Sonic Frontiers is Evolving

Summary

The video script discusses the second major DLC update to 'Sonic Frontiers,' highlighting new features like festive cosmetic options, a new game plus mode, and the highly anticipated 'spin dash' ability. The script praises the addition of challenging platforming segments and the impact of the spin dash on gameplay, while also critiquing aspects like the 'action chain' challenges and the limitations of New Game Plus. The review concludes by commending the Sonic team for improvements based on player feedback.

Takeaways

• 🎮 The Sonic's birthday DLC for 'Sonic Frontiers' introduced new cosmetic options and festive themes to celebrate Sonic's birthday.
• 🎶 A new playlist featuring bouncy tunes from the franchise was added, but可惜的是 none of these are available in the Jukebox.
• 🆕 The update included a new game plus mode that allows players to start a new game with all abilities unlocked after beating the final boss.
• 🎵 Players can now toggle the background music in cyberspace to avoid distortion when boosting, enhancing the ability to hear the soundtrack clearly.
• 🔧 The dynamic camera during combat skill use can be disabled, which was a feature some players had modded in before but has mixed reception.
• 🌐 The difficulty of Ria Island's tower climbing challenges was reduced in easy mode, making it more accessible but also less challenging.
• 🏰 New platforming segments and Coco challenges were added, offering more challenging level designs that test Sonic's abilities.
• 🌐 The action chain challenge 'silup' was introduced, encouraging players to score as many points as possible within a time limit by performing various actions.
• 🌟 The spin dash ability was added as a significant upgrade, allowing for greater mobility and environmental interaction, greatly enhancing the gameplay experience.
• 🔄 The Boost now carries over into jumps, addressing a major control issue and improving the overall pacing and flow of movement in the game.
• 🎖️ Completing all challenges and achieving 100% completion in 'Sonic Frontiers' rewards players with a cosmetic item, although the reward may not be as satisfying as the effort required.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is discussing the second major DLC update to 'Sonic Frontiers', including new features, improvements, and the impact of these updates on gameplay.

What are the new cosmetic options introduced in the 'Sonic's birthday bash' update?

The new cosmetic options include festive re-skins for a majority of game assets, such as Sonic and friends, Cocos, the HUD, open Zone elements like grind rails, platforms, and balloons, as well as a playlist of bouncy tunes from the franchise.

What is the significance of the 'Guardian songs' in the game's music?

The 'Guardian songs' take precedence over other music in the game, indicating that they are likely the main or most important theme songs for different areas or characters.

What new feature was added to the game with the new update that allows players to start a new game with all abilities unlocked?

A new game plus feature was added, which unlocks after beating the final boss and allows players to start a new game with all abilities unlocked, marked by an emblem on the save file.

How does the new update change the dynamic camera setting during combat?

Players can now disable the dynamic camera when using skills in combat, allowing them to keep their eyes focused on the action without the camera angle being automatically adjusted.

What is the 'Action Chain Challenge' and how does it work?

The 'Action Chain Challenge' is a new feature where players must perform a series of actions like springs, dash pads, wall running, wall jumping, rail grinding, tricks, boosting, and combat within a time limit to score as many points as possible.

What is the 'spin dash' and how does it improve the gameplay experience?

The 'spin dash' is a new ability that allows Sonic to curl into a ball and dash at high speeds, maintaining momentum and enabling new ways to navigate the game environment, making the gameplay more fluid and dynamic.

How does the new update address the issue of jumping killing speed in the game?

The new update introduces a feature where boosting carries into jumps, allowing players to maintain their speed when jumping, which was a significant criticism in the original game.

What are the new platforming segments added to each island with the update?

The new platforming segments are challenging level designs that test Sonic's abilities, often taking place high up in the sky with obstacles requiring precise timing and little 2D platforming.

What is the player's recommendation for playing the game on 'easy mode'?

The player suggests trying the game on 'normal' difficulty first to experience the intended challenge and fun of the tower climb, and only changing to 'easy mode' later if desired.

What does the player think about the new 'Coco' challenges and their impact on the game?

The player finds the new 'Coco' challenges to be some of the best platforming in the game, offering elaborate and longer designs that make them more engaging and enjoyable than before.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Sonic's Birthday Bash Update Overview

The script introduces the Sonic's Birthday Bash DLC for Sonic Frontiers, highlighting its release on Sonic's birthday. It discusses the addition of festive cosmetic options that reskin game assets, new music from the franchise, and a new game plus mode. The update includes adjustments to the game's mechanics, such as the ability to toggle the background music and disable the dynamic camera during combat. The script also mentions easier tower climbing challenges in easy mode and the introduction of new platforming segments with Coco challenges on each island.

