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Best Sonic Game Story


Christophisis

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3 hours ago, Plasme said:

I hate Unleashed's story and couldn't bring myself to beat it because of how annoying Chip is.

I had to give you a thumbs up because, honestly, Chip was so annoying that he partly ruined Unleashed's story for me too. He might actually be my least favorite character in the entire franchise.

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1 hour ago, SBR2 said:

It's feels like it doesn't want to have fun and instead wants you to know how deep and meaningful it is and I personally don't like that in a game serious that's known for being colorful and over the top.

SA2's story is already too over the top for it's "deep and meaningful" elements to overshadow what is essentially a really standard action movie plot.

The fact that they don't actually dwell on how terrible the military is and all that stuff means the deepest thing about that story is the genocidal revenge plot...which is not at all.

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I don't know how I missed this topic, but back in 2017 and even now, I think one of the more engrossing stories (at least for me) the series has had was in Sonic Riders Zero Gravity... which is an odd choice. I don't think it got nearly the attention it deserved, but I hardly blame anyone considering it was a spin-off that wasn't reviewed particularly well. How good can a story mode for what's basically a party game be, anyway?

Well, I thought it was pretty great. I think my fondness for it stems from its attempt to expand the lore behind the Babylon Rogues (and in my mind, the concept of talking animals in Sonic games altogether) in a new way that the series had never really attempted: they're basically descendants of ancient aliens. It sort of overrides the conclusion established in the first game that they're descendants of "genies," but I take that as the more mythological angle. If there was ever a case to be made for the two worlds theory, Sonic Riders is a clear-cut contender for the "non-Earth" setting, with the two moons and more fantastical, futuristic backdrops. 

Beyond that, the actual meat of the story does a good job exercising the roles of the cast in fun ways, giving everyone a chance to play a part. Special thanks go to whoever decided to reinforce Knuckles' hobby as a treasure hunter and establish him as being able to read ancient languages, which makes so much sense when you see it in action; he's still a gullible meathead, but those added positive traits balance him out. Sonic and Jet's rivalry isn't overplayed, there's no obnoxious, preachy messages and lessons to learn like in the Storybook games or Unleashed, it just plays it straight as Sonic and friends go on a freakin' whirlwind adventure and uncover some awesome stuff, does some worldbuilding, balances the humor with the action and ends with everyone rushing into a black hole to take down a giant robot. No fluff, no guff, they show teamwork rather than talk about it. 

At any rate, I liked it a ton. As far as stories with fully animated cutscenes and spoken dialogue, it's one of the better ones the Sonic series has put out in recent memory. My heart belongs to Sonic 3 & Knuckles for the pantomime style of storytelling, but I imagine that doesn't count. 

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18 minutes ago, Almar said:

G.U.N. was monitoring the events in Riders though.

What exactly is this in response to?

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I'm pretty much on the same field that SA1, ESPECIALLY Gamma's story, was one of the best of the 3D games. The tone of dark but still light hearted and simplistic was perfect, both Tikal and Gamma's stories hit the right notes of being moving and poignant without going into outright grim or pretentious territory, and I also love the fact they were shrewd enough to tie most of the darker elements of the story into the actual classic mythos to keep it close to home. Tikal and Chaos pretty much just round up the echidna lore the Japanese Sonic 3 bios established, while Gamma is a deconstruction of the old badnik lore.

The actual presentation of the story obviously lets it down a little, especially in the English version sometimes, and I can't help but feel they could have better tied the whole cast into the big picture better, even if just in subtle tacit ways that fit their more character driven arcs (like maybe Gamma's bretheren were looking for Sonic or the emeralds when he saved them for example or maybe Big's escapade with Froggy indirectly set up more emerald locations for the other characters) but ultimately Sonic Adventure 1 is the true game that got me back into Sonic as a franchise and convinced me 3D story driven Sonic could work.

However I'd actually say that deceptively, Sonic 3 and Knuckles has the best handled story of all the titles, in how may just feel like a background noise, but it's constantly ever present and really immerses you into the game. I was hyped to play through both titles as a kid, I wanted to see Knuckles' arc in full and Sonic's ultimate showdown with Eggman at his most persistent. This proved Sonic stories can work intrinsically, that you don't need to edit anything about these characters and their world to make it absolutely gripping.Hell you don't even need to stop for long cutscenes or dialogue. Kuzu previously shared this video that demonstrates how perfectly S3K sets up the lore and stakes and I just have to do the same:

 

I think Unleashed gets special mention, it's not quite as unique as either titles and the series had kind of gotten into formula by this point, but it's presentation and handling is pretty spot on. Good cutscenes that maintain a cartoon light hearted flow to Sonic but still do a good job feeling 'epic' and earnest. It's a shame few other games get this balance right.

