Sonic Frontiers is the first game in the franchise to get expansive DLC after launch, and fans can get their hands on the first of these updates later today. What time the "Sights, Sounds, and Speed" update goes live depends on where the player lives, with some expecting it on early in the morning on March 23, with others expecting it late into the day on March 22. The DLC came with little warning, being announced through the Sonic Frontiers newsletter before being a more public post hit official Sonic the Hedgehog social media channels.
The Sights, Sounds, and Speed update was originally announced as part of Sonic Frontiers' 2023 content roadmap last year. It was described as containing a "Juke Box," Photo Mode, and "new Challenge Modes," and now Sega has elaborated on what this update contains in more detail. However, some announcements have had more details than others. While Sights, Sounds, and Speed has everything it initially promised, it's also adding a few more surprises.
Sonic Frontiers' Juke Box, Battle Rush, and Cyber Space Challenge Mode
Sonic Frontiers' Photo Mode can be found in the pause menu, matching many modern options by causing the game to freeze so that fans can take a dynamic photo of whatever is going on. It's a rather straightforward addition, but the other modes coming to Frontiers aren't as simple. For instance, the Juke Box will come with 13 songs already unlocked, but the other 40 are scattered as music note "Sound Memories" across the Starfall Islands. These songs are specifically pulled from previous Sonic games, like "Live and Learn" and "Mystic Ruins."
The "new Challenge Modes" that were initially teased with Sega's roadmap have been revealed as "Battle Rush" and the "Cyber Space Challenge." In Battle Rush, fans will get to take on the titans and guardians of the Starfall Islands again, but across different phases in a race for the fastest time. There are options for taking them on one island at a time or all at once, and the official website teases that if players get a high enough rank in Battle Rush, they may get a "special surprise." Cyber Space Challenge is similar, except it's a race for the fastest time in all of Sonic Frontiers' Cyber Space stages.
The New Extreme Difficulty, and Quality-of-Life Additions for Sonic Frontiers
A Famitsu article confirms that Sonic Frontiers is getting an "Extreme" difficulty mode through the Sights, Sounds, and Speed update, which is known as the "Spring Departure" update in Japan. Not much is known about what this harder difficulty entails, and it may prove to be quite challenging given Frontiers' Hard mode typically left players without rings and assistance in tricky situations. Fans will need to experience this mode once the DLC is live to understand what it aims to do, and Famitsu said even more content than what's already been stated will be added.
On top of all of these new features, there are a few adjustments being made to the game at-large. For example, Elder Koco will be fixed so Sonic can upgrade his skills all at once rather than one level at a time. Other changes include toggles to turn the Starfall Slot Machine and the Power Boost animation off if fans desire, the option to restart Cyber Space stages mid-level, and the addition of the Power Boost in Cyber Space stages. For the first DLC update to Sonic Frontiers, it seems packed with content for fans to enjoy.
Sonic Frontiers is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.