05:01

🌟 New Platforming Challenges and Coco's Additions

This paragraph delves into the new platforming challenges added to Sonic Frontiers, emphasizing the originality and difficulty of the levels designed to test Sonic's abilities. It describes the elaborate level designs, the use of obstacles, and the precision required for the challenges. The script also touches on the creative structure of some challenges, the use of enemies to create necessary springs, and the issues with the climbing mechanics, particularly the recovery animation that can hinder precise movements.

10:01

🔄 Reflections on Gameplay Mechanics and Controls

The script reflects on the gameplay mechanics and controls of Sonic Frontiers, discussing the impact of the spin dash and its ability to maintain speed while airborne. It mentions the ability to charge the spin dash mid-air and the new setting for jump deceleration. The paragraph also covers the benefits of the spin dash for exploration and the changes it brings to the game's movement dynamics, including its application to all islands and the ability to bypass large portions of 2D sections.

15:01

🎉 Spin Dash's Impact on Sonic Frontiers

This paragraph focuses on the transformative impact of the spin dash feature in Sonic Frontiers. It discusses how the spin dash changes the way players interact with the game's environment, allowing for new shortcuts and methods of traversal. The script also highlights the spin dash's ability to enhance the gameplay experience, making it more exhilarating and providing a sense of freedom in movement.

20:02

🛠 Adjusting to the New Movement Mechanics

The script talks about the necessity to adjust to the new movement mechanics introduced by the spin dash and the boost carrying over into jumps. It mentions the improvements to the 3D sections of the game, making them more enjoyable, and the challenges faced in 2D sections due to the lack of speed increase with boosting. The paragraph also addresses the need to unlock the spin dash at the end of the game and the implications for New Game Plus mode.

25:04

🏆 Post-Game Content and Challenges

The final paragraph discusses the post-game content and the process of achieving 100% completion in Sonic Frontiers. It details the various tasks needed for completion, such as defeating Guardians, collecting Cocos, and S-ranking action chains. The script also expresses a desire for more rewarding post-game content and the potential for further improvements in the final update of the game.

Keywords

💡Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Frontiers is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It is the main theme of the video as the script discusses various aspects and updates of the game. The game is known for its expansive environments and the ability to explore as the character Sonic the Hedgehog, with the script highlighting new features and improvements in the DLC updates.

💡DLC Update

DLC stands for 'Downloadable Content,' which are additions to a video game that can add new content, missions, or features. In the context of the video, the script discusses the second major DLC update to Sonic Frontiers, which has significantly enhanced the gameplay experience with new features such as cosmetic options and additional challenges.

💡Cosmetic Options

Cosmetic options in video games refer to changes in the appearance of characters or elements within the game that do not affect gameplay but serve to customize the visual experience. The script mentions that the Sonic's birthday DLC update introduced new cosmetic options that re-skin game assets to be more festive.

💡Game Plus

Game Plus is a feature in some video games that allows players to start a new game with certain advantages, such as retaining abilities or items from a previous playthrough. The script discusses the introduction of a new game plus in Sonic Frontiers, which marks the save file with an emblem and allows for a new game start with all abilities unlocked.

💡Cyberspace

Cyberspace, in the context of Sonic Frontiers, refers to a virtual environment within the game where Sonic can explore and engage in combat. The script mentions an update that allows players to toggle the background music in Cyberspace to avoid distortion when boosting.

💡Dynamic Camera

A dynamic camera in video games is one that automatically adjusts its position and angle to frame the action in an optimal way. The script discusses an update that allows players to disable the dynamic camera during combat skills, providing a more focused view on the action.

💡Tower Climbing Challenges

Tower climbing challenges are a type of gameplay mechanic where players must ascend a tower by overcoming various obstacles. The script mentions that the difficulty of these challenges in Ria Island's tower was reduced in easy mode, making it more accessible but also altering the control dynamics.

💡Cocoa

In Sonic Frontiers, Cocoa are non-playable characters that offer challenges to the player. The script discusses new Cocoa and accompanying challenges that have been added to the game, providing additional platforming segments and tests of Sonic's abilities.

💡Action Chain Challenge

The Action Chain Challenge is a new feature in the Sonic Frontiers DLC where players must perform a series of actions within a time limit to score as many points as possible. The script describes this as a score attack mode that adds a new layer of challenge and engagement to the game.

