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Sonic Frontiers details and trailer
timeless meme sonic cycle Continue in Sonic Frontiers. With dust barely having time to resolve Sonic Origins’ messy launch, Sega seems eager to take the series in a new direction. Blue Blur’s next big outing is a less linear, more exploratory take on the “run fast, grind the rails, hop on the robot” formula we know and love.
I’m cautiously hopeful, albeit a little pessimistic, that I’m still happy with most modern Sonic games.Here’s everything we know about Sonic Frontiers so far, and what makes it from dozens of other games Starring Sega’s true blue mascot.
When is the release date for Sonic Frontiers?
Sega hasn’t announced a specific release date for Sonic Frontiers, though its latest prediction is “Holiday 2022.” Given the mixed reaction to its unveiling and first hands-on preview, I wouldn’t be surprised if it slips from Christmas into early 2023, as everything else seems to be delayed this year.
Will Sonic Frontiers be on PC?
Yes, almost every other console, including the Switch. No system requirements have been announced for Frontiers so far, but given the game’s expansion all the way to the Switch (which is actually a mid-spec mobile device) and previous-gen consoles like the Xbox One and PS4, it’s unlikely you’ll need a large The machine runs it on lower settings.
What makes Sonic Frontiers different from other Sonic games?
While the Sonic franchise has had some oddities over the years (including Bioware’s trash RPG And that embarrassment werewolf one), Frontiers may be one of the biggest transformations of the series to date. While they may have overworlds to explore, the levels in Sonic Adventure and Sonic ’06 are largely linear. Sonic Frontiers prefers less restrictive open world formats.
Instead of Sonic’s usual abstract and cartoony worlds, this time he’s exploring a series of more natural-looking islands, with flower fields, lush forests and jagged cliffs to navigate, though seemingly full of dangling railroad tracks, providing Some additional exercise options. Frontiers appears to have taken some inspiration from Breath of the Wild, with equipment and mini puzzles revealing collectibles from around the world.
The increased focus on combat, including quick melee combos and dodges, has also been shown in gameplay footage so far. Sonic will be able to unlock and learn new combat abilities over the course of the game, including the ability to fire massive energy blades at enemies, as well as melee parry moves. It’s an unusual change of pace, as Sonic’s usual fighting style is to bounce past as quickly as possible, rather than standing and fighting with his toes.
What do we know about the world of Sonic Frontiers?
For this adventure, Sonic travels to the mysterious Starfall Islands, once home to an advanced (but now lost) civilization. That means miles of open, largely unspoiled hills for speeding, punctuated by mysterious relics of technology, milled rails and floating platforms. Also the ancient killer robot, because that’s just something Sonic can’t escape. They’re at least cool, abstract-looking murder machines, not Eggman’s usual designs, and it looks like he’s (properly) taken them out of Kinder Surprise toys.
Thankfully, they haven’t completely given up on speed-centric linear levels. A recent preview video showed several “cyberspace” levels inspired by Sonic’s past adventures, and featured returning enemies from older games. These will apparently reward Sonic with keys that may be needed to progress the story. It’s anyone’s guess how much the game has influenced these more old-school stages.
Of course, this is a Sonic game, so they had to bring in another marketable sidekick character to interact with and eventually fill out IDW’s expanding comic book cast. While the details are a bit sketchy due to the details gleaned from the leaks, it looks like a mysterious girl named Sage (seemingly some sort of Guardian figure with a glitchy red holographic look) will fill the role. The leak means she’ll be hostile at first (trying to get Sonic off Starfall), but I’ll give the solid possibility of earning friendship power before the credits roll.
It seems equally likely that Sega will forget the character the moment the game launches.
Where are Sonic’s other friends this time?
Sadly, Sonic Force’s custom mascot protagonist is nowhere to be seen this time around, and the other cast members have made themselves scarce. It appears that this time around, Sonic is mostly doing the job alone. An early hands-on preview mentioned that Tails and Amy made an appearance in the intro, but the gang was separated after falling into a portal, leaving Sonic alone and in the voice of a mysterious AI.
Of course, wherever the Emeralds of Chaos can be found (almost anywhere – they’re worse than Dragon Ball), Egghead is involved, and recent clips show some of his hardware being set up on the island. Expect a feud with him and his robotic thugs at some point. Still, the machines active on the island already seem a little menacing. And it’s huge.
Who is developing Sonic Frontiers?
Sonic Frontiers was developed by Sega’s original Sonic Team, led by producer Takashi Iizuka. Since he was credited as Sonic 3’s game designer, he’s been the lynchpin of the series. Despite some highs (Sonic Generations and Colors) and lows (Sonic Lost World and Forces), few know the old Blue Blur better than him.
What’s wrong with the music?
As anyone with ears may have noticed in the game showcase by now, Sonic Frontiers is also experimenting with music. So far, no audible Crush 40 vocal track or bouncy FM synth jam. Expect moody, world-exploring productions dominated by piano, as well as guitar- and string-heavy “epic” action films with occasional boss fights.you can hear the former IGN’s gameplay footage is herewhile the latter recently Nintendo Direct Mini.
Personally, I wish we heard more old-school tunes on the cyberspace stage, but only time will tell. It does feel weird not to be interested in the music of Sonic games.Apart from Bioware RPG’s infamous soundtrack, music has always been the high point of these games. Even among the otherwise ridiculous Sonic ’06! Hopefully Sega has some surprises.
Why are people dissatisfied with Sonic Frontiers?
You don’t have to look very far online to find someone who is pessimistic about Sonic Frontiers. While perceptions of the game are as diverse and colorful as Sonic’s ever-expanding friend and fan base, there are some common criticisms of the footage Sega has shown so far. The most obvious of these are the technically rough edges. There are a lot of ambient popups to see in the open world, especially foliage. Hopefully the PC version will allow us to push these draw distances further with more powerful hardware.
More generally, widespread criticism of open-world environments. While the clips of the Cyber Space levels help alleviate that, the wider world seems a little tedious, with its abstract tech ruins feeling a bit JRPG’ish.Personally, it reminds me a lot Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, coincidentally, another work by Sonic Team. It’s not an aesthetic I’m against, but it doesn’t really scream “Sonic” to me.
Sonic’s most technically minded fans also had some complaints, highlighting the odd motion physics displayed in the gameplay footage. Sonic seemed to maintain more power than he normally would when grinding on the rails, while accelerating elsewhere. While it’s all down to personal preference, the series has been running long enough to give people a solid idea of what a Sonic game should look like.
Finally, a document that we can submit under “No Controversy”, it has been reported (Thanks to PCGamesN) Some bad guys on Steam have been abusing the public labeling system to mark games as “unfit for work” and contain elements like “pornography”, “psychological horror” and more. Although this will be some (well, many) fan art there, not applicable here.
Whether another round of the sonic cycle would inflict a similar level of psychic damage, only time will tell.