The Sonic Frontiers Recipe:

- Spectacle & Music from Metal Gear Rising
- Story & Atmosphere from Nier: Automata
- Scope & Gameplay Loop from Breath of the Wild / Super Mario Odyssey
- Speed & Silliness from the Sonic Team

All jokes and comparisons aside, this is such an experimental playground of a game—there's a lot of concepts that I love, though the execution of those ideas are hit-or-miss. I hope they put this vision into a more focused experience in the future. This is a step in the right direction and I'm all for it.

Will it exceed any aspect that the aforementioned games are known for? Not really (aside from the music. It's an amazing blend of rock, orchestra, and EDM jams).

Will it excite newcomers to the franchise or those who have dropped Sonic long ago? Probably not, as the game has a simplistic understanding of the genres it borrows from and doesn't necessarily excel beyond the basics.

Will it entertain longtime Sonic fans? Absolutely. Especially after the lackluster 3D outings from Lost World and Forces, you're either going to love Frontiers or appreciate what its existence could mean for the blue blur's adventures later down the road.

Side Note: Unfortunately, the game doesn't have much to do after completing the game, and I hope SEGA / Sonic Team seriously considers DLC or takes into account of more side activities / locales in their next game.

EDIT: OH MY GOSH THEY DID IT. DLC for 2023?! More playable characters?! For FREE?! Just to be clear, Sonic Frontiers is indeed a complete experience though these future modes and challenges will obviously help with the game's replayability. Excited for what's to come.