💡Spin Dash

The Spin Dash is a move in the Sonic games where Sonic curls into a ball and spins rapidly to charge forward at high speed. The script highlights the introduction of the Spin Dash in Sonic Frontiers as a game-changing feature that enhances the gameplay by allowing for greater mobility and exploration.

💡New Game Plus

In the context of the video, New Game Plus refers to starting a new game with certain advantages or unlocked features from a previous completion. The script discusses the limitations of the New Game Plus mode in Sonic Frontiers, such as having to replay the game to unlock the Spin Dash and the impact on game progression and challenge.

Highlights

Introduction of new cosmetic options for Sonic's birthday, re-skinning game assets for a festive occasion.

Addition of new game plus feature, allowing players to start a new game with all abilities unlocked.

Option to toggle the background music in cyberspace to avoid distortion during boosting.

Introduction of difficulty adjustments in Ria Island's tower climbing challenges, especially on easy mode.

Addition of new Coco challenges with original platforming segments testing Sonic's abilities.

Inclusion of new island themes in the game's music, allowing players to customize their auditory experience.

Reduction in difficulty for easy mode tower climbing by adding springs, changing the gameplay experience.

Discussion of the impact of disabling the dynamic camera during combat skills, affecting gameplay perspective.

Introduction of the spin dash ability, fundamentally changing the game's movement mechanics.

The ability to carry boost momentum into jumps, addressing a major control issue from previous gameplay.

Addition of the action chain challenge, encouraging players to score points through various actions.

Discussion on the transformation of Chaos Island with the introduction of the spin dash, improving the level design.

Reflection on the game's homogeneous world design and its impact on player's ability to recognize level intricacies.

Critique of the game's 2D sections, where boosting does not increase speed, affecting gameplay flow.

The spin dash's ability to bypass many 2D sections, providing a significant gameplay advantage.

The necessity to play through the game at least once to unlock the spin dash, influencing player's second playthrough.

Final thoughts on the game's improvements and the potential for future updates to further enhance the experience.

Transcripts

I've been playing a lot of Frontiers

lately frankly more than anyone should I

walked outside earlier saw a tree and

thought about siluping it and quickly

ran back inside terrified of what I'd

become

welcome to my channel Sonic's birthday

bash is the second major DLC update to

Grace Sonic Frontiers and with two

simple additions has taken Everyone by

storm you may already know what I'm

talking about but before getting into

that let's start with the small stuff

being released on Sonic's birthday there

are new cosmetic options that re-skin a

majority of game assets to be more

festive for the occasion Sonic and

friends Cocos the HUD open Zone elements

like grind rails platforms and balloons

there's even a playlist of appropriately

bouncy Tunes taken from the franchise

that auto place some pretty deep cuts on

here too chaotic Sonic R Advanced Free

Riders this is not your typical mix and

it's over half an hour sadly none of

these are available in the Jukebox so

you'll have to wait for your favorite

song If you want to hear it maybe

they'll change that one day who knows

ah the second coming of De Nuvo I see

what were added to the Box were the

island themes so now you can listen to

Kronos on Ares Chaos on Ria Etc or if

you enjoyed a certain movement over the

others that can be your main it's a nice

feature Guardian songs still take

precedent though so keep that in mind

oh the music stopped

there we go there's a new game plus that

unlocks after beating the final boss

marking your save file with an emblem

letting you start a new game with all

your abilities unlocked I'll be coming

back to this later since it applies to a

pretty important upgrade you can toggle

the background music of cyberspace to

not be distorted when boosting so you

can actually hear the soundtrack

I feel like I'm starting a Minecraft

Let's Play you can disable the dynamic

camera when using skills in combat to

keep your eyes focused on the action a

lot of people modded this one in before

I'm 50 50 on it some attacks are better

off not stealing the camera angle like

Sonic Boom Stomp and loop kick

ah yes but wild rush for example can be

really awkward when it jerks the

perspective around these animations were

all curated to have specific framings

that complemented them so when you take

those away things can get weird cross

slash looked really good with a close-up

but pulled back it becomes a static pose

with a lot of reduced flare Cyclone kick

and spin slash lack the in-your-face

pizzazz that justified such a long

animation and the Titan fights are

significantly less spectacular when the

Grand Slam can only be seen through a

telescope you can always toggle it back

on before you fight one so it's still a

good addition to have but the rough

edges still have yet to be sanded off

[Music]

