I've been here waiting for the longest time. I can't. Believe. Its real. A Sonic game that not only has not disappointed me in any real form, but has actually far surpassed my expectations for the franchise in more ways than I can count.

Sonic Frontiers was kind of in an interesting place. Being the successor to the disappointing tragedy that was Sonic Forces, and kind of the game that the series was relying on to truly change things up and show everyone it can give a care. That is sure how it was for me anyways, I legitimately was letting it all ride on this game whether I stuck around, since it just seemed Sonic was not capable anymore after so much mediocrity over the past decade. I was not willing to cling onto something that would only bring me sadness, but I knew these games were coming from the team that had brought me some of my favourites, like Adventure 2 and Colours. I always reminded myself of this, so, surely they could do it, right? Well from leaks I was hearing the game to be an empty, not very fun time that was attempting to replicate a certain Nintendo game that set the world on fire early 2017, so I was not too hopeful, but intrigued at least from what I heard.

From its reveal, I found myself terrified of the idea of what it seemed it was going to be. Just a cheap attempt to innovate the series by following in the footsteps of Nintendo's phenomenon of a game, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. Yes, the game looked GORGEOUS. Like, oh my gosh, it was so pretty. The environment did not really scream Sonic though and as such I was worried it would not really be designed to suit his gameplay, or worse yet, the gameplay would not even resemble the Sonic I had grown to love. But one single thing had kept me hopeful, and that was the information that Ian Flynn would be helping in writing the story. And this had given me at least the hope to cling onto that the game's story would at least be worth it. I could picture it already. A dark and nuanced tale where Sonic and friends go through a serious struggle and uncover something by the end of it. All with well written dialogue from the writer of the IDW comics I had heard such good things about. Even if the game ended up underwhelming me, I could at least look forward to that.

So IGN videos come around, I end up getting more worried, but strangely, the game seems to start getting praise? Not just by them, but also lucky people who got to try the demos. This was unexpected to say the least, so at this point, I just decided that I would not be following anymore prerelease material, and just let myself decide how I feel blind when I play it myself. Not letting anything I hear sway me.

And so a few months later, it was in my hands, and I was ready. Admittedly, the initial leak of what seemed to detail how the game would end rung through my head, so the entire time whenever steam rolled down over something I had to stop and wonder if this was the end or something. Remember that for later.

It was truly an experience like no other. The story was captivating, the gameplay felt familiar, yet in the new setting, fresh and exciting. Not to mention very fluid, like Sonic legitimately controlled how I wanted for once, I felt like I was in control. Going from the previous game I had played, UnWiished, this was amazing. And still better than Forces too of course. The scenery had absorbed me and the ever progressing music of the open zone kept my ears engaged and made me feel the very progression I was going for. Just the loop of taking down some fun Guardian bosses, entering Cyber Space to partake in my usual affair of fun, yet familiar stages, and getting more Emeralds and progressing the story with the various Amy's scattered across the island, was a very strong loop for me. Especially with how just fun Kronos was to explore.

It was great, but there was one defining moment that just had me shut up and suspend any fear I still had. I had been following Amy and this Koco to find their lost love somewhere on the island. I was very confused at what they were, especially given a prior scene where I swore I saw some other Koco die or something, and to say the least, I was intrigued where this was going. Nothing could have prepared me for the reveal. It took me completely off guard. What I was shown was a flashback of the final moments of two beings who bared the Koco in their chests. Is this what the Koco were? They... they look like Chaos, from Adventure 1! And, they came to embrace each other, the two lovers. All as the terrain around them saw destruction, and eventually, said destruction had consumed them. Back to reality, I was met with the two Koco that had seemed to represent them in a dead and lifeless state, smiling happy, side by side. All as that mysterious symbol the game had drilled into my head mysteriously shone in the sky. Okay I will shut up. Criticism? Nah if a game manages to make me feel THIS much and effectively make me cry? That is a sign of a GOOD game, which this game undoubtedly was at this point. Just a beautiful blend between the reveal of what the Ancients really were, the final moments of the two lovers and just what this all meant for the true struggle of Chaos and the emeralds and the people he came from, I NEEDED answers! And answers I would get.

