An in Depth Review of Sonic Frontiers
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Sonic Frontiers is here and so am I. Let's take a deep dive review into this game and see how it stands up against the likes of Sonic Generations, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Unleashed, and many more. Thank you all for watching and I hope you enjoy.
All footage was captured on version 1.01 of the game within the month of November.
Special Thanks to:
Alex, for a high definition rendition of the Sucker asset: / alexstudios14
Diamond, for his Heroic Sonic drawing: / diamond_draws
Gibus, for his "You Live Like This?" drawing: / the_gibus_lord
Haren, the IT guy: / harenbaren
and my incredible parents for their continued support.
Original title: Sonic Frontiers Makes Me Feel a Lot of Things
You've pretty much summed up my feelings for this game perfectly, 5 years for this is not a positive, the lack of polish, focus and especially interesting combat along with a story that really doesnt do much for me overall just leaves me confused to no end.
Sonic Frontiers is a step in the right direction, it does lack polish but there’s a lot more good than bad.
the only complaintss aree nitpicks, and it wasn't 5 yeearss, according to kisshimoto it started development in 2019
@@fillintheblank9378 nope
@@JakeThehedgehog-m1x wdym nope?
If you cyloop Asura’s legs, he give you one portal gear *each.*
Bro what
@@IREV00 I’m not even joking. You can also still get the one from beating him.
Just watched the part where you praise Asura and now I feel bad about mentioning it 😅
Honnestly it's refreshing to see someone talk about frontiers and legitimately criticize the game without sugar coating it or following it up by praising it for what it doesnt do compared to other sonic games.
I also found myself agreeing with many points such as the music not fitting or not being that memorable, the monotony of collecting stuff that doesn't mean anything after halfway through the game and I especially agree the fishing is dull and inferior to big's fishing in sa1.
So overall great video, I can tell alot of work was put into making this.
This review was absolutely amazing, such a well done indepth review, it made me think about things about this game that I never really thought of. I love your videos so much, keep bringing these out rev! :D
Thank you StolenEarth you will forever be the homie
I WOKE UP FOR THIS IM READY
I saw this as soon as I got back on my car trip.
Here's my late reply to a late review. This is definitely the best Sonic Frontiers review I've ever seen. Less of a focus on the major problems that every review already talks about and a lot more focus on minor details, which may seem small at first, but add up quickly in making the game feel off. You're the first person I've seen that talks about the terrible design of the elder koco dialogue, or the insignificance of the cyloop and how disappointing its unlocking was, or the multiple back-to-back emerald cutscenes you get after completing a cyberspace level. Again, it's very minor things, but I think personally the biggest problem with Frontiers is the lack of this type of polish and its the reason why it gets its reputation of feeling like a tech demo. A lot of these problems can also be easily fixed, which is just bizarre to me how and why Sonic Team didn't even try to put at least some effort into polishing the game up.
Another thing I've barely seen in other reviews is the multiple-sided approach to major features of the game. I feel like other reviewers talk about this game's elements as black and white. Story good, open world good, cyberspace bad etc. I've never really seen anyone, or at least not any Sonic fan actually dissect and critique the story for example. It feels like Sonic fans have been that deprived from good characterisation that when they see Frontiers, they only think about those Knuckles cutscenes for example and completely forget the flawed plot of the game.
Sorry for the long comment but I think this review's just too good to not leave a comment. It really dissects every element in the game, big and small, while not being either too positive or too negative. I also appreciate the attempt to suggest a fix or change for every negative feature, unlike some people who rant about the game and provide no constructive criticism for actual fixes and changes that would improve the game. By the way, do you plan on covering the Frontiers DLC at some point? Personally, I think there's a lot of improvements and quality of life changes in there, but I also think it suffers from some of it's own, unique flaws. Would be really interested in what you'd have to say.
Thank you so much! Comments like these are what keep me going. I do plan on covering the DLC down the line, but definitely after I do Superstars and Mario Wonder and maybe some others. I know basically nothing about the DLC, so I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised (please...)
