History VideoGame / SonicFrontiers

** Failing the pinball minigame at the end of Chaos Island enough times will first add an extra life, then add return springs to the gutters to eliminate the likelihood of a random gutterball killing the multiplier.

** Repeatedly failing the pinball segment at the end of Chaos Island will eventually make the game add glowing arrows at the sides and middle pits, throwing the ball back in if it lands in, then disappearing for the rest of that ball's life.

** Despite originally being planned to release for the ''Sonic'' series' 30th anniversary, there's no sign of Classic Sonic, who was a fixture of the [[VideoGame/SonicGenerations last]] [[VideoGame/SonicForces two]] anniversary games.

* AscendedMeme: The third episode of ''Speed Strats'' referenced two of the game's memes: Surprise Squid [[note]]a sudden jump cut to SQUID's BossSubtitles when it comes into range [[/note]] and Cyber Space Level 1-2 [[note]]infamous for being ThatOneLevel and a case of EarlyGameHell[[invoked]][[/note]].

** 4-8's background song "No Pain, No Gain" is the longest of all the Cyber Space vocal tracks. The stage itself, however, is the shortest in the entire game, with a normal S-Rank time of 30 seconds. The music doesn't reset when you restart the level, though.

* CounterAttack: The Grand Slam skill (the first story locked skill unlocked by freeing Amy) allows this by, after parrying an incoming attack, giving Sonic a prompt to counter with an unblockable high damage attack. The counter attack animation depends on the enemy being countered. Recovery Smash is a more conventional version that triggers when Sonic gets hit and works the same way.

** GIGANTO gets spin-dashed in the face before Super Sonic kicks it in the head into the ground.

* {{Determinator}}: Given a DeconReconSwitch. Not even unstoppable titans will prevent Sonic from saving his friends, but he starts to question his motive when Sage antagonizes him because of his reckless insistence of exploring the Starfall Islands, not knowing what dangers the ruins hold. He keeps going even after [[spoiler:the very act of saving his friends begins to corrupt him, eventually trapping him in Cyber Space]]. Sonic's determination in turn causes Sage's to waver, making her question if the odds are really impossible. [[spoiler:It's Sonic's heroic spirit that ultimately convinces Sage to fight THE END along with him, following his lead in protecting his loved ones by sacrificing herself to keep Eggman safe]].

A prequel webcomic titled ''Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence'', focused around Sonic, Amy, Tails, and Eggman, was released in two parts in October 2022, with the [[https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1582370960354660352 first part]] released on October 18th and [[https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1584911709021798401 second part]] on October 25th. A prequel animated short film starring Knuckles, titled ''Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence'' released on November 1st, 2022.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: The "alligator" is more evidently a crocodile, as shown by its thinner snout, interlocking teeth, and lighter coloring.

In the process of exploring the islands, Sonic begins to discover the history of the Ancients, and in doing so may learn many secrets deeply kept for so long -- including why the Ancients vanished, and even the true origin of ''the Chaos Emeralds themselves''...

* BigDamnHeroes: During the [[spoiler:Final Battle in The Final Horizon DLC, SUPREME/THE END launches a powerful attack against Eggman when he picks SUPREME's gun - Sage then creates a Cyber Barrier to protect her father, however, it starts to break under the mutated Titan’s onslaught. When she resigns herself to die while shielding Eggman, Amy, Knuckles and Tails reach her in their cyber forms and reinforces the barrier to protect Eggman while Cyber Super Sonic battles SUPREME/THE END.]]

** The Cyclone from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' makes its first re-appearance within the games (outside of a brief cutscene from ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'') as part of Tails' moveset in "The Final Horizon" DLC.

*** [[spoiler:In The Final Horizon DLC, SUPREME/THE END attacks Cyber Super Sonic heads on, however the superpowered hedgehog uses a Lightspeed attack to throw it away.]]

