Anyone following the news around the Sights, Sounds, and Speed update for Sonic Frontiers has probably heard about the new Cyberspace Challenge Mode. This mode is unlocked after beating the final boss on any difficulty, and tasks players with completing every single Cyberspace level the game has to offer.
Contrary to popular belief, the only requirement for unlocking this mode is beating the game; players are not required to open every Cyberspace portal. The mode itself is easy to finish but difficult to master, demanding an S-rank on its most formidable challenge to gain the ultimate reward. This guide is to help players who are struggling with completing this mode and getting through all the stages in a timely manner, especially the ever-infamous 1-2.
Cyberspace Tips and Tricks
While the mode itself may be easy to finish with any rank, the game asks its players to speedrun it. Finishing it with an S-rank is far more complex, especially for the Cyberspace challenges on Kronos island. The most beneficial trick to learn and master would be the Homing Dash, performed by homing attacking an enemy and quickly boosting before Sonic hits it. Of course, this will put an asterisk on the final time for any Cyberspace mission, but this asterisk has no effect on gameplay and only indicates that a Homing Dash was used to achieve the time.
When in one of the infamous 2D levels, another good trick to remember is that the Drop Dash (done by jumping twice and then holding the jump button) is almost always faster when in a 2D segment. So while the boost and air boost certainly aren't very slow, the Drop Dash gives a far faster burst of momentum when Sonic is on a flat plane. However, a Homing Dash should still be used when the opportunity presents itself. Finally, rail launches are another piece of tech that could be used by boosting and jumping off of rails, but they're far less effective in Cyberspace compared to the open zone.
The Reward For Completing Cyberspace Challenge Mode
If the player goes out of their way to avoid enemies, and uses Homing Dash, Drop Dash, and Rail Launch, then minute under the S-rank requirement (or even shorter) can undoubtedly be achieved. This leads to the final challenge, with the player going through all four islands' worth of Cyberspace levels with no saves. This challenge can be conquered using all the techniques, and thankfully, the very challenging 1-2 is at the beginning of this gauntlet, meaning it becomes easy to reset if a mistake is made during it.
If this massive gauntlet of platforming challenges is bested with an S-rank overall, Sonic Frontiers players will be rewarded with the Power Boost in Cyberspace. This reward comes after players have likely already finished most of the Cyberspace levels, but is also given to brand new save files for a repeat playthrough. It is the prize for the speediest players who managed to conquer the ultimate platforming challenge is going even faster in the Cyberspace levels they have fully completed, making it a fitting reward for only the most dedicated Sonic Frontiers players.
Sonic Frontiers is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.