izigame.me

Like most Sonic games, this one is quite controversial. It tries to replicate the gameplay and feeling similar to games like Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey. I think it succeeds at some points but not all the way through.
I'll start with what I did not enjoy:
💤 Repetitiveness: There is just too much playtime for the variety of gameplay available. It became so repetitive and stale towards the end that I finished the game on YouTube. There are too many similar islands packed with the same content over and over. The last one or two islands were definitely unnecessary.
🤏🏾 Lack of Challenge: I enjoy mastering levels in other Sonic games, finding all the secret pathways, and earning the best score. In this game, except for some rare exceptions, there's almost nothing like that. For the levels that are here (called cyberspace), you can 100% almost all of them in one or a few tries. The overworld doesn't provide much challenge either; it's just a checklist of collectibles and tasks to cross off your map.
⭐ Collectibles: While fun to collect at first, they quickly become obsolete. You fully unlock your abilities on the first two islands, making experience useless. Purple coins, unlike similar collectibles in Mario Odyssey, aren't important at all. Every few nights, there's a starfall that can give you hundreds of them with no extra effort. Stat-increasing ones are just that - they increase your stats, which don't feel very important. You're left with collectibles required to progress further, reminding me that in BotW, you can go to the final boss almost at the start of the game if you wanted to.
☠️ Optimization: I haven't tried it on many devices. But initially, i played it on Steam Deck, and it both ran poorly (60 fps is a must for game like this imo) and looked unpleasant. Even with 100% resolution scaling, on lower settings, it looked bad. The Switch version is probably the worst example of this. However, on good hardware, it looks great. So, definitely check your specs before buying because it matters here.
Now, to the parts that I enjoyed:
🌚 Setting and Theme: Despite what many say, I think this more realistic look blends really well with the cartoony Sonic characters. I find it unusual and eye-catching. This mix was also present in Mario Odyssey and looked interesting there too (Ruined Kingdom level is the most notable example). The more serious and mysterious tone is also a refreshing change of pace for the franchise.
🦔 Story and Characters: The story is nothing special by gaming standards, but for Sonic games, it's quite good. I definitely enjoyed the little interactions between characters that you can find in the overworld.
🌈 Graphics: On max settings, it can look gorgeous at times, especially the lighting and shadows from clouds. Pop-in and hanging rails weren't as big of a problem as I initially thought. I just wish the rails and platforms blended a little better with the terrain at times. It's not necessary all the time, as it is clearly much harder to do and can lead to less readable gameplay, but more blending would be really nice.
⚔️ Combat: Combat is a welcome addition because, without it, there would be even less gameplay variety. It's flashy and fun, and the trail-leaving move is definitely a star here. It's a well-fitting and enjoyable move for Sonic to execute.
👾 Bosses: Combat really shines with the bosses. Minibosses are both unique in design and gameplay, each with interesting gimmicks to deal with. There are plenty of them, and if not for the last island, there wouldn't be a need to repeat them so much. The main bosses are pure cinematic spectacle, almost like fighting bosses in Metal Gear Rising. And what unites those two games even more is the great music.
🎵 Music: As always in Sonic games, there are plenty of bangers. Both new and returning tracks have something for almost everyone. I especially enjoyed the ones in cyberspace - really good stuff.
In the end, I definitely had more enjoyable moments than frustrating ones. And i will definitely try this game a second time in the future because the fun is definitely there, but it needs to be dosed correctly. Too much, and it will become stale and boring quickly. Like with all open-world games, let me give you one advice: play only the main story first, not engaging much with the side content before you finish the game. After that, you can always go back and 100% it all. This way, you won't burn out before the end as I did. Overall, this game was not a perfect attempt at putting Sonic in an open world, but definitely a close one. I wish the developers all the luck in mastering this formula to perfection in later games - I really believe this is possible.