Sonic Frontiers

81%
Game Brain Score Based on 12,966 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Sonic Frontiers Game Cover
Not only does Sonic Frontiers succeed in introducing compelling open-world elements, it also serves as one of the most refreshingly unique entries in the series.
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Sonic Frontiers is an open-zone platformer game where players race across five massive islands, battling enemies and discovering hidden secrets. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes useful items and additional gloves and shoes for Sonic, along with a digital art book and mini soundtrack. In this high-speed adventure, Sonic is on a quest to find the missing Chaos emeralds in a mysterious ancient island.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

81%
Audience ScoreBased on 12,966 reviews
story1,231 positive mentions
grinding237 negative mentions
  • story3,765 mentions

    The story of *Sonic Frontiers* has been widely praised as a significant improvement over previous entries in the franchise, with many reviewers highlighting its more serious tone and character development. Written by Ian Flynn, the narrative incorporates lore from past games, providing a sense of continuity and depth that resonates with long-time fans, while also introducing new elements and characters like Sage. However, some players noted pacing issues and a somewhat rushed conclusion, suggesting that while the story is engaging, it could benefit from further refinement and expansion in future updates.

    • “This game takes a very serious and realistic tone with its story, and its environments.”
    • “The story is the best in a Sonic game... easily.”
    • “The story, while definitely being extremely weak and not fun, had good characterization.”
    • “The story has a lot of rough edges and pacing issues, but it is a good omen for the future of the series.”
    • “The writing is extremely poor and the story spends a majority of its runtime attempting to set itself up and then drops the entire plot on the player within a span of 10 minutes.”
    • “The story is simple but the way it connects back to the older games and expands the lore is why I love it so much.”
  • music2,975 mentions

    The music in "Sonic Frontiers" has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its diverse and high-quality soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. The boss themes, in particular, are highlighted as standout tracks, often compared to the intensity of music from games like "Metal Gear Rising." While some ambient tracks in the open world are described as melancholic or less memorable, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is a significant highlight of the game, making it a must-listen for fans and contributing to the game's emotional and energetic moments.

    • “The soundtrack of Sonic Frontiers is a triumph in itself, with a dynamic and diverse musical score that perfectly complements the game's high-speed gameplay and epic moments.”
    • “The music is incredible, the story actually matters for the first time in a while there.”
    • “The boss fights are easily the best part of this game, with each one accompanied by an amazing soundtrack that elevates the experience to another level.”
    • “The entire soundtrack is a triumph in itself, with a dynamic and diverse musical score that perfectly complements the game's high-speed gameplay and epic moments.”
    • “The soundtrack is a diverse selection of genres, that while expertly composed, performed, and mastered, is often jarring to hear in-game because of the lack of a central focus or theme uniting the entire soundtrack.”
    • “The music is so inconsistent and mind-numbing that 1/10 songs is confusingly a jam but doesn't match up with anything else, and the world being as lame and empty as it is doesn't help to actually keep you awake anymore than the ambient music.”
  • gameplay2,445 mentions

    The gameplay in "Sonic Frontiers" has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising its open-world exploration and the integration of traditional Sonic mechanics into a new format. Players appreciate the fast-paced movement and combat mechanics, which feel fluid and engaging, although some have noted issues with repetitiveness and certain mechanics feeling unpolished. The cyberspace levels, while reminiscent of past titles, are seen as less compelling compared to the open-zone gameplay, which is viewed as a refreshing evolution for the franchise. Overall, the game is seen as a significant step forward for Sonic, with potential for future improvements.

    • “Gameplay-wise, the open world experience absolutely obliterated my expectations.”
    • “Although the game has a slow start and the controls take some getting used to, the first few hours of gameplay were incredibly addicting.”
    • “The gameplay loop is mostly engaging and fun, the cyberspace stages provide a nice contrast to the exploration you do in the open-zone segments, and just messing around with the giant sandboxes that you're given along the platforms and railgrinds makes for a surprisingly fun experience.”
    • “Even more disappointing was the gameplay, which struggled to recapture the magic of classic Sonic experiences.”
    • “At first, the open-world gameplay seems to be a promising new direction for the series, but as the game goes on, it starts to dawn on you that 95% of the content in the game is mind-numbingly repetitive.”
    • “The cyberspace stages are just a watered-down iteration of the boost gameplay from previous modern Sonic games that repeat the same handful of level themes, and the platforming and puzzles in the open-world sections of the game never get much more challenging or deep than the first level.”
  • graphics972 mentions

    The graphics of "Sonic Frontiers" have received mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and overall aesthetic, particularly in the open-world environments. However, numerous players have pointed out significant issues such as graphical pop-in, limited graphical options, and a lack of variety in level aesthetics, which detracts from the experience. While the game showcases impressive graphics for a Sonic title, it falls short of modern AAA standards, leading to a consensus that improvements are needed in optimization and visual fidelity.

