With Sonic Forces playing it safe, it seemed the time was ripe for some change to come to… maybe not reinvent the series but push it in a fresh new direction. What came during the 30th anniversary Sonic Central in May 2021 held mystery. A new main game teased with Sonic running through a forest performing some strange new move. Just what could this new move be? And where is Sonic?
That would be answered come The Game Awards in December, where an announcement trailer labelled the game as Sonic Frontiers. With open zone freedom promised as we explore the Starfall Islands, it seemed like a big improvement from the near automation that Forces had been. But… it didn’t look Sonic. It looked serious.
The world looked more real, designed in a logical way with no elements that would show it as a world within Sonic’s universe. Ruins, waterfalls, forests… All of them would easily fit within our world. The only noticeable fantasy element being the towers with glowing orbs. Oh, and the giant robot that Sonic faces off against at the end.
It wouldn’t be until the end of May 2022 and throughout June where we’d see more. With IGN showing off certain elements of the game, things were looking up for how it would play, but it wasn’t until Gamescom Opening Night Live where that was fully answered. The cyber space stages brought the Sonic elements in full. Green Hill, Sky Sanctuary, and more see the usual modern gameplay arrive in the game.
The story was also revealed, with Sonic, Tails, and Amy getting trapped within the Cyber Space. While Sonic escapes, his friends are still trapped inside it. Now, he needs to utilise the power of the chaos emeralds to free his friends. Just why the emeralds are on the Starfall Islands was something the gang were intent on finding out.
From the gameplay of people playing it, automation does seem to be gone from gameplay. There’s still boost pads, springs, and rails, but also a generous amount of movement options, including minute direction changes even while in the air. Seems sad to be saying such, but the restrictions and stiffness in movement from earlier releases have been the bane of the series for a long time.
Other bits of information that has been seen have revealed more of Sonic’s friends will be here, including Big the Cat for a fishing minigame. Doctor Eggman’s around, and is the reason Cyber Space is active on the Starfall Islands. It’s pretty much a security system for an entire archipelago. And of course, we have Knuckles.
At first, I do admit to being sceptical of it. Mostly because of that automation, restrictiveness, and stiffness to the movement of previous games. How does such work with an open world? The more we’ve seen of the Islands, the more I’ve warmed up to them. There’s a weird mix of realism and Sonic elements – such as rails just floating in the air, but from a gameplay perspective, it provides options for traversal. And that can only be a good thing.
I knew of the leaks, of course, that talked of the Cyber Space stages, but I still wondered if this was it. Explore islands and battle robots. So upon seeing those Cyber Space stages in action, I was pleased to see that not only were they looking enjoyable, the freedom of options seems to be there. If there’s one thing I’m confident on this game having, it’s freedom of choosing how you progress this journey. And I am here for it.
Sonic Frontiers is now my most anticipated Sonic game since Generations accelerated my love for the franchise back in 2011. The open nature of the game and the freedom of choice for the journey ahead is something I always enjoy from games, so to see it coming to two of my core franchises – and within the same month, no less – is a reason for me to celebrate.
Sonic Frontiers is just two months out from a release, so 8/November will be the start of an enjoyable month of games for me. Have you been anticipating this one? And do you think it’ll be the greatest 3D outing of the last ten years?
Images Taken From:
Sonic Frontiers – Story Trailer
Sonic Frontiers – Steam Store Page