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I've grown rather apathetic and cynical towards this series` narrative lately; all of the arguing and bile just made me not want to talk about it all that much. But I've been in a pretty good Sonic mood lately, and if anyone has seen that recent topic I made about Shadow, then you can probably guess which game I'm gonna say is my favorite. 

Sonic Adventure 2: It just hits all of the right notes for me in what a Sonic can do; it's a campy ass story, but it knows when to slow things down for a quiet drama scene, and it has arguably the most fleshed out character dynamics in the entire series. Which yea, that isn't saying a whole lot, but I feel its something to be appreciated. And I can do that by going through every single character one by one, starting with the good and then going into the bad.

Sonic:

Sonic  doesn't have a particularly dynamic or fleshed out character arc, but for the first time he's put in a very vulnerable position that he has to dig himself out of. Not until Lost World would you ever see Sonic just thrown under the bus like this, because any other time he's just able to speed through everything no problem without any real setback. This game starts off with Sonic on the run from the authorities to avoid capture, he's in a decidedly unheroic position and it's interesting to see how he has to navigate it. Also, his dynamic with Shadow is great, because it tells a real story of Sonic having to play catchup to one of his rivals and that wouldn't be repeated again until Sonic Riders with Jet. You also have small bits of character in his interactions with his friends: how he trusts Tails to get the job done if he's not around, and him reassuring Amy despite how she annoys him, and despite his teasing of Knuckles, he still trusted him enough to take care of the aforementioned Tails and Amy in his stead while he goes to confront Shadow. Hints of subtly there. 

Unfortunately, despite the position Sonic is in, nothing is ever really done with it past the game's first act and he just carries on business as usual. They put the main character in such a different spot than what he's normally used to, and then they just glossed over it. I get it's because they wanted to keep the story flowing and keep it from being intrusive, but I really wish they did just a BIT more with it. 

Tails:

While his role is severely reduced from before, I do feel like he's still an important supporting character; and that's important because even if his role is lessened, his presence is still felt and he's an integral part in driving the events forward. He doesn't hesitate to go after Sonic once he's incarcerated, and he's pretty much the reason Sonic was able to learn Chaos Control, indirectly helping him save the world later in the final act. His role very much builds on what SA1 did and he tackles things with much more confidence now.

That said, his role here is still pretty small in the grand scheme of it all, and if you're a huge fan of him, it can be extremely disappointing to watch him have to take a backseat after what SA1 set up for him. That and this is the beginning of Tails, the exposition dump character. 

Knuckles:

Just like with Tails, he takes a bit of a backseat again to the central action revolving around Sonic, Shadow, and Eggman. But I do like how he's on his own journey before meeting up with the group, so he never feels completely like a tagalong like Tails and Amy do. And while it never gets much focus beyond two scenes, I really do like his dynamic with Rouge; Knuckles` two major relationships before were Sonic, who he had a tenuous but ultimately respectful relationship with, and Eggman, who has tricked him before. Rouge is kind of the in-between of that, as while he's competing with her he's also not above helping her either, and I think it does speak a lot about Knuckles` character that he's willing to help and apologize to someone who gave him so much grief, in a way that you can't see with Sonic or Eggman. 

But yea, as said, he's just kind of there and unlike Tails, he doesn't directly impact the plot until literally the game's last story and even that ultimately failed; so overall, he feels really superfluous and probably a precursor to when the series would just start contriving reasons for him to show up without it making any sense. Also, his relationship with Rouge gets the least amount of focus of the game's three rivalries, as he only gets one boss fight with her.

 

Shadow:

The de-facto main character of the game. So it goes without saying that he's the breakout star out of everyone here. When he shows up, he's just a constant character of action and just gets shit done. He steals a Chaos Emerald, unintentionally frames Sonic, and then lords his superiority over him all in one fell swoop. And he does it in such a stylish way; he came, he saw, and then left and then just has all of the good guys just reacting at who the fuck was that guy. And then when you learn his story at the end, you understand his motives and he quickly tries to make amends by stopping the very plan he put into motion by sacrificing his life, leaving everyone to ultimately reflect and discuss the turn of events.