So continue along and the game presents me with the hardest puzzle I was not expecting. A good challenge. The game keeps up the high energy, getting me ready for a showdown with the monstrous Titan they had given me a preview at before. Sonic makes his ascent over the waterfall, landing stunningly. In the distance, I hear the cry of a dangerous being, to which Sonic rushes over to, all with a smile showing his carefree nature we all know and love him for. Have I mentioned yet that this game got his characterization down perfectly yet? No? Well I now did. And as he found himself before the haunting yet elegant figure within the arena, that had previously struck him down in spite of his best efforts, all as the same melody that had played in the prior flashback had followed in through, the boss splash card showed the name GIGANTO, and Sonic went in with his witty smile. It was night time, the melody roared on, and I found myself with the towering behemoth giving the slow walk, just waiting to be climbed, and challenged. Made my way up, found the final emerald, and after what had been a literal decade, transformed into Super Sonic for the first time in a mainline game, for what was not even the final boss. Sonic flew off, the song kicked in, both sides sizing each other up, Sonic giving off a smile of confidence as the fight ensued. This was it. This was the moment I had been waiting for. Can I even describe everything I was feeling right now?? BEHOLD. THE BEST FIGHT IN SONIC HISTORY. NEED I REALLY GO ON?? LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE, AND WHAT AN AMAZING FOLLOW UP TO THAT EMOTIONAL BALLAD OF A FLASHBACK. EVERYTHING THE ISLAND WAS GOING FOR ALL CAME TO A HEAD HERE, THE CLOSING OFF MARK OF THE EXPERIENCE. IT WAS TIME TO SHOW THIS THING THAT I WAS U-N-D-F-E-A-T-A-B-L-E!! II'M HANGIN' ON TO THE OTHER SIDE! I WON'T GIVE UUP 'TIIL THE EEND OF MEE!! I'M WHAT YOU GET WHEN THE STARS ALIGN! NOW FACE IT YOOU'RE JUST AN ENNEMYY!! clears throat mhmm, yes, uh, like I said, need I really go on? This was an experience truly like no other, 100/10, just shut up and take my money. And to think this was only one island of FIVE?? Hoo boy was I feeling like I was in for an incredible Sonic adventure (HAHAHAH SONIC ADVENTURE). Giganto itself is definitely an impressive first titan. Compared to the others it is the most basic for sure, but even basic comes in clads of laser beams and just straight up quality and raw energy of fighting a giant monster that can go toe to toe with Super Sonic. Getting send THAT thing flying after it had sent Sonic flying before, oohoohoohoohoo that feels good!! I love how Super Sonic is basically the base Sonic moveset too but suped up to the extreme, that makes it very easy to get into and quite intuitive. And the send off, blasting straight through its chest as the music closed off? Yeah, end of chapter moment.

Onto Ares Island!! I will try and keep these segments more brief from now. This was my favourite of the islands. When I heard the working name for this game before, Sonic Rangers, this was more or less the environment I pictured. It was much larger than Kronos, and the challenges and overall island design just felt stronger, and I felt I had a really good sense of movement and flexibility with the environment. And everything else only got better too, the bosses, the combat options and even stages. I loved the dynamic Sonic and Knuckles shared here, it was really engaging and fun to watch. It was a dynamic I felt did both characters justice too. The story only got more interesting and I was just having such a blast with everything! Beautiful island, with a compelling storyline and lore, some very fun bosses and some really good stages and music.

And of course, no island experience would be complete without the Titan battle. And the one this one had in store for me to fight, the Eternatus lookin' robert, it was one I was really looking forward to. The initial chase had me scared yet pumped! And seeing it decided not to reside in any particular arena but rather just the sky? Oh man was I going to have a sky battle with this thing?? I was so eager to find out! So yet another elegant into cutscene with the boss splash card displaying my foe's name as WYVERN, I immediately noticed the Sonic portion of this fight would be a bit more nuanced than "climb big robot". I had to climb this tower to get high enough, try and grab on only to fail and be forced to make chase on some red path it secreted from itself, trying desperately to catch up as the dramatic melody roared on, to finally make it to its head to collect the emerald, and begin the REAL showdown. Yet another banger kicked in, and it was time for me to break through it all! Wyvern was extremely interesting, in that it was the first (and only) of these battles where there was an emphasis on the flying to actually get around the island as you make chase to the Titan to be able to square up with it head on. Not to mention there were rings too. This was undoubtedly the most cinematic of these, and the one to best utilize the open zone's large space, in that you basically travel all over it trying to beat this baddie. And this fight gets insane! The constant missiles, laser rings, its GIANT claws, its sheer strength, aw it was amazing! This fight admittedly was not doing it as much for me as Giganto, but has since grown on me as my 2nd favourite. Objectively, probably the best though. Learning I could fling its missiles right back into it to get it to slow down so I could come in for an earlier beating was a really gratifying moment for me, and it was really here that I learnt the reward of being able to parry the Titan's attacks. And EVERY QTE goes SO FREAKING HARD. AAAAAAAAAAAHHH SUCH A GOOD FIGHT! And the close off, after using all my might to stop it from Majora's Mooning me, guiding its missiles straight to its face, FORCE OPENING ITS JAW, AND MHMHMM SUCKER EAT 'EM UP AHAHAHAAH. Gosh I could go on this entire review just for these fights. I mean I already kind of am. (:<

