Sonic Frontiers wowed fans as the first open-world game of the franchise, and there are still so many things to do. The two primary goals of saving Sonic’s friends and collecting Chaos Emeralds are set in stone, but players can also complete puzzles and challenges, all while exploring what Starfall Islands has to offer and gathering collectibles.
Many fans have already completed their first playthrough by now. Still, some players may have made a few mistakes along the way or missed certain gameplay aspects. Things as simple as changing the settings for specific playstyles to hidden mechanics aren’t so obvious. But knowing these incredible things in Sonic Frontiers can make the overall experience even more refreshing and new.
6 Gotta Go Faster
Sonic games are all about speed, but some players have voiced their concern about having a hard time keeping up with the blue hedgehog. Thankfully, Sega has listened and given fans the most in-depth controls of Sonic to date. Players can now customize Sonic’s speed to the tiniest detail, from the sensitivity of his turning, to his starting and initial boost speed, as well as bounce height.
These simple tweaks are a bonus in accessibility, particularly for those who experience motion sickness. Players can also pick two different gaming styles: Action and High Speed. Action slows the camera down, while High Speed locks the camera on Sonic, providing the familiar and often chaotic nature of Sonic games.
5 Cyber Space Platforming For Completionists
As soon as players boot up Sonic Frontiers, they’ll encounter a traditional side-scrolling platforming level which continue to pop up throughout the game. For the completionists, each platform level has four goals to complete, like finishing the level in a specific time or clearing it with 150 rings. Players receive Vault Keys for each goal that’s achieved, which help unlock Chaos Emeralds. When all four goals are completed, an extra key is available to obtain.
Depending on the console, players can receive a trophy for their efforts. For example, YouTuber Master Trainer Gaming received the Perfect Run trophy on the PS5 the first time they completed all four missions in one run. Players don’t receive any bonuses other than extra vault keys for their efforts, but the feeling of satisfaction is enough for some.
4 Fishing For Gold
Fishing in Sonic Frontiers may seem like a simple mini-game, but Sonic can reap a lot of rewards. If the player catch every variant of fish and log it in the Fish-o-Pedia, it’s one step closer to meeting the requirements to 100% the game. There’s also a chance for Sonic to net a treasure chest while fishing, which rewards players with a Gold Card. This particular item can be exchanged for rare items and collectibles in Big the Cat’s shop, like Portal Gears and Vault Keys.
Players can also purchase Skill Pieces, characters-specific memory tokes, and Lost Kocos. Egg Memos are another collectible players may have missed, with each providing a backstory to the lore of Sonic Frontiers courtesy of Dr. Eggman.
3 Metal Birds
So long as players have unlocked one of the five islands, fast travel is available by simply accessing the map. But on Chaos Island, a few smaller islands are littered around it with no obvious way to get to them. Some are accessible by grinding rails, but there’s one way of traversal players may not have noticed.
The metal birds on Chaos Island aren’t just enemies to fight. Sonic can also use them as a mode of transport. All players have to do is get above them or parry their dive attack to lock and latch onto the bar between their talons. Sonic will then swing on top of the bird and control it as it glides down.
2 True Final Boss
Sonic Frontiers has three difficulties to suit any player, but there’s a bonus for those who are up for a challenge. Those who play the game on Hard mode will experience the “True Ending” to Sonic Frontiers, which involves an extra boss aptly named The End.
To do this, players will need to play the game in Hard mode before the final Chaos Emerald. Thanks to the ability to change the difficulty at any point during a playthrough, those on Easy or Normal mode can switch to the highest mode before the final battle. Sonic will then be faced with the Supreme Titan, followed by The End in a fight similar to the hacking puzzles found throughout the game (but way more difficult).
1 Infinite Boost
After unlocking the Cyloop ability, Sonic can achieve an infinite boost to his speed by running in an infinity symbol loop. This replaces the limited boost gauge that players can apply while running, giving Sonic an extended amount of time to run at full capacity.
The boost does wane after some time, but the “infinite” part of the move means that players can refresh it by drawing the same symbol again. This easily missed bonus can be very helpful to use while traversing the island at speed. It can also be used in boss fight strategies as part of a combo.
Sonic Frontiers is out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.