Sonic Frontiers, Tried by Gamescom 2022

Unbelievable but true, the disastrous game played just a few months ago is just a memory. after, after Tested at Gamescom 2022 Sonic FrontiersWe could not believe our eyes: the product has improved practically from every point of view. The latest release that Sega brought to Germany amazed us with better frame rates, higher resolutions, much less popups, and a more interesting level design. Is it finally time for Sonic fans to celebrate? The answer is not very clear, let’s try to find out why …

no limits

idea Sonic open worldOn the open levels, that’s not bad at all, and in fact, this wasn’t an issue with Sonic Frontiers. Sega mascot fans know this well: we’ve always dreamed of running alongside the world’s fastest porcupine without barriers or limits. But conveying the peculiar concept of the Sega platform, which is also a racing game, in a similar vein, is not an easy process. It’s been hard for Sonic to even build in 3D, let alone design a level that can no longer guide you toward the finish line.

To do this, Sonic Frontiers does what many other platforms before it have done in the past to renew itself: it gives up some cornerstones of the series, turning them into small exciting moments that reward the user during exploration. Timed routes? Now they are riding for a few moments between platforms suspended in the sky. battles? Divided into rather elaborate battles, with small enemies and those who in some cases have the dignity of small but interesting boss fights.

Sonic Frontiers is divided into islands: While we were in Los Angeles we were able to try the first, here at Gamescom we were allowed to run the second. The green plains seen in California have been replaced by large orange sandbanks topped with rugged plateaus and dotted with refreshing oases. The goal has always been the same: to carry out everything he commands us from the altar, in order to collect enough gems to continue. Important parts of the levels can now be seen even from great distances, while these previously didn’t appear until we got to an inch away, making it very difficult to even orientate yourself.

same Pop-up phenomenonis the name of this annoying effect that suddenly appears what should always be visible, still found among some set of platforms, and in a more serious form in the many rails that Sonic likes to roam through to get into hard-to-reach places.

Hello Coco!

Is she serious? Much less than in the past, but still annoying because it affects the user’s ability to choose which direction to go. To understand where we can find something new and interesting, we once again had to roll our eyes to the game’s mini-map, where the icons very carefully indicate what we have already done and what remains to be done. What the map does not indicate is where they will be hiding Coco is so sweet, tiny living creatures made of stone that Hermit Koco and Elder Koco must bring back to get some cool rewards. However, some Koco groups prefer to take us around the island, as it acts as a kind of fast travel, it runs typical and inevitable in every open world. But we have reason to believe that Koco is hiding something else, at least that’s what Takashi Izuka, the historical producer of Japanese Sega, with whom we spent several fun minutes, talking mainly about Sonic Frontiers, allowed us to understand it.

Mysteries, meteors and sharks

Iizuka San rules out the possibility of Koco originating as Chao of Sonic Adventure, but admits that Frontiers were born by taking the beloved – but also imperfect – chapters featured on the Dreamcast to the extreme. One of the elements we focused on is the design of Sonic’s enemies in this new game, which Takashi Izuka Deliberately identifies weird, weird. It’s actually the first time that Sonic has faced dangers unrelated to his historical enemy: Dr. Ivo Robotnik. This change could lead not only to a complete reinterpretation of the graphic style and enemies but also of the game world, as Sonic in this adventure will take Sonic to a different reality than the usual one in which he has been running at breakneck speed for decades.

And the This second island seems to hide a lot of mysteries. During the test we found and tried to fight a sand shark, it was necessary to cling to it with its sharp tail, trying to stay attached during its daring escape into the sand dunes; During the night we saw it A shower of colorful meteors Once collected, they activated a slot machine full of potential power ups, and we fought another huge boss, more challenging and fun than the one on the first island and during our first test with Sonic Frontiers.