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Sonic Frontiers

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Sonic Frontiers
File:SONIC FRONTIERS LOGO 2022.jpg
Developer(s)Sonic Team
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Morio Kishimoto
Producer(s)
Writer(s)Ian Flynn
Composer(s)Jun Senoue
SeriesSonic the Hedgehog
Engine
  • Hedgehog Engine 2 Edit this on Wikidata
Platform(s)
ReleaseQ4 2022
Genre(s)Platform, action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Sonic Frontiers[a] is an upcoming 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player explores the mysterious Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds after Sonic, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Amy Rose separate when falling through a wormhole. Frontiers integrates platforming and traditional Sonic elements—such as rings and grind rails—into the series' first open world, where the player solves puzzles to collect items and fights robot enemies.

Development began after the release of Sonic Forces (2017). Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka wanted Frontiers to set a new template for Sonic games to follow, similar to Sonic Adventure (1998). Sonic Team settled on an open-ended design and focused on adapting Sonic's abilities to an open world. Frontiers is scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in late 2022.

Gameplay

Third-person gameplay in a "Cyberspace" level
(Xbox Series/PlayStation 5 versions)

Sonic Frontiers is a 3D platformer and action-adventure game.[1][2] The player, as Sonic, explores the Starfall Islands, which comprise various biomes including flowery fields, forests, ancient ruins, and deserts.[1][3] The story begins when Sonic, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Amy Rose are sucked through a wormhole and Sonic is lost on a mysterious island, separated from Tails and Amy. An artificial intelligence guides the player as they seek to collect the Chaos Emeralds[4] and find Sonic's friends.[5]

Sonic retains his abilities from previous Sonic the Hedgehog games: he runs at high speeds, collects rings, grinds on rails,[6][7] and homes in on enemies to attack.[4] The player can double jump, sidestep using their gamepad's shoulder buttons, and boost with the right trigger if they have enough energy.[5] New abilities include combat attacks, running alongside walls, and using the Cyloop to create a circle of light around objects and interact with them.[4][8] The player can customize the controls and adjust Sonic's speed, turning, acceleration, and resistance, and can upgrade Sonic's speed, attacks, defense, and ring capacity as they progress.[5]

The Starfall Islands act as the series' first open world,[3] which writers compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017).[b] The open world retains traditional Sonic elements, such as springs, boost pads, and grind rails.[13][14] The player explores the islands as they scale towers in platforming challenges to reveal parts of the map,[5][13] and solve puzzles, including orienting statues and speedrunning, to collect items.[4][15] Collectibles include Kocos, which upgrade Sonic's moveset, and Memory Tokens, which rescue Sonic's friends.[5] The main quest takes 20–30 hours to finish, while finding all collectibles takes as much as 60 hours.[16]

The player battles robots throughout the islands;[17] Sonic can dodge and parry attacks and use the Cyloop to make enemies easier to strike. Defeating enemies grants the player experience points that allow them to purchase additional abilities. Alongside regular, small enemies, the player battles large bosses that they must scale to attack. Bosses provide the player with pieces of a portal that, when assembled, allow them to enter "Cyber Space"—short, linear levels similar to those from previous Sonic games.[18] The linear levels, which shift between third-person and side-scrolling perspectives,[19] contain multiple goals, including time attack and collecting red rings, and reward players with a key required to collect a Chaos Emerald.[4]

Development

Conception

Following the release of Sonic Forces (2017), Sonic Team began exploring approaches for its next Sonic the Hedgehog game. In addition to celebrating the series' upcoming 30th anniversary, Sonic Team also sought to define what a modern Sonic game should be and solidify the series' direction for the next decade.[20][21] Sonic Team determined that the series' traditional linear design contained "little room for evolution"[21] and felt it could not progress in this direction.[22] Sonic Team head and Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka felt the series needed to take an innovative direction that would inform future games, similar to how Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic Adventure (1998) set templates used by later games.[23][24]