The comedic timing in ur editing has gotten really good
Thank you so much Widward! It’s really hard to tell if the editing will hit well for fresh eyes when compared to me who gets very familiar with it, so it’s great to hear you say that.
Honestly I think this one of your best videos so far! I haven't played Frontiers, don't really have a desire to but I totally get that frustration with the Sonic series that you have, as it's something I've had with the series for a while now. Anyways great job Rev, it's always a good day when ya upload!
Thank you so much Rylee! I always appreciate your comments.
I still think you should maybe wait for update 3 because the 2 updates we got improved the game a lot and polished things up (wich aren't featured in the video it probably was made earlier)
i just discovered your channel and i love it ! can't wait to see your future videos ;)
2:00:53 final horizon with a knuckles, tails, amy, gameplay style: just pretend I'm not here
I know this video came out before final horizon before anyone tells me
This feels less like a review and more like a liveblog turned video lmao
I definitely think u should do some kind of follow up video discussing Frontiers again, but focusing on all of the brand new content and changes that the 3 massive updates brought. The first 2 updates were amazing and it seems like update 3 could be nuts. Needless to say, definitely worth it
fyi:
the pop in in Sonic Frontiers is said to have been most likely caused by them reducing the rate at which objects render in game + the distance they start rendering at so that the Nintendo Switch could handle it.
people have made mods to increase the render distance on PC with little to no performance issues, so essentially Sega gimped every version of the game in order for all consumers to have the same experience, rather than having the Switch version (where they'd most likely sell the most) be classed as worse or inferior.
I consider that to be Nintendo's fault more than SEGA's, because almost everyone who ends up having to make multiplatform release is getting fucking crippled by the Switch, and lots of developers are getting vocal about it. I hate Nintendo's insistence that they sell you brand new 12 year old hardware every time they want to shit out a new mediocre console. Either give me something game boy sized, or make it a permanent console. I hate this hybrid half-measure shit they've been pulling lately.
In the broader context, yeah I agree and id say it goes both ways. My main point though is about what caused them to have to butcher seemingly every other platform, rather than just adjusting for the switch only, and leaving every other platform still the same. It's not uncommon for the switch version of games to have some type of performance or graphics hindrance, but why also apply it to all versions of this game. Thanks for the reply though, I do agree with you.
@Haren_Baren It's a deadline thing. When you have to make a multiplatform title, you program for your lowest spec platform first, because you can never know if you just put something in that the hardware can't handle. The least they could've done is polish up the HD releases of the game, though. Big Red Button and SEGA made this mistake with Sonic Boom, which was never meant to run on the Wii U, and ended up spending most of their dev time trying to make their own port of CryEngine 3 to inferior Nintendo hardware. The moral of that story is to never sign an exclusivity contract with Nintendo.
@@LobotomyTC If modders can go out of their way, increasing the draw distance in a few weeks after the game release, I’m pretty sure Sonic Team could do it in two days. It’s their fault for not doing it. Pretty much all multiplatform games released on Switch actually decreased their draw distance compared to the other versions, because you optimize for the weaker console, you don’t base everyone’s experience on it.
And even games that target Switch as the primary dev console always look massively better on more powerful hardware, they never keep artificial limitations like this.
I’m pretty sure it’s also because hedgehog engine 2 was not made for wide open spaces, it was built for having tight, enclosed areas being loaded in and out quickly as you blasted through them at max speed
Many people don't really know this but at the beginning of the fight for Knight when puts up his shield you can circle around it by pressing LT or RT to actually start fighting him and skip the shield riding part.
It’s RB and LB not the triggers
@@JuliRocket thanks, I forgot to to change the typo
2:00:53 they introduced a tails knuckles and amy gameplay style out of nowhere
You can parry the missiles that Wyvern shoots at you.