* DeathOfPersonality: It can be applied to [[spoiler:SUPREME, after he is taken over by THE END and converted in a puppet during the Final Horizon DLC - even the Boss Title Card changes its name to make it clear that SUPREME, as an individual entity, doesn't exist anymore]].

* EleventhHourSuperpower: In "The Final Horizon", Sonic goes on a quest to complete the trials of [[spoiler:the pilots of the Titans and the Master King, creator of the Titans, in order to convert his cyber-corruption into a new power. However, the true extent of the power can [[ItOnlyWorksOnce only be used once]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique due to how much power it uses]]. In the new final boss, Super Sonic utilizes this power against THE END who uses SUPREME as a vessel and is able to used the Perfect Parry to dodge ''any'' attack. When THE END is on its last legs, Sonic used his full power, turning into a cyber-corrupted version of Super Sonic, and is fired out of SUPREME's rifle by Eggman, a combination powerful enough to destroy both SUPREME and THE END [[OneHitKill in one shot]].]]

** Expanded in the Final Horizon DLC, [[spoiler:since not only do Sonic, Eggman and Sage join forces to defeat THE END, but Amy, Tails, and Knuckles join the group as well, with Sonic and Sage going through many trials in Ouranos Island while the rest of Team Sonic plus Eggman recover the Chaos Emeralds. In the FinalBattle, all of them have important roles, which is determinant to finish SUPREME/THE END.]]

* GameMod: Notably, because this game made with the ''Hedgehog Engine 2'' - the core engine that has been used to develop the games since ''Sonic Unleashed'', in its current second iteration that debuted with ''Sonic Forces'' - the quite active hacking and modding communities for the franchise dove into its files and coding ''almost immediately'' upon release. This resulted in a ''much faster'' development of mods than with prior games, some of which introduced features like the physics tweaks and the stricter parrying timing ''long before'' the DLC updates released.
** Game Director Morio Kishimoto [[https://www.famitsu.com/news/202311/08320390.html commented on this in a Famitsu interview]], expressing astonishment and praise at the Western modding community and mentioning how they were considered a "rival" - in the sense of setting a bar for them to overcome - during their development of the DLC Updates, especially ''The Final Horizon''.

** In the battle against [[spoiler:KNIGHT, Super Sonic uses its own sword to cut it with a single attack, reminiscent of ''Videogame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'']].
** Happens again in the [[spoiler:Final Horizon DLC, when Eggman uses SUPREME/THE END's own gun to launch Cyber Super Sonic as a cannon bullet against the mutated Titan and the EldritchAbomination, killing both of them with a ''single shot'']].

** During its [[spoiler:conversion by THE END in the Final Horizon DLC, SUPREME grows extra arms from its body. [[Videogame/SonicUnleashed Sound familiar?]]]]

** And that's not to mention where in "The Final Horizon" DLC, where [[spoiler:by forging the cyber corruption into a new power, Super Sonic can attain effectively a new form above his own.]]

** The [[spoiler:Final Battle against SUPREME/THE END in the Final Horizon DLC has THE END's moon form hovering over Ouranos Island]], being very similar to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''.

*** [[https://youtu.be/TEY9IudTkHA A video released to promote the first DLC]] starts by quoting an infamous line from the original Creator/{{Funimation}} dub of ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.

*** In the final cutscene of this fight, [[spoiler:Super Sonic Cyber is launched to pierce through both SUPREME and THE END, gaining spiral-like irises as he is fully enveloped in the cyber-energy - referencing [[Manga/GetterRobo the Shine Spark and the Getter Ray exposure effects.]]]]

* SprintMeter: The Boost Gauge works this way, depleting whenever Sonic is using the Boost/Spin Dash and quickly replenishing when he is not. Starting from the "Sonic's Birthday Bash" update, finding the special New Koco and bringing them to Elder Koco will add one extra gauge to the Boost Gauge, up to four additional times.