Despite all of the above however, Shadow isn't without issue: he pretty much becomes a secondary henchmen to Eggman in the game's second act and doesn't come back into focus until the end. Also, his face turn is extremely abrupt and sudden, so it's probably not going to have it's attended effect because it simply wasn't fleshed out enough. Additionally, it's revealed that Gerald tampered with Shadow's memories to act out his will, which just feels like it robs Shadow of a lot of agency as now, he's just a puppet for the actual villain, rather than being a vengeful at a perceived injustice. And Shadow never reflects or questions any of this; when he thinks Maria wanted revenge, he had no problem doing it but even after learning her true wish, he once again just switches gears without any sign of remorse for what he did. Also, depending on your tastes and feelings, his entire story can feel melodramatic and out of place due to the shoddy presentation of it all. 

Eggman:

He's on a fucking roll in this game; he's constantly staying one step ahead of the heroes, and tracking them to plan a counterattack. He only actually confronts Sonic face to face when he's confident that he can take him on, as with the fake emerald scene. He literally lost by a variable he had no way of calculating for. He just carries himself with an air of confidence and determination in carrying out his plan, yet still maintains his over the top and hammy nature. His absolute joy in destroying GUN's base, and declaring his intentions to the world "Surrender or die".

Sadly, none of that really matters in the end because he's still ultimately upstaged by Shadow and Gerald. It doesn't take away from anything he did, but it kind of takes the bite out of actions a bit when they're ultimately rendered pointless by another's actions. Also, because he doesn't interact much with Sonic this time around, you get a weird case where the series main hero and villain don't confront each other a whole lot, which can make the plot feel diluted a bit. 

Rouge:

It was really nice to have a new female character who wasn't a good guy. She was confident and outgoing, but had a playful and teasing nature too. She's just a very fun character overall. Unfortunately...

She is the least relevant character in the game, barring Amy. You can really tell that she was a last minute addition, because you can arguably remove her from the game and it wouldn't impact the plot all that much. Her role as the "mole" to Eggman's crew ultimately has no resolution as we never see her report to her superiors, and then the ending implies that she's going to quit (only to return to her work in the next game????). She's a fun character and all, but they didn't really do enough with her to justify her presence and as such, she's just overshadowed (heh) by Shadow himself in terms of presence. 

Other:

Yea, Amy has the worst here lol. She ultimately has no reason to be here, but I do appreciate that she kind of lampshades it by complaining how she's not in on the action. 

I guess you can say that SA2 is a game that I like more for it's concepts and individual moments, rather than the package as a whole. As a whole, it's a mess plan and simple; certain plot threads don't mesh well, and there are definitely a lot of contrivances to move the plot forward along. It feels more like a string of individual moments strung together than a cohesive narrative at times.  And as said, it can feel really out of place depending on how you feel about certain elements like a military murdering a young child in cold blood and then trying to cover it up. Additionally, said military has no face to speak of in the game, which makes them feel more like a plot device added to justify the sequence of events. It is not perfect, or even good taken as a whole narrative. 

That being said, I can't help but love it for it's sheer brazenness and confidence in what it attempts to do; the writers were not afraid of potentially alienating their audience by tackling themes the series had never attempted; this was the Dreamcast's swan song, and they wanted to go out with a bang. They knew what they were doing too, because the next game in the series was a deliberate attempt at going back on everything this game had established. The series was always, to me, at it's best when it displayed a confidence like that regardless of what the outcome may be. And sure, that's definitely reckless and it didn't go over well with everyone, but striking your own path regardless of what people think it's kind of Sonic's mantra isn't it? It speaks to the main themes of the series, and its why this game is still so highly regarded despite being almost two decades old and with numerous amount of problems listed here. 

So yea, Adventure 2's story is not a story that is the sum of it's parts, and it's certainly not going to win any writing awards either; its one of the least consistent stories in the franchise, but it's a story with very good highs to balance out it's low points imo and it's a story that's constantly escalating things to keep the player invested. 

 

 

Honorable mention goes to: Gamma's story in SA1, pretty much everything said by @Blue Blood here I agree with. It takes one of the series central themes (animals inside machines), and makes a genuinely tragic and somber story all without feeling melodramatic. It's the closest this series ever gets to actually being subtle, when that's the thing it never does most of the time. 