And so onto the 3rd island, Chaos Island. Hm, that is an interesting name. Chaos, like I CAN DO ANYTHING CHAOS CHAOS, or... named after the Chaos we as the Sonic fanbase know? Hm. Well I was warned this was the worst island apparently? I mean, apparently it is the most difficult to navigate or something. The island's theme though was yet again stunning though. A sky high volcanic ash scarred land, a volcano steaming into the sky at its center, an awe inspiring sea of clouds showing just how truly high we were, with a majestic melody and chant lifting me to a higher plane of existence just listening to it. But quickly I discovered this island's main issue. A good chunk of the platforming was in 2D, something I knew a lot of people loathed about the boost era games, but I could never quite agree with. I mean I enjoyed the 3D and 2D gameplay, and, even though admittedly a bit jarring here at first given the open nature of the game, I did still manage to have fun here with 'em. Only other problem with the island was how distant everything felt and how hard it was to get from place to place. But that was something I soon overcame as I unlocked more of the island, partook in island challenges, and learnt the dropdash is really good for getting up those icy slopes. In the end, this island ended up becoming a really fun and rewarding challenge for me to navigate, and I quite enjoyed my time running through it. The bosses were some of the best yet! Spider and Fortress were really fun to take down with some bangin' beats to match! The Cyber Space stages were getting more challenging, and the music overall just was as delightful as ever.

The storyline for this island really sold it though. We follow Tails on this island, and right from the get go, we begin to see the effects of Sonic's cyber corruption really coming front and center. With each friend he freed, he got more and more corrupted, and by this point he was looking awful! Even his usual idle animation was changed to him holding his head. (even in a rare line of dialogue from the blue blur has him comment on how in spite of how hot the island was, he could not help but feel cold ): ) I feel worried for him all throughout the island, where he continues to struggle. But the focus is really on Tails, who, thanks to some trauma he had endured in his cyber cage imprisonment, begins to contemplate his role in relation to Sonic. Through helping a Koco this slowly comes out, how he feels like a burden, nothing but a follower who cannot fight for himself. He reflects back onto the events of Forces and how he acted like a coward who could only shut down when put in the face of danger. But thanks to the insight and wisdom of his big brother Sonic, Tails manages to find himself out of this self doubting position and ultimately decides he needs to go out on his own to be able to grow into his full potential, outside of Sonic's shadow. I have not said this yet, but all the characters end up developing their own goals throughout each island arc, but Tails is where that really hit me. His and Sonic's relationship is nothing short of beautiful, and actually made me want to tear up as I watched it all unfold. Gosh I love them.

And this is where the character I have yet to mention comes into play. Sage has been this mysterious entity who resembles a humanoid girl with some sorts of relation to Dr. Eggman. Eggman basically unleashed the ancients technology and got stuck in Cyber Space because his AI program drew him in. Said AI is the origin of Sage, Eggman's daughter. Over the course of the story, from seeing Sonic and friends and their bonds, talking with Eggman and ultimately, seeing Sonic and Tails' familial bond not born of genetics but purely of love, she has this moment where she begins to cry and reflect on everything she has gained to wish for as she became more human. This was... admittedly slightly awkward given how they had flashed back on scenes that literally were only seen by the time of Chaos Island, but still heartfelt and made me very curious to see what happened with her next. I could tell she was becoming more human. And I was eager to see what ensued.
Also random because this fits in nowhere else, did you know Sage started as an It/Its but later decided on She/Her as the story went on? That is right, pronouns!! In MY Sonic game!!!

