FINDE R S KEEPERS
The puzzles and collectibles that keep you on your running toes
To bridge the open zone design and the combat, Sonic Frontiers has more puzzles than previous titles. Which is not to say Sonic is being robbed of his signature speed in order to push boxes or pull levers, although we must admit a couple we stumble across early on, such as getting Sonic to turn a group of statues so that they’re all facing the same direction, do fall into the ‘rudimentary’ category.
The most interesting puzzles are environment-based, so you’re using Sonic’s abilities, from his homing attacks to the Cyloop to his ability to run up certain surfaces, to manipulate objects and structures to reach a switch or an otherwise out-of-reach collectible. We spot a number of such trinkets, from hearts to a new creature called Kocos, though we’ve yet to figure out their use.
The puzzles and challenges we encounter actually remind us of last year’s Solar Ash, which in its own way was a fine indie proof-of-concept of a great modern 3D Sonic game. For instance, there are time-based puzzles requiring you to reach a designated point within the time limit, and the open zone design means there’s more than one way to reach your goal.
Then there are the colossal titans you fight. Figuring out their weak points and navigating their towering forms is much like a moving puzzle, although tackling them also appears to be optional if you’re more inclined to move on with the story. In our attempt against Asura, we might not figure out how to topple it on our first run, but we do expose a weakness and retrieve a couple of portal gears for our trouble, which we can use to unlock another Cyber Space portal.
The point is there are a number of puzzles on the map, each solvable using a gimmick in the environment (including what looks like a hedgehogsized hamster wheel), and there are mini-games, varying how you can explore and interact with the landscape in Starfall Islands. And each rewards you with a trinket or currency that should prove useful in moving the game along.
ZONE RUNNER
We do have questions about some of the scattershot design, which at the moment gives the impression that Sonic
Team is throwing a lot of ideas at the map to see what will stick, not to mention it does feel a bit on-the-nose that you’re directed to environmental puzzles by question marks on literal signposts. Still, with more skills and abilities yet to be confirmed, we could eventually see more fresh spins on the hedgehog’s traversal, combat and puzzle-solving abilities.
For a game that’s set to be Sonic’s most expansive title yet, the things you can do will certainly need to be inventive and varied enough to sustain a longer runtime. While the execution seen so far isn’t without its flaws, we’re optimistic that Frontiers will get Sonic back into the zone.
“THERE ARE PUZZLES ON THE MAP, EACH SOLVABLE USING A GIMMICK IN THE ENVIRONMENT.”