The only reason I didn't put it as my favorite, is because it doesn't leave the same impact across the rest of the franchise because of how disconnected it is from every other character. But that in itself kind of makes it special in it's own way, especially since unlike Shadow, they didn't cheapen it by reviving Gamma later on (Sonic Battle, it's explicitly a different robot so that doesn't count).

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SA2 and SA1 are good in theory, and fun to think about in the way it adds lore and raises the stakes and how the characters show development. The execution is pretty bad. It was bad at the time, and hasn't aged well. But both stories are really fun in theory. A full comic book adaptation would be killer. Because even just watching YT videos, the animation is still dodgy in tons of ways. There's a reason people keep asking for remakes. It's because the story is fun but the execution stinks.

Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 and Sonic CD and Sonic Mania are much simpler but more effective, and proportionally just as epic. "Sonic 3" and "Sonic & Knuckles" I think are best thought of as a two-parter, though best played Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Trouble is, I like the Sonic 3 ending, but not more than I love the Master Emerald chamber in S3K Mushroom Hill. 

Regardless, the stretch of Launch Base/ Master Emerald chamber and Mushroom Hill/Flying Battery/Sandopolis/ Lava Reef / Hidden Palace / Sky Sanctuary / Death Egg/Doomsday... the last level of 3 through all of S&K is just mad epic; you could go back further, all of 3&K is one pretty continuous simple to track adventure through this new and dangerous island and the ruins of an ancient but advanced civilization with magic technology that Eggman's exploiting. It's told largely through minimal animation transitions, only a few new character animations for Knuckles figuring it out in HPZ, and mostly it's just evocative/dynamic background design + with the right music + right level of difficulty progression in the platforming/enemies/obstacles/bosses. 

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1 hour ago, Moose the Cat said:

There's a reason people keep asking for remakes.

Because they want those games...again.

With refined gameplay and no bugs.

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On 4/30/2020 at 2:18 AM, StaticMania said:

He can't convey that if the Sonic he got is rarely written that way...

Cheery also isn't really an appropriate term to describe his Sonic at all, really. 

I think it is and I vividly remember it being the reason I disliked him as Sonic's VA from the beginning. It's not even that he tries to convey cheeriness necessarily, it's just his tone of voice that gives that off for me really. More so compared to the other VAs. 

 

Perhaps Cheery is the wrong word. Maybe optimistic is better. Eh, that's not quite right. When I think of it, I'll edit. In any case, he has more of "that" than the others, the quality which I found a bit annoying. Anyway, it is a matter of taste. It's not like I'm commenting on the writing of Sonic in Griffiths games. 

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I personally liked the good stories. <a href=☺️">

19 hours ago, SBR2 said:

Unleashed is my absolute goto for how I think serious Sonic should be done. I don't want to be a jerk about anyone's favorite game but I've never been a fan of SA2's plot. I don't just something so against the tone of the franchise about Sonic being chased by the government and Shadow's backstory. It's feels like it doesn't want to have fun and instead wants you to know how deep and meaningful it is and I personally don't like that in a game serious that's known for being colorful and over the top.

Unleashed though I feel hits the right spot. It's serious but still remembers that it's a Sonic game so it's ok to lighten up a little and have some funny moments. Plus I'll be honest I'm not really one who cares about the deep lore of the Ancient Echidnas or Gerald or shit but I am interested in the lore surrounding the Gaia Temples and why and how they connect to the Chaos Emeralds and just how old the Emeralds are. I guess what I'm getting at is Unleashed made a fun vibrant world that I actually cared about.

I personally liked the good stories. <a href=☺️">

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Sonic Battle was one of the absolute greatest plots I've seen in the entire franchise. From beginning to end it just excelled in nearly all aspects with very few exceptions (like Amy's craziness which was dialed up a little too far). Emerl was a brilliant character and we got to witness his growth from confused newborn to exciteable child to impressionable teenager to mature adult and a hero on his own right. Then his whole character arc was culminated with a beautifully tragic ending. Most of the characters minus Amy were also portrayed almost perfectly.

Sonic was cocky and snarky, but also a true hero willing to get serious, and a compassionate soul who cares for all his friends.

Tails was a helpful, friendly neighborhood engineer, a great friend of Sonic who helped him without hesitation, and also an independent fighter and hero who set out on his own quest with Emerl.

Knuckles was a single-minded, blunt loner dedicated to his job as guardian, but also a loyal, dependable friend who helped Emerl out with no hesitation once the misunderstandings were dealt with. Heck, he even had some goofy moments in the story too, giving much needed comic relief without totally derailing his character.

