And it works, because the Demon Slayer manga and anime juxtapose that violence with optimism, humor, and moral fortitude in a way that only anime writers are able to pull off, for some reason. Kimetsu no Yaiba is fun to watch, and Sweep the Board! is fun to play.

Of course, you simply can’t play Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! without comparing it to the Mario Party games. You know how you can get a Monopoly game featuring Godzilla or…well…Mario Bros. instead of New Jersey real estate properties? That’s what SEGA has done with Sweep the Board! Kind of. They were smart enough to change up a few principal aspects of the Mario Party formula, and it’ll be those changes that either win over or turn away Mario Party enthusiasts.

The core is the same, mind you. There’s less pomp and circumstance at the start, but it generally boils down to selecting your characters, determining the rules and length of play, choosing a board, and rolling for initiative. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke are all playable characters, as well as various Hashira. Curiously, Nezuko (Tanjiro’s half-demon sister) is not playable. In a clever touch, she appears later in the game to help out the player in last place. Arigatō, Nezuko-chan!

Players take turns moving around the board in an effort to improve their demon-slayer ranking in various ways. Your rank is key, not collecting stars. That’s a nice break from the Mario Party formula, as it helps to keep things closer between players and eliminates the frustration of having a star yanked away from you at the last moment.

One of the main ways to improve your rank is to win mini-games, as you’d expect. These are a mixed bag as far as entertainment value goes, but that’s the same with all party board games I’ve played.

What I didn’t like is the relatively low number of games: 35. They start to repeat quickly, so you end up trudging through the less entertaining ones more often than you’d prefer. Also, you’ll recognize many from the various Mario Party entries. Jumprope? You know it. That said, they’re all pretty quick, and they’re served up with the boisterous fun that fans of the anime would expect from Tanjiro and his friends.

The emphasis is actually placed on strategic use of the boards themselves. They’re all based on locations from the manga/anime, and each provides numerous options for which path your character can take (and fun references for series fans). You’ll want to use the board to improve your ranking, not just collect coins in order to buy stars. And, you get more help. At shops, you can purchase more than one item at a time. You can also recruit characters with different dice skills and abilities, although who you get is often up to luck.

The biggest change from Mario Party is that the goal is to hunt and eliminate upper rank demons. During the game’s night cycle, you have the chance to flush out a demon if you move across the space where it’s expected to be hiding. Land a spinner at the right spot, and you trigger a co-op battle for all players. Miss, and you and the demon move onward, leaving a greater chance for the next player to find it.

Initially, the demon battles are really cool. They involve timing events: slash in the right direction, press a button the circles intersect, etc. It doesn’t sound like fun, but they’re accompanied by animations that add the right amount of drama and urgency. It doesn’t take long, however, for these battles to become repetitious and, I think, unlosable. They seem to be solely about determining who’s better at demon slaying, lessening the overall impact of these fights.

And if you play a short enough game (five rounds being the lowest), it’s possible you can get through the whole thing without a single demon fight.

Finally, there are multiple ways to play: 1-4 players locally, 1-4 players online (unfortunately, with some connection issues I hope they get ironed out), and 2-4 players via local wireless. If you’re passing around the Joy-Cons, motion controls are used cleverly, especially during the demon battles.

It all begs the question, then, of whom this game is for. It would be easy to say it’s just aimed at Demon Slayer fans, but I don’t feel that’s the case. My wife has never seen a single episode of that show, and she said after our first session that she liked Sweep the Board! more than Mario Party.

Heresy, you say? Well, understand that we’ve played pretty much every Mario Party entry since the GameCube, and there have certainly been some duds. Sweep the Board! changes up just enough in its style and pacing to feel more fresh than what Nintendo has given us.

The different graphics help, too. Although the five included game boards are familiar in their layout, they’ve got a unique vibe that’s fun to explore, especially for fans of the show. The daytime settings are bright and colorful, while the nighttime demons are just as creepy and unsettling as they are in the anime.

