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Sonic Frontiers beginner’s guide: 5 tips and tricks to get started

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Grab your chili dogs and start blasting some Crush 40 because Sonic is back in action in his latest 3D adventure. When Sonic Frontiers was originally shown off, many people classified it as a Breath of the Wild-like game due to it being set in a massive open world. In some ways, that comparison is correct, but approaching this game like it’s another Zelda title will only trip you up. While it doesn’t reinvent any individual mechanic, Sonic Frontiers puts its own spin (dash) on many open-world tropes.

Fans of Sonic games – either 2D, 3D, or both — will be in for some major surprises when starting Sonic Frontiers. The open world, or open-zone as Sonic Team has classified it, is easy enough to understand, but all the new mechanics and systems can be overwhelming and confusing when put together. Before you break out into a sprint across this new adventure with the blue blur, here are some important tips and tricks to get started in Sonic Frontiers.

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Gotta go fast

Sonic grinding on a rail.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sonic’s main mechanic has always been, and likely always will be, running very fast. That’s no different in Sonic Frontiers, however, the way speed works here is much different. You may notice that your little hedgehog isn’t quite as speedy as you might hope when first playing. That’s because Sonic now has stats that you need to level up, with Speed being one of them.

Sonic’s Speed stat can be leveled up all the way to 99, and you will want to prioritize this stat first. Each area in Sonic Frontiers is massive, and being able to blast your way across them will make the entire game flow much smoother.

Prioritize Memory Tokens and Vault Keys

Eggman's ship landing.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As you scan the map of Sonic Frontiers, you will be hit with tons of things to collect. Everything has its uses, of course, but if you want to focus on making progress in the main story, then the two you should prioritize are the Memory Tokens and Vault Keys.

Memory Tokens are what you need to contact Sonic’s lost friends on that specific area of the map. These will unlock further parts of the story, plus sidequests to perform.

Vault Keys are what you need to unlock all the Chaos Emeralds. Once you’ve gotten all the emeralds on that island, you can face the boss.

Clear the map

Sonic stares at a landscape in Sonic Frontiers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Your map will be your best friend in Sonic Frontiers. But, just like most open-world games, you can’t see the entire thing without clearing it first. Whenever you enter a new area, head for the icons of red question marks first. These are mini challenges or puzzles that should take less than a minute to complete and will reveal a portion of the map once done.

Tweak your hedgehog

Sonic dodges an enemy attack in Sonic Frontiers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sonic Frontiers offers the most options of any Sonic game to date. How Sonic feels to control is arguably the most important part of any Sonic game, and your options here are actually quite extensive for making the blue blur more responsive.

In the Game Settings menu, the most important settings to tweak, if you feel something is a bit off, are steering sensitivity, acceleration, bounce height, and auto combo. The first three are sliders you will need to tweak and test individually, but auto combo is one you should just turn on right away. Sonic has a lot of moves to unlock in this game, and remembering these combos can be a little awkward. Auto combo lets you just mash attack and lets the game select the ideal set of moves (most of the time) for a given situation.

Fish for easy items

Sonic lifts his finger to Amy Rose's cage in confusion.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While some of us may have nightmares when thinking about fishing with Big the Cat, it’s actually one of the most useful ways to progress in Sonic Frontiers. You have to manually find Big yourself on the map, but seeking him out is well worth your while.

Fishing rewards you with Tokens, which can then be exchanged for just about any item in the game, including Memory Tokens, Vault Keys, and upgrade materials. Because of how fast and easy fishing is, this is the quickest way to grind any items you might need.

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Jesse Lennox
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