Rouge was the smooth-talking, clever and competent agent you'd expect her to be, but also a little vain and selfish, using Emerl to meet her own needs. On the other hand, she also shows her softer side in not only actually growing to grow fond of Emerl a little, but also caring for Shadow to a great extent, bringing him into her own home when he's injured and nursing him back to health and showing open affection and concern for him.

Shadow himself had his true character shine, which had developed through his journey from SA2 to Heroes to Shadow. He was a stoic no-nonsense fighter who showed no qualms about destroying a threat like Emerl before it even caused any trouble just to keep the world safe, but also showed to have a heart of gold hidden behind his rough exterior, realizing that Emerl, like him, was another victim of a desire for destruction, helping the robot (supposedly) rid himself of the evil within.

Cream's pure hearted kindness was on full display in this game, caring greatly for Amy, Emerl and everyone else. Despite being a young child, she showed great wisdom in her words and actions and even taught Emerl about empathy, compassion and love. Though she showed that she didn't like violence or hurting others, she also showed that her will was strong enough to put her ideals aside and join the fray to protect her friends when the need arises. Her portrayal in this game is one of my favorite portrayals of the little rabbit girl and one of the many reasons she's one of my favorite characters.

Even Amy had a few moments of showing good characterization. Even if she was a crazy yandere for most of the game, her misunderstood relationship with Emerl did lead to her becoming a protective and caring mother-figure for the growing robot. Her determination to protect Emerl from Rouge no matter how many hits she took showed and the intense workouts she did for Sonic shows that while she might be a little crazy, she is willing to go through great lengths and face impossible odds for the sake of her loved ones. While she wasn't portrayed well overall, I do admit that this  Amy had some good traits too.

The entire experience overall has so much good characterization, interconnected plotlines, engaging writing and amazing progression and pacing that I consider this to be the greatest heights Sonic has ever reached in terms of story, even surpassing the Sonic Adventure games. It's unlikely we'll ever get a plot of this grandeur and magnitude again, but what we got was a monumental experience and I'm glad I got to witness it.

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I think a key reason Gamma's story comes out well is because, well, the stiff dialogue and animation WORKS in his case. So much that very little of his dialogue is actually altered that much between Japanese to English (turn on captions):

Even Steve Broadie gets the eerie calm direction for Gamma perfectly. The only part that's kinda screwed up a bit by corny dialogue is Amy and even there the English version still gets the basic message across.

English Sonic X dub proves they could have screwed up Gamma's story BAD, with botched dialogue and the most atrocious over-the-top cliche robot voice possible, but the game mostly merges the right bit of emotion with endearing cheese to still make it feel like a Sonic story.

I love the fact they seem to have mistaken Japanese 'No!' for an Engrish 'Dummies!' though. :P

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I love Adventure 2’s story so much. It was darker and the stakes were higher than the previous games before it, but it still has that cheesy and optimistic nature that I would expect from a Sonic game. The characters were at their best in that game in my opinion. Some examples are Sonic being cocky and upbeat, but knew when to get serious. Tails was able to stand on his own feet without relying on Sonic. Knuckles took his job as guardian of the master emerald seriously. Eggman was more of a threat in the this game, but he wasn’t boring like 06 Eggman.

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  • 2 years later...

So, does anyone think that Sonic Frontiers' story is a good contender for best story in the Sonic games?

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Frontiers' story is nice, but really basic. The events we see in the past are really cookie cutter. The identity of the Ancients and Origins of the Emeralds feel like little more than lore dumps right now. You could changes the Ancients to random aliens instead of a race of Chaos People, and remove the extraterrestrial origins of the Emeralds entirely and absolutely nothing would be gained or lost from that. Those aren't hallmarks of a good story. It's not a contender for best in series.

It's got a really effective tone though. I think it's successful in being sad and sombre, and the characters are really well developed at times. They all go through quite significant arcs, even if it did feel a bit formulaic by the time we saw the same thing happen for the third time at the end of Tails arc on Chaos Island. Amy's nebulous obsession with love comes off as a bit ham-fisted, whilst the relationship between Sage and Eggman specifically feels very undercooked. Everything else is gold though. Frontiers reminds me why I love all of those characters in the first place. 

