonic Frontiers and most of it has been built on the fact that "there's no good 3D Sonic", which has made the conclusion for some people about this game that of course it's fine but just because the expectations where so unbelievable low that everything above a downright bad game would be acceptable.
Sonic Frontiers is rough, not as well blended as it should be and elements from its design and technical aspects are so disconnected from each other that they downplay on areas that are out of the question for a completed AAA game. I don't care about the popping until I can't make the route to a collectible because I can't see the platform where it stands. I don't mind the lack of tutorials on new areas (in fact I appreciate it!) until an obligatory enemy has a unique, never before explained, attack that has to be used because anything else is useless (which happens with every single boss fight and most radically with the red big bobbles on island 4). This game simply lacks playtesting, the kind of playtesting that can tell you the game can not just be completed without major bugs, but that a player will not be frustrated when trying to complete it.
I find this kind of slips all the more hurtful when I realize Sonic Frontiers is one of the most fun platformers I've played since Mario Odyssey.
Even when the design of both games that colide inside this huge pile of ideas doesn't find its foot there is always something to attach yourself: the incredible game feel that Sonic has (especially in the open world). The sheer amount of ideas and distinct challenges that has made its way into the game is fantastic, refreshing to see another game take the Yoko Taro and Yakuza route on mixing crazy gameplay sections that doesn't interconnect necessarily with the rest of the game but alleviates pacing and keeps you engaged to see the next fine platforming section or new minigame that is going to hide without warning, something very classic for a Sega that has finally let the Sonic Team be what its name should uphold.
This game screams Sega in a way that Sonic (for the little I have tried) hasn't felt in years; it's actually trying ideas that nobody would, faulty to the point where it feels earned, and it absolutely shows the energy of a teenager who doesn't care about what the adults are going to think because it wants to do things "its own way". This right here is much more characteristic of the idiosyncrasy of a character based upon the collision of slow platforming and fast movement than what a copy of a 3D Mario that always aims for excelency and, frankly, has more budget than all of this franchise combined, could ever be. Sonic has found itself.
Playing the excellent Spark trilogy I was constantly thinking that games need to rely a lot less on polish and so much more on ideas. The modern AAA is so focused on giving an experience that anyone can call solid that lacks everything that can make a true difference; and the greatest games are the ones that do its own thing with enough confidence and perspective to make all the flow of concepts, ideas and elements work in sync. This game is a miracle because it stands out of the clonic formula that the industry and its own franchise made to bring to the table irregular but engaging systems that make this game truly alive. You can play every section of this game feeling the intention and passion to make something that it's surprising, dynamic, and most of all, engaging. And with just a bit more polish on where the technical messes with the design this would have been a truly great one. But I hope there is another chance to make this even better, without renouncing to being a bit broken, just enough to be more exciting than "good".
Sega at its best embodies the spirit of a rebellious teen and this game screams (literally on its music) that it doesn't need a guiding hand on where to go, just a little more time to practice before it stands out to the crowd to be able to play "Complicated" without a broken guitar.
Sonic Frontiers is rough, not as well blended as it should be and elements from its design and technical aspects are so disconnected from each other that they downplay on areas that are out of the question for a completed AAA game. I don't care about the popping until I can't make the route to a collectible because I can't see the platform where it stands. I don't mind the lack of tutorials on new areas (in fact I appreciate it!) until an obligatory enemy has a unique, never before explained, attack that has to be used because anything else is useless (which happens with every single boss fight and most radically with the red big bobbles on island 4). This game simply lacks playtesting, the kind of playtesting that can tell you the game can not just be completed without major bugs, but that a player will not be frustrated when trying to complete it.
I find this kind of slips all the more hurtful when I realize Sonic Frontiers is one of the most fun platformers I've played since Mario Odyssey.
Even when the design of both games that colide inside this huge pile of ideas doesn't find its foot there is always something to attach yourself: the incredible game feel that Sonic has (especially in the open world). The sheer amount of ideas and distinct challenges that has made its way into the game is fantastic, refreshing to see another game take the Yoko Taro and Yakuza route on mixing crazy gameplay sections that doesn't interconnect necessarily with the rest of the game but alleviates pacing and keeps you engaged to see the next fine platforming section or new minigame that is going to hide without warning, something very classic for a Sega that has finally let the Sonic Team be what its name should uphold.
This game screams Sega in a way that Sonic (for the little I have tried) hasn't felt in years; it's actually trying ideas that nobody would, faulty to the point where it feels earned, and it absolutely shows the energy of a teenager who doesn't care about what the adults are going to think because it wants to do things "its own way". This right here is much more characteristic of the idiosyncrasy of a character based upon the collision of slow platforming and fast movement than what a copy of a 3D Mario that always aims for excelency and, frankly, has more budget than all of this franchise combined, could ever be. Sonic has found itself.
Playing the excellent Spark trilogy I was constantly thinking that games need to rely a lot less on polish and so much more on ideas. The modern AAA is so focused on giving an experience that anyone can call solid that lacks everything that can make a true difference; and the greatest games are the ones that do its own thing with enough confidence and perspective to make all the flow of concepts, ideas and elements work in sync. This game is a miracle because it stands out of the clonic formula that the industry and its own franchise made to bring to the table irregular but engaging systems that make this game truly alive. You can play every section of this game feeling the intention and passion to make something that it's surprising, dynamic, and most of all, engaging. And with just a bit more polish on where the technical messes with the design this would have been a truly great one. But I hope there is another chance to make this even better, without renouncing to being a bit broken, just enough to be more exciting than "good".
Sega at its best embodies the spirit of a rebellious teen and this game screams (literally on its music) that it doesn't need a guiding hand on where to go, just a little more time to practice before it stands out to the crowd to be able to play "Complicated" without a broken guitar.