The second post-launch content update for SEGA’s latest open-world hedgehog action title Sonic Frontiers officially dropped on June 23. Named Sonic’s Birthday Bash, the free update package mainly focuses on dressing up characters and the UI befitting of the festivities.
While the main focus is on Sonic’s birthday, the new content in this new free DLC includes new challenges and moves for Sonic, new collectible Kocos, and a New Game+ mode!
The second update for the game was previewed as early as December of last year when the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account posted a future content roadmap for the title. The third and final update is expected to bring new playable characters and stories. The corresponding image in the tweet shows Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Sage.
▍New Challenges & Features Arrive Sonic Frontiers!
After installing Sonic’s Birthday Bash Update for Sonic Frontiers, players will immediately unlock these new challenges and contents in the open world.
■ Birthday Celebration
The Starfall Islands have been decked out to celebrate Sonic’s birthday! Check out the decorations and party with a new costume for Sonic’s big day!
■ Action Chain Challenges
Test your prowess at handling Sonic out in the wild with these new Action Chain Challenges! Spread across the Starfall Islands, these courses will task you with sets of timed challenges that put Sonic through a variety of puzzles.
■ New Skill: Spin Dash
The iconic ability to rev Sonic up with maximum momentum makes its return in Sonic Frontiers. Spin Dash makes Sonic hurtle off cliffs without decelerating in the air, allowing him to cover a lot more distance with his jumps. Unlock the Spin Dash and discover new ways to traverse the Starfall Islands!
■ New Additional Koco
New kinds of Kocos sporting costumes have been spotted in the Starfall Islands. Keep an eye out for their fun outfits! Some of them even seem to be callbacks to past titles…
■ New Game Plus
After high demand by fans, players will be able to relive the story of Sonic Frontiers again in New Game Plus. Carry over stats and unlocked skills from your previous playthrough!
▍Additional Quality-of-Life Changes
■ Movement Options and Configurations
Coinciding the update are some QoL features being added after popular demand! These include options to alter Sonic’s deceleration rate at which Sonic comes to a stop, and more importantly, the ability for Sonic to keep his momentum by maintaining a boost during a jump. All configurations added will influence the open world and Cyber Space sections of the game, and will most definitely be adding new ways for players to find optimal routes through courses.
■ Changes to Cyber Space Stages
Speaking of Cyber Space challenges, players can figure out what kind of time-saving moves they could’ve put pulled off during courses, as the update adds colored marks next to your time on the result screen pointing out some of the actions you performed during a run. These marks are white for Homing Dash, red for Spin Dash, yellow for decelerating on a jump, and blue for Power Boost.
Players will also be able to reset the clear time and rank of Arcade mode, Cyber Space, Battle Rush, and other game modes too.
■ New Soundtracks at the JukeBox
HUD changes and birthday hats aren’t the only things added to spice up the celebrations, as the Starfall Islands will also have new Sound Memories post-update, adding 24 new songs to the Juke Box feature of the game. Tracks include brand-new remixes to the island themes by series composer Tomoya Ohtani alongside a new “Sonic’s Birthday Bash Non-Stop Mix” for the map theme getting added to the game.
■ New Frontier Elite Costume
The “Frontier Elite” costume can be unlocked as an end-game costume for the completionists out there, as the fit is rewarded upon getting 100% across all islands in Sonic Frontiers (not just mapping them out, but doing everything).
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