Morio Kishimoto, director of Sonic Colors (2010), Lost World (2013), and Forces, returned to direct Frontiers,[12] while Sonic Unleashed (2008), Generations (2011), and Forces art director Sachiko Kawamura produced it.[2][7] Frontiers' development has lasted five years, much longer than previous Sonic games' development cycles. Iizuka attributed the length in part to Frontiers not building on previous Sonic gameplay. Determining the direction required trial-and-error refinement, and the development restarted from scratch at one point.[24] Sonic Team began regularly holding external playtesting during Frontiers' development.[25] The COVID-19 pandemic began halfway during production, necessitating Sonic Team to shift to remote work for the first time in its history. Iizuka noted that this made it difficult for individual developers to "get a sense of the big picture", but the benefit of digital communication "accelerated" other aspects of the development.[22]

Design

"Embrac[ing] freedom",[26] Sonic Team decided to depart from series tradition by setting the game in an open environment,[21] which Kishimoto thought would allow for more diverse gameplay.[27] Iizuka felt Sonic's essence as a "3D action game" separated Frontiers from adventure and role-playing open-world games like The Legend of Zelda series.[21] As such, he declined to call it an open-world game, preferring the term "open zone".[4] Sonic Team applied lessons learned from developing Sonic Adventure's hub worlds when designing Frontiers[21] and repeatedly tested how fast Sonic could race through the open world to determine how large it needed to be.[26] Kishimoto felt Frontiers evolved the platform genre concept of a world map by combining it with the gameplay. Sonic Team chose not to raise the difficulty level as the game progresses since the open world would provide plenty of content.[27]

The designers focused on transitioning Sonic's speed and abilities to an open-world design while remaining true to previous games,[7] and opted for a mysterious tone to reflect Sonic exploring an unfamiliar landscape.[4][21] They decided to prioritize combat to a greater extent,[28] but despite the shift to open-world design, Sonic Team determined that Frontiers did not feel like a Sonic game without platforming elements. This presented the challenge of balancing platforming with exploration; Sonic Team's solution was to have the world open up as a reward for completing challenges.[24] The developers wanted to ensure that players could choose between combat and platforming and would not be forced to fight enemies, so they included various methods to collect items outside platforming and combat, such as puzzles.[26] The Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) feature film influenced the development; Kishimoto based the combat on the film's depiction of Sonic and requested that Sonic Team incorporate Easter eggs referencing it.[28]

Writing

Ian Flynn, who wrote Sonic the Hedgehog comics published by Archie Comics and IDW Publishing and episodes of the Sonic Boom TV series, wrote the script.[2][1] Unlike prior Sonic media he had written, for which he pitched stories himself, Sega dictated Frontiers's premise and which characters Flynn was allowed to use. Nonetheless, Flynn considered it "a dream come true" to write a major Sonic game.[29] Iizuka noted that the story differs from previous Sonic games in that it is less humorous and does not make the player's goal obvious, instead challenging them to figure out how solve the problems themselves.[21][26] Given the nonlinear approach, Flynn found pacing the story was "the biggest question" and "had to be massaged and revised as the game's structure took shape."[29]

Music

Series composer Jun Senoue contributed to the score.[30] In accordance with the tone, the Frontiers soundtrack is less upbeat and is "focused more on helping to create a mysterious feeling surrounding the islands."[21]

Release

Sega planned to release Sonic Frontiers in 2021 to coincide with the franchise's 30th anniversary, but delayed it for a year for quality control.[25] It is scheduled for release in late 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[31][2] A promotional animated short, Sonic Frontiers: Prologue, will premiere before the game's release.[32]

Marketing

Sega unveiled a teaser trailer, featuring Sonic running through a forest, at the end of a 30th anniversary livestream on May 27, 2021.[33] The title was not announced, but the trailer's metadata and a Sega press release were discovered to have titled the game Sonic Rangers.[31][34] Iizuka later said that he felt the game was teased prematurely, but believed it was necessary given that it was the 30th anniversary and Sonic Team had not announced a game since Forces' release.[35] Sega trademarked the name Sonic Frontiers in November 2021 and announced it the following month at The Game Awards 2021.[23][2] Sega collaborated with the video game news website IGN to promote Frontiers throughout June 2022.[36]

