Voice actors are often responsible for giving life to characters, and good or bad, they can define a character’s popularity or longevity.Sonic is easily Sega’s most identifiable mascot, and part of that is because for the past ten years or so he’s largely been played by the same voice actor. He’s had a couple before then, but the consistency in his delivery has always been a solid factor. However, it’s not surprising either if someone dives intoSonic Frontiersand is a little off-put by the voice acting.
To be clear, Sonic is still voiced by Roger Craig Smith and has been in many adaptations of the character for the past ten years or so. It’s worth mentioning that, recently,Roger Craig Smith announced he was stepping down from his Sonic rolelast year, but fan demand saw him walk this back. In other words, fans definitely want to keep him around as the Blue Blur, but even knowing this, Sonic inSonic Frontiersmay sound a little off.
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Sonic Frontiers: Roger Craig Smith
For newcomers, they may recognize Roger Craig Smith’s voice from several other iconic roles:Ezio Auditore inAssassin’s Creed, Mirage inApex Legends,Chris Redfield in theResident Evilseries (from 2009-2017), and Captain America in a few Marvel adaptations. For veterans, this may come from some voice confusion related to theSonic Hedgehogmovie or the more detailed dialogue inSonic Frontiersthan perhaps some past games, but the biggest shake-up may be the writing itself. While some have praised it, it’s worth mentioning that it sounds like a character who is not Sonic.
For anyone who has playedApex Legends, the dialogue of Sonic inFrontierssounds nearly identical to the kind of content Mirage would deliver. That’s not to say Sonic can’t be funny, glib, and sometimes a little airheaded, but the dialogue paired with the delivery makes Sonic sound likeApex Legends’Mirage. Playing characters like Ezio, Chris, Captain America, and so on show the range of Smith, but it’s very hard to distinguish the two characters from each other here in terms of dialogue and delivery. Obviously, the same voice actor for both would be able to draw comparisons, but the thing is that most of Sonic’s dialogue sounds exactly like it comes fromApex Legends.It’s not similar; it’s basically identical.
It’s interesting, if nothing else, and mixing Mirage and Sonic was probably not on anyone’s bingo card forSonic Frontiers. Roger Craig Smith’s role in the industry is no less iconic, of course, and he’ll continue to do great things in the industry well afterSonic Frontiers. For as long as he chooses to be around, as it were, and the future of the Blue Blur is perhaps brighter than ever.
Sonic Frontiersis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
