I really loved Final Horizon from a gameplay and spectacle standpoint. But narratively, I liked the base game ending so much more. The scene with Eggman felt deliciously bittersweet, but the End's dialogue with the "one mote of golden light" honestly had me so engaged and made up a lot of the short comings in the final act of the game. I just hope future games can balance the gameplay spectacle with solid story moments like that, rather than trading off for one for the other.

10:32 “No clue why Shadow was such a puss-“ Ad

Some of us just want legitimate superforms for knuckles and tails lol....

This update did more good than bad imo

Overall, I loved this update. The new boss, the new story and anime spectacle were all a blast. It was also really special for me to play as these characters again as I grew up on the Adventure game and the games just never felt quite right without them being around. Of course it has it's problems. The difficulty mostly didn't bother me, I actually really enjoyed. The only time where I wasn't having fun was the final trial and that's because the titan fights simply weren't built with perfect parry in mind. Of course saying that the only one that really bothered me was Wyvern, as Giganto is simple enough that I could deal with him pretty consistently after a few tries and Knight was a pushover who I beat second try. The playable characters were generally great, especially Amy who is just a blast. Knuckles however fell a bit short. I did eventually get used to him, but I wish gliding felt better and he had more combat stuff, given he is the "fighting freak Knuckles." Also, while I agree climbing on anything would have been great... I also imagine it would have been a nightmare to try to graft an entire climbing system onto the game, likely having to alter the surface of damn near every part of the island. Given the time and budget this update likely had I suspect that was outside of their scope. I already really like Frontiers and this update just adds so much more that, even with its flaws, I came out of it really happy. It excites me for whatever is coming next.

I like how when sage was in trouble, trying to protect Eggman, Knuckles, Tails and Amy swooped in and helped. Everyone felt useful again. I actually did like Talis gameplay, him throwing wrenches is pretty funny lol, my only criticism is that they didn't make a Ratchet and Clank reference. 😅 Amy is good gameplay all around imo, Knuckles is a powerhouse, but I didn't like how slow he was, the gliding animation before he glides, could have been changed to something faster or just straight glide like in SA2. I liked the dialogue with Amy rescuing the Koko, it really displayed her kind and gentle side again and when the cyber corruption was getting to knuckles, I loved how he just laughed it off, it was definitely the Knux I know. :)

"A form that would give even Perfect Cell a reason to worry" Ah! I see what ya did there! XD Also I see small nods to Sonic X and the tail end of the Metal Virus in this boss fight

I love the update and I can't wait for the future sonic games! This game means so much to me and holds a special place in my heart! THAT ENDING BOSS FIGHT WAS SO GOOD AND EPIC! LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

For one thing the whole limb growing moment with The End is basically a reference to Sonic Unleashed where Dark Gaia becomes Perfect Dark Gaia. Yes that moment where we see the eyes and fangs from Super Sonic Cyber is indeed a reference to Fleetway Sonic. Plus we even got a reference to Sonic X with the Supreme End Cannon and Super Sonic referencing Super Sonic using the Sonic Power Cannon with Super Shadow

I'm super mad they didn't use Hyper Sonic. It could have easily been written in with Sonic's memories of the form and the cyber corruption manifesting it. It would have required the same set up of receiving the blessings from the ancients (who we KNOW have long lasting ties with the chaos emeralds, perhaps increasing their power that slightest bit) and still could have been written out in the same way, it could have also added a few lines from Knuckles or Eggman reminiscing over the form. It was just a wasted opportunity.

I love this video acecardgaming and sonic frontiers update 3 is just incredible with knuckles, amy and tails using their skills to find the chaos emeralds!

To be fair, lowering the difficulty does do . All you get is a few more balloons for your obstacle course. I would've liked to play as Eggman and/or Sage as well. But seeing them get their happier ending was enough for me. Plus, I'm pretty sure Eggman will be keeping Supreme's gun.

A very well-scripted and well delivered video as usual, Mark. It's good to see that you enjoyed the characters and their contributions overall, even with the valid criticisms of the DLC as a whole. I was surprised to see that we feel very similarly about the focus on Amy's tarot cards for her in this game: it's really cool and I am all for it, but her hammer feels underused - there were things that Amy uses the cards for that you would expect her Piko Piko Hammer would have been used for. But it is reassuring that she still has it - they're not just straight-up replacing it. Another note: I am glad you gave Knuckles' response to the Cyber Corruption a little spotlight. That moment stood out to me during my playthrough, I really liked that. I can somewhat agree with the effects animations for Super Sonic 2 feeling a little underwhelming. However, for me, the animation for Super Sonic 2 himself completely made up for it. That whole fight was just insane in all the best ways. I am with everyone else regarding that finishing move on "Supreme End": the fact that we actually got a Cyber Sonic even for a moment is incredible. While I don't see the design as a reference, I am glad the similarities to Fleetway Super Sonic are making so many fans happy. This comment is long enough, so I'll end before this turns into a whole video script itself. Great video to round out the day. I am looking forward to talking more about these colourful furry Dragon Ball animals in the Discord.