** Since ''Another Story'' takes place entirely on [[spoiler:Ouranos Island]], the final dungeon is instead the last Tower of the Masters, [[spoiler:the secret fifth one specifically]], which must be scaled like the other towers through its platforming challenges to reach the top. Awaiting there is the final Trial, [[spoiler:a BossRush against the first three Titans]], and after beating it Sonic can fight the final boss of the DLC.

* WelcomeToCorneria: Everytime you come to the menu for the fishing mini-game, you have to listen to Big say "Would you like to try? I'll let you borrow a rod", even if you return to it from the fish-o-pedia, the trade tokens section, or even after you're done fishing.

* WholePlotReference: DoubleSubverted: the plot bares more than a passing resemblence to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Sonic explores a wide open land long after its fallen into ruin. Get occasional flashbacks into the past. Is guided by a feminine voice. Collects cute little creatures for upgrades. The game involves fighting giant machines. His closest friends are now phantoms (in this case trapped in an alternative reality rather than ghosts). And the world has occasional big in-game event that resets the game's items and monsters. And the world is dotted with minor puzzles that slowly increase Sonic's strength. However, it flies off the rails and reveals it's actually got more in common with [[spoiler:''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'']] instead: In order to save loved ones, Sonic has to take down gigantic creatures [[spoiler:that turn out to be the [[SealedEvilInACan seal for the setting's villain]] and each victory further and further corrupts him.]]

''Sonic Frontiers'' is a 3D ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' title released on November 8, 2022 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, and PC via {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} and UsefulNotes/EpicGamesStore.

*** In comparison to previous games where they were playable, Knuckles and Tails' flight mechanics also work differently: namely, they both have a delay before they begin gliding/flying. Knuckles' glide in particular handles much more stiffly than in ''Adventure 2'' or '''06''.

* BigDamnHeroes: During the [[spoiler:Final Battle in The Final Horizon DLC, SUPREME/THE END launches a powerful attack against Eggman when he picks SUPREME’s gun - Sage then creates a Cyber Barrier to protect her father, however, it starts to break under the mutated Titan’s onslaught. When she resigns herself to die while shielding Eggman, Amy, Knuckles and Tails reach her in their cyber forms and reinforces the barrier to protect Eggman while Cyber Super Sonic battles SUPREME/THE END.]]

* CyberNinja: The Ninja enemies and their variants, while not looking much like their namesakes, are one of the few humanoid robots in the game, they wield blades and perform ninja techniques, such as NinjaRun and DoppelgangerAttack.

* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: [[spoiler:The Cyber power introduced in ''Another Story''. After receiving the blessings of the four Titan pilots and completing Master King's trial, Sonic is able to harness and utilize the energy of Cyber Space to give himself a power boost; however, Master King warns Sonic that the power is so strong he needs to temper it or else he'll spend it all and burn himself out. Though he keeps it under control and uses it to augment the power of the Chaos Emeralds as Super Sonic 2 during most of the final battle, he's forced to go all out and unleash its full energy as Super Sonic Cyber to destroy both Supreme and THE END, unleashing its energy in a furious blast against the two and leaving him drained and unconscious after.]]

* FemBot: The Ninja type enemies are an example of this, due to their [[ImpossibleHourglassFigure feminine]] [[HartmanHips proportions]] and [[SupermodelStrut animations]], made explicit with the Kunoichi variant, whose name translates to 'female ninja'.

* ImpossibleHourglassFigure: The Ninja enemies take this to an extreme, with waists thinner than their heads accentuated by HartmanHips.

* LandShark: The Shark is a shark-like guardian that can swim/burrow in the sands of Ares Island, and comes up when there are any passersby.

** The trigger to start the Wyvern boss fight is activated by Homing Attacking its body. The intended way to do this is to collect six Chaos Emeralds to unlock the big tower on Ares Island, which will give you enough altitude to intercept Wyvern and start the fight. However, the ability to Homing Attack Wyvern is always available as soon as the Wyvern event happens, meaning it is entirely possible to start the fight at any time if you can get enough height to intercept it. This isn't intended to be possible until you've collected six Chaos Emeralds, but by using physics exploits you can launch Sonic at such high velocity that you fly high enough to get within range of Wyvern, allowing you to skip getting the Emeralds entirely since there are no other checks to see if you've made the correct amount of progress.

