This is a fantastic game and I wholly recommend it. Sonic makes a great transition to open world style gameplay here, and for me it's the good parts of the Adventure games but with even more to do. The RPG mechanics are simple but allow for clever and satisfying combat, the islands are a treat to explore, and the story is engaging. This is a must for any Sonic fan-- it's been a long time since Sonic characters have been treated with the respect they have here in-game.

STORY

I'll keep it spoiler-free. The story is centered around the Chaos Emeralds and this abandoned civilization that possibly even predated the Echidna tribe. The story's tone is akin to the Adventure games and heavily references them as well, but there are call backs to all sorts of other games too, and you can tell that this game serves to straighten out the canon. With respect to the seriousness too, the game is also not afraid to get silly and the times it does are pleasant and fun surprises.

All the characters have a chance to shine and it's a joy to watch their interactions with one another. There's also more depth given to Eggman and his relationship with his creations, which I felt added a lot too (and will likely continue thematically in future games). The mystery of the story itself I found to be engaging and I thought it was all well written.

This is major copium but the game itself felt like they were laying down the groundwork for a lot of future story and gameplay elements (like the frequently requested Chao Gardens). While none of that has paid off yet, I still think this game does a lot well and stands very well on its own. This is the first time in a long time where I've beaten a game and I'm excited to see the next one come out.

GAMEPLAY

Sonic is placed in open zones, which are huge islands consisting of different terrain. The rails and springs and all that good stuff seem random at first, but as you play more you see how it all fits together and flows from one location to the next. Sonic feels great to control and he can be very, very fast. The combat is simple at first, but gets more and more complex as you unlock more skills and they feel satisfying to master. The combat is genuinely fun, and it shines the most when fighting guardians (mini-bosses) and titans (the huge boss when completing each island).

Sonic doesn't control as well in the cyber space stages, but these stages are pretty short, easy to master, and are good breaks from the open world exploration. The 3D stages are the most fun and put your skills to the test to get that coveted S rank, too.

If there is any gameplay element you don't like or find too grindy or difficult, then my man Big the Cat has got your back. There is a fishing zone on each island, and the fishing mini-game is fun, relaxing, and VERY rewarding. Catching fish gives you currency that you can trade with Big in exchange for pretty much anything in the game other than Chaos Emeralds themselves. Big is your best friend in 100%ing the game and you can also get a full fishing encyclopedia. Also, you can buy lore!

Final note: I beat this game on Hard, and it was, well, hard sometimes, but coming from someone who never plays hard mode in games, it was extremely enjoyable. There is not a different ending on the difficulties, but the final battles in the game are different, so I recommend playing it on Hard or switching it in the final battle.

MUSIC

It goes HARD. Sonic games always have slapping music and this is NO EXCEPTION. From somber piano, to upbeat EDM, to dubstep, to "lo-fi beats to relax and fish to", to HARD METAL this game has it all and it does it SO well. This might be my favorite OST in any Sonic game which is saying a lot because I am a GIANT fan of Sonic OSTs.

DOWNSIDES

I don't have many negatives. The biggest one for me is that the layout for the cyber space stages are tired and overdone at this point-- I'm sick of seeing Green Hill Zone aesthetics and i'm sick of the formula that Generations introduced with nostalgia in mind. That being said, I never felt like I was getting nostalgia baited and the callbacks in the game are done well.

People have been complaining about pop-ins and like, yeah, that happens, but the only island where I noticed this and had it affect me was on the third island. Otherwise, it didn't bug me and I hardly noticed while playing.

There are a few times where I'd go zipping off a large enemy or I'd get frustrated with climbing, but this didn't happen enough to hamper my experience overall.

OVERALL

Please support this game if anything I said here sounds like a good time to you. Sonic Team is on the right track with this one and I hope they can make even bigger and better projects down the line too. I loved this game and if it had a Chao Garden it would've annihilated Sonic Adventure 2 as my favorite Sonic game, but this is still pretty high up there. Give Sonic Frontiers a chance!