Considering that most anime-based games tend to just be action brawlers, I like that SEGA did something different with Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! I also like that they changed up the party board game formula enough to help it stand out. Best of all, though, is that the changes seem inspired by the Demon Slayer characters, settings, and themes as opposed to change for change’s sake. Although not perfect, the whole package comes together quite well, and will sit comfortably alongside Mario Party Superstars as an option on Hiner Family Game Night.

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SEGA has announced that Demon Slayer ~Kimetsu no Yaiba~ Sweep the Board! is now available for Nintendo Switch.

Akin to Super Mario Party, Sweep the Board allows up to four players to enjoy board game style gameplay, events, and minigames either locally or online.

Roll the dice and aim to become the strongest Demon-Slayer swordsman! – Iconic locations from the anime, like Mt. Fujikasane and Asakusa, appear as boards in this game. Advance on the game board by rolling the dice! The game board switches between day and night. During the day, prepare for the night with events and minigames. At night, you will search for demons to defeat. 

Take control of iconic characters! – Choose your favorite characters from the Demon Slayer Corps., including Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and the Hashira! Nezuko appears on the game board to aid players as a support character!

Fight demons by waving the Joy-Con! – Face off against demons like Akaza in minigames and swing the Joy-Con like the Nichirin Sword to attack. 

Players will want to grab the day one patch as it adds a Swordsmith Village board…

Swordsmiths such as Haganezuka, Kanamori, and Tecchin are around to support players in various ways. That includes Kotetsu, who holds the key to the battle-type mechanical doll “Yoriichi Type Zero.” At night, the powerful demons Gyokko and Hantengu will appear, awaiting all four players who dare to challenge them!

…two new mini games (Food Delivery! and Mask Match), online and local wireless multiplayer, two new boss fights, player cards, and more.

Demon Slayer ~Kimetsu no Yaiba~ Sweep the Board! is available now in the Nintendo eShop for $59.99. Those who purchase the digital standard edition will receive the base game and a set of four Stamps featuring Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Inosuke Hashibira. Stamps are used for player communication in-game and are available to use in the “Sweep the Board” game mode.

A standard physical edition of the game is also available. For more information, visit demonslayer-sweeptheboard.sega.com.

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My thoughts? I’m hooked. But before I list off the reasons, here’s a little on why I knew I would be. Unicorn Overlord is a tactical RPG on a grand scale. Set in the fantasy world of Fevrith, the game follows Alain, a would-be prince now exiled when the kingdom is overthrown by General Valmore. Alain seeks to reclaim the throne, but will need to unite the individual countries of Fevrith to do so.

A corrupt ruler to face, an army to build, a world to explore, a tense political climate to navigate…it sounds pretty Fire Emblemy, doesn’t it? Well, it is, but it’s so much more. Let’s take a look at what I’ve already learned via the demo.

• The demo is timed, so how far you get will depend upon how quickly you move. You’ll get five hours, which is more than enough to whet your appetite for strategy gaming goodness.
• Of course, your progress will carry over to the full game should when you decide to buy it. However, it doesn’t look like there will be any bonuses for those who tried the demo before buying.
• We get our traditional act of heroic sacrifice straight away, with a more surprising turn of events soon thereafter. If you’re as into JRPG melodrama as I am, Unicorn Overlord looks sure to satisfy.
• The overworld is a living thing here. Unlike other tactical RPGs that just shove icons around a map as a narrator speaks, Unicorn Overlord charges you exploration. There are items to find (designated and hidden), characters to speak with, and enemies to engage or avoid.

• Conversely, there are no towns…at least not yet. You’ll see and can interact with cities and buildings on the map, but just to pull up menus for buying/selling items, recruiting mercenaries, chartering ships, etc. Building up these towns makes them more useful to you,  a unique spin that keeps the game active when you’re not engaged in combat.
• Speaking of mercenaries, you get to customize them! The game gives you plenty of plot-driven characters to control, but you also have the ability to hire reinforcements with some options for altering their appearance. Oddly, when naming them, you have to select from a predetermined list. So much for my idea of naming characters after members of the band Unicorn. Sorry, ABEDON!
• Why the need for mercenaries? This begins our string of combat bullets, starting with engagement. Overworld battle scenarios happen in real time, with you deploying squads of 1 to 3 combatants (in the demo) for engagement. Each squad can be customized with the soldiers of your choice, including where they’re placed on a 2×3 grid. That placement will be determined by who is on that grid. Archers and healers in the back, of course. Fighters and guards in the front. Maybe. If you’re going up against an enemy that can attack an entire front line, you may want to move a lower defense attacker to the back. I found I didn’t have to tinker much with placement in the demo, but it’s obvious that’ll become more important as I get deeper into the game.