wow not even mad I'm impressed an

unexpected change was Ria Island's tower

climbing challenges all having their

difficulty reduced on easy mode which is

really just a code name for add Springs

everywhere hope you like homing attack

chains because that's the whole thing

now just a barrage of Bounce pads and

balloons I barely even touched the

analog stick even the light speed dash

at the end of the first tower has them

it's actually less automated to take

that there are moments of cool

implementation where a chain of balloons

functions like an alternate path but

nearly all of it is a skip button that

takes away control confrontation is

optional I think the most baffling part

was a spring that sends you into a loop

of other Springs

it's already automated dude you take the

dash pads and go through but that wasn't

enough you need more

you want to automate the automation I'm

gonna be sick look I get it that's the

point of easy mode I'm glad they're at

least making it more distinct from the

other difficulties but this is easier

than some of the stuff you do earlier in

the game and is so clearly a Band-Aid

for the unpolished mechanics wall

climbing is almost entirely skipped over

and while that does take away most of

any potential frustration because let's

be honest it is super Jank

but it also sucks out all the fun of

being a climactic tower climb with a

semblance of risk for that reason I

wouldn't recommend playing this uneasy

at least try it on normal first you can

always change it later excuse me sir do

you have the time but now we get into

the big stuff one of my favorite

additions is the new Coco and their

accompanying challenges completely new

and original platforming segments have

been added to each island with a cocoa

waiting for you at the end

oh God I'm too late these are meant to

be extra challenging level designs that

put Sonic's abilities to the test for

the players who wanted something more

there are eight per Island often taking

place high up in the sky where falling

is a major concern filling the screen

with obstacles that require precise

timing and barely any 2D to speak of

these aren't 5 Second forgettable

distractions either where all you do is

homing attack and grind a rail the

designs are more elaborate and usually a

bit longer my favorite parts of the

original open Zone were always the ones

that flung me high up anyway and had me

timing my movements so the fact that all

32 of these are basically that makes

them collectively some of the best

platforming in the entire game yeah it's

still a bunch of floating rails and

platforms that don't have any artistic

cohesion so visually it's not an

improvement but I'm happy they're at

least embracing it with better gameplay

launching off a ramp to get within range

sometimes you have to do a bit of

searching to find a sneaky route that

takes you to the underside of a

waterfall this puzzle Tower in the sky

where you have to hit switches had a lot

of people stumped all because you have

to collect every ring that appears to

make the next PATH open but not once in

the game have we done anything remotely

similar to that so here I was jumping

around for 15 minutes ignoring the Rings

because I was already maxed out when you

figure that out though it's a fun set

piece I'd say the most creative

structure of them all we don't see stuff

like this sometimes enemies are thrown

into the equation to make a necessary

spring appear a quick stepping section

where jumping is disabled so you have to

participate unfortunately this also

emphasizes how delayed the quick

stepping still is from forces it is not

a responsive tool to use except

ironically in Squid where it's all about

it

don't you freaking dare

no

okay good there's a very intricate

climbing challenge with Moving Wall

fragments and rotating spikes to cut you

off getting more intense the higher you

go but like I said back on Ria the

climbing mechanics aren't the greatest

the big problem being this recovery

animation that Sonic goes into every

time you stop running it's a detrimental

inconvenience when you want to precisely

stop short of a spike ball and continue

once it passes maxed out while running

speed is pretty hard to control so not

being able to stop and go on my command

feels really unintuitive for this type

of stop and go objective there are ways

to save yourself if you fall so it's not

all bad I like the setup I just wish the

control was better while climbing

parkour has a lot of potential but feels

like it's barely keeping itself together

at times

sir I don't mean to alarm you but I'm

literally living rent free in your head

finally we've got another tricky to find

skyrail segment with a blue ninja inside

well you've got my attention and another

ramp launching sequence with a pretty

crazy view the ones on Aries are about

as good navigating around tall chasms

doing the typical Antics while avoiding

nearby snipers glad to see those enemies

get better use my favorite was this

scary midair grind where you have to

carefully land on rail rings then get

past a harder version of the jellyfish

with a lot more red drones another

precise high in the sky free fall where

you have to land in the pink Rings these

ones even move around for an added

challenge I love to see that kind of dkc

barrel interaction Free Fall Again into

a tower full of lasers and spikes that's

not gonna make it is it God then wall

run your way back up from a 2d

perspective that's a really clever use

of 2D it doesn't feel tacked on or like

a budget decision it's a way to

experience the same content twice and

have it feel totally different both ways

the odd one out is this Cowboy Coco

