Recent reviews by Vhat

(SPOILER-FREE) Sonic is back. This is one of the best 3D Sonic games ever made. Objectively, a 7 or 8 out of 10 is a fair rating for what the game has to offer, but my enjoyment (being a long time Sonic fan) is more like an 8 or 9 out of 10. I'm not done but I've played enough to give some thoughts.

PROS:
+ Tight controls in the open-area that can be tweaked to your liking. This includes acceleration, speed, turning radius, and even how far you fly off of certain slopes (+ more). You can also tweak the camera settings to be further or closer to Sonic.

+ Fun abilities to use, and you can often use them in tandem with each other. You have the Light Dash to follow a trail of rings, the Boost + Power Boost for speedier traversal, Drop Dash for increased speed downhill, Stomp for precise platforming, Bounce for increased jump height. The Cyloop is useful in exploration and combat.

+ Combat is simple, but decently varied in the abilities you can use, and it's flashy. It's more style over substance, but it complement's Sonic's speed. You can even avoid most combat scenarios if you're not a huge fan.

+ Open zone has plenty to do with platforming segments, combat, collectibles, and simple puzzles.

+ Cyberspace and fishing portals offer a nice pace-breaker to exploring the open area, and let you play Sonic Frontiers the way you want, because there are multiple ways to get the collectibles you need to progress the story. Fishing game is simple with relaxing music, and can give you an easier time getting certain collectibles. Cyberspace levels are bite-sized versions of past conventional Sonic stages with high-speed platforming. They are fun to replay for faster times + getting collectibles.

+ Soundtrack is great. It's diverse in genre, but also in tone. There's relaxing and also high-octane tunes - Cyberspace tracks in particular stand out for their energy.

+ Decent story with an air of mystery that takes itself seriously while still having levity. If you're a fan of the IDW Sonic comics, you'll probably love it.


CONS:

-Pop-in is really bad. It honestly doesn't bother me much because it rarely put me in a case where I would completely miss an element because I couldn't see it and was moving too fast. However, it still hurts the game's presentation. Speaking of which...

-Presentation is inconsistent. Sometimes, the game looks gorgeous in its lighting, textures, and animation. Other times, it looks more like a 360 or early Xbox One game. This is most apparent with the in-game cutscenes.

-Physics can be janky. Sometimes when you boost off an edge, Sonic either enters the "Trick mode" or it's like he is glued to the ground. You can usually stop Sonic on a dime even when he's going very fast, or even by letting go of the stick. They might have done this on purpose because in past Sonic games, it was the opposite where it was way too easy to slide off a ledge. Would have preferred the physics to be more like the "traditional pinball momentum-based physics" from Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, but Frontiers' physics are still fun to play with.

-Cyberspace controls are different from the open zone, and they don't feel nearly as good. The turning while boosting is sluggish, and you can't change your direction in the air nearly as much. The Drop Dash feels great in 2D stages, but is weirdly slow in 3D stages. Sonic can roll in 2D stages like classic games, but it seems somewhat useless due to janky physics.

-Some may find the game too easy. The parry requires no timing other than to just keep holding the buttons, and gives you big reward. You can always get rings with the Cyloop and collect any you lose instantly with the Light Dash, so you might not die. Many times, you may get shoved back by an enemy, but it doesn't count as a hit that makes you lose rings.


SUMMARY: This game could easily be a 9 out of 10 if it were more polished in regards to pop-in, presentation, and janky physics. However, it's still a fun 3D action game with good controls, a nice sense of speed, flashy combat, great soundtrack, and a good story for the fans. Sonic Team, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS FORMULA FOR FUTURE GAMES. I really like this game, and look forward to the future for Sonic games. And if you're still reading, I hope this helped you decide to get the game!

Excellent story inspired by film noir. Art direction is uniquely compelling even nearly 20 years later, and the dialogue is witty and hilarious. BUT, the game can be quite cryptic. I really feel that there are barely any people on this earth that could beat this game without looking at a walkthrough at least ONCE. Manny should have had either more dialogue to provide guidance, or he should have had a notebook to keep track of what he still needs to do. What helped me eventually was playing the game with a notepad on hand.

If you tolerate the cryptic puzzles and stiff controls, you'll be rewarded with a truly enjoyable world containing characters that come alive through their performances.

Very well-written and designed. This is an experience you will never forget, similar to an experimental, story-centric game like Undertale. The warning holds very true. Do not play if you are easily disturbed.