So all in all, I like the story/narrative of Frontiers a lot. It got me really excited on my first playthrough and I want to see it built upon in the future. But it really doesn't stand up to the best in the series at all. 

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5 hours ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

So, does anyone think that Sonic Frontiers' story is a good contender for best story in the Sonic games?

I do, but in part it's because it vindicated the views I've had about Eggman for the past two decades. (That is, that despite unambiguously being a bad guy, he's still capable of caring for people other than himself)

I do acknowledge parts of the story are rushed or a bit sloppy. So perhaps objectively best is the wrong word, but it's definitely my favorite Sonic story.

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If you wanna know what makes a good Sonic story, then look no further than Sonic Rush; its a game that gets to the heart of the series while keeping the tone consistent. Its not too somber or melodramatic, but also not a comedy routine. Its' just a basic story of Sonic meeting a new friend and helping them overcome whatever is troubling them, and leads to an effective conclusion. And it never has to contradict prior characterization to do it either. 

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7 hours ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

So, does anyone think that Sonic Frontiers' story is a good contender for the best story in the Sonic games?

It has aspects of the best story in a Sonic game.

if you asked me "Which Sonic game gave Eggman the most depth" or "Paid most attention to continuity", then Frontiers is it. Characterization and tone also come in like the top 5. Or "Which game had the best mystery?"

But then there are things like "Climatic final boss" or "not having plot points that go nowhere" (Sonic corruption).

For what it's worth, it's probably the best story since Black Knight and that was in 2009.

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I think Frontiers does tone and dialogue the best, but the storyline itself ultimately feels less cohesive than other games because it doesn't really feel like a whole lot really happens? Like, there's stuff technically going on and you learn a lot, but it lacks a feeling of progress and buildup to the final act until, well, the final act.

I like each individual character arc quite a lot, and while they play into the game's themes, they don't really have much in the way of payoff within this game, they're more like a promise of what's to come (or at least, I hope as much). In Adventure, Tails steadily learns to become brave by himself and that culminates in him stopping Eggman from nuking Station Square. Amy learns to fend for herself and others and that leads into her defeating Zero all by herself. Shadow is released from his vengeance-obsessed past and that leads into him sacrificing himself in one of the series' most iconic moments. 

By contrast, what does Knuckles wanting to get out there and discover the world mean within the context of Frontiers' story? What do Tails' and Amy's arcs really do to affect their circumstances? Sure, it plays into the themes of the story, but their developments lack much in the way of mechanical or emotional payoff. Again, it's more like set up for stuff to happen to them later on, which I guess is fine if it actually leads somewhere, but it makes Frontiers feel like the first act  to something, rather than a fully completed story. 

That's probably why Sonic's whole corruption thing is there. The gang sacrifices themselves to save Sonic from island fever and give him a fighting chance against the true villain, and that's supposed to be the culmination of their arcs, but it doesn't really work. Sonic isn't corrupted for long enough for that moment to feel dramatic, and his friends' sacrifice doesn't last long enough for it to really be felt, either. They're gone for, what, a couple of hours as far as the story is concerned? I guess the gesture is sweet, but nothing about present circumstances really suggests that the gang wouldn't do that for Sonic in basically any other time, since he's their good friend and always the best shot at saving the day anyhow.

The only real exceptions to this are Sage and Eggman, who are the standouts of the story as far as I'm concerned. Sage gets a neat (if basic) arc where she develops emotions seeing Sonic interact with his buds and overcome impossible odds, which leads to her forgoing the use of simulations and taking a bet on some good ol' power of friendship and love. Eggman's character development and his decision to let Sage go fight The End is somewhat less felt since a lot of it is relegated to the Egg Memos, but given the nature of Frontiers' gameplay that's a concession I'm willing to let slide. They are the story's true highlights.

You can make the argument that Tails/Amy/Knux's development and Sage being witness to most of their change, which in turn causes herself to change is the game's key narrative payoff. That's how I rationalize it and why I ultimately still enjoy Frontiers' narrative. But it is hard not to get the sense that the other core members of Team Sonic weren't playing glorified bench warmers this go around.

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11 hours ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

So, does anyone think that Sonic Frontiers' story is a good contender for best story in the Sonic games?

It's a good return to form, but I'm not sure I'd call it the best.

It's still a pretty keen story, but it doesn't have quite the narrative heights of the series at its absolute best.

That said, I can very well see the stories just getting better and better, so long as they keep Flynn around and let him work his magic to a reasonable degree.

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