The End: Overview
The End is the ultimate antagonist in Sonic Frontiers, a malevolent entity with a history of annihilating civilizations across the universe. This planet-sized being was responsible for the destruction of the Ancients’ home world and indirectly caused the Chaos Emeralds to arrive on Earth. The Ancients eventually managed to imprison The End within Cyber Space. Sonic’s journey inadvertently leads to the breaking of this seal, setting the stage for the final confrontation.
The battle against The End occurs after Sonic defeats Supreme on Ouranos Island. Sonic, accompanied by Sage, ventures into space to face this formidable foe. The nature of the final boss encounter with The End changes significantly based on your chosen difficulty setting when entering the fight. You do not need to play the entire game on Hard difficulty to experience the harder variant; simply switch the difficulty to Hard before initiating The End’s fight.
Normal and Easy Difficulty Battle
If you are playing on Normal difficulty or below, the battle against The End is a swift and straightforward sequence of Quick Time Events (QTEs). After Sonic and Sage travel into space, they will encounter The End, which appears as a planet-sized entity. The End will fire a massive laser beam that even Super Sonic struggles to deflect. Sage intervenes, assisting Sonic in pushing back the beam. She then propels Sonic towards the malevolent planet.
To win this fight, you must successfully complete three QTE sequences. A meter will appear on screen; wait for the hand on this meter to reach a blue zone, then press the SQUARE button. Successfully performing this action three times will conclude the battle. Upon victory, you’ll witness the final cutscene and two additional scenes after the credits. You can then return to the open world to explore any missed secrets.
Hard Difficulty Battle
Engaging The End on Hard difficulty presents a significantly more challenging experience, transforming the fight into an intense bullet-hell segment. This battle resembles the hacking mini-games found on Chaos and Ouranos Islands, but with added vertical movement. Sonic, with Sage’s assistance, must navigate a constant barrage of projectiles while simultaneously attacking The End. You begin with three lives.
Your primary objective is to destroy The End by launching homing missiles. To do this, you must defend yourself against its black and white projectiles. Black projectiles are destroyed by firing black bullets using the R1/RB button, while white projectiles are countered with white bullets using the L1/LB button. Successfully destroying projectiles charges your homing missile bar. Once full, press R2/RT to unleash missiles, dealing substantial damage to The End.
A critical strategy is to maintain continuous fire. The End will unleash a relentless stream of projectiles, some becoming nearly impossible to dodge. It’s often effective to find a relatively safe position and alternate rapidly between black and white bullets to clear incoming waves. The game is somewhat forgiving with projectile hitboxes, allowing for frantic firing and strategic positioning to survive intense attacks.
Homing missiles can also serve as a “get-out-of-jail-free card.” Keep them charged, and when faced with an overwhelming wave of projectiles, launch them to create an opening and clear the screen. Remember to constantly attack The End itself, not just its projectiles, to progress the fight.
As The End’s health depletes, it introduces new attack patterns:
- Laser Beam Grid Attack: The End pins you within a maze of lasers. You must quickly locate and move to a safe spot within the grid and remain there until it dissipates. Hitting any laser will result in Sonic and Sage being destroyed. A later variation of this attack involves the grid moving from right to left, requiring you to move with it to stay alive.
- Power Beam: The End charges a large purple energy beam. An alert sound and a purple circle appearing in front of the planet indicate the impending attack. Dodge this by moving to the right or left.
- Laser Beam Segment Attack: The End slowly fires vertical lasers from the top to the bottom of the screen. Position yourself directly beneath a laser after it has been placed and wait there until the segments vanish.
As The End’s health bar nears depletion, it will become invulnerable, signaling the final phase of the fight.
FAQ
What is The End? The End is a malevolent, planet-sized entity in Sonic Frontiers, responsible for destroying countless civilizations and the final boss of the game.
How does difficulty affect the final boss fight with The End? On Normal or Easy difficulty, the fight is a short sequence of three QTEs. On Hard difficulty, it becomes a significantly more challenging bullet-hell segment.
Do I need to play the entire game on Hard to fight the harder version of The End? No, you only need to switch the difficulty to Hard mode immediately before initiating the fight with The End.
Who assists Sonic during the fight against The End? Sage assists Sonic during both variants of the final boss fight.
What are the main attacks of The End on Hard difficulty? The End primarily uses black and white projectiles, a laser beam grid attack, a power beam, and a laser beam segment attack.