It can be said that the most iconic thing about Sonic the Hedgehog is his speed. The original Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis was born out of the idea that players could memorize platform stages to run through them with ease. As a result, speed is a key part of any Sonic game, leaving some criticized for being "too slow." Sonic Frontiers takes a unique approach to this problem, making Sonic's speed up to each player - to an extent.
Sonic Frontiers is the first time players have been able to customize how Sonic plays. It's arguably one of the features that intrigued players most due to how it was not only new, but showed the franchise was aiming to be more accessible despite its fast pace. Ultimately, leaving fans to pick which speed they want may have been one of Frontiers' best decisions.
Sonic Frontiers' Speed Customization Sliders
Players can adjust Sonic's speed at any point by pausing and going to the options menu, then the game settings section. From there, they need to select the specific slider, adjust it to their liking, and then run around Sonic Frontiers' open-zone areas to see if it fits. If they feel like it's still not right, they can change these settings again at any time. Players aren't penalized for these changes, but it's important to note that the game does have base boosting speeds and top speeds that exist no matter how low they make their settings.
The lowest speed doesn't feel too slow, but it also doesn't feel so fast that fans might throw themselves off ledges by accident; a common mistake and complaint with the faster titles like Sonic Unleashed. By allowing fans to play in the exact way that suits them, Frontiers may just be the most accessible game in the series yet.
Sonic Frontiers Puts Training Wheels on Sonic's Speed
Not only do the customization features help make Sonic Frontiers more accessible, but it also helps fans learn how the game works at their own pace. This helps avoid things coming to a screeching halt when the game ups the platforming difficulty, which has been an issue to many players even in the Sega Genesis Sonic titles. While some players may leave the settings the same, others may realize they've gotten used to their settings and increase the pace once they feel comfortable enough.
Of course, there's also nothing wrong with people either leaving the settings alone, or finding what they like and sticking to it the entire game. These settings are entirely optional, and being able to choose just how fast they want their adventure to be is one of the things that makes Sonic Frontiers' world feel alive. In a way, fans get to learn and grow with the game just as Sonic does. The game does warn players that some adjustments won't apply to things such as upgrades and skills, though.
Sonic Frontiers: How Speed Customization Affects Sonic's Skills
When looking at how the speed settings affect Sonic's skills, one of the most important ones to note is that the turning speed toggle affects the Cyloop ability. The Cyloop is a crucial part of Sonic Frontiers' gameplay, both in combat and with activating some Challenge puzzles. If players are having a hard time with making circles they like either due to high speeds or a lack of a curve, then adjusting the turning speed will fix that without adjusting Sonic's regular turns too much. A majority of Sonic's other skills are combat based, like the Phantom Rush ability, and it seems that these options aren't affected by the speed settings. Most of these work like special moves in fighting games, so the most a player has to do when one activates is wait until the combo finishes before another one can be activated.
Truthfully, some adjustments to the way Sonic controls will need to be changed rather drastically for a difference to be felt. It isn't so detailed that even a minute change could make a difference, but this is for the best as the aim is to make players comfortable rather than leave them fiddling with the settings to make sure Sonic feels just right down to the very last detail. Some sliders being turned in different directions cause more drastic changes, however, and fans should understand that messing with things such as Sonic's turning speed and not his overall initial speed may lead to some awkward disconnects with the pacing. However, no matter how players make Sonic operate, every task in the game can be accomplished just fine on any and all speed settings. This includes even the most strict of S Rank times in the Cyber Space levels.
Sonic Frontiers sets a great precedent with these sliders, and Sonic Team would do well to keep it for the sake of making sure any Sonic fan from old to small, both new ones and veterans, can enjoy Sonic's latest adventure easily without running into any problems with the controls themselves. For those who like these new options, Sonic Team has stated that Sonic Frontiers serves as the foundation for Sonic titles for the next decade at the very least. That means there's a very high chance that these options will be in quite a few new releases in the future.
Sonic Frontiers is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.