The cutscenes in frontiers aren't pre rendered I believe, they're all in engine due to the day and night cycle. Also them holding back with cyberspace, combat and in the open world is most likely due to playtesters, SEGA higher ups and them not being given the proper budget, time and resources. The Kronos split up happened due to time constraints, and most of your nitpicks are due to the reasons I've mentioned.
My favorite part was when sonic ran through the grassland. Fr best video so far.
just a little bit of a note, Amy is known to use tarot cards, otherwise known as fortune telling cards, you can see her using them in the cutscenes in Sonic Origins and i believe her using tarot cards was mentioned in the manual for Sonic CD
"This feels like a fan concern dragged into the game"
So you want Tails to continue being a coward?
Not at all. I think they could have framed Tails in a more heroic stance than the previous games without saying much of anything about it and it would’ve been fine. I feel the plot line we have is unnecessary, and I would much rather have seen him actually be active again than solely have the idea floated around.
I mean the 3 updates in total are gonna change so much of the game it’s insane
35:09 I know it’s insignificant, but I like how u trusted the viewer to remember how u said u liked the boss instead of flashing back like most UA-camrs would
Honestly, best review of this game I ever seen.
Thorough, honest, not really concise, but to be able to vocally explain the game's strengths and shortcomings in a step by step first impression manner will take time.
But it will paint a crystal clear picture about the impression it leaves on a player.
It all boils down to step in the right direction, but there's SO MUCH left to be desired in all aspects of it's design. (Rushed game unfinished game)
Well made video, lets hope sonic team learn from this game and move forward.
gotta love the almighty stomp and one cycling the titans with it
Great review. Though I was genuinely surprised about your takes on Wyvern and Knight. I find Wyvern to be one of the weakest bosses of the game (I find the only thing carrying it is the spectacle) and Knight being one of the best fights in the entire series (if you're not over-leveled of course).
But again, a great review that got some good laughs out of me.
Just so you know, all of that grain you see in the cutscenes, is actually Hedgehog Engine 2's rendering, not MPEG Noise. It's just a really shitty single-pass reflection on the Eggmobile, and there is a better one in the game, so I don't know why they'd use it for something as important as a cutscene. The grain you see in the initial cutscene with Eggman, actually looks intentional, like a film grain, or a fog effect. The cutscenes (except for possibly the one I just mentioned) also AREN'T pre-rendered, at least on PC. A couple of bugs in the game actually gave this away, as most of the cutscenes take place a few thousand feet in the air above the island, in a bubble that contains some cyberspace effects and assets, and the sage and eggman models.
The rest of the review is great, but a lot of the general gameplay movement problems could be fixed by not cranking every setting up to max.
ALSO, YES. The Parry does indeed have an internal timer, and they disabled it with a boolean. You flip that 0 to a 1, and you get an actually decent parry window.
ALSO ALSO, Up on the D-Pad while you're in the slot machine minigame is the button that stops the slots. Very intuitive! Only figured it out months after 100%ing the fucking game no I'm not bitter at all.
Wow that’s really surprising to hear the cutscenes aren’t prerendered, considering how they have so much artifacting compared to the looks of the base game. With all the problems The Hedgehog Engine 2 seems to have, it makes me question the reasoning for the switch in the first place. The lighting does look pretty nice in this game but I don’t think it was worth the price of everything else. Though it may very well not be the fault of the engine itself and rather Sonic Team mismanaging it (despite them being the ones that made it???).
Thanks for the comment!
@@IREV00 The biggest difference between Hedgehog Engines 1 and 2, is that 2 attempts to do dynamically, the lighting that 1 does statically through the Global Illumination Atlas. which is a black and white megatexture that is applied to each static mesh in the game, and represents all of the light bounces that are calculated in a scene render after making your stage. That's what makes HE1, especially Unleashed, have such great lighting. Your lighting accuracy is only limited by the tools you're using in 3DSMax/Blender/Ogre3D, and you can absolutely make a scene look like a production quality render in that engine.