tucked away in a corner it has barely

any platforming leading up to it so I

guess it's more about the finding aspect

there's a section where you're grinding

rails just under the canyon tops but

still over the water in a cool middle

ground it felt like a secret mission

under the radar got some classic

rotating platforms that you have to stay

ahead of with plenty of shortcut

opportunities using a daring boost or a

foolish one that's always an option and

a simple but effective 2D section of

spikes and light speed dashes a lot of

these felt like Unleashed DLC stages

they're kind of spammy with the assets

but remarkably investing given their

Simplicity chaos Island though has some

of my favorite segments there's this

really fun secret agent laser grid

pathway that's a blast to take shortcuts

in depth perception can be unclear but I

didn't find it too problematic there's

another exciting stretch where you can

either wall run at a safe Pace or

continue rail jumping for a seamless

ride if you can handle it which I think

is a nice dichotomy rewarding skill with

a faster time is always nice to see

these signs have rotating spikes around

them so you can't go too fast or too

slow and side looping them you kind of

have to wiggle around to manage the

space it's interesting it made me think

about how I was side looping in a way

that I never had before then we get a

bunch of Spike pillars hiding switches

that are require very careful navigation

I don't mind when Sonic slows down like

this every now and then because the

danger is so high and I can always whip

out a time saving air boost if I have

the confidence this next one was super

fun it plays with a lot of Airborne

Freedom letting you soar over gaps light

dashes to keep the pace up skinny

geometry to scare you and since the

whole island takes place above the

clouds it amplifies that tension of

being really high up more Spike jumps

and hopping around laser Fields throwing

in some City Escape poles jumping and

moving Hoops to get across again

although this one was a bit too short if

you ask me by the grace of a pebble you

can chaos Island your way up the whole

thing too same with this one here I

could have played a full course without

getting bored to me this is wall running

done right mid-air Thrills picking Lanes

getting out in the nick of time it's

fast and exciting I definitely want to

see more of this the last one was kind

of weird though it felt like the most

regular of them all if it weren't for

the Minefield of spikes I would have

mistaken this for a normal memory token

challenge finally we have Uranus and it

goes crazy right off the bat I love it

more extravagant wall running with a lot

of open space so you can save yourself

if you get too Reckless it's great I

love getting to climb walls of my own

volition without it breaking dangerous

rail grinding with fans to boost you up

getting pretty tight later on it was a

good exercise in control and balance

once again playing into the fear of

heights next we have a great 2D section

yeah I know crazy right it's too bad the

Collision took another sick day but for

real I have a lot of fun here I'm always

down for a tower climb air boosting is

effective for shortcuts you're not just

holding a direction the whole time and

we get that cool perspective shift of

going inside the very thing we were

climbing this next one though oh baby

long moving hallways that get cut off by

walls you got to go through quick

smaller moving squares that can be

boosted over with an exhilarating leap

the stakes get higher as you do less

terrain to walk on more squares going

upwards you can't skip them even if you

fall it's exciting to recover then we

get our mortar Canyon moment where we

can skip over it and it just feels so

right this one's more focused on timing

with pole jumps and zip lines on and off

of wall running a fun combination that

we don't see often probably for a reason

more wall running but this time it's

about getting into the right spot broken

up by some quick rail grinding Dodges

then they decided to blow my mind by

bringing back the Rooftop Run Act 2

balloon homing attack challenge where

you have to fall within range to fly

back up and expand it upon it this was

beyond exciting for me I always thought

it had potential to give greater

consideration to when and how Sonic's

homing attack could be used and while

it's still a short section that doesn't

fully delve into that potential I was

satisfied with the interpretation and

then we end it with another bridge the

gap Free Fall dodging springs on the way

down only to grind back up Ria Island

style these are all really fun but if I

had to pick one uranos is definitely my

favorite island when it comes to these

challenges and I'm so glad they were

added there are two benefits to

collecting these new cocoa one is that

some of these are worth a lot more than

a single cocoa some can be up to 30

which makes maxing out your speed and

ring capacity a lot more doable without

resorting to Big these guys are so

cuddly too just look at them we got a

king queen crown Cowboy Ninja pirate

yeah take that azoro look alike and a

swordsman with caliburn on his back the

references are coming to life ladies and

gentlemen returning the village leader

previous Elder and King to the Elder

Coco will give you one extra boost gauge

and you do this on every island totaling

to four additional gauges you will never

run out it's just not gonna happen to be

honest though I was never gonna run out

beforehand anyway so this is kind of a

disposable upgrade more of a convenience

than a necessity further compounded by

the infinity sign you could already make

for infinite boost as well so it's not