• Who’s fighting together in these squads is important, as teammates will build rapport with one another the more they fight together. The game makes it clear who can share rapport and how far they’ve progressed.
• The fighting animations we’ve seen are just that: animations. Like Fire Emblem, the gameplay focuses on determining who should fight whom, and making sure the right squad is within range. You can see the likely result of the fight before you engage. If you have multiple squads within reach, you can cycle through them to determine which will achieve the best results.
• Each squad has a leader that can be assigned for various bonuses. If you have an archer leading a squad that’s within reach of a fight, you can call in a volley of arrows from his/her squad to do damage before you even engage. How cool is that? Other leadership skills include the ability to move faster on the world map, cross over mountains and rivers, etc.
• The battle scenarios are timed. Once you engage the enemy and start moving your squads around, you have a limited amount of time to claim victory. The demo is generous with the time provided, giving you plenty of options to rest your squads (they can get tuckered out) and to compensate for mistakes as you spread them out for engagement.

That’s barely scratching the surface of what the demo highlights, but 11 bullet points is my traditional stopping point. I didn’t even get to the game’s lush graphics, the moral dilemmas (already with the tough choices?), the intricate item/skill management, and the sidequests that help you build up the territories you’ve freed. Unicorn Overlord gives you a lot to take in within the first few hours, but it’s also manageable…for now. I have a feeling it’ll get pretty complicated pretty quickly.

But I’m looking forward to that. The demo is a clear indication that Unicorn Overlord will keep gamers busy for quite some time. Exploration and combat are equally addictive and rewarding, and we’ve already met a handful of engaging characters. I’m more than ready to meet more and dig deeper into Fevrith when the game releases digitally and physically on March 8th.

For more information on Unicorn Overlord, visit unicornoverlord.atlus.com/.

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Sonic Superstars is exactly how it looks: a modern day take on 2D Sonic. If you’ve played any classic Sonic game, you know what to expect. Diverse stages, weird boss fights, a mixed bag of platforming (more on that in a moment), great music, and, of course, lots of coins. This modern take on 2D Sonic introduces a new art style, a mix of 2D gameplay with 3D visuals. There’s also the addition of Emerald Powers, a special power up you can use after collecting certain Chaos Emeralds from bonus stages. These range from slowing down time to making a whole bunch of duplicates of yourself that rush onto the screen to destroy enemies. 

Whereas a game like Sonic the Hedgehog 4 tried, and failed, to add something new to 2D Sonic, Sonic Superstars nails what makes the old games beloved, while trying to add something new. It’s overall gameplay is absolutely solid, which is a big deal. The aforementioned Sonic 4 was notorious for feeling equal parts floaty (where the character strangely felt like it floated way too long when jumping) to way too heavy. Regardless of the character you choose, Sonic Superstars nails it’s moment to moment gameplay. Running and jumping feel a little slower than those classic Genesis era Sonic games, but it simply feels good to control each of the characters, although I must admit I mostly played as Sonic.

It also helps that Sonic Superstars looks really nice. I personally liked the new art style; it feels fresh while still feeling like the old school Sonic. Environments are rich in details, characters are super expressive, and the cutscenes are very well executed. It’s a huge improvement over Sega’s previous attempts with 2D Sonic (think Sonic 4 or Sonic Forces) and honestly makes the whole experience quite memorable. The cherry on top of its great visuals is the music. Older Sonic games had absolutely great soundtracks and, thankfully, Sonic Superstars follows suit. While not every track hits, the overall soundtrack for Superstars is top-notch. Trust me, you’ll be humming a few tracks from this game every time you step away from it.

