Sonic Frontiers' Birthday Bash update brings back Spin Dash and fixes the momentum issues that have been bugging fans since launch.
Sonic turned 32 last week, and to celebrate, Sega released another free update for Sonic Frontiers, which adds the iconic Spin Dash move allowing that lovable blue blur to zoom around the Starfall Islands and its Open Zones like never before. Naturally, fans are thrilled to see the return of the signature move return.
Spin dash in the new Sonic Frontiers DLC update! 😃 pic.twitter.com/REMlcFBtEqJune 23, 2023
not gonna lie, i wasn't too sure about the spindash in sonic frontiers update 2 at first, but holy hell pic.twitter.com/shJuCEKXEKJune 25, 2023
The latest update also addresses an issue with momentum in Sonic Frontiers, which made the game feel rather sluggish for a Sonic game. Until now, the zippy hedgehog could build up speed on the ground, but once he jumped in the air, he would slow down. Fortunately, the developer has introduced a number of additional settings, including "the ability to change the rate of deceleration when jumping" and an "option to set whether to maintain a boost during a jump".
"This is actually kinda wild," said Twitter user @CutieMonica. Their tweet was accompanied by a short clip which shows what a huge difference these small tweaks make to Sonic Frontiers.
this is vanilla sonic frontiers (all settings max, jump deceleration set to 0)this is actually kinda wildupdate 2 is absolutely poppin https://t.co/OqfpjqA41R pic.twitter.com/0Y1SxTaT15June 24, 2023
Equally thrilled by the update, user @OnTheDownLoTho tweeted, "I loved Sonic Frontiers so much at launch, but my biggest criticism was its little QOL issues. But they're legit all being addressed, so between all these island challenges, momentum platforming as an option & story DLC coming, we are this close to it being true peak."
Of course, the blue blur's latest adventure has had its fair share of criticism since launch, but this looks like a big step in the right direction for Sonic Frontiers. And with such meaningful changes introduced in this update, Sonic fans are more excited than ever for the third slice of free content, which promises "new playable characters" and a "new story" later this year.
"Sonic Frontiers is far from perfect, but I can't stress enough that Sonic Team listens to us and makes the game the best it can be," user @BlueVivacity wrote on Twitter. "I can't wait for update 3. This is going to be one hell of a game, surely one of the best in the Sonic series."
In the mood for more high-speed action? Check out our pick of the best Sonic games.