It has been a while sinceSonic the Hedgehoggames have been held in high regard.Sonic Maniain 2017 was the last timeSonic’s fans felt fully satisfied with a new title’s launch, and it’s hard to say when universal praise like that will come again. There’s an understanding amongSonicveterans that it was fresh blood hired straight from the fandom itselfthat madeSonicManiawhat it is, and the usual devs at Sonic Team would prefer to focus on 3D titles like the recentSonic Frontiers. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but signs of improvement have begun to surface.
After over a decade of stagnating Boost gameplay in set piece-oriented stages peppered by discarded gameplay alternatives,Sonic Frontiersfinally has something new. Many tired parts of the past Boost games are still present, but they are surrounded by a series of massive fields that Sonic is encouraged to wander through. This seemingly simple addition, combined with a well-received story, has pulled players back in. It’s performing so well critically and financially that a future of refined sequels is looking possible - but that doesn’t guarantee it’s toppled the list ofSonic’s best games.
RELATED:After Frontiers, Sega Needs to Establish a Proper Sonic Timeline
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
The topic of the bestSonicgames is a contentious one, but there are a few highlights that the community can generally agree on.Sonic the Hedgehog 3andSonic & Knuckles, two halves of the most popular GenesisSonicgame, tend to be regulars in those discussions. UntilSonic Mania, these were the pinnacles of 2DSonicgame design with strong set pieces, multiplayer, and even an alternate campaign for Knuckles all rolled into an excellent package.Sonic Frontierscomparatively excels at a few things, and has plenty of rough patches holding it back - including a gameplay loop that gets old by the endgame. It’s not where it could be, but it’s striving to reach that point.
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2
The twoSonic Adventuregames are still held in high regard by portions of the fanbase, and for good reason. Their particular 3D level design and mechanics stand out, and their narratives - while cheesy - are impressively earnest.Frontiersgoes as far as tying itslike-minded story directly toSonic Adventure 1, and its open-zone gameplay is reminiscent ofAdventure’s wider stages and hub areas. It remains to be seen howSonic Frontiers' DLC characters will play compared toSonic Adventure’s own roster, but these two games serve as a good point of comparison forFrontiers.
Sonic Mania Plus
Unfortunately, not every comparison is going to be flattering.Sonic Maniaand its expansionSonic Mania Plusare in the running for the bestSonicgames, andSonic Frontiersfalls short.Sonic Maniadoes everything that classic 2DSonicdid, but better (even if this handicapped its abilities to introduce new ideas). A better descriptor forFrontierswould be a return to form, with its strengths lying in new ideas that could be refined further through a sequel. No one should be surprised thatFrontierspales in comparison toMania, but the seeds of a game to rival it have been planted.
Sonic Unleashed, Colors, and Generations
Lastly, there’s the Boost era ofSonicgames. It’s hard to pick one definitive title from this set, asSonic Unleashed,Sonic Colors, andSonic Generationsall share a lot of strengths.Sonic Frontiersbenefits from cutting away much of the chaff these games introduced, and even its traditional levels have been rendered mostly optional to focus on the open zones. With boss fights matching and often exceeding the most spectacular sequences of these games,Sonic Frontierspulls off Boost gameplay’s spectaclebetter than ever. It’s this specific victory that givesSonic Frontiersan aura of hope, and fans are looking forward to it producing new challengers for the title of bestSonicgame.
Sonic Frontiersis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:How a Sonic Frontiers Sequel Could Improve Upon the First Game
