Ambition can be a double-edged sword. While on the one hand it has pushed Sonic Team to create its boldest departure to date from the series formula, it also explains the sorry state in which this ‘open zone’ effort arrives. For every moment you spend sprinting across lush fields, unbound from the strict level pathways that have defined Sonic’s previous outings, there are a dozen more when the struggle to build a compelling game within them is all too apparent.

True, there are moments while exploring these five sprawling maps when Frontiers captures something of the ambience of Breath Of The Wild – tinkling piano and drizzling rain creating a sombre atmosphere unlike any other Sonic game. Otherwise, there’s a bizarre desperation to shove a series of gimmicks in your face – from a brutally hard pinball minigame to slowly moving a crane to pick up coloured balls and deposit them into the right holes, and physically herding the diminutive Koco (a poor substitute for the Dreamcast-era Chao) within a time limit. These aren’t diversions, but mandatory tasks thrown at you in a desperate bid to fill time. Optional ‘challenges’ (which unlock a rail-based fast-travel system across the world), such as skipping-rope trials, skydiving interludes or Tetris-like puzzles, are even more tedious.