Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition Review (Nintendo Switch 2)
Not So Definitive
Summary: Though it is still the best way to experience this open-world adventure of Sonic, it is still an underwhelming port of a mediocre game.
3.3
With Nintendo Switch 2 moving past its sixth month of release, more and more titles are getting the next-gen upgrade treatment, and the latest is Sega’s Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition.
When it comes to gameplay and story, the game does not add or remove anything but comes with all previous DLC and updates, including “The Final Horizon” story campaign, “Sights, Sounds, and Speed,” and “Sonic’s Birthday Bash”. To read more about the gameplay and story features of Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition, you can read our original review of the game.
Perhaps the most important question about Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition is how it compares to the original Nintendo Switch version when it comes to performance and visual upgrades. The game follows the same principle as the Nintendo Switch version when it comes to graphics/performance settings. The game has a 30 FPS ray‑traced Quality mode and a 60 FPS lower‑fidelity Performance mode. The Quality mode is what you expect and is in line with industry standards. But the Performance mode suffers from blurry textures and constant pop‑ins.
While this Performance mode is definitely better than the one from Switch 1, it still fails to fully utilize the hardware potential of the new Nintendo Switch, and that is painfully visible in the game’s low LOD (level of detail) and pop‑ins. Because the original release of the game on Switch was a technical mess with lacklustre visuals and monotonous world design and colour palettes, the new definitive edition fails to improve upon that yet again; especially in handheld mode, where the game even fails to run at a constant 60 FPS on Performance mode.
The other problem with this release is the lack of an upgrade option for those who have the original game on their Switch 1 device. The current standard for most new-gen upgrades/releases of older titles is to provide such options so that the old faithful fans don’t have to pay the full price for a game twice. The most recent examples are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom releases for Switch 2. Unfortunately, Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition does not have such options available, and players need to buy the game again to enjoy the upgraded visuals and performance.
Final Thoughts
Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition is a difficult release to recommend as it lacks a stand‑alone upgrade option from the Switch 1 version and does not improve the original game in a meaningful and tangible way to justify its price tag. The underwhelming utilization of Switch 2 hardware and lack of a stand‑alone upgrade option on the one hand, and the under‑optimized Performance mode on the other, make it difficult to recommend Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition to all but the most dedicated Sonic fans. Though it is still the best way to experience this open‑world adventure of Sonic, it is still an underwhelming port of a mediocre game.
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