I’ll admit, I was a bit confused Sage turned seemingly purely good, considering she seemed absolutely loyal to Eggman. Though, after Final Horizon, it seems more accurate to pin her as: lawful nuetral. She’s capable of being selfless and good, but her end goal is the protection and aid of her father. But she still has the sense and independence to seem to not go as far as Eggman in terms of cruelty, but still advises him on the dangers of his reckless schemes. More or less, I see her as being a frenemy to Sonic and friends, while we may see a more reasonable, pragmatic and casual Eggman, due to Sage’s influence, and Eggman’s newfound family.

Exellent video and analysis! Really enjoyed the story in this one and hopefully the focus on the characters will continue going forward!

I definitely agree with your opinion that what we got was good-- it just could have been even BETTER. As for the difficulty, I'm partially disabled-- dyspraxia-- which means that timed parries are difficult for me and my reaction times are inconsistent at best. So there's a chance that I won't even be able to finish the DLC. But it's fun to play even if I can't, and the vanilla game still exists, and that means so much for me that I can't really fault the DLC for being as hard as it is. (I can maybe fault all the people who whined about the untimed parries though...)

I love the fact that they brought back Amy's cards but yeah. Not enough Piko Piko Hammer. The towers and some of the trials were an absolutely frustrating hell. I believe it would have been cool to be rewarded for finishing the game by letting us play as Amy, Knuckles and Tails but not trapped in Cyberspace. It probably wouldn't have been hard to do.

I liked how Sonic and his friends were all involved in saving the day, much like older titles, when it wasn’t just Sonic in the spotlight. As for Sage and Eggman, it’s clear Sage aims to save the world, if only for her family, but I like to think she’ll be akin to Sonic and friends the way Eggman is: hostile on the surface, but frenemies more or less. While she seems set on helping him conquer the world, I feel she may still add more casualness to the frenemy rivalry Sonic and Eggman have. She’s bad like him, but just as nuetral to the heroes. Though, she does add some humanity and goodness to Eggman. She’s bound to make the conflict of Sonic and Eggman more interesting going forward. I could easily see a future boss fight with her and Metal vs Sonic and Tails.

Still can't believe The End was Cosmoed

I'm on the fence on the "too hard/git gud" debate. The final trial was clearly too hard on any difficult other than easy, and even then it would be a challenge for people who don't know that you can maximize damage by using quick cyloop and spamming punch/punch/stomp. Also the new minibosses are too hard with anyone other than Sonic. On the other hand, the towers and other trials were definitely not hard at all, even on Hard, and all the platforming challenges with other characters were more than manageable.

He must be Super DUPER Sonic!

I kinda wished Sonic didn't immediately recover from that cause like c'mon if the corruption is allowed to give him a run for his money, why not have the unstable cyber form too, like at least have him stumble somewhat, kind of how he was in Colors after the place blew up and engulfed him, he wasn't immediately fine and even had a bit of a weakened look. I would like to see Sonic be able to be vulnerable whether it be mentally or physically, like the missed opportunity of Forces, as it can feel all the more satisfying to watch him slowly overcome those obstacles and grow past them, making the moments when he does more memorable. The scene in colors with him stumbling a bit stuck with me when I played it at around 9 years old cause it showed me he wasn't invincible, he could still get hurt just like everyone could, and in a way showed you didn't have to be invincible or all powerful to accomplish great things, you just had to put your mind to it and keep at it. That and also having Sonic show a more vulnerable side kinda with how he tried his best to hide his pain with the corruption from Amy, Knuckles and especially Tails, it makes his character far more interesting, and makes interesting future stories, as its obvious that Sonic would rather hide his own suffering and push through it if it means saving those he cares deeply about, and he'd hide it to keep them from worrying or from stopping him from reaching his goal of saving them, as they'd for sure tell him to stop if they knew their freedom meant his torture. I know sega doesn't exactly like letting Sonic show emotions or vulnerability like how early archie Sonic and many earlier Sonic media did, but I really think it could benefit them and especially his character, and it would also balance out with how they gave Eggman a more vulnerable side with him caring for Sage just as a father would his child, they both can still be the way they were, just they'd also be a bit more than just that, and I'm looking forward to see what they can do with it going forward.

