#mosth

Well I couldn't speak to the new animation since it isn't out in full yet, but Frontiers adapting the electricity aesthetic by making it something that is triggered by the max boost from getting topped off on rings which was a special feature of the Starfall Islands themselves was a very smart way to implement it.

That's why I love Sonic Team so much. They always maintain the integrity of the franchise. They thought the electricity effect from the movies was cool and also it helps with brand synergy to incorporate that into the games, but they're not just going to toss it in willy nilly because "oh the movies are popular so we need to put the things from the popular thing into the source material" like fucking Marvel will do when they fold stuff from the MCU into the comics without reason or explanation.

Sonic Team actually bothers to go "okay we want Sonic to do this now, so how and why will he be able to do this now when he couldn't do it before?" And came up with something that makes sense feels natural and ontop of that is understated. Like they don't even make a big deal out of it or shine a huge spotlight with some kind of overwrought explanation. It's a narrative development that's communicated by gameplay mechanics. You cap out your rings in Frontiers, you get a cool short little animation of Sonic going Movie Mode, and your boost is bigger and cooler and flashier and that communicates everything that's necessary for the player.

This is something Sonic can do now, thanks to the Starfall Islands. And Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog calls direct attention to it, acknowledges it, and confirms it's still a factor even when he's no longer on the islands.