YouTuber Dunkey responds to "fans" review-bombing Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Frontiers
(Image credit: SEGA)

Update: The YouTuber who was thought to be the reason behind Sonic Frontiers being review-bombed has offered their take the incident, claiming that it's not their fans at all, and laying the blame on Sonic fans. 

Earlier today YouTuber Video Game Dunkey took to Twitter to claim "Sonic fans are review bombing their own favorite game to make my fans look bad." Dunkey claims that the usernames were a dead giveaway with several having names such as "DunkeyLover2005" or "Dunkeyfan123."

In a follow-up tweet, Dunkey explained more by saying: "In the end, way more positive reviews are being left than negative (and it is 90% Sonic fans leaving both), and my intention was never to send review bombers." 

Another tweet then followed: "I just wanted to make an entertaining video on a game I didn't really like, and I was shocked by the user scores so I included it. I can't be alone in feeling crazy when seeing them."

Original story: Sonic Frontiers is getting review-bombed after YouTuber Dunkey posted a negative review of the new platformer.  

Dunkey is, if you're unfamiliar, a YouTuber with a huge following, at over 7.2 million subscribers. When the content creator posted their Sonic Frontiers review yesterday on November 13, it didn't take long for the video to storm past one million views, giving audiences a look into Dunkey's experience with Team Sonic's new adventure.

That experience was markedly negative, as you can tell from the video review itself just above. Dunkey isn't having any fun with Sonic Frontiers at all, showcasing the very worst elements of the new game, such as invisible walls and progression systems, for his huge audience to see.

This was shortly followed by Dunkey's viewers review-bombing Sonic Frontiers on Metacritic. As you can see in the tweet just below, hordes of Metacritic users are review scoring Sonic Frontiers as a zero out of 10, even in some cases writing that Dunkey's review prompted them to give out such a negative score.

What's more, most users posting the overly-negative reviews freely admit they haven't even played Sonic Frontiers. Plenty of the reviews write about how the game looks from trailers and pre-release footage, as well as Dunkey's reviews honing in on the worst parts of the game (in the YouTuber's opinion).

However, this review-bombing hasn't actually harmed Sonic Frontiers' overall Metacritic user review scores. Heading over to Metacritic, you can see that all versions of the new game sit at above an 8.0 for their review scores, with the lone exception being the Xbox One version, which is currently at the 7.8 mark. Dunkey's fans might want to see Sonic Frontiers drop its user review scores, but it looks like the reviews haven't actually made an impact.

Check out our Sonic Frontiers Fast Travel guide for how to unlock one of the more essential features of the new adventure. 

TOPICS
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

With contributions from
Read more
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
Old School RuneScape gets one of 2025's first Steam review bombs after survey gauges in-game ads and price hikes: "To read this review, please upgrade to the Deluxe package"
Dauntless Awakening art of slayers fighting bird monster
"We never would have made decisions that are so blatantly not player-focused": Ex-Dauntless dev "can't be silent" after an update under the dev's new owner "gutted the core gameplay and crafting"
Shadow holds two yellow chaos emeralds in Sonic X Shadow Generations - one of them real and the other the fake emerald from Sonic Adventure 2
Shadow Generations finally pays off narrative threads 20 years in the making, and yes that's important to true sickos like me
Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: "Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"
Sonic, Knuckles and Tails standing together during the trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Sonic 3 is the second highest-rated video game movie on Rotten Tomatoes – and what's in first place may surprise you
Celeste screenshot
Indie game marketplace Itch.io goes down as it claims Funko Pop company used "AI-powered" brand protection to create "some bogus phishing report"
Latest in Platformer
Earthblade trailer screenshot
Celeste composer releases soundtrack from canceled Metroidvania game Earthblade, and it's a tearjerker mash-up of classic anime soundtracks and synth: "We'll never get a chance to tell that story in game form"
Donkey Kong 94
Forget Pokemon Red and Blue, Nintendo's finally brought the secret best Game Boy game to Switch: an expanded version of Donkey Kong with 2425% more levels
Sonic Unleashed Recompiled
Sonic fans are leading the charge on a new preservation tool that can help give any Xbox 360 game a native PC port
Rascal celebrates completing Buccaneer's Beach in Rollin' Rascal
My dream Sonic game is finally real and it even has online multiplayer, except it's actually this "high-speed" 3D platformer with a glorious demo in Steam Next Fest
Beebz collects a gear in Demon Tides
Super Mario Odyssey and Wind Waker collide in this expressive Steam Next Fest 3D platformer that's already an early GOTY contender for me
Key art for Ruffy and the Riverside showing the titular character run through a lush green forest with a waterfall in the background
I'm getting some good Banjo-Kazooie and Crash Bandicoot vibes from my favorite Steam Next Fest platformer, where you can swap water and lava to break levels
Latest in News
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
The Witcher 4 devs explain how Ciri's fighting style will differ from Geralt's: "He's nimble, but he feels like a block...she's liquid"
Challenging The Manacle in Balatro, which limits hand size by -1 and playing two Jacks
From "I stopped working on the project entirely" to "we are so back," Balatro creator says the roguelike's development was always about passion and taking breaks was essential
InZOI screenshot from creation studio demo which depicts a shockingly realistic character model rendered in Unreal Engine 5
The director behind The Sims competitor InZOI spent 20 years making MMOs, but he ditched the massive RPGs after playing life sims with his son
Demon Slayer season 4 episode 2
True to the anime, Stardew Valley's hottest mod adds two romanceable Demon Slayer dudes who are both "rude and standoffish" at first
A group of Men wearing armour during the TV show, Vikings.
Vikings creator is heading back to his Norse roots with this new historical drama on Amazon
Balatro screenshot showing an assortment of joker cards
Balatro creator intentionally avoided roguelikes but did eventually play and "steal from" Slay the Spire anyway: "Holy s***. Now that is a game"