Update 3 I definitely really like but there was some problems with this update. The Playable characters in Update 3 are decent. The story in the Final Horizon i definitely really like and i definitely think that the story is very interesting In Update 3. The problem that I have with Knuckles in the Final Horizon is that his gliding is feels awful and the climbing is good. I definitely like the how the character are portrayed in the Final Horizon. The trail when you have to fight Supreme, Knight and Giganto that one was a total death trail for me to do. The final boss fight in the Final Horizon was definitely really cool and the ending in the Final Horizon is better than the original ending. I really happy that Sonic and his friends are actually doing something in the Final Horizon. The Final Horizon is good but not perfect in my opinion. Great video Ace Card Gaming) 😊

There's an interaction between Sage and Tails in this game that has me curious for a potential game where Tails is the protagonist. In his journey of self-discovery he comes across eggman and the 2, through the means of science and or logic, set to have a common goal. No manipulation from Eggman hell he could be separate from the interactions and the main 2nd player could be Sage for all i know, but their goals align and they work together. But the goals have the consequence of putting him against sonic. I would love to see a game where tails has to make a choice between abandoning his goal for family (whatever the nuanced reasoning is for the choice or because "Eggman bad") or pushing through with working with Eggman because the goal just "feels right" and this is "his choice" to see it through. Basically a Shadow the Hedgehog situation but with Tails and its centered around his intellect w/ Eggman's.

Hm, I think this was interesting enough and I am even more looking forward to see how the Franchise will go from here, I really hope they don’t screwup. Anyway, based on these Play-Styles and Gameplay, Which Character would you like to see get their own Game? Also, where do you think they will go with Sage from here? By the way, are you looking forward to Superstars?

Also, the Update focused WAY too hard on fleshing out the world instead of character moments. For example, Knuckles starts asking Sage about the ancients and she replies about how they’d use tunnels. Huh?? Why does Knuckles care so much about the ancients? Has he even met Sage before? What would Sage and Knuckles dynamic be like? Too much of the dialogue, I felt, was dedicated to world building and trying to mask the game’s limitations (‘here, let me explain why there’s a pinball table’) than compelling character dynamics

Man, words cannot express how much I felt, when Sonic went Super Sonic 2! That was sooooo awesome, when Sonic snap his fingers bringing supreme/The End to the ground and when you parry, he simply just waved his hand. My favorite part was Sonic transforming back after he got knocked down, man, people can say what they want to say with the Dragon Ball comparisons, but it genuinely reminded me of Goku and Vegeta in a good way,( but still Super Sonic 2 finesse on his own) Sonic Team went hard with the Final Horizon update! I was literally in awe. The Sonic I grew up with was back, *my* Sonic was back. 🥲

Because the Internet can’t just be straightforward what am I expected to do to unlock the characters ?

While the difficulty was a bit much at times, I did thoroughly enjoy the gameplay! I will admit that the balance between Amy's tarot cards (apparently they're actually fortune cards?) and her hammer was disappointing to me and Knuckles and Tails did have a few, off-putting at first, quirks, they were all super fun to play as! I just wish they weren't as limited in the combat department, I tended to avoid guardians because of that. As for the story, while there wasn't much, what we did get honestly felt like a fan fiction that wasn't fully thought all the way through. For me this made for a lot of cool and hype moments on the surface, but after putting any thought into it just left the whole thing feeling disjointing. While the original ending did feel disappointing and rushed, it still felt like it fit with everything overall (at least lore wise) in my humble opinion. This felt like a fan got excited at the idea of creating a better ending, rushed to make one that felt super hype and anime, and then published it before any more thought was put in. The story would've been better if instead of retconning the original ending, they built off of that tease we got at the end of the credits in the base game. It would've been more difficult for everything to make sense, but I feel like that would've had a WAAAAAY better payout than what I got here. I wish I could make my own video on what I would've done, but I don't have time to and if I did would rather share ideas for a hopeful Sonic Frontiers 2. Also, I feel like the file name being SuperSonic2 wasn't them stating that's what the form was. This is still base Super Sonic, just with a new power inside of him being unlocked, kinda like if I gave my Pokemon a TM that doesn't mean it's Blastosie2, its still just Blastoise. And that form at the end where Sonic turned blue was simply him releasing that power. They definitely take inspiration from Dragon Ball, and that's perfectly fine, but that doesn't mean that it is Dragon Ball. This is definitely inspired by it, don't get me wrong, but I feel they were going for something different, not just a straight copy, and until they confirm otherwise that's how I see it. It's fine if others don't agree with me on this, as long as they stop presenting it as "this is what it is" because its not. They're all just theories until someone confirms it.