the most unique something more

platforming focused would have been cool

like a triple jump that would make a new

playthrough fun to tackle

just like to know why the other big

addition is the action chain challenge

silup one of 10 signposts per Island and

the countdown Begins for you to score as

many points as you can before the timer

runs out what gives you points

everything Springs Dash pads wall

running wall jumping rail grinding

tricks boosting combat every action

yields a bonus alongside a score

multiplier that you can max out really

quick by collecting orbs and so long as

you keep doing things it won't drain

back down assuming the game doesn't

randomly decide to mess up in particular

defeating big groups of weak enemies

yield the most points and 2D sections

tend to be far more lucrative since they

have more stuff in them which will no

doubt make you appreciate chaos Island a

lot more

maybe I'm glad that they finally added

some kind of a score attack to this game

it feels a bit more involved than the

other modes and gives a motivation to

play well in the open Zone however it is

still very basic at the end of the day

just pick a direction and pray that you

get enough points if not pick a new one

and take notes on where the jackpots are

it's not about pulling off a bunch of

crazy tricks via skill since these

courses aren't very intricate to begin

with it's finding the right area with

the most stuff in it and playing it

somewhat quick it's like a scavenger

hunt with a time limit when you lose it

wasn't because it was hard you just

didn't find the right spot yet

or yeah the game flips you off I don't

know this is where the homogeneous World

design can start to backfire because

it's hard to recognize where the best

bits of level are when everything is

using the same assets popping in and out

no less you're not intuiting where to go

you're just getting lucky as you

ReDiscover the island signs can be

pretty close to each other too so I

often found myself going back to the

same areas on multiple challenges for

the reliability leading to even more

repetition and similar to battle Rush

the offhand glitch and collision mishap

can make or break a successful attempt

and therefore your spirit consistently

Sile looping the target I'm not facing

had never been so infuriating it needs a

manual lock-on if it's going to behave

like this in snaring a big group of

soldiers and uh hello Mr log one time a

zipline didn't send me far enough so I

dropped dead

well eventually the backwards rail

switching though I have no idea what

this is it barely happens in the whole

game but it's the same places every time

it's like the modern equivalent of

getting rail Canyon this is when I also

found out that you can't homing attack

after a stomp bounce you can't even

punch the whole button is disabled

added to the list of weird control

things I guess overall action chain is

decent not terribly interesting to me

but there is a satisfaction in figuring

it out if you're really struggling with

it you can set the difficulty back to

easy lowering the point requirements and

while that's not a practice I would

normally advocate for getting an S rank

on all 40 challenges will unlock the

spin dash and this is one hundred

percent worth your time

incredible when I heard about the spin

dash coming to Frontiers I didn't know

what to be excited about on paper it

should be functionally identical to a

boost a sudden burst of speed that

propels you forward only now you're in a

ball nothing changes so what could they

have possibly done to make it big

oh

yes

yes allow me to eat my words real quick

how do you make the spin dash better

than boost give it its own physical

properties brilliant aside from pushing

you forward at the same speed as a power

boost spin dashing off of a hill or any

incline will send you no jumping

required you can even charge it midair

like a drop Dash and go through enemies

lower the new setting they added for

jump deceleration to extend your time in

the air and watch the world become yours

fly on over to night you can do it now

behold as I make this Titan disappear

every island is packed with

opportunities to go Airborne taking

shortcuts grabbing memory tokens without

needing to go through the entire

obstacle course getting to areas ahead

of time that would normally require some

prior task or just having fun feeling

the rush of blasting away even some of

the new cocoa challenges have bombastic

workarounds look at this I can skip

right to it this is the definition of a

game changer that's no hyperbole

everything is different now not even

rail launching could let you tackle the

environment in this way and those were

situational utilities this is in your

back pocket at all times and despite the

game not being built with a spin dash in

mind it has a remarkable amount of

application some areas are a little

finicky due to this you'll have to

experiment with what angle and terrain

is best because sometimes it just

doesn't work but man

it usually does and when it does you

feel like you just enabled a cheat code

and not the game breaking kind where all

the fun is taken away you've opened a

door of Destiny soaring high over the

path of mortal man using your own

curiosity to guide you now

let's head to that crater the Boost

isn't rendered obsolete either by the

way you still use it on Rails squid

segments and when you actually want to

stay on the ground not flying off chaos

Island may have a few Choice words for

you but the need is still there it

didn't feel like a total replacement

speaking of chaos Island though

what a transformation if you hated this

place before because of too much 2D and