Anyways, it was time for the showdown the with 3rd Titan. The initial getaway was yet again an exciting introduction, and a really cool moment for just showing how daring the hedgehog could be. I mean, to get away from the Titan, you get ON a Squid's track and basically force yourself to deal with two foes at once?? All while trying to escape?? That is hardcore! This Titan was ENOURMOUS. Like, even more so than the previous ones. My initial name prediction was COLOSSO or something given the name scheme of the first grounded Titan. Though its real name did sit in the back of my head. So anyways some pinballing later, the volcano had erupted to reveal the Titan hiding under some steam in a big pit I had somehow never suspected. This is what I thought that early leak of the game was talking about. So... I was wondering if this were the end or something? I mean either way, down into the pit!! And the Titan rolled fiercely and swiftly across the walls of the pit, jumping up and landing down to reveal the splash card, KNIGHT. Knight? I don't see no sword. ... anyways, how was I to get up top this thing? This thing was CRAZY fast and was flinging spikes everywhere! I was scared to move! I mean I figured just get on its legs like Giganto, but... hm. It geared up its claw for an attack, slamming down to the molten floor with spiked shockwaves. Its arm... those were rails, aha! The path was clear, I bounced over the spike waves, and I got to the arm and up to its head. Collected the emerald, and time for round 3. (:< This was my favourite of the Titan fights. No question. So far, EACH one was better than the last! The music, oh my gosh the music. Is that Tyler Smyth I hear?? Hey I know you, you did Theme of Infinite! The song was an immediate vibe, and joined with the vocal performance of Kellin Quinn from the previous songs? A match made in heaven! Find Your Flame, what an incredible song. Knight is a very dynamic Titan that hones in on its raw speed, shield and sword (WHICH IT PULLS OUT OF ITS FREAKING HEAD) to provide a challenge like no other fight. With how fast it is, you will find it a challenge to get a good moment to strike on 'em. But as with the previous fights, parrying comes with reward. In the first phase, parrying the sword will let you come in close, but it will put up its guard with its shield. So what do you do? You take the shield for yourself to flying saucer it right into its throat of course! Very hard to control, but MHMHMHMM getting that solid damage in with its OWN weapon feels so dang satisfying. Especially with how powerful the shield was made out to be from the initial getaway, and how powerless you were against it before. Now? Use it against the Knight to get your own damage in. And in phase 2, rather than just the sword, the Knight flings its shield across the entire arena, and will do nothing but speed. So how do you stop it? Well, its shield is kind of just there now, so... parry it back at the idiot and MAN it feels so gratifying! Just the ways that parrying is used in this fight, and how you are to make the most effective use out of its OWN weapon?? Super fun and very raw! And the send off for this fight? Oh nothing much. Knight elongates its sword for one brutal slash, you catch it only to be flung right into a wall where you are attempted to be crushed, you kick back the sword with all your might, YOU PUNCH KNIGHT RIGHT IN THE FREAKING FACE, FLINGING THE GIGANTIC SWORD INTO THE SIDE OF THE ARENA, SONIC TAKES THE SWORD, GOES UP HIGH AND BRINGS IT RIGHT DOWN THROUGH THE KNIGHT TO CUT IT IN FREAKING HALF, ALL AS THE MUSIC BEATIFULLY COMES TO A CLOSE. THE BEST ENDING BY FAR. But yeah this Titan makes really good use of its own mechanics while still making sure to reward parrying. For the music, the core design, and all in between, this was the battle to really resonate for me.

And so it was on to island 4. Rhea Island. Hm, seemed this island was using a grassy nature theme to it like Kronos had. I was told the next two islands would be shorter, so, it almost kind of screamed "endgame" to me. I was greeted to 6 tall pillars breaking out of the ground, but to what effect? Down to the ground, we see Sonic and Tails, the former of which becoming ever weaker. I am told to silence the 6 towers, as this is the final step needed to free Tails and the others. So seemed this island was going for a different pace and objective than the others. Well with no more Titans in the way, it made sense, and quite frankly, it was nice. The music kicked in... that beautiful, melancholic piano tune. Sonic, struggling to stand, and a new environment awaiting before me to be explored. It felt final, but it felt sad. It felt like all I had come to know was fading before my eyes, like an end was coming... for someone. Poor Sonic here... I made my way through the trials of the towers, realizing that one wrong move could cost me big time at the wrong time. This was an engaging challenge, and the music kept me pressing forward. With each silenced tower, the end felt a fraction closer. And with each one, I was greeted with a flashback... each detailing how it all began. How the Ancients made their way to Earth, why they did, the struggle they had faced, and just what kind of threat this all spelled. Every silence tower came with accelerating cyber corruption, Sonic's fate seemingly sealed. Sage had observed and commented on his actions and condition. But Sonic, with a smile on his face, pressed forward. Because if it meant for him to save the one's he loved, he would give up his life. Which is exactly what ended up happening. 6 towers silenced, and Sonic himself got silenced by the cyber corruption, effectively sealing his fate, but freeing his friends (and Eggman). This... was admittedly rather sad seeing. I was not fully expecting him to just be dead, but dang, in the moment... this had me in the feels. Seems though Eggman and the others were not all that got freed though. The mysterious voice guiding Sonic, turned out, to be an all powerful force of nature with the unending desire to consume all and bring everything to its end. The very threat that had chased the Ancients from their home planet and forced them to do all they had done. The very threat that caused Chaos to wind up being the final of his kind protecting the Chaos Emeralds at the Master Emerald shrine, long after the threat's containment. So... oops hahaha I accidentally freed a demon oops! But Sonic's friends would not let this stand! With the power of friendship in a... somewhat underexplained yet still ouching moment, they took on Sonic's cyber corruption to give him one final chance to save the day and right for his wrongs. And this time, Eggman being free, Sage, in a desperate move to be able to ensure her father's survival, implored that Sonic and Eggman team up, and team up they did! Just like the good ol' days! Aw yeah, this is happenin'! And so, it was final island time. ... how we got there is beyond me, I did not question it the first time I played.

