Friday 18 November 2022 01:53 AM PETER HOSKIN reviews Sonic Frontiers and Pokémon Scarlet And Violet trends now
Sonic Frontiers (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, £49.99)
Verdict: Bounces around too much
Rating: ***
I like omelettes. I also like ice-cream. And, yes, I’m quite partial to a glass of farmhouse cider.
But mix them all together into one unholy slop? Bleuuuurgh.
The reason I mention this is Sonic Frontiers, the latest showcase for that speedy little hedgemonster. It, too, is a mix of things that are enjoyable in isolation but rather less palatable in combination.
The most obvious ingredients are, well, Sonic himself and also The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. Just like that persistently influential game from 2017, this one takes its famous hero and deposits him in wider, airier spaces than he’s accustomed to, with more things to do as well. It’s also got a similarly wistful disposition.
There are other ingredients, too. The supersized boss battles from Shadow Of The Colossus. The platforming from 3D Mario games. Even numerous callbacks to the classic 2D Sonic levels from the 1990s.
Sonic Frontiers (pictured) is a mix of things that are enjoyable in isolation but rather less palatable in combination, writes Peter Hoskin
But the problem is the mix. None of these moments lasts too long, and they’re always followed by something entirely different. Sonic Frontiers (pictured) never settles into being a coherent game, but shuffles between several different modes
Taken individually, these things are great fun. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Sonic Frontiers contains some of the best pure gameplay in a Sonic game… ever. Whenever you’re bouncing between floating bumpers or descending into the face of a giant baddie, it’s generally fantastic.
But the problem is the mix. None of these
