When developing ports for multiple video game systems, optimizing the new games for every system is the biggest challenge. Some differences must be accounted for even when you have two high-end consoles like the PS4 or the Xbox Series X. That also goes if you’re developing for PC as many of those systems have different abilities depending on the build itself. Then, there’s the Nintendo Switch. While the console is powerful in its own right, especially in its docked form, you also need to account for those who play solely in the handheld mode. If you’re worried about this for Sonic Frontiers, the head of Sonic Team is here to assure you it’ll be fine.
Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka was asked about the Switch port of the game, and he noted that while there are some differences in graphical quality, the game will “feel comparable” to the more high-end versions. For example, he said that some of the assets wouldn’t be in as high in detail, nor would the framerate be the same, but because Sonic Frontiers uses the same engine across all platforms, they were able to make it work:
“The Hedgehog Engine is an internally developed engine we have been using since Sonic Generations, and we have been updating it since 2010 when the game was in development, to really make sure that multiplatform development is as easy as it can be. And we have been working on polishing all of those multiplatform abilities and capabilities of the engine.”
He cited how past games could be played on all platforms and were going for the same quality here. Iizuka also noted how you’d be fine if you want to play it on high-end systems or PC, but if you have the Switch, you will enjoy it just as much.
That will definitely put a lot of fears to rest. Even though the Nintendo Switch is arguably the best console out there in terms of pure content, the system has sometimes gotten mediocre ports that have ruined people’s trust in certain developers. They were playable, but the polish wasn’t there, and you could tell they were rushed. In contrast, recent Switch ports have been doing well because the teams have put a lot of effort into making them shine.
There’s a lot of pressure on Sonic’s newest game, and many people hope that it will hold up no matter what system they’re on.
Source: Gamereactor
