(For context I 'abandoned' this right at the end)
Sonic Frontiers reminds me a lot Pokemon Legends Arceus. Both are companies attempting to revitalise a franchise with sweeping gameplay changes and both are deeply frustrating.
To get the good out of the way: the music is fantastic, the world is lovely looking, and Ian Flynn manages to make the Sonic cast interesting in a game, which feels more and more like a rare feat.
Unfortunately, the actual game is pretty lackluster. Combat looks cool, but is marred by shoddy targeting and a weightlessness not helped by the fact that enemies are more "puzzles" than fights, which makes the inclusion of a combat system all the more confusing.
Movement is clunky, sonic will stop, turn and float seemingly at random and the camera switching from 2D to 3D at certain points doesn't help matters. (this is especially bad on the third island)
And despite my praise of Flynn's writing, I never really felt engaged with the full plot of the story, only really getting glimpses of something kinda interesting? Not enough for me to get fully engaged.
I hope Sonic Team keeps working in this design space, but Frontiers often feels more like a proof of concept they're selling for $100 rather than a "truly innovative" Sonic experience.
Sonic Frontiers reminds me a lot Pokemon Legends Arceus. Both are companies attempting to revitalise a franchise with sweeping gameplay changes and both are deeply frustrating.
To get the good out of the way: the music is fantastic, the world is lovely looking, and Ian Flynn manages to make the Sonic cast interesting in a game, which feels more and more like a rare feat.
Unfortunately, the actual game is pretty lackluster. Combat looks cool, but is marred by shoddy targeting and a weightlessness not helped by the fact that enemies are more "puzzles" than fights, which makes the inclusion of a combat system all the more confusing.
Movement is clunky, sonic will stop, turn and float seemingly at random and the camera switching from 2D to 3D at certain points doesn't help matters. (this is especially bad on the third island)
And despite my praise of Flynn's writing, I never really felt engaged with the full plot of the story, only really getting glimpses of something kinda interesting? Not enough for me to get fully engaged.
I hope Sonic Team keeps working in this design space, but Frontiers often feels more like a proof of concept they're selling for $100 rather than a "truly innovative" Sonic experience.