    • “Visually, Sonic Frontiers is a tour de force, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in gaming graphics.”
    • “The graphics are stunning, the open world environment is refreshing and fun, the music is super diverse in genre and very well composed.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is pure gold, and the story is on point.”
    • “The graphics are pretty bad in their own right, with objects blinking in and out of existence as you pass by.”
    • “The pop-in is a well-known eyesore; no matter how high you set the graphics, it's constant and distracting.”
    • “For a next-gen title, it’s laughably bad graphically.”
  • grinding275 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly when collecting memory tokens and completing platforming challenges across the open world. While some appreciate the fishing mini-game as a way to alleviate the grind, others criticize the overall pacing and structure, feeling that it detracts from the enjoyment of the gameplay. Despite these criticisms, some players still find moments of fun and satisfaction in the exploration and combat, though the grind can often overshadow these experiences.

    • “Open world (or 'open zone' for this game) that isn't tedious when collecting items, fun fights, bosses, and a good story.”
    • “The map and grind rails are much appreciated to allow for navigation of the island, which isn't that tedious.”
    • “It's not braindead like in Sonic Forces, but it isn't tedious like in Unleashed or Heroes.”
    • “Pacing is terrible, difficulty is all over the place (not only does it not go up evenly, it often goes back down), traversal and collectible grinding both become tedious, boss fights are trivial (assuming you come in with max rings), the story makes no sense until the last hour (and even then it's full of holes) and once it does it's pretty uninteresting -- there's just nothing here that ever becomes 'the reason to keep playing.'”
    • “Grinding out tokens and portal keys gets a bit tiring after a while, and enemy variety, while boasting decent and unique mechanics initially, gets kinda dull the longer you spend on each island.”
    • “Collecting character hearts/fragments/whatever is obnoxiously grindy, especially on worlds 3 and 5, and it's usually both faster and more fun to just get them from the fishing minigame.”
  • optimization223 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and pop-in problems, particularly on PC. While some users experienced smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others found the game poorly optimized, especially in terms of graphics scalability and the impact of Denuvo DRM on performance. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game has potential, it requires further refinement and optimization to enhance the player experience.

    • “Insane draw distances and even a completely revamped lighting and color palette that feels a lot more vibrant, and the shadow improvements don't even affect performance!”
    • “With an RX 6700 XT, the game runs smoothly at 60 FPS at 1440p (except the cutscenes, which run at 30 FPS only).”
    • “The performance on PC is actually so good!”
    • “Technically, the game is fine-looking but poorly optimized.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized.”
    • “This game is almost unplayable with the amount of stuttering and FPS drops, fix the game.”
  • stability217 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues, including freezing and frame rate drops. While some users noted that these issues did not significantly detract from their overall enjoyment, many described the game as a "buggy mess" that feels unpolished and unfinished. Despite recent patches aimed at improving stability, the consensus remains that the game suffers from a lack of refinement, particularly in its open-world design and gameplay mechanics.

    • “Peak Sonic game, runs great on Steam Deck as well.”
    • “Lastly, I'd just say that performance-wise, the game runs great.”
    • “Outstanding game feel, very performant (runs great on a 1070ti), Sonic in an open world like we've been asking for.”
    • “The ambitious open world concept, while promising, crumbled under the weight of technical shortcomings from pervasive glitches to frustrating frame rate drops.”
    • “It's an unfinished, broken, buggy mess of a game that spends too much time doing everything to be even marginally good at any of it.”
    • “The game is a buggy mess, at the time of this review; I've experienced the following bugs.”
  • emotional194 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Sonic Frontiers" has resonated deeply with players, many of whom report experiencing genuine feelings of nostalgia, joy, and sadness throughout the game. The narrative is praised for its heartfelt moments and character development, particularly in the relationships between Sonic and his friends, which evoke strong emotional responses, including tears during key scenes and the credits. While some critiques mention that certain emotional beats fall flat, the overall consensus highlights the game's ability to make players feel connected to the characters and their journeys, marking a significant return to form for the franchise.

    • “The storyline is expertly crafted, drawing players into a rich narrative filled with twists, turns, and moments of genuine emotional resonance.”
    • “The music is incredible, the story made me cry multiple times, the characterization is the best it's ever been, and the amount of game content itself is a breath of fresh air.”
    • “This game made me feel like I was 8 years old again.”
    • “Vast open world of nothing, repetitive gameplay and boring story.”
    • “Other than that, you just run around collecting items while you're constantly distracted by the horrible pop-in and the weird floating rails and springs, along with amateur-looking platforms copy-pasted in the form of a platforming challenge, until you can progress in a boring story that's mostly told through two characters standing motionless talking to each other, occasionally broken up by a reference to another Sonic game like some sort of Family Guy cutaway gag.”
  • humor125 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the return to a more classic, less cringe-inducing style, while others find the jokes and character interactions hit-or-miss. Many reviews highlight moments of unintentional hilarity, such as awkward animations and absurd gameplay mechanics, which contribute to a lighthearted experience. Overall, the humor seems to resonate more positively with those who prefer a blend of witty dialogue and slapstick moments, moving away from the overly childish humor of previous titles.