* ShiftingSandLand: The second island in the game, Ares Island, is a desert wasteland surrounded by cliffs and ruins, containing enemies that will occasionally pop out of the sand to attack Sonic (such as the Shark guardian). Sonic occasionally remarks that it reminds him of [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sandopolis]] or [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed Shamar]].

* SupermodelStrut: The Ninja robots and their variants perform this during all their slow walk animations, walking with one foot in front of the other complete with swiveling hips. Exaggerated to the point that even during their idle stance, their legs still remain crossed.

* SwordPointing: KNIGHT, the Titan of Chaos Island, gets in more than a few pointers towards Sonic. During [[spoiler:the finish of the fight]], Super Sonic manages to pull a "Brave Perspective" pose with [[spoiler:Knight's sword, which is tall enough to be a ''skyscraper.'']]

* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Subverted. Rhea Island ''looks'' to be this, being a multi-stage gauntlet with a slew of [[TheReveal major reveals]] and Sonic's DarkestHour. But this is then followed up by Ouranos Island in both the base game and ''Another Story'' scenario, which is a fully-featured world just like the ones preceding Rhea Island.

** During the WYVERN boss fight, you are prompted two ButtonMashing {{Quick Time Event}}s in the final leg of the fight: one when it dives like a flaming meteor and another when it traps Super Sonic in its jaws. Instead of pressing the promped button, you can spin the analog stick to faster, less intensive results. ''Nowhere'' is this method hinted.

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** During the WYVERN boss fight, you are prompted two ButtonMashing {{QTE}}s in the final leg of the fight: one when it dives like a flaming meteor and another when it traps Super Sonic in its jaws. Instead pressing the promped button, you can instead spin the analog stick to faster, less intensive results. ''Nowhere'' is this method hinted towards.

* The third update, titled "'''The Final Horizon'''" (released September 28th), adds new playable characters (Tails, Knuckles, and Amy) and a new story that overhauls the game's climax.

In the process of exploring the islands, Sonic begins to discover the history of the Ancients, and in doing so may learn many secrets deeply kept for so long -- including why the Ancients vanished, and even the origin of ''the Chaos Emeralds themselves''...

Sonic, Tails and Amy are en route to the Starfall Islands in search of the Chaos Emeralds, which wound up there as a side effect of Dr. Eggman's latest plot to conquer the world: stealing the secrets of the [[{{Precursors}} Ancients]], an impossibly advanced civilization that once populated the islands. Suddenly, a wormhole sucks the trio in and scatters them across Cyber Space, a digital realm from which only Sonic manages to escape. Now on his own, Sonic receives three instructions from a voice in the sky: find the Chaos Emeralds, destroy [[HumongousMecha colossal machines]] known as the Titans, and tear down the walls between dimensions. It's now up to Sonic to free his friends and decipher the mysteries surrounding these new frontiers, all while facing Eggman's newest helper: a girl named Sage, who does everything in her power -- including controlling the Titans -- to make the hedgehog leave...

*** He discovers that the Ancients are relatives of [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Chaos]], even starting his memo by remarking [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure "I don't believe this!"]]. He also refers to Chaos as "the God of Destruction," which was one of his first lines from the game proper.

*** He discovers that the Ancients are relatives of [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Chaos]], even starting his memo by remarking [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure "I don't believe this!"]].

*** In the final cutscene of this fight, [[spoiler:Super Sonic Cyber is launched to pierce through both SUPREME and THE END, gaining spiral-like irises as he is fully enveloped in the cyber-energy - referencing [[GetterRobo the Shine Spark and the Getter Ray exposure effects.]]]]