Hedgehog Engine 2 is less accurate in the lighting department, but with a nicer shader library to make up for it somewhat. The benefit of the dynamic lighting engine it uses, mostly comes down to letting you have a day/night cycle, and a smaller game size, since you don't have to store the lighting itself. Not exactly possible in HE1, where your shadows and luminance bounces are baked in.
Additionally, most of your complaints with the weirdness of the reflections, is a product of the reflection type, Screen-space Reflectivity. Screenspace reflections kind of always look like that, even in games like Sonic Generations, X360 era Gears of War, or anything in Unreal Engine 4. True to their name, they will only reflect things that are rendered in front of you, so if you were looking down at a puddle, you wouldn't be able to see the reflection of the ceiling in the Ouranos Cavern, as the ceiling isn't rendered in the camera frustum. Unreal Engine 4 is notorious for these weird effects, as you'll notice the reflections in a body of water will disappear on the corners of the screen. It's a limitation of the process, and the only real alternative is raytracing. One of the reasons why you're noticing it so much, is because other games do a better job of hiding the things that SSR can't do. The Dark Souls "series", and Sonic Forces are very good at making planar reflections work, mostly because those games take place in tight corridors, and the environment isn't being derendered around you quite as much.
I have a feeling that Frontiers doesn't take full advantage of the occlusion culling heirarchy for objects. You CAN toggle certain things to be rendered outside of screenspace for those reflections, but it can get enormously expensive, and at a certain point, you might as well just turn raytracing on. Not something you can do on the Switch, unfortunately. Yet another example of that console keeping engine tech down.
2:37 is a dumb take in previous boost game you have to be In 2D to perform a wall jump, it doesn't happen in full 3D.
I guess the Tornado also flew out pf Cyberspace in the end.
I glad that you talk about the base ending of this game, you described so well, they just added it like the last minute.
This is why Ournos base island is my least favourite island.
Thank god Update 3 saved it which boost my positivity of this game a lot. I was positive if this game but after the updates I now ever more think this game is amazing even those flaws in mind the game is enough to strong for me to think this game is going to memory in a great way
I hope you gonna talk about generations and movie 3 since those are very exciting to me
I really like the fishing in Frontiers, mainly because it works the exact same as most of the QTEs in the game's boss fights. I just think it's really funny how the player and Sonic essentially train up to fight the titans by fishing with a large cat LOL
I just watched the full thing. Very good video. I very much enjoyed it. There were many MANY things I disagreed with, but your points were well-made, and it was very entertaining. There are criticisms here I agree with, and there are criticisms here I absolutely don’t agree with and that’s okay. I adore Sonic Frontiers and I think it’s definitely flawed, but also amazing. I don’t necessarily think you’re missing something nor do I think fans like it just because it’s a breath of fresh air from stuff like Forces or Lost World. We just have different tastes. Some of the things you hated were the very things I loved. And that’s okay. As long as we can be civil about it, that’s fine. Opinions are called opinions for a reason. They’re not set in stone. And this video did a very good job articulating your opinions and giving me a fun experience at the same time so very well done. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future.
I kinda like the green forest level because you can slide to kill the enemies and then boost again which saves time. (I used it for the time challenges)
i unlocked every skill on Kronos island lol
This game does have a spin-dash but it’s in friend mode.
The cyber space near 20:00 looks like emerald hill not green hill
Oh MAN, excellent deep dive. Any interest in covering The Final Horizon?
Thank you so much! I'm currently working on a Superstars video, but I do plan to cover all the Frontiers updates sometime after that.
Yes, the second Sonic movie is good. Apart from the wedding scene.
At least I don't need a tutorial just to find all the red wings
0:53 I'm already hooked. 😂 That caught me so off guard I shot water out my nose. Did you make that yourself in blender or something?
I dunno why you complain so much about third island and the boss there.
Just so you know, Knight is favorite titan of many players and is often voted as the best one, so it must be just you.