While Sonic Superstars does well at being a modern day take on 2D Sonic, not every new addition works. Emerald Powers sound like they would make a really fun addition, allowing for unique gameplay changes while you play. The problems are that getting the Emerald Powers is more annoying than it is fun, and they aren’t very useful. To get the power ups you have to complete the Bonus Stage. The thing is, finding those stages in levels isn’t easy. Obviously, that is part of the challenge but I found myself accidentally finding a Bonus Stage in the most random of spots, rather than feeling like I found it in a truly clever location. 

Then, once you get the power ups, their use is…mixed at best. Sonic Superstars limits when you can use the power ups and, 9 out of 10 times, you can’t use the power up in the spot where it could be useful. The game flashes an icon at a random point on each stage where you can use the power up, and nowhere else. This kind of defeats the whole point of having this feature, as I don’t care to use, say, multiple versions of myself in the middle of the stage on four enemies. It’s not useful to limit when I can use this, especially when it was such a pain to find and then collect the power up to begin with.

The other major issue I have with Sonic Superstars is its wildly uneven difficulty spikes. I’ve seen major difficulty spikes in games before, but Sonic Superstars might be the most whiplash I’ve had in a long time. The biggest issues are the mid-stage and final boss fights. Mid-stage boss fights typically aren’t that difficult, and you can easily figure out how to defeat the enemy without taking much or any damage. In Sonic Superstars, the mid-stage boss fights are harder than the end-stage bosses. In fact, defeating Dr. Eggman at the end of each stage is really, really easy; you just jump up and hit him on the head of his robot. His attacks aren’t hard to figure out, and you beat them with ease.

Mid-stage boss fights? It’s pretty unclear how to beat the bosses when they start up, and they are laser focused on hitting you and ultimately defeating you. It’s a strange and very uneven experience that feels like someone at Sega accidentally switched the code by mistake.

Then, there’s the last Eggman boss fight. It’s hard, like way too hard for its own good. It takes 13 hits to his head to defeat him in the end, and you can’t simply jump on his head every time to damage him. Without spoiling the boss fight, let’s just say they change up how you damage him during the fight. The overall experience comes off as annoyingly difficult rather than a rewarding challenge.

In the end, Sonic Superstars is a fun, modern take on the classic 2D Sonic formula. Its solid moment to moment gameplay, fun new visual style, and great soundtrack make for a very fun experience. The game falters a bit in the new addition of Emerald Powers, which aren’t fun to collect and aren’t useful when collected. The major difficulty spikes in mid-stage bosses and end bosses make for a frustrating combat experience rather than a rewarding one. Still, Sonic Superstars manages to pull together an experience old and new Sonic fans—or 2D platforming fans in general—will get plenty of enjoyment out of.

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With more than a few similarities to the popular Mario Party series (right down board spaces that change with the day/night cycles), Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba­- Sweep the Board! players will explore dynamic board game featuring locations from the anime, including Mount Fujikasane and Asakusa.

Choose from a cast of fan-favorite characters including Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, and 9 Hashiras before engaging in fun, exciting multiplayer action for up to 4 players, either locally or online. Nezuko Kamado will also join in on the fun as a support character. Take on a variety of thrilling mini-games, meet familiar characters, work together to defeat dangerous demons lurking in the night, and aim to become the most powerful demon slayer among the rest!

We don’t yet have an English trailer, but the Japanese trailer released a couple days ago does a good job of cluing us in on the gameplay.

Players take turns rolling dice and moving across the various boards, and it looks like they then in engage in varied (and numerous) co-op and competitive mini-games.

As a fan of both Mario Party and Demon Slayer, I have to say I’m really looking forward to learning more about this one, including whether western audiences will have the option to play the game with the Japanese voice actors.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! currently has a release date of simply 2024. The official website is lacking in content, too. We may perhaps learn more during tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct, but we’ll be keeping our eyes on this one, regardless.

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Nintendo Switch players in North America can access the demo on the Nintendo eShop. The demo will allow single-players to access the pop songs “Shake Senora (featuring T-Pain and Sean Paul)” by Pitbull and “TiK ToK” by Kesha. European players will be able to access the demo later this month.