Ouranos Island. The 5th, and final island. Sonic Frontiers' closing off experience. A beautiful piano melody with a sense of finality to it kicked in, and I was ready to take on this final island on! It was a magical experience honestly. Yet another island themed around that of what we begun with, it had a beautiful sense of "full circle" to it, in all honesty. Some say a unique theme would have been cool, but honestly this really works in the game's favour in my sincere opinion. This is probably my 2nd favourite island? Ouranos is basically if we had Kronos, mixed in some of Chaos' 2D sections but spread them out better, supe up basically every enemy and boss encounter, fill the area to the BRIM with things to do and find, and basically make it feel like an endgame area. And that it very much felt like. The island was very fun to traverse, the platforming got really tight and rewarding, the bosses were yet again really fun overall, and the whopping NINE Cyber Space stages? Well, it is on this island that we get the confirmation that indeed these stages are places pulled from Sonic's past, via the inner workings of Cyber Space. But this island has probably the most original designs for the stages in spite of that fact. And they are all REALLY fun. Ouranos has probably the best Cyber Space stages in the game, which is very fitting. Good job on ending off with the game's best stages! Wow! Following Sage on the island is basically this spread out exposition dump where the two characters discuss with each other everything they could not before, as they were enemies. Lore on the Ancients, the struggle they had gone through, what Sage really means to Eggman, all that good stuff. It was small, yet much appreciated bonding between the two. Which only had prepped me for the finale this game presented me with...

By the way this island was NOT small. It was basically larger than Kronos. And Rhea? Well that island I figured out literally was Kronos, so that was cool. Did not understand the different naming really, but neat to see Kronos be revisited like that. So... there is kind of this elephant in the room honestly. Not sure if you are aware, but long story short, Kronos, Rhea and Ouranos all used to be one giant grassland themed island. This is the island that had been played by early playtesters from the leaks I had heard about. The ones who called the game a not very fun experience, and too empty without much substance. The one where the steam rolled down from a tree-like Titan, that we now know was Giganto. Originally, this game had only 3 islands, but because the game was already under major crunch time and actual time to develop an endgame was growing smaller, they had to use what they had to craft it. So they cut up the original Kronos to suit their needs for the end game, in the form of two more islands. This would explain the similar theming that I had not really bat an eye at before. Or that Rhea literally was Kronos. I am kind of sad to see this is what things had come to, but, I cannot exactly say I am disappointed? I mean, I believe this paces the game out better personally. Original Kronos looked HUGE. And I can imagine that much grasslands for so long to take its toll after a while. Plus I really like how Rhea and Ouranos are used in the final game, so it works really well personally. And I like starting and ending the journey in a similar setting, as I explained before. So personally, I think it was the right call. And it is not even like we lost anything really, after all, all this land is still used, just across different places. Aaand I just find it fun still, so that is all that matters.

