Sonic Frontiers was a daring step for the franchise, and like so many reinventions, it had a superb mixture of nice concepts and ideas that might use some sprucing. It’s a stable basis, however, with some modifications, Sonic Frontiers 2 could possibly be a extra full recreation with fewer caveats.
RELATED: Sonic Frontiers Is a Promising Reinvention That Begs for a Sequel
Retain the Open-Zone Model
Whereas theoretically alluring, roaming open plains at ridiculous speeds was one thing that was really extra interesting in follow. Sprinting round with no objective in thoughts and zoning out whereas amassing gadgets and finishing little puzzles was enjoyable and one thing a sequel ought to concentrate on once more subsequent time round. It nails the sense of pace a Sonic recreation ought to have and the senseless nature of an checklist-driven open world is an efficient excuse to expertise that velocity time and again.
Nevertheless, Frontier‘s deserted islands can also put gamers in a trance, however not a great way. Extra colourful and energetic worlds in step with Sonic’s aesthetics could be appropriately hypnotizing and one other manner a sequel may enhance on the open-zone idea explored on this first entry.
Polish and Lower
Freely roaming, powering Sonic up, and battling huge Titans as Tremendous Sonic have been all a blast, however they could possibly be even higher. Sonic Workforce ought to throw in additional collectibles, secrets and techniques, and stat upgrades into the world to make free-roaming extra rewarding. Diversifying the Titan’s transfer units and decreasing the quick-time occasions a bit would additionally result in extra bombastic boss battles. Each are highlights, but are restrained by a number of poor selections.
However whereas some elements ought to simply be tuned, others must be reduce solely. Early puzzles ought to have simply as a lot selection because the late-game ones. The koco minigames, which revolved round gathering and guiding these stone-like creatures to security, have been inconsistent at finest and terrible at worst, so scrapping them altogether would result in a greater circulate. Frontiers additionally has a nasty little bit of pop-in that might use fixing. All that, mixed with a bit extra general polish and time spent on high quality assurance, and Frontiers‘ sequel could possibly be one thing particular.
Herald Extra Outdated Mates
Calling again to outdated buddies could also be controversial, as there was definitely a time when Sonic’s many buddies have been considered as one of many triggers that led to the collection’ darkish mid-2000s interval. The IDW comics have finished fairly a bit of labor on bettering the notion of this surprisingly strong forged, however exterior of cameo appearances, most of Sonic’s buddies have been seemingly excised from the principle video games. Even with that being the case, lots of them have maintained reputation throughout the fanbase, and their reappearances could be fairly welcome.
This might function an ideal alternative to flesh out characters that haven’t been seen in ages, like Workforce Chaotix, Rouge, and even Silver. Bringing in additional obscure characters like Bean and Bark, or making Fang the Sniper a outstanding rival would even be surprising and open the doorways for brand spanking new varieties of tales. All of them have distinct visible designs, so a little bit of character refinement by frequent Sonic author Ian Flynn may make for some really triumphant returns.
New Sport, New Mates
However Sonic Workforce shouldn’t simply bask in nostalgia, as it might be good to push ahead and create extra new characters, too. Sage and her interactions with Eggman have been a number of the most satisfying elements of Frontiers‘ narrative. And whereas the unlockable Egg Memos not solely constructed on Sage and established one thing of a Sonic canon, additionally they threw some nice shout-outs to forgotten video games as properly. Benefiting from its lore and introducing extra characters like Sage is an efficient transfer and can transfer the collection ahead in the way in which that it deserves.
Frontiers additionally wasn’t afraid to take its characters and story beats significantly, which was one in every of its finest options. Colourful anthropomorphic animals are inherently tougher to take significantly than individuals, however the Sonic collection has nonetheless had some fascinating tales. Sonic clearly doesn’t must hit the heights of Delight and Prejudice, but extra narratives that don’t wink on the viewers each jiffy could be a superb begin.
Popping out the Shadows
There was as soon as a time the place Shadow the Hedgehog was on the middle of Sonic‘s finest storytelling and never only a bastion of edginess. It’s about time Sonic’s well-known rival returned to the highlight, as his angle may as soon as once more be a welcome distinction to Sonic’s excitable persona. Rumors have swirled round about Sega being weirdly protecting about how Shadow’s character is written these days — which could be very stunning given 2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog — however giving Flynn free reign with him may convey the character out of the edgy section he’s been relegated to.
Return to Kind
Frontiers‘ aforementioned drab atmosphere could also be defined away narratively, however going again to a extra stylized atmosphere paying homage to early entries could be far more appropriate. Charming robots as a substitute and saturated ranges are a greater match for Sonic and his cartoonishly anthropomorphized buddies; there’s a symbiosis there that the reasonable stage design and intimidating deathbots can’t obtain.
The identical applies to the music, which wasn’t fairly as memorable in Frontiers. Its tunes have been extra suited to the story and aesthetic, however they have been additionally not practically as catchy. Some delicate or subdued songs are effective, however they should be balanced out with some new Sonic earworms (and a few new Crush 40 songs for good measure). Returning to the energetic and thrilling tones that outlined Sonic for thus lengthy would enliven the soundtrack in a manner that’s extra apt for the collection.
The Return of the Chao Backyard
Many hardcore Sonic followers need the Chao Backyard again, and it might be a stable addition for newcomers, too. As a ridiculously detailed and lovely minigame that appeared in Sonic Journey and Sonic Journey 2, the Chao Backyard stood out even individuals who don’t look after the Sonic collection itself.
It may most likely be a stand-alone recreation, nevertheless it may simply slot in a sequel to Sonic Frontiers. Elevating a bunch of bizarre little creatures, racing them in opposition to one another, and searching down collectibles in hubs are all techniques that might sit alongside the core operating and leaping. Having a much less frenetic portion of the sport could be a calmer, low-energy method to interact with it and will result in a extra evenly paced expertise.
The submit Sonic Frontiers 2: What a Sequel Needs appeared first on ComingSoon.net.
