Sonic Team has done a pretty admirable job at updating Sonic Frontiers with new mechanics and features since the game was released in November 2022 that make sprinting around the open zones as the Blue Blur so much fun, and while the first update introduced a lot more than people were expecting, the second update is by far the biggest game changer yet.
The second update, which was released for Sonic Frontiers on June 23rd, makes it well worth re-visiting the game for those who have completed it, or for players who might not have enjoyed the time they spent in the islands and the Cyberspace missions on their first playthrough. Sonic now feels better than ever to control, and with plenty of fresh new challenges that can unlock some amazing rewards, completionists and Sonic fans alike will no doubt be happy with what's been introduced here.
8 Party-Themed Islands
In celebration of Sonic's birthday, which is the same date that the update was released, Sonic Team have made each of the islands a little more vibrant and colorful with confetti balloons, multicolored sparkling rails, and a present-themed HUD all changing the environments just enough to make them a blast to race through again.
Of course, Sonic himself is also in on the celebrations, donning a party hat that somehow manages to remain on his head at all times, even when he's dashing at lightning speed upon acquiring the maximum number of rings.
7 Extra Quality Of Life Settings
Players are now able to change Sonic's deceleration speed for his jumps and his general movement, and can even toggle on an option that allows Sonic to boost while in mid-air, which makes navigating the map and jumping between rails and bumpers so much easier.
Sonic Team has even taken note of the mods that have been extremely popular for the game, specifically the one that deactivates the cinematic camera angle and have decided to make this an adjustable setting in the game itself. This can help some of the larger-scale combat encounters feel a lot less disorientating and can make fighting the Titans almost an entirely new experience altogether.
6 Elder Koco Change
The new update features a new set of Kocos who can be found scattered throughout the islands, but this time, returning them to the elder won't enhance Sonic's speed or maximum ring count, but instead will increase the Boost Gauge, allowing Sonic to sprint at full speed for much longer periods.
This is a very welcome change that really should have been in the game since launch, but it nonetheless makes exploring each of the islands much easier. Players should keep in mind that this won't work in Extreme mode since it could end up making Sonic a little too fast for the enemies trying to take him down.
5 New Koco Challenges
When players boot up Sonic Frontiers after downloading the second update, they will be able to see small orange Koco symbols on the map that have a question mark above their heads. When heading over to these symbols, Sonic will encounter a brand new obstacle course challenge added to the game, which he must complete to find one of these new Kocos.
Die-hard Sonic fans might notice a few familiar details on some of these Koco designs, such as one who has the Excalibur Sword strapped to his back, which is a callback to Sonic and the Black Knight. A lot of these new challenges are actually very difficult and more puzzle-based than those found in the base game, with some also testing the player's reflexes while traveling at high speeds, something that fans of the exhilarating gameplay in Sonic Unleashed are sure to enjoy.
4 Extra Accessories
By selecting the Extras tab from the main menu, players will be able to equip Sonic with a few birthday-themed accessories, including a pair of very stylish shades that feature a few references to older games such as the starts, which would be seen on Star Posts.
It's not just Sonic who gets a change in outfit either as players can also style the Kocos with some brand new birthday attire, and even Sonic's friends too, making sure nobody is left out of the celebrations. Additionally, if players complete all the new Koco challenges spread across the map, they will also earn a crown that Sonic can wear, which is surely the best birthday present of them all.
3 New Game +
Considering how many skills Sonic can unlock in Sonic Frontiers, and how fast and powerful he becomes by the end of a playthrough, it's no surprise that fans have been begging for a New Game + mode. Fans can now experience the game again with a much faster base speed and combat abilities that help make the mini-bosses and Titans so much easier to take down.
The good news is, New Game+ is finally here, and can be activated by simply clicking on the data of a save file where the game has already been completed. Of course, having all the stats and skills readily available will make the game much easier, but if players want a real challenge, they should play on the Extreme mode where enemy attacks will defeat Sonic in a single hit.
2 Action Chain Challenges
Action Chain Challenges are extremely difficult trials that can be found spread out across each of the five islands, which can be identified by their emanating green particle effect that hovers off the ground. Once players perform a Cyloop around the challenge indicator, a countdown for the challenge will begin.
At the top of the screen will be a screen multiplier and the time, which will be ticking down as the trial goes on. Attacking and defeating enemies is the easiest way to raise the overall score, especially if Sonic manages to take down small groups in only one to two attacks, but there are also plenty of homing attack prompts, grind rails, and ring trails that all contribute to the final score and ranking.
1 Spin Dash
If players manage to get an S rank on each of the Action Chain Challenges, they will acquire a move that Sonic Team has struggled to implement successfully into 3D Sonic titles: the Spin Dash. Lifelong fans will be glad to know that this is the best it has ever felt since the days of the Sega Genesis. This almost completely changes the momentum of movement, allowing Sonic to accelerate into the air when dashing up a hill where he can almost scale an entire island if he finds a point that's high enough.
The Spin Dash can also be used while Sonic's running, granting him an extra jolt of speed which makes getting to each objective so much more fun, and can also help him reach airborne enemies like the Squid without having to find any nearby bumpers. Overall, this is undoubtedly the best addition Sonic Team has introduced to Sonic Frontiers so far, and a huge achievement in and of itself for it to even work this well in a modern Sonic game.
Sonic Frontiers is available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.