And so, it was time for the final Titan. The 4th, and undoubtedly most mysterious of them. As Sonic put it, the surprise Titan (which I kind of expected, so cannot say it was much of a surprise, but). The only prior introduction we received to this Titan was via the final flashback on the 6th Rhea tower. It led the other 3 Titans to battle against their enemy into space. Their efforts appeared to be futile though, so the pilot of this Titan came to terms that the only way they could neutralize the threat was to seal it off in Cyber Space. But there would need to be a vessel, and that vessel would be this very Titan. The pilot sacrificed their life so the other 3 with their Titans could seal off their enemy within the confides of Cyber Space, bringing their battle to an end... until Sonic accidentally ended up doing the evil entity's dirty work with the promise that it would save his friends. But yeah that is where we are at pretty much. And so after one final exchange between Sonic and Eggman, one that had me smiling, Sonic gets the final Emerald from the doctor, becomes Super Sonic one final time, and goes off to the forest arena to battle the final Titan. Then, the main theme of the game, I'm Here, kicked in. The beautiful yet tragic piano melody, playing up the reveal of the Titan, in a foreboding stature. It whipped out its enourmous gun, and the splash card SUPREME displayed. This was it. The final battle. The emotions riding on this were immaculate, I was so ready. ... Supreme is... the game's weakest Titan, most unfortunately. Now let me be clear, weakest does not necessarily entail bad, not at all. When I was initially playing I was too hyped to really notice anything necessarily wrong. Controlling Super Sonic and beating up a giant robot was still as fun as ever. But there are some very key things about this fight which not only contradict the teachings of the previous fights, but also ultimately make its unfinished state very clear. Right off the bat, you are greeted to the white behemoth with the red skull surrounded by a series of turrets firing these yellow bullets. The Titan itself was barely mobile, just swinging its claws to send off more of the bullets. Going right in for the attack, it will not be long before Supreme will counterattack, to which you will follow your natural instinct by this point to parry, which the game has taught by now is the key to success in these fights. What are you greeted with in response? A cutscene where Sonic is blasted off by giant lasers from the mega turrets to basically reset the arena. Wh-what?? Okay admittedly at first this was the game's way of telling me I was doing something wrong and that I needed to figure something out in order to progress the fight correctly, and I was right, there was a solution to this hiding amongst all this. But this basically goes against everything the game has taught about these fights up until this point. That parrying will be rewarded, not punished! I am sorry, but it is just objectively not good design to tell the player "haha you thought this would work? Wrong!!" this late in the game like this, with the final boss that should TEST your abilities from the skills you have gained by this point. Not to mention parrying is pretty useless throughout most of the fight too. Those yellow bullets? You can parry 'em, but there is not really any reward or reason too. They kind of just lightly push you back at worst. Nah this fight is all about parrying when the game WANTS you too, as in, parrying the right thing and not anything else until you have. So, yes parrying is still key to success, but only after a certain point. I said there was a solution to this dilemma hiding in the fight, so what may that be? Well, this is actually where I got enjoyment out of the fight. Figuring out the proper way to do this fight was like a fun puzzle. The game laid out all the pieces before me, it was up to me to figure out how they went together. So let us see, Supreme will blast me back if I go in for the attack, there is this circle of turrets surrounding the baddie, each of which I can target it seems, and I noticed that whenever Supreme knocks me back if I do not parry, it will fire this set of yellow lasers towards Sonic sometimes. Alright, I see your game, I like this. I like how it is laid out as sort of a puzzle with a hidden solution you figure out by logical deduction. Use your wits to conquer the leader, very nice. I had figured that since it was the mega turrets blasting me back whenever I went in to attack, that I must need to destroy the turrets circling Supreme to lower its guard and let me attack. Going to destroy one, Supreme immediately counterattacks, and letting myself take the hit, THAT was what caused Supreme to fire its yellow lasers. As I said, parrying is discouraged in this fight. Well, until now, since this was the solution! Parrying these lasers sets them all flying into the remaining turrets, leaving Supreme vulnerable and letting you go in for the beat down! Now that was a satisfying "aha!" moment! Figuring out how to do this fight made it truly special for me, as no other fight quite had this. I mean Knight technically did, and it did it better too since it does not actively discourage the game's fundamental teachings, but here the game really makes you stop and think, and that is kind of nice as it shows you that your wits are needed to some degree. But yeah, it makes sense. Want the turrets to stop blasting you back? Try attacking 'em and the solution will reveal! And from there you really can just attack as much as you like, Supreme is completely vulnerable! And moving to phase 2, it seemed it all would only get better. Supreme grows a set of laser wings, taking the battle to the sky as a rocking guitar solo I had never heard out of I'm Here roared out loud and hyped up the 2nd phase of the fight. So now we were flying, and Supreme was unsurprisingly very mobile! The turrets were blasting like crazy, it was a sea of bullets! There was a very majestic flow to zeroing in on Supreme through the yellow bullet hell as it swiftly circled the arena. The same mechanics of the first fight still applied, but this time I was feeling confident knowing what to do. I... did not notice this at the time somehow, but Supreme did not bare the wings in grew in the 2nd phase transition cutscene in this phase?? Huh, wha? Aw they looked so cool. Guess I was too focused on the fight, which, really, why would I not be? After what had been just an instrumental so far, the vocals of the song had finally kicked in, lifting the intensity and sense of closing to the fight, and the excitement! This was my first time hearing some of I'm Here, so it was a real special feeling hearing it all as I drew nearer and neared to silencing the final Titan. I noticed though that... its health bar stopped depleting? Even continuing attacking it? Huh? Apparently the game needed me to destroy a turret to activate a QTE sequence? How should I have known...? I did that completely on accident I am pretty sure... you would think just. Reaching that point in Supreme's health bar would activate the QTE, like with the previous Titans. Weird... Oh well, so far this fight had been pretty QTE absent, so it was finally time for a cool QTE sequence! Supreme whips out its gun, for... literally the first
time in the entire fight since the splash card. Did it forget that it had that...? Oops, it forgor. Anyways, it shoots out to the ocean horizon, where Sonic had been flung back to. Sonic dodges the gleaming bullet!! ... and that is it. That is literally how the QTE ends. Beat down on Supreme, and that was it. That was the entire fight. Can you see what I mean when this fight screams being unfinished? From not having the wings in the 2nd phase, to barely even using its defining feature in the gun, to not very well communicating to the player what they are supposed to do, to apparently having less health than the previous Titans, and having very very little in the way of QTEs in comparison to the previous fights (which by the way there ARE unfinished Supreme QTEs hidden in the data for the boss), this fight surprisingly has actual issues of note, unlike the previous Titan battles. Which is why this hands down is unfortunately the weakest of them. It even very clearly uses Giganto as a base. The final Titan, was unfortunately the weakest. And I must reiterate, I still had fun with Supreme, I really did. I think it is a fine battle, but nowhere near the same heights as Knight, Wyvern, or even Giganto. Oh well...