    • “This game keeps me laughing all the time!”
    • “Sonic's snarky remarks to Sage are funny, and in the end all he wants is to collaborate with and help her, which he succeeds in.”
    • “The fishing minigame (with Big the Cat!!) lets you chill out and see Sonic holding hilariously large fish or various Easter eggs as you collect fish tokens that let you purchase rewards directly for progression or leveling up stats.”
    • “Besides that, the story seems like a huge improvement over the previous games, where all they did were unfunny kid jokes.”
    • “The humor falls flat and often feels forced, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
    • “I expected clever wit, but instead, I was met with tired clichés and predictable punchlines.”
  • replayability104 mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it high due to the inclusion of multiple playable characters, engaging cyberspace levels, and mod support, while others criticize the lack of meaningful endgame content and replayable boss fights. Many appreciate the challenge of achieving S-ranks and exploring levels, but some feel that the overall structure and repetitive elements diminish long-term replay value. Updates have improved replayability for some, but the absence of features like New Game+ and replayable story bosses remains a common complaint.

    • “While you're at it, you should buy Sonic Mania if you haven't. It is easily my favorite Sonic game and it's super replayable, so if you want to try a Sonic game that's truly special, I'd highly recommend it.”
    • “The optional cyberspace levels (yes, they are optional, but let's face it, it's the quickest way to progress through the game) are fun and can add replayability, since some are short and encourage you to improve your times.”
    • “Great, thoughtful writing, an absolute banger of a soundtrack, and a ton of replayability.”
    • “No replay value, gets too easy and disappointing final boss.”
    • “The game doesn't really seem to have any lasting replayability either because for most of the cyberspace levels I was able to get all of the challenges done after 2 attempts.”
    • “It feels like there is zero replay value.”
  • character development99 mentions

    Character development in the game has been widely praised for its depth and emotional resonance, marking a significant improvement over previous titles in the Sonic franchise. Players appreciate the nuanced portrayal of characters like Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Eggman, who are depicted with more complexity and maturity, allowing for genuine connections and growth throughout the story. The writing effectively balances humor with serious themes, and callbacks to earlier games enhance the overall narrative, making the characters feel more like their original selves rather than caricatures.

    • “The character development is handled with care, allowing players to connect with Sonic and his friends on a level that transcends the typical platformer experience.”
    • “The writing still has plenty of signature Sonic snark to it and knows when to lighten up and crack a joke, but the more complex character development, combined with the more subdued, less cartoonish voice acting, gives the game a perfect balance as both recognizably a Sonic game, while still aiming to be something more in story.”
    • “Some scenes may feel rushed, sacrificing potential character development for the sake of maintaining the film's breakneck speed.”
    • “The characters didn't feel like badly printed cardboard cutouts of what is now just a shell of their former selves; they felt real once again, finally reestablishing the character development that these characters went through in previous entries, even acknowledging some of the inconsistencies in this series.”
    • “Character development is sort of meh but tolerable.”
  • atmosphere79 mentions

    The atmosphere in Sonic Frontiers is widely praised for its immersive blend of stunning visuals and a diverse soundtrack that ranges from atmospheric and melancholic to energetic and intense. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a sense of isolation and tranquility in the open world, complemented by well-crafted music that enhances both exploration and combat experiences. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as a unique and captivating experience that stands out in the Sonic franchise.

    • “The combination of catchy tunes and atmospheric tracks enhances the overall immersion, creating an auditory experience that rivals the visual spectacle.”
    • “The gentle tunes that play as you sprint across the landscape enhance the atmosphere beautifully while the soundtrack in battles with guardians seems to fit each fight impressively well.”
    • “A gloomy atmosphere hangs over much of the dialogue and some moments are genuinely sad.”
    • “The atmosphere is melancholy for the most part, and while there are some genuinely lighthearted or awesome moments, Frontiers is not afraid to show on-screen deaths, and have Sonic slowly succumb to some kind of corruption while he pretends that he's not in total agony.”
    • “The atmosphere the game sets you in when you start is completely different than every other Sonic game with its heavy inspiration from Breath of the Wild.”
  • monetization8 mentions

    The monetization aspect of Sonic Frontiers has drawn mixed reactions, with some players viewing it as a cash grab that lacks the polish of previous titles, while others appreciate it as a refreshing change for the franchise. Despite criticisms of its advertising and perceived lack of depth, some players still find enjoyment in the game, suggesting that the monetization strategy may not overshadow the overall experience.

    • “Sonic Frontiers, while it has its share of problems, is otherwise a breath of fresh air for this franchise that's been riddled with mediocre games, shoddy remasters, and shameless cash grabs.”
    • “This game is a cash grab from a developer that made no effort to make a polished Sonic game like Sonic Colors.”
    • “Pumping out either 'meh' titles, downright 'horrible' titles, or nostalgia-induced cash grabs.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

69% average critic score

Buy Sonic Frontiers

Play time

15hMedian play time
20hAverage play time
5-23hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 73 analyzed playthroughs

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