FRONTEARS OF HAPPINESS!
Perhaps it’s just me getting sentimental in my old age, but today’s gameplay of Sonic Frontiers has brought back a lot of memories of my childhood. The relationship that I had with my Dreamcast was a special one after all. It was the first SEGA console that I owned. I discount my Uncle’s SEGA Master System II that he gave to me. I’m talking actually MINE.
I still remember the feeling of opening it on Christmas Day, followed closely by Sonic Adventure. What came next were a few years of chaos emerald obsession as I made my way through both the original and its sequel, Sonic Adventure 2. These games meant so much to so many and some might argue that SEGA has not reached the same heights with this spiky speed-freak since. That is, until now? Let’s get this out of the way. You might have guessed it already but I LOVED what I played of Sonic Frontiers yesterday afternoon.
Speaking with a very passionate Sonic fan in the queue for the game, he said to me how he was trying his best to not get too hopeful after being so let down in recent years… I couldn’t disagree too much. But after waiting for an hour and walking towards the station to get hands on, I might have thrown that “playing it cool” persona out of the window.
So where shall we start? Let’s go for the beginning where Sonic awakens face down, clearly disorientated but aware he’s in a place he doesn’t recognise. A voice from the sky brings him up to speed (get it?) but is not in the mood to answer any of his questions. We know from the premise of Sonic Frontiers that after falling through a wormhole and separating from his friends, he must explore the mysterious Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds once again… And this is where my playthrough got me in the nostalgic feels.
Luscious green terrain surrounded me as I made my way speedily across the plains, each blade of grass contributing to the beauty. You’ve seen this from the trailers but when you’re actually in control, it’s a whole different hedgehog. As always I got distracted by the opportunity to collect rings (this is why I eventually ran out of time) and could be found bouncing around off springs, hitting platform after platform, grinding the long, winding bars around the cliffs and just, well, jumping around having fun.
I was pleased with how smooth Sonic’s movement felt around the map and controlling the camera with the right analog stick always meant I had a chance to prepare my next point of exploration. Tutorials played as I hit certain points that allowed me to unlock attacks with experience points, teach me defense/counter attacks and discover the best way to effectively destroy enemies. Homing attacks have always been a little predictable in Sonic games but in Frontiers, that certainly changes. Enemies have health bars that you joyfully see fade with multiple hits, but don’t get too greedy! Staying in there punching away for too long saw me lose my rings on numerous occasions. I shamefully played on ‘Easy’ mode so I can’t say how forgiving it would be otherwise, but I managed to get out of these battles alive. Enemies are all machine-like and can be pretty nasty buggers. Counter attacking became not only a way to keep my stash of rings (after I’d perfected), but a very satisfactory affair. All of this was prepping me for a boss fight that I never actually got to face (note to self, don’t spend so much time jumping around on a timed playthrough at Gamescom) but you bet your last gold ring that come release on 8th November, I’ll do exactly the same thing. There’s just so much to see.
The amount of mysteries across Starfall Islands are apparent even from the mood that is set. Sonic is alone here, with no cool quips to say to anyone and no catchy soundtrack that stays in your head for years. No ‘Escape From The City’ or ‘Live And Learn’ equivalent? “Awwwwwwww no” I hear you say, and if I was reading this then I’d be saying it too. Soundtracks have been a huge part of Sonic games over the years, and yet the naturally mysterious sounds of the world around you in Frontiers only add to the ambiance.
Defeating mini bosses provided me with portal gears that, yep, you guessed it… Opened portals. These doorways to linear stages of Sonic’s memories resemble iconic locations like Green Hill Zone, only they’re floating in the air! It’s a nod to Sonic fans of old in a next-gen setting and showcases in a short period the level of depth and layers to Frontiers. This is the closest thing I’ve played to Sonic Adventure 1 + 2 and I don’t say it lightly. Be excited for this game.
I can honestly say I was saddened when I saw the words “Thank you for playing” appear on my screen as I prepped for the giant machine boss that had appeared from a portal in the sky. I was ready. So were the queue of 200 people behind me waiting for their turn. *sigh*
We’re back at Gamescom today and whilst I have other things that I should be covering, I might just need to make a lightspeed dash back over to the Sonic Frontiers booth for another run… I might even make that boss fight!
You can pre-order Sonic Frontiers with us right here at The Game Collection!
-Jack