awkward terrain the spin dash will

completely change your mind the

curvaceous bumpy texture is its greatest

strength now everything is a skate ramp

for you to become one with the Eagles

and if you hold the Boost down while

letting go of the spin dash button

you'll enter the trick animation giving

you even more distance for maximum range

I was able to land on Fortress something

I could have only dreamed of before I

where'd he go some of the adjacent

islands that used to require rail

transportation to reach are now next

door neighbors ring the bell we cut

Sanka like check this out I oh no no get

me out of here look at how effortlessly

I'm able to reach this once upon a time

out of the way location I'm like a beast

and Repose it's beautiful memory tokens

suspended in the air after a lengthy

course are sitting docks if you get the

right angle don't feel like riding all

that spaghetti for a single wrench

we have technology navigating these

islands getting from one task to another

feels great and it did before but you

could tell there was restraint behind

the wheel begging to be cut loose

now it has a completely new lens to view

the gameplay from has been uncovered

that both inspires and rewards

creativity without just being a win

button every token was an opportunity to

critically think about how to grab it

using an alternate method yeah some were

easy but others not so much it was a

spectrum of solutions that proved

continually satisfying to figure out now

it does share the same Button as Sonic

Boom so there was one instance where I

somehow attacked a pole on accidents

like you had to let some aggression out

before continuing but aside from that I

had no configuration problems the only

drawback to this ability

is that you have to unlock it and that

can only happen at the end of your

playthrough when you get to Uranus and

have access to the final 10 challenges

so you have to play through the whole

game at least once without it which may

sound like too little too late but I'm

actually gonna play devil's advocate

here and say that this was kind of a

smart move it guarantees that players

will experience the game normally one

time not skipping too much content and

then have a major incentive to play it

again this time getting a direct

comparison for how powerful the spin

dash is because sometimes you need that

before and after perspective to

appreciate how good A Change Is and you

definitely get that here would it have

been better if you had it from the very

beginning or in the skill tree probably

there's certainly an argument for that

but I think there's Merit and how he

went about it too besides something you

can enable from the beginning is another

new menu option to have your Boost carry

over into a jump

let me repeat that boosting carries into

your jump now the single biggest

unanimous criticism towards the control

in this game was that jumping killed

your speed

and it's gone half the reason why the

spindash is so good is that it flings

you at top speed maintaining a flow

being able to do this in general

movement is just as impactful as what

the spindash can do no you can't take to

the skies in the same way and there are

still random parts of terrain that don't

carry momentum for some reason but you

can cover a lot of distance and still

feel like the world is your oyster and

when you have both of these at your

disposal you're an Unstoppable force not

just for the open Zone by the way these

features apply to cyberspace as well

they even added three new asterisks at

the results screen that's how you know

it's good any moments that required a

homing Dash to feel a semblance of speed

don't anymore

3D sections have been fixed 3-3 might be

my favorite level now all because

jumping doesn't break the pace 3-5 the

most hated stage by a majority of people

isn't just better

it's actually fun I enjoy the movement

still skipping the drift pads of course

and when you throw the spin dash into

the equation even more Shenanigans open

up now most levels don't see an

improvement to that degree rail heavy

ones like two six and four four don't

have you on the ground very much anyway

to use it 4-8 is too brief for any major

tricks to unfold 4-9 barely has you

controlling regular Sonic and the common

hallway structure doesn't always allow

for freedom but the biggest control

issue has still been addressed improving

Universal pacing across Frontiers and

that's a big deal

for 3D anyway 2D is sadly still a

massive slog and that's because boosting

never made you go any faster here it was

the same speed with or without so having

the Boost carry into a jump changes

nothing

I've been continually baffled by this

we're already slowed down so much in 2D

the fact that boosting not even power

boosting makes you go any faster is what

drives me to buy so many weapons

thankfully the spindash can help since

it doesn't have a speed reduction so you

will fly through linear segments that

used to be a crawl the intro to 1 6

being the greatest example loop-de-loops

feels so much closer to how they should

the ending of 2-7 flows way better and

ramps launch you at a comical height

really showing off how unprepared these

level designs were for such a power up

but it's the fun kind of broken that

doesn't unravel the point of playing

which is why 3-4 has inherited the

copper Crown as my least favorite level

with no spin dash usable on Rails

there's nothing redeeming about how I

feel playing this get me out of here I

can feel it spreading and even when you

can spin dash as soon as you jump you

reset to that mediocre default speed so

fingers crossed that they can somehow

bump it up in the final update weirdly

