Sonic Frontiers received a significant amount of hype and gameplay footage before it was released, but most of that hype was spent on the wrong part of the game. Because of how the trailers built up its open world, the best part of Sonic Frontiers ended up barely receiving any focus before release. It’s a shame because the overlooked segments are not only fun, they embody the spirit of Sonic brilliantly.
The main thing that was emphasized about Sonic Frontiers before it came out was that it would be an open-world game. Open-world games are one of the industry’s biggest trends, with Sonic being the latest franchise to make use of it. Although this did lead to Sonic Frontiers‘ unimpressive, empty gameplay trailer, the game’s reputation did manage to recover once actual gameplay footage of the final product started coming out. With so much emphasis put on the open world, it wound up missing out on showing off its best stages.
Sonic Frontiers’ Cyber Space Levels Deserve More Attention
The Cyber Space levels in Sonic Frontiers are courses for the player to run through, typically designed to resemble stages from the series’ past. They even include familiar Badniks and robots as obstacles, furthering the depth of the throwback. Like most traditional Sonic stages, the goal is to run to the goal at the end of the stage while navigating whatever obstacles are in the player’s path. Playing into claims that Frontiers has more content than past Sonic games, the Cyber Space levels also give the player several extra tasks, such as collecting rings, finding all the red rings, and finishing under a specific time. They’re short, but the Cyber Space levels are fast and fun experiences.
The Cyber Space levels also have the advantage of being the parts of the game that are most reminiscent of classic Sonic games, with one even taking on the classic Green Hill Zone. The memorable settings polished by current-gen graphics give these stages a good combination of nostalgia and freshness. In addition, these stages also receive some of the best music on an already phenomenal soundtrack, as those who heard Sonic Frontiers‘ amazingly heroic theme song are likely already aware. The BGM for these stages is electronica with an almost ethereal element to them at times, and the music provides another reason toe players to keep coming back to them.
Cyber Space levels also do a better job than the open world in portraying Sonic’s speed. While the game gives Sonic plenty of cool ways to traverse the overworld, the sheer scale of it actually makes Sonic seem a little less fast. Meanwhile, the quickness and design of the Cyber Space levels better convey the sense of speed that is central to a Sonic adventure. In these stages, especially after a player learns the stage’s layout and tricks, Sonic can breeze through them like the speedster he is. It makes playing through Cyber Space levels feel very satisfying. Sonic Frontiers‘ first impression is hard to shake, but the Cyber Space levels have proven to be a lot of fun regardless and make for the best stages in the game.
While it was clear that the open-world design of Sonic Frontiers was something Sega wanted to emphasize, it feels off that the Cyber Space levels didn’t get much attention pre-release. They’re fun to play and are some of the game’s best challenges, but they were practically kept secret. While Sonic Frontiers is a good game, it didn’t bring attention to one of its best features.
