Sonic Frontiers Review

Sonic Frontiers, developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega, brought its ambitious “Open Zone” concept to the PlayStation 4 (PS4) in 2022. Representing a bold new direction for the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, this action-adventure platformer attempts to blend traditional speed-based gameplay with expansive, explorable environments. This Sonic Frontiers PS4 review evaluates its innovations and how well the Blue Blur’s latest adventure fares on Sony’s last-gen console.

Gameplay: Freedom, Speed, and Combat Evolution

The most significant departure in Sonic Frontiers is its “Open Zone” design. The Starfall Islands offer large, interconnected environments filled with grinding rails, boost pads, and various puzzles and challenges. Unlike a traditional open world, these zones are designed to facilitate Sonic’s high speed and flow, encouraging players to traverse at breakneck pace to uncover secrets and collect items.

Sonic gains several new abilities vital for exploration and combat. The “Cyloop” allows Sonic to draw a circle around enemies or objects, triggering various effects from damage to revealing hidden items. The combat system is surprisingly robust, incorporating a skill tree that unlocks new moves and combos, making encounters against the large, often intimidating, “Guardians” much more engaging. While traversing the Open Zones, players will find portals to “Cyber Space” levels, which are bite-sized, linear stages reminiscent of classic Sonic platforming, often with strict time limits. On PS4, the game generally performs adequately, maintaining a playable framerate, though it can show occasional dips in densely populated areas compared to the smoother experience on newer consoles.

• Innovative “Open Zone” design blending speed and exploration
• New core abilities: Cyloop, enhanced combat moves
• Fast-paced and satisfying combat against unique Guardians
• Classic linear “Cyber Space” stages for traditional platforming
• Encourages constant speed and flow in exploration

Story and Setting: Ancient Mysteries on Starfall Islands

The narrative sees Sonic, along with Tails, Amy, and Knuckles, pulled into a wormhole and stranded on the mysterious Starfall Islands – ancient islands filled with strange technology and giant enemies. Dr. Eggman is also trapped, his new AI creation, Sage, acting as a seemingly enigmatic antagonist. The story delves into the history of an ancient civilization and the mysteries of the islands, offering a more serious tone than recent Sonic entries.

The lore is presented through environmental storytelling and recovered memories, encouraging players to piece together the events. The islands themselves are diverse, ranging from lush forests to volcanic landscapes and desolate desert ruins.

Graphics and Sound: Visual Contrast and Energetic Audio

Visually, Sonic Frontiers on the PS4 presents an interesting contrast. While Sonic himself retains his stylized design, the environments are often more realistic and desolate, creating a unique, somewhat unsettling aesthetic. The game utilizes detailed textures and impressive draw distances to realize its large zones.

The soundtrack is a standout feature, blending atmospheric electronic music for exploration in the Open Zones with high-energy rock and metal tracks during combat and boss encounters. The voice acting for the main cast is solid, maintaining the established personalities of the characters.

Replayability: Rings, Challenges, and More

Sonic Frontiers offers decent replayability. Players will spend time collecting Chaos Emeralds, completing puzzles, and conquering various challenges across the islands to unlock new areas and progress the story. The optional Cyber Space levels encourage chasing high scores, and finding all the collectibles will keep completionists busy.

Is Sonic Frontiers on PS4 Worth Playing Today?

For Sonic fans and those curious about the franchise’s new direction, Sonic Frontiers on PS4 is a worthwhile experience. While not without its quirks, its ambitious Open Zone gameplay, engaging combat, and unique blend of exploration and speed offer a refreshing take on the Blue Blur’s adventures. It’s a bold attempt that, despite some technical limitations on PS4, provides a solid foundation for the future of modern Sonic gaming on the PlayStation 4.