This, however, was not the end. After Supreme slowly fell to the ground in defeat, with yet another beautiful musical close off, the evil entity trapped within Supreme escapes and heads off to space to regain its "true form". So Supreme was not it after all. It was only phase 1. I could honestly accept the way Supreme was as just one part of the final showdown, as phase 2 could still win me over. And it was here that the stakes for Sage become clear, and of what will inevitably happen to her, and the ultimate devastation Eggman will be left with. She goes off to assume total control of the now unpiloted Supreme, and together, she and Sonic go off to space to nullify the threat once and for all. Even if it meant a tough sacrifice for Eggman to come to terms with. And so, we find ourself in space to something I was... not expecting? THE MOON. Oh no no no, it LOOKS like the moon. Dramatic zoom in on giant purple space rock, THE END. This final boss was clearly going for a more mysterious vibe. Apparently The End (that is the entity's name) takes the form of the moon because it is a symbol of death. Though I will admit, I was expecting something a bit more monstrous in appearance. Not, S P H E R E. But fine, guess we are pissing on the moon then. As Sonic and Sage, Supreme in tow, zero in on The End, Sonic gives this incredibly inspiring and uplifting monologue, showing just how determined he is to bring this long-lasting and long impactful battle to its long overdue end at last. For the Ancients, and the present world, it was time to finally end this. I... have no idea who Sonic was talking to during this, or even really about given The End goes by It/Its pronouns I am pretty sure, but. Yes I was ready. The music was... sad. Rather than the uplifting and blood pumping bangers of the Titan battles, The End opted for a much more melancholic beat kind of akin something like Death Egg Robot Phase 3 from Sonic Forces, only as I said, melancholic. Yet still motivating to bring this to its end at least. The End is a literal embodiment of ending. It gives this really dark and compelling speech as you battle it, kind of akin to Metal Overlord, and much like that fight, you can barely hear it. But it is amazing stuff, it really painted this enemy in a dark light as I battled it. The music, the dialogue, it was amazing. Even if not what I was prepared for. The actual fight itself? Well... it was a good fight, what can I say? Good challenge, slightly unfair that it sent you all the way to the start if you messed up, but ultimately it was a good fight. ... but not a good final boss for a Sonic game. ESPECIALLY in THIS Sonic game, with 4 other intricately crafted battles where you size up absolute behemoths in the best Super Sonic showdowns to grace the series. What the fight is, is a bullet hell shoot 'em up where you assume control of Supreme with two different types of bullets, black and white. Black bullets destroy black projectiles, and white bullets destroy white projectiles. You also can build up a super shot that attacks everything. I guess this is what the 2 extra Hacking Minigames on Ouranos were foreshadowing, which were bullet hells in a similar vein. I literally said after the last Hacking Minigame, "I cannot imagine there is yet another harder version of this". Oh the things I did not know back then. But yeah, this was the gameplay of the final boss. Like I said, it worked, it was fun, but as a final boss to a Sonic game? This just was not right. At least they trained the player for this, but come on, this is not how you should close off the game.