There were a lot of forced 2d sections on chaos island that run into, which (in my opinion) goes against the whole point of having an open-zone for sonic to traverse freely. This also makes it hard to traverse since youre always avoiding these sections so that the camera doesnt lock you in place.
many people also found the pinball minigame mechanics somewhat confusing or very tedious to complete.
Its fine if you like it btw, im just explaining why other people dont. your opinion isnt the only one that exists in the world you know
@@shirouemiya8038yeah but you are not talking about the boss fights
That’s definitely just him because knight WAS the most complex titan
The rest just feel harder versions of themselves
So that UA-camr made a hot take
Now that you mention the rigid animation, could you imagine a 3D Sonic game with the Zenless Zone Zero treatment? I think that's exactly what it needs, I'm also pretty bored of these character models, it's been the same models with only slight tweaks for about a decade now if not more, no matter how good the Sonic game may be if it's still using the same assets it always puts me down, the first thing I do is download a mod because modders tend to actually do something unique with the models.
1:31:25 I know I'm months late, but this level is from Sonic Unleashed Rooftop Run Act 2.
Geez 2 hours? For you anything ❤
You should do a post update retrospective
2:20:05-2:20:22
Sounds like a Sonic Riders song!
9:22-9:46
There's a deceleration rate option. That'll fix it.
You have a relaxing voice.
54:05-54:18
Yeah this gets fixed in one of the updates. You now have jump deceleration rate
I complained my way through this whole game. I really wanted to enjoy it but it just wasn’t that fun. I only found completing the map and some of the combat to be fun. Sonic games have been so consistently bad for years now I that I don’t trust any game with Sonic’s name on it anymore. I’m just waiting for a shoe to fall for Sonic x shadow generations at this point.
The day Sonic becomes good again is the day SEGA as a company makes a half-way decent decision! 😂
So… never? Lmao. Atleast the fan games and indie games are great!
as much as i think this review is absolutely amazing and entertaining whilst also spannign 2 and a half hours, i'd just like to say i dont happen to agree with the last thing abt patheticism to do with sonic team and failing a game that's been in the works for half a decade. at least to me i feel like sega can always just find new ways of fucking sonic team over, sonic frontiers wasn't just rushed it was also delayed and had trouble trying to delay in the first place. if the head of sonic team (i forgot his name) hadn't begged sega to extend the deadline then i feel like this review of the game would be a lot worse. but like 95% of this review i love a lot, it's funny and its keeping me entertained without skipping, and i love the writing in a lot of the script here. you were very fair and objective on the game itself (excluding the comment abt patheticism bc i do think that was a bit harsh) and this was a very nice watch. thank you for making this video, i very much enjoyed it
Thank you so much!
It's the open world nature. There no real point in having an open world where there only two states of play, combat, none combat.
It's the same reaon why mg5 sucks. Some games just don't make good open world settings, just like some games didn't make good platformers or fps
you should try the free update they just released, changes the endgame which is a good change of pace
11:16 You mean your S-game?
It’s a good day when Rev uploads.
Thank you Cosmic Vortech, always good to see you down here.
2:31:11 in your opinion ofc because it did worked out overall
(eenterss 4-5) "oh nice another original level" nopee thats a cool edge extra lvl from unleashed
Im honestly just glad it turned out better than forces
42:39 These are poppies
Damn Rev you've been busy...
8:49 Dang you made him sad :(
You were fighting wyvern wrong. You’re meant to parry the missiles, also you don’t even have to move to do the fight, it’s just hold parry, (cuz it’s infinite) block the missile, stomp him, repeat, do QTE, and win. It’s not fun if you do it right. Also, the updates fixed most issues you had, like the ending, new challenges, and the spin dash
Something something screen space reflections are usually jank
Ah frontiers, I appreciate parts of it but I’m trying to look to the future, what can they take from this and do better
I do love the music tho, bangers all around
2:00:51 thats what the elc is for
1:49:26 uM aCtUaLlY, sOnIc'S hAnDs ArE tOo SmAlL tO pIcK uP tHe SwOrD ☝🤓
im jumping
I only got through like an 1 hour of this game. Open world was so boring gotta collect a certain amount of items to progress. Ruined the experience.
