Hey, everyone! This time, I review the latest addition to Sega's long-running, popular gaming franchise. Consigned to speed his way to victory? Or will the police stop him from going over 150 times the speed limit?
First off, big shout out to Caroline from GAME for the request to do this game in the first place.
Shortly after the PC upgrade was fitted, from my birthday in November, and she immediately requested me to review this game. Unfortunately, that was the day before my epilepsy clinic appointment and the difficult decision was made to temporarily, and indefinitely suspend reviews.
So, Caroline once again, I appreciate your patience! . Finally, I have asked both Sonic, and Tails to leave the room to eliminate any corporate bias.
With all of this aside, let's get into this review!
In the gaming industry today, there are very few icons that truly stood to the test of time. Examples of these icons would be Link, from legend of Zelda, which started in 1986.
Mario, named after Nintendo angry landlord
FUN FACT: did you know that the original name for super Mario was Jump Man?
And of course Sonic the Hedgehog. This speedy blue hedgehog made its mark as a launch title for the Sega Genesis in June 23, 1991.
FUN FACT: did you know that Sonic was originally not to be a hedgehog? during the design phase of the Sega Genesis classic, our protagonist was originally to become a rabbit, called Needlemouse. Ironically enough, the name name is a literal Japanese translation to the word hedgehog.
Also, did you know that Sonic's first love interest wasn't Amy? the original character designs for sonic was he was supposed to be in love with a blonde woman called Madonna? Of course, the concept was scrapped by Sega of America, to create a more "family friendly" feeling to the franchise.
However, in recent times, the franchise has been in decline. As a case in point, the sub par sonic forces, which was loathed by critics, and the community.
However, there are an odd entry or two which stood against that trend. For example, Sonic Mania, which was the highest rated sonic game in 15 years, released in 2017.
This entry of the series takes place in the Starfall Islands. Our antagonist, Dr Eggman travelled to the islands to discover ancient secrets related to chaos. His plan backfired and is uploaded to an artificial dimension, called cyberspace (we interrupt this Sonic Frontiers review to bring your system shock).
Our speedy, blue protagonist finds himself in the Starfall Islands by getting sucked into a wormhole. Guided by a mysterious voice, it is up to you to explore the open environments, defeating Titans, importantly save his friends, and put a stop to yet another one of |Dr Eggman's plans for world domination.
The accessibility scores are as follows-
Visibility 10
Although there are no colour blind modes present in its interface, there is very little need for one. There are no colour-coded elements that can cause issues for a colourblind players.
Audibility .9.5
In this game, subtitles are enabled by default. However, that is simply not good enough. The golden solution for players with hearing impairments to have a subtitle function in the options menu , which can be enabled, and disabled on the fly. Not simply shoved in front of your face!
Mobility 11
For the PC version, which we have used to test this game, when playing with a keyboard, the key layouts can be completely customised via the control sections of the options menu.
As par for the course, for Sonic the Hedgehog game, there is controller support available. When playing with the controller, the button the edge can be completely customised. On top of that, you can set the camera to automatically follow sonic as he travels the open world sections (more on that in a minute!). So a player with a mobility impairment should be to play this game with very minimal issues.
Gameplay 10
In short, this game is a complete new direction of a traditional Sonic game. This is mostly due to the game's "Open Zone" style of gameplay. Instead of having a traditional hub, where you can select which stage you want to play, Similar to the Xbox 360 classic, Sonic Unleashed, this is a completely different ball game altogether.
Instead, you are placed in a, vast, open world environment. This environment is full of secrets, bosses which seem to be ripped from a souls game, only a lot more easy to beat (no seriously, I have cleared the first NG in dark souls three!).
Progression through this game feels somewhat repetitive. You complete objectives in cyberspace storms for vault keys. You then use these keys to unlock vaults which contains Chaos Emeralds, which are necessary to defeat massive bosses, known as "Titans".
Similar to the dark souls games, this game reward you for taking your time, and exploring the environments. battles against Titans are a lot easier when you fully explore the environments, levelling up your character is an attack and defence power, which, in turn helps you even the odds. In short, if you rush into those Titan battles, the boss will kick you @$$, and you’ll have to take it!
In summary, Sonic Frontiers feels like revolutionary for the series as a whole. The overall style of gameplay is an entirely new take on the sonic the hedgehog franchise as a whole. Instead of going from level to level, reaching the exit. As I have said, this game rewards you for taking your time, and exploring the open environments.
If you are a sonic the hedgehog enthusiast, but is sick and tired of playing the same style of game with every entry, this game is highly recommended.
OVERALL SCORE 101.25%
See you guys in the next review!
Roll out, Spartan Century!
No comments:
Post a Comment