Like Supreme, I cannot help but feel this part of the game is as a result of rushed development, only here? This is the one part of the game that actually left me feeling a underwhelmed, like this was not "perfection", as I had loosely held the whole game to before. Because, yes, while the game had its flaws, this game was pretty much nothing but phenomenal up until this point. This is the one part of Sonic Frontiers I actually do not quite like, the one part that had me asking "why???". Because otherwise, I love this game. They did EVERYTHING right for me up until this point, and sadly, a sour ending can damper an experience a bit for me. Supposedly, there are reworks for both Supreme and The End to come with the game's 3rd content update, so I am hoping they redeem themselves here and fix the one part of this absolutely incredible game that truly hurts it I feel. And hopefully, not at the cost of the quality of the actual new content itself if they do.

Thankfully, after getting through the still admittedly good challenge that was The End, I was greeted to one final QTE event, where balance felt like it was restored and the game was back to being amazing again. Yeah I got no complaints anymore from here, the rest of the game was inoffensive again. The End fired this MASSIVE laser towards the Earth in an attempt to bring it to its end, just as it did with so many worlds before, like we saw with the Ancients in a prior flashback. Sonic tries his best to repel it, but even as Super Sonic he struggled. With the help of Sage and Supreme's might though, there was nothing they could not do. The laser was repelled, and The End was vulnerable, leaving the perfect opportunity for Sage and Sonic to deliver the final blow to end this once and for all. Sage grabbed Sonic, and chucked him full force towards The End, and after charging up in the QTE, Sonic pierced straight through The End, with just a mere sliver of health remaining. It was going to explode in a last ditch effort to bring everything to its end, but Sage, the heroine she was, took Supreme and herself to The End to take the blow so no one else would, ending her life and sending Sonic flying back to Earth in a silence, only thing being heard were Sage's final words. "Please... look after... father...". Well got dang... what a beautiful and saddening ending to the fight.

And so that was it, Sonic returned to his once again freed friends for a triumphant engage, which was so beautiful seeing, yet Eggman, having lost the only one he had ever grown to truly love, was alone once again, clearly devastated just from how he looked out to the stars falling on the horizon. And even in spite of his loss, he still stood strong. Man... I love him. And that was it, Sonic Frontiers everyone. There were two more cutscenes within the credits that showed Sonic and friends setting off from the Starfall Islands and... Eggman retrieving Sage apparently?? (more on that in a bit) But, yeah this was the end. I may have defeated The End, but it still ended up coming. And man, I did not want it to. This was truly my favourite Sonic game, I loved nearly every minute of it. I really was not expecting it to, but it really did subvert my expectations in ways I never could have forseen. Is it a perfect game? No, definitely not. The criticisms it gets are indeed valid, but none of them are criticisms I necessarily share or quite agree with in all truth. When I love a game and its highs this much, I do not care what anyone says or what issues it may have. They can very much be overlooked, and I can easily just say it is the best of the series for myself. Just... well done Sonic Team. Guess I am not leaving after all. The Sonic brainrot is truly never ending. Thank you, for making an amazing game, that I have 100%-ed twice at the time of this writing. (:

And to think it is not even over yet. We got 3 whole content updates coming! The 1st of which is already out. Update 3 intends on reworking the endgame battles as I already said, but that is only in addition to a new storyline, AND new playable characters. I am very much looking forward to that, seems this amazing game is not yet over after all! But yeah, I will review that at a separate time when it is out. Just exciting that is on the horizon.

So yeah, I guess that is it then. Thanks for reading this all if you did??? I understand I probably sounded very Sonic fan-y at some points, and keep in mind these are just my opinions and I am not for a second suggesting the game is without issues. But, I do not know, I like focusing on the positive points. And positive there VERY much was. So yeah, uh, have a good rest of your day. Bye. Love you. <3 (not actually but I do not know how to end this haha)