1:07 Didn't Sally do that.

I'm honestly just sick and tired of hearing people say "it's free so I can't complain". Since when is free an excuse for mediocrity? Honestly, my biggest gripe isn't the constant crashing and unfair difficulty. It's, the new ending, while Sage living is much better and fits more of a Sonic game, it just plays into Ian Flynn's sick fantasy of having everything in the Sonic franchise be canon. If they wanted a good ending then just make it a good ending it's not right to make us work and sit through Sage's death just to be told that it possibly isn't even real. I said this multiple times in the past but I don't see Sage fitting into future games, there could be a comical aspect with Orbot and Cubot, but that's it. If she retains her body she will actually be a liability to Eggman during missions as we see she is growing fond of Sonic as a hero... Literally, slowly, becoming another defective failure like a man's other robots... Don't get me wrong, I love Sage, but her losing her body and becoming an AI voice anime trope was probably the better way of doing this if that is even the Canon ending as she should remain a one-time character. I hate Inn Flynn he is a terrible writer... 🤬😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬

Aside from the Boss Rush (seriously, you canNOT convince that nightmare was properly play tested), I absolutely loved the DLC: it felt like a love letter to adventure fans as I played through as Tails and Knuckles. Amy's gameplay on the other hand was kind of my least favorite due to the fact I didn't care much for her tarot cards; which is weird given the fact I'm a fan of persona

11:20 The new ending completes the arc of Sage and Eggman's relationship: Finally being able to call father and daughter each other

I have quite a few complaints with the update, but was curious what you thought of this! We see Sonic corrupted throughout the story, but to be honest, I didn’t think much of it. I never considered he was ‘suffering’ because the writers went the route of ‘he’s toughening it out to save face.’ However, when Sonic’s friends get corrupted, they say how much it sucks and how heavy of a burden this must of been for Sonic. To me, this doesn’t make Sonic look cooler at all, it just makes his friends look weaker in comparison. Idk, I’d be curious to know if this moment landed for you or not

The cutscenes are so freaking bad in this game but I still love it.

It's good, but bare bones and needs more imagination.

I love Sonic, I really do. But imo i think the update was kinda-just kinda....bad. From a gameplay standpoint, it still looks and feels like a tech demo as well as its iffy controls, HORRENDOUS pop-in (it's even worse than before), baffling character moveset decisions (WHY IS TAILS THROWING WRENCHES INSTEAD OF yknow..... HIS TAILS? AMY, USE THE GODDAMN HAMMER). That as well as the fact all three characters are the worst in combat, they end up feeling so fanservice-y. From a character and story standpoint.... yeah i prefer the base game. Tails' story had so much potiental now that he was playable and they just....wasted it. What happened to his Shadow Self in Cyberspace?? Why didn't they take the oppurtunity foe Tails being the one to access the new cyberspace to free the emeralds but ends up getting sucked in and confronted by his cyber copy?? Why is Amy of all characters taking leadership??? Where is her hammer and why does she feel like a generic girlboss??? Why did they have toreturn in their digital forms, when they could have started their journey on an explorable Rhea Island when they had their bodies to save Sonic's soul from being destroyed by the Cyber corruption using the Chaos Emeralds??? Why is the final boss Supreme with extra arms??? Why couldn't we have Sage properly interacting with the characters through meaningful cutscenes rather than short, irrelevant optional dialogue??? WHAT ARE THESE DAMN TOWERS AND WHY IS THERE SUPERCHARGED MINIBOSSES ALL OVER THE PLACE IF SONIC IS THE ONLY ONE DESIGNED TO FIGHT THEM?? What is even the point if they only give you one gear piece??? Overall, the only thing I liked about this update was Super Sonic 2 and the new cyberspace levels and even they aren't without some flaws

14:39 fin.

I liked the dlc & how all the characters played(not the tarot cards, or Tails not havin his tail wip tho). While I liked the final boss I couldn't care less bout the character writin for the cast. They're still incredibly poor & make me worried for stories in the future. If they don't stop usin western writers then Sonic really is jus dead now & that sucks