Maybe if Shadow were there the magic of love would have worked better than the magic of friendship
I think i just found a genre of videos.
*Autistically nitpicking and taking apart a sonic game*
Its a thing of beauty.
With regards to the pop ups btw...
Simply put, if those tutorials aren't there, some idiot that has the same gaming prowess as the that guy that played cuphead will quit out.
If you understand it, just read through it quick or even skip it. Nothing of value is lost.
Sadly, gaming is quite bread these days and a lot of folks aren't that quick to understand something.
Also, comparing the complexity of M64 to this is funny.
5:08 What is that song?
Make a vid on the dlc
i dont like how you assume we like frontiers just because of forces or that its all we can get, i like the game because i like the game
yeah it's flawed, but its a game i cant really get tired of, ive completed it 5 times in multiple different ways thanks to the extreme and new game+ modes in update 1-2, the game holds a special place in my heart due to how it released on my bday and during a pretty tragic moment around the same time
i thought the game was very fun, and left a long lasting impact on me
i didnt like it because it was better than forces, or because it was the new shiny game, or because i was starving, i loved it because it gave me hope and provided a sonic game i couldn't get anywhere else, again its flawed but its such a unique experience that will eventually be masked out by momentum physics and such next game, i appreciate the more experimental and unique sonic games regardless of the approach
obviously im not saying you were gatekeeping or anything, but its important to keep in mind that everyone feels much differently towards a product and its not the greatest mindset to question them as if they're a confused fan
like it or not, every sonic game has its fans, and its not something im willing to raise an eyebrow at because everyone feels differently about a project, its just how it is, and i allow them to do that
Based
neat.
A lot of your complaints were fixed in new updates
Is this was the Sonic game that people ask to vote against Genshin Impact? 😣
It does lack polish , cut scenes quality and process because pointless after the 2nd World
However, frontiers has way better English voice over performance, the soundtrack is equal good as Genshin and looks fun to explore
Still would prefer Genshin since it's free to play ( I am free to play player btw) , it's more polish and the development teams knows what they want and what players needs
Frontiers has lots of potential but the problem is how to unlocked
PS: I like Sonic as much Hoyo games such as Genshin. Had found lame the drama between them since Sega and MiHoYo were working together since August 2021 🤷
Nah...the gameplay and combat of frontiers is much better than genshin impact's game play and the game itself isn't even feels that polish it feels kinda stuff yes I played the game..myself sonic frontiers is better and more fun because it's fast paced..the combat of sonic frontiers feels abit repetitive but that's ok because it's actually unique and designed very well and polished combat system and it actually does get you to use some tactics and skills to use the combat system and utilizing sonic's skills but in genshin impact well the combat is decent but it's waay more repetitive than frontiers..you just keep pressing one button to do the combat..but in frontiers it takes some skills and tactics to utilise sonic's movesets and skills and before you use the argument that:((I'm a sonic fanboy who wants to defend this game)) no I Played both genshin impact and sonic frontiers both I'm just giving you factual information here.
2:01:20
Christ...
Hello Irev my name is Isaiah and I have something important to say to you. God loves you and like any father he wants to help you and keep you safe especially from the devil. But I am not just speaking to you about this I am also talking to your fans about this. God loves you all and especially in the times we our living in we are in need of him more than ever. But the choice is ultimately yours have a nice day Shalom Shalom.
Nice
daaaaaaaamn thas craszy 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
What dose this have to do with Sonic…?
@@456xp5 It has nothing to do with Sonic.
@456xp5 I just wanted to put down a important message. Have a nice day Shalom Shalom.
57:19 hey tobuscus