Of course, if you like what you see (and hear), pre-orders are now open for both the standard ($39.99) and deluxe ($49.99) editions. Those who purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition on the Nintendo eShop will receive the following in-game items on top of the standard edition of the game:

• The Sonic the Hedgehog Music Pack that includes fan-favorite tracks such as “Open Your Heart” from Sonic Adventure, “Reach For The Stars (Re-Colors)” from Sonic Colors: Ultimate, and “I’m Here” from Sonic Frontiers.
• The SEGA Music Pack (available on September 27, 2023) that features popular tracks from SEGA’s historic roster of franchises: “Baka Mitai (Taxi Driver Edition),” “Go Go Cheer Girl!” from Space Channel 5: Part 2, and “Rhythm Thief Theme” from Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure.
• Special costumes and accessories from Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Channel 5, Super Monkey Ball, and Puyo Puyo.

As for the game itself, Samba de Amigo: Party Central allows players to use Joy-Con as maracas while dancing to 40 hit songs from the world’s most popular genres, with even more song arriving as post-launch DLC. More specifically:

• Groove with your friends and family with different party modes.
• Complete the StreamiGo! challenges to help Amigo rise to fame.
• Strut that style by customizing your character with unique costumes and accessories.
• Take the party to a global level by hitting the floor with 12 Amigos and up to 8 of your friends online in World Party Mode.
• Show the world what you’ve got by competing on the online leaderboards.

For more information on Samba de Amigo: Party Central, visit sambadeamigo.sega.com.

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The “body-shaking music rhythm” game Samba de Amigo: Party Central will be released for Nintendo Switch on August 29th, and the party will now feature a special guest. SEGA has announced a collaboration with Pitbull, with a selection of his songs becoming available as free, day one downloads.

The songs announced this week include:

• The appropriately titled “Shake Senora (featuring T-Pain and Sean Paul)”
• A new track, “Let’s Take a Shot”, set to be released as a single for Pitbull’s upcoming album, Trackhouse.

Both tracks will be available via a day one update, joining another Pitbull hit, “Celebrate,” which was previously announced as part of the base game.

Of course, there’s plenty more to Samba de Amigo than Pitbull. The rhythm game will allow players to:

• Get up and shake it in a vibrant and colorful rhythm action game with smooth controls that make the game fun for everyone.
• Groove to 40 hit songs from the world’s most popular genres, with more arriving as post-launch paid DLC.
• Test their technique in a variety of difficulty levels and challenges.
• Strut that style by customizing their character with unique costumes and accessories.
• Hit the dance floor and play online in World Party mode.
• Show the world what they’ve got by competing on the online leaderboards.

For more information on Samba de Amigo: Patry Central, including pre-order options, visit sambadeamigo.sega.com.

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The early batch of songs highlights popular artists such as Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Carly Rae Jepsen, and the Jonas Brothers, while tossing “olds” like me a J. Geils bone so we don’t give up hope.

The songs announced today are:

• “Break Free ft. Zedd” by Ariana Grande
• “I Really Like You” by Carly Rae Jepsen
• “Payback (feat. Icona Pop)” by Cheat Codes
• “Let You Go (feat. Kareen Lomax)” by Diplo & TSHA
• “I Will Survive (Eric Kupper Mix Extended)“ by Gloria Gaynor
• “I Love It” by Icona Pop
• “Centerfold’ by J Geils Band
• “Bang Bang“ by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj
• “Sucker” by Jonas Brothers
• ”TiK ToK“ by Kesha
• “Panama” by Matteo
• “Plastic Hearts” by Miley Cyrus
• “Celebrate” by Pitbull
• “The Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)“ by Ricky Martin
• “XS” by Rina Sawayama
• “Bom Bom” by Sam and the Womp
• “Azukita“ by Steve Aoki, Daddy Yankee, Play-N-Skillz & Elvis Crespo
• “Macarena (Cover)”
• “Fugue (classic)”
• “La Bamba (Cover)”

We also know two tracks from Sonic the Hedgehog—“Escape From The City” from Sonic Adventure 2  and “Fist Bump” from Sonic Forces—will be included. Additional music will be announced in the coming months.

