Though people have varying degrees of opinion on this, I think it’s safe to say that, ever since Yuji Naka – the creator of Sonic – left the company in 2006, the games in the Sonic franchise just don’t have that same level of quality as they did before (at least in the 3D aspect). I think Sega tried a little too hard to cater to fan service – that or they just shipped their products to the shelves way too quickly – and for the most part, they failed hard. And don’t even get me started with Sonic ‘06. His modern self has met his 90s counterpart. Sonic’s reputation in the 3D realm has been scarred. The last one we had was Sonic Forces back in 2017, which had been met with lukewarm reception. Sonic Frontiers already clearly intends to be very different from recent Sonic games through its open zones and potentially a rather serious plot, so Sonic Team should keep pushing to make the game as experimental as it can, pushing the boundaries of Sonic to see what lies ahead for the franchise.It’s been a while since we had a 3D Sonic game. Instead, Sonic Team needs to come up with mechanics similar to Breath of the Wild's cooking and weapon gathering that make it feel completely different from its predecessors. Open zone Sonic gameplay sounds great, but that one change to the formula isn't enough to make Sonic Frontiers a landmark in Sonic the Hedgehog history. In order to succeed, Sonic Frontiers should mind that approach. RELATED: Sonic Frontiers Could Be Sega's Answer to Super Mario Odyssey These changes and more added up to a revolutionary Zelda game. Breath of the Wild also gave players much more control over healing thanks to a cooking system that rewarded players for finding potent ingredient combinations and scouring Hyrule for choice components. Link's new arsenal of weapons gathered from fallen foes and treasure chests completely overhauled combat by giving players vastly more fighting styles. On the contrary, it built itself on tons of other fundamental changes. While it was unorthodox for a Zelda game, the reception was positive thanks to the many ways Nintendo incentivized exploring Breath of the Wild's map.īreath of the Wild didn't bill itself purely as an open-world Zelda game, though. Breath of the Wild, in contrast, sets players free in a vast world where they're free to seek out their own objectives at the pace they like and in the order they choose. In many Zelda games, players already have the freedom to explore large portions of the world at their own pace, but usually, certain areas are locked behind major plot points. The open-world was undoubtedly a major selling point of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. RELATED: Sonic Frontiers' Focus on Quality Over Timeliness is a Good Sign for the Future Learning from Breath of the Wild's Approach Breath of the Wild changed and enhanced the Zelda experience in a ton of different departments, and Sonic Frontiers should do the same if it wants to be an influential entry in the Sonic series. While these games may have an interest in open-world design in common, that can't be the only design approach that Sonic Frontiers borrows. A lot of fans have compared early looks at Sonic Frontiers to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which also took its respective franchise into a much more open-world gameplay model. However, as important as the player's power to explore Sonic Frontiers is, ideally it isn't the game's only selling point. Sonic Team and Sega's willingness to take on a significant challenge while designing the next Sonic game speaks to an eagerness to rejuvenate the franchise. Nevertheless, Sonic Frontiers is taking a shot at it, and that's exciting. Since Sonic's defining characteristic is his blazing speed, it's hard to create an open world that lets players savor exploration without excessively reigning in Sonic's abilities. It may not be a fully open-world game, but even its open zone design is a huge change to the traditional model of Sonic the Hedgehog games. From the moment it was first revealed, Sonic Frontiers was worth talking about.
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