Fans don’t have much longer to wait untilSonic Frontiersfinally releases. After a year of very little news, players have been given tons of gameplay previews, trailers, and even a prequel comic to keep their hype going until November 8.Sega has stated that a demo forSonic Frontiersisn’t happening before launch, so it’s only reasonable that curious fans are having a hard time waiting. A big reason as to why players want to experience it as soon as possible is the customization it offers.
Sonic the Hedgehoghas never been known for customization. In recent years,Sonic ForcesandSonic Colors: Ultimateshowed signs of that changing.Forcesallowed players to make their ownSoniccharacter, andUltimategave players different colored gloves and shoes for the titular hedgehog to wear.Sonic Frontiersexpands upon this customization, allowing fans to change how Sonic plays for the first time. Being able to adjust how Sonic’s speed works is great for each player’s specific tastes.
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Why Customizing Sonic’s Speed in Sonic Frontiers is a Good Thing
The gameplay ofSonic the Hedgehogmay seem simplistic. The player goes fast, jumps over obstacles, and makes it to the end. However, there has always been more to it than that. The head ofSonic Team has stated that speed isn’t what makesSonicfun, but rather it’s the sense of accomplishment one gets from achieving things that can only be done by mastering that speed. What pace they do it at, though, depends on the fan, as the series has enabled numerous gameplay styles.
Of course, each of those play styles has their fans. Some loyalists like to build up momentum yet keep the top speed low for the sake of controllike inSonic AdventureorSonic Lost World. Others prefer the break-neck pace of “boost” games likeSonic Unleashed. WhileSonic Frontiersdoesn’t allow fans to change the game too drastically, it has sliders that can at least keep the speed at the level they like best with settings for starting speed, turning speed, boost turning speed, and more.
Sonic Frontiers' Long Overdue Cosmetics
Speed isn’t the only thing fans can adjust inSonic Frontiers. It isn’t a series first, but players can customize Sonic’s shoes and gloves, and maybe more to explore the Starfall Islands in style. While the majority of accessories for the hedgehog deal with his shoes and gloves, thefreeMonster HunterDLCcoming after launch gives fans two full suits of Rathalos dragon armor to put Sonic in. This may be a sign that other DLC or other options in the game may offer full outfits as well.
The progression of customization inSonicgames has finally reached a point that many fans have waited for. The first time players could giveSoniccharacters costumeswas inSonic Adventure 2, but only in multiplayer. This would continue to be the case in titles likeSonic Heroes,Rivals, andShadow the Hedgehog. Even as players had their own character to customize inForces, some fans still wished for a chance to change Sonic’s look in-game.
Over the last decade, it could be argued thattheSonicfranchisegot tangled up in trying to make its fans happy as much as possible. Sonic Team learned that trying to make certain groups of fans happy would only upset other players who were left out, and the games made from these mindsets didn’t perform as well as Sega hoped.
Now, hand-in-hand with 2D releases likeSonic ManiaandOrigins,Sonic Frontiersmay let the developers present new ideas in a way that plenty of series loyalists can enjoy without compromising the franchise’s vision. Sonic Team has already defended lukewarm previews ofSonic Frontiersby saying players “didn’t understand” the gameplayif they were worried about its progress back in June. This confidence says a lot about the project, and the customization options may be important to its success. As long as the settings are executed well,Sonic Frontiersmay just be the foundation for the future ofSonicSega is hoping for.
Sonic Frontiersis launching on November 8 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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