enough there are two 2D sections in the

whole game where an air boost will push

you forward the same distance as if you

were in 3D this spiral climb on chaos

Island and the squid Chase with Knight

these must be programmed differently

because nothing about this constant hot

and cold speed feels intentional I

caught up to squid by mashing it a sight

I never thought I'd see the timing of

the buzz saw got thrown off ending my

career in an instant boosting on Rails

is also the same speed as in 3D for some

reason most importantly the whole

section was a lot faster and more fun

because of it proving that a higher

speed is integral to this gameplay style

now

finish the job and that's why I'm so

grateful that the spin dash lets me

bypass as much 2D as it does its

Effectiveness cannot be overstated my

one and only gripe is how you have to

unlock it every time you start a new

game the only way to have the spin dash

in a new file from the beginning is via

New Game Plus but that also carries all

of your stats over meaning if you're

maxed out you're gonna Crush that early

and mid-game competition into pieces

maybe you want that maybe you don't

being overpowered is only fun for so

long most New Game Plus campaigns treat

it like a secondary hard mode upping the

ante with more difficult enemies

obstacles Etc but in Frontiers it's the

same exact game again and that would be

fine if it didn't cut down on so much

content being maxed out from the get-go

without any adjustments removes all

sense of item progression and what

little challenge there was to begin with

Titan fights go down in a Flash editing

down the music and therefore the appeal

seeds of power and defense from

completing mission objectives and

exploring the open Zone are meaningless

as are the Cocos nullifying any reason

to play the new challenges which as I

said are one of my favorite parts of the

game now so that's a bummer skill points

don't have a use so killing grunt

enemies don't serve you in any way it's

like we're back in extreme mode where

memory tokens and Vault keys are all

that matter minus the extreme part it

still makes you play the tutorial by the

way every pop-up camera pen and

voiceover is forced upon you yet again

it re-unlocks the side Loop even though

you already have it I

look I get it making games is hard but

jeez look at how many menus I'm

bombarded with at the end of it

[Music]

no further comments the only way I can

have my cake and eat it is by playing

through the game yet again this time

staying at level one re-completing all

40 action chains and use that as my new

game plus basis thankfully I have a

couple level one files already but I

really think the spin dash should be

permanently unlocked once you have it or

at the very least give us the option to

customize our stats When selecting New

Game Plus assuming we've already maxed

everything out the sound memories behave

the same way you have to collect them

every time so you never get to play the

game beginning to end with a full

playlist Frontiers isn't the kind of

game where I spend a lot of time running

around after I've beaten it so it feels

counter-intuitive to restrict it this

way the only post game content I did

fully indulge in was 100 completion beat

every Guardian around two times I think

it's kind of vague clear every

cyberspace Mission fish out the entire

Pond watch every side character cutscene

S rank the action chains collect the new

Coco and grab every single memory token

yeah that one took a while I really wish

there was a way to mark all tokens on

the map at once because I had to go back

into the menu to place a new one every

time and that added up quick a lot of

these are really well hidden so going

after them all helped me discover parts

of the game I had never seen before

which I appreciated but I was definitely

motivated by that 100 reward the most

for completing everything in Sonic

Frontiers you get

uh

it's a crown

cyberspace challenge gave the power

boost battle Rush extreme mode action

chain got us the freaking spin dash

but 100 percenting the entire game

gives an accessory cosmetic that you

won't even see half the time because

you'll be curled in a ball like cool I

get to cosplay as Final Mix Sora but

it's a pretty weak rewarding comparison

wouldn't you say how about letting us

wield caliburn game's already part hack

and slash Andy's in the code now he

would fit right in at a couple new

attack animations and boom golden

speaking of an Excalibur Sonic costume

would be incredible too supersonic maybe

where you can free roam imagine if the

islands were all connected on the same

map and you could fly to each one

without loading zones there's a lot of

potential here for something more worth

your time but fantasies aside this

secondary update to Frontiers isn't just

a step up from the first

it redefines a huge portion of the

gameplay for the better it feels great

to run around now making the hiccups and

collision and presentation far more

negligible so what was going on there do

yourself a favor enable boost while

jumping and get the spin dash as soon as

possible you will have no regrets if

that final update pulls through filling

in the story gaps adding fun extra

characters and reshaping the ending for

a satisfying conclusion

I will be so proud and happy I already

am to be fair huge kudos to Sonic team

for taking feedback amongst all the

incoherent screaming and making changes

that considerably improve the product

for everyone

but if they stick that Landing

it's on until then thank you guys so

much for watching and as always don't

forget to check out the next episode

whenever I post it which will probably

be soon

alright

see ya