And just what will players be doing to these songs? Dancing! Or, at least shaking, anyway. In Samba de Amigo: Party Central, players will:

• Groove with friends and family with different party modes.
• Complete the StreamiGo! challenges to help Amigo rise to fame.
• Strut that style by customizing characters with unique costumes and accessories.
• Take the party to a global level with 12 Amigos and up to 8 online friends in World Party Mode.
• Competing on online leaderboards.

Samba de Amigo: Party Central is due for release on Nintendo Switch this summer. For more information, visit sambadeamigo.sega.com.

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Specifically, Samba de Amigo will include the following Sonic-themed in-game content:

• “Escape From the City” from Sonic Adventure 2 and “Fist Bump” from Sonic Forces.
• A stage based on City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2, in which Sonic will shake it alongside Amigo.

And what else will players get to do when Samba de Amigco releases in a few months?

• Get up and shake it center stage in this vibrant and colorful rhythm action game with smooth Joy-Con controls that make the game fun for everyone.
• Groove to 40 hit songs from the world’s most popular genres, with more arriving as post-launch DLC!
• Test their technique in a variety of minigames and challenges.
• Strut that style by customizing their character with unique costumes and accessories.
• Hit the dance floor and play online in World Party mode.
• Show the world what they’ve got by competing on the online leaderboards.

For more information about Samba de Amigo: Party Central, including pre-order options for the physical release, visit sambadeamigo.sega.com.

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Sonic Frontiers starts off with a brief introduction to our heroes Sonic, Tails, and Amy. After a digital anomaly, Sonic mysteriously gets pulled into the ‘Cyberspace’ or in this case, a tutorial level set in Green Hill Zone. After you’ve completed this, you’re dropped into the first of five open-zone locations: Kronos Island. It turns out that Sonic’s friends are missing and it’s up to you to find and rescue them.

One of the major aspects of Sonic Frontiers is its open-zone gameplay. Why open-zone and not open-world? “Open world” implies a much bigger world to explore, whereas Sonic Frontiers gives you large, contained areas that aren’t connected. It’s a big departure for the series to have so much space to run around in and it surprisingly works. This freedom finally makes Sonic’s speed a pleasure to use all the time (once you’ve upgraded his running speed to be faster than its default. Honestly, it’s never been more fun to just speed around the zones and see every inch of the island or discover a new path to new areas of the map. 

This open-world feel gets elevated to a whole new level with the various rails scattered throughout the zone. These rails lead to other platforms, either high in the sky or out over water, which in turn lead to rewards and goodies (like heart pieces, money or hidden treasure). It makes exploring a lot of fun and I highly recommend taking the time to run around each zone. 

The zones themselves are interesting to explore, with all sorts of things you can do, interact with or fight in each area. It’s easy to run for a few minutes and bump into all sorts of different challenges, enemies and side quests. Each zone has a variety of locations to discover. From ancient ruins, giant titans (that you may or may not want to fight right away), to hidden paths inside waterfalls, there’s a lot waiting to be found in each zone. Having said that, I should mention that the game requires you to unlock the map bit by bit by completing minigames, which will open random parts of the map. In turn, the more you unlock, the more complete a picture of the island you get. Although the islands aren’t overly big, it’s still possible to get a bit lost if you haven’t unlocked much of the map. 

That’s one downside to Sonic Frontiers, its discoverability. Where a game like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild pulls you in through teasing you with identifiable world markers (shrines, villages, what’s that thing sticking up over there) Sonic Frontiers has issues with pop in. This means that those identifiers can’t be seen unless you are up on top of them. It’s not a major issue as running around the zone is quite fun and it’s great to run up on a surprise, but it does make it challenging to know where you are and where you are going. 

There’s also quite a bit of variety in the minigames Sonic Frontiers has thrown throughout its world. Some of these range from simple “race to this marker before time runs out” to fun callbacks to previous Sonic games. Big the Cat returns and you can do a fishing minigame with him. Sonic can also go back and experience a whole minigame set to the Genesis Sonic Spinball, and so much more. It’s fun and honestly the throwback minigames are my favorite, mostly because you don’t know what is until you play it. Sure, you eventually figure out that an hourglass means a race, and fishing takes place closest to the water. Still, there’s enough variety to keep you engaged in these side quest mini-games. 

That said, your enjoyment with the mini-games will likely depend on your previous experience with Sonic. If you are someone who has never played previous Sonic titles or you’re relatively new to the series, the throwbacks won’t mean anything to you. You might enjoy them, you might hate them. I know some people who hated fishing minigames in other Sonic outings and, no surprise, they hate them here, too. Finding the minigames might be your biggest challenge, as they are scattered throughout the zone and sometimes aren’t clearly marked. If you manage to unlock the whole map, then you get to experience the “map throw up”, a term I use to describe when the map unlocks and the game “throws up” every icon, marker, character location, treasure location, beacon, puzzle location on the map all at once.

 One of my main issues with Sonic Frontiers is something that seems pretty typical of Sonic games: glitches. Sonic Frontiers feels like it could have used another few months for polish because almost every aspect has glitches. It’s common to glitch through platforms, miss rails, have rewards spawn inside objects (looking at you, gear part that glitched INSIDE a boulder), and hit detection that is all over the place. It’s not a deal breaker as you can usually reload or retry a minigame/side quest/mission and avoid the issue. I shouldn’t have to do this of course, but the issue is so common, that’s the only way to progress. Perhaps a future patch will fix these issues, but  for now, the glitches are everywhere.

The other issue I have with Sonic Frontiers is its overall weirdness. All Sonic games have a level of strangeness to them but Sonic Frontiers is weird because of how it fails to explain itself. Take, for instance, your interactions with Amy. After releasing her from the Cyberspace prison sphere, you regularly have to talk to Amy by bringing her heart pieces. Why? Unclear. The game says those heart pieces are Amy’s Memory Pieces, and by giving her more hearts you unlock more of her. Except giving her these pieces has her tell you about the island natives, not her memories or information about the enemies you have to defeat. It doesn’t make senses, and that sort of thing consistently happens during your playthrough. Another oddity is that finishing minigames unlocks parts of the map but weirdly not the part of the map where the minigame is located. Even fighting the titans that roam the zones at first have very little explanation besides “because they are the titans.” There are many moments where you say “wait, what?” and it’s genuinely from a place of confusion rather than surprise.

The last thing that should be mentioned is how the game looks and plays on Nintendo Switch. It’s obvious when you play in docked mode that the game took a steep graphical hit to run on Switch. Environments and details are a bit fuzzy and pop-in occurs at nearly every moment (although I hear this issue occurs on even the newer, more powerful hardware on the market). It’s not a major, game-breaking issue but it is quite noticeable at every moment of your gameplay. Usually the pop-in occurs within about 30 feet of Sonic’s location and it’s not just limited to enemies but platforms, buildings and even the titans. The graphics aren’t as major of an issue when played in handheld mode – the smaller screen does help – although you can still tell things have been downgraded. Regardless of which mode you use, the game runs at a very stable framerate throughout your entire playthrough. Ultimately, it’s exactly what you expect from a third-party title on Switch in 2022. 

So, is Sonic Frontiers worth a play? Surprisingly, yes. Sonic Frontiers takes a huge gamble on changing up its entire gameplay presentation and the open-zone approach mostly works. It’s a blast running around in these open zones discovering all there is to offer. There’s also plenty of variety in the side quests and minigames, although you won’t truly love the throwbacks unless you’re a long-time Sonic player. That said, Sonic Frontiers suffers from being glitchy, where you run into graphical issues at nearly every section. It also suffers from major pop-in issues, with noticeably fuzzy visuals and downgraded graphics from other hardware counterparts. It’s also a weird game, even by Sonic standards. There’s still a lot of fun to be had in Sonic Frontiers and I recommend checking it out. It’s the first time in years a 3D Sonic outing has been worth playing and, honestly, I can’t wait to see how they build upon this game for a potential sequel.

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