Nintendo Life characterized early Frontiers gameplay footage as divisive.[37] Kotaku felt the game looked fine but derivative and bland, lacking the series' unique identity,[15] and Polygon and Nintendo Life found the open world desolate.[8][38] Some Sonic fans demanded that the game be delayed, and the hashtag #DelaySonicFrontiers briefly trended on Twitter.[39] Iizuka said that Sonic Team expected early reactions to be polarized, as he felt the early footage was simple and thus would not give fans a good idea of what to expect.[24][22]

Reception

IGN, after playing an early build for four hours, was left with positive impressions: while opining that certain elements, such as boss fights and bugs, required additional work, it wrote the series' gameplay translated well to open-world design and felt distinct from other open-world games.[4] TheGamer favorably compared Frontiers to Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022), feeling that "both games are first attempts to reimagine a stagnating series in a modern way, and while there's some questionable design decisions and plenty of frustrations to be found, they're both a huge step in the right direction."[5]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: ソニックフロンティア, Hepburn: Sonikku Furontia
  2. ^ Attributed to multiple references: [9][10][11][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Stewart, Marcus (December 9, 2021). "Sonic Frontiers Drops The Blue Blur Into His First Open World Game". Game Informer. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Diaz, Ana (December 9, 2021). "Sonic Frontiers sends the hedgehog on a new 3D adventure". Polygon. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Fahey, Mike (December 9, 2021). "Sega Reveals Sonic Frontiers, The First Open-World Sonic Game". Kotaku. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Saltzman, Mitchell (June 7, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers: The First Hands-On Preview". IGN. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Switzer, Eric (June 13, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Preview: Folks, Our Blue Boy Is Back". TheGamer. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Wales, Matt (May 31, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers gets first gameplay teaser trailer". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c West, Josh (January 27, 2022). "With Sonic Frontiers, Sega is "focused on bringing Sonic to the next level"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Diaz, Ana (June 1, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers gameplay shows a strangely empty open world". Polygon. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (December 9, 2021). "Sonic Frontiers teases an 'open-zone' redemption for the franchise's 3D legacy". The Verge. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Maher, Cian (December 9, 2021). "Sonic Frontiers looks like Sonic meets Breath of the Wild". USA Today. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Epps, DeAngelo (December 9, 2021). "Sonic Frontiers is basically Breath of the Wild with hedgehogs". Digital Trends. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Watts, Steve (December 9, 2021). "Sonic Frontiers Is An Open-World Game Coming In 2022, First Screenshot Has BOTW Vibes". GameSpot. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  13. ^ a b LeBlanc, Wesley (June 1, 2022). "You Can Watch 7 Minutes Of Sonic Frontiers Open-World Gameplay Right Now". Game Informer. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Wales, Matt (June 1, 2022). "Here's seven more minutes of Sonic Frontiers' open-world gameplay". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Walker, Ian (June 1, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Looks Like A Bland Unreal Engine Tech Demo". Kotaku. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Doolan, Liam (June 15, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Will Take About 20 - 30 Hours To Complete". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  17. ^ Tailby, Stephen (May 31, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Gameplay Teaser Released Ahead of IGN First Coverage". Push Square. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Stewart, Marcus (June 28, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers' Cyber Space Dimension Features Traditional Platforming Stages". Game Informer. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  19. ^ Rougeau, Mike (June 28, 2022). "Sega's open-world Sonic Frontiers has traditional Sonic levels, too". Polygon. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  20. ^ Shea, Brian (June 13, 2021). "Sonic Team Head Talks Sonic Origins, Next Mainline Game, And 30th Anniversary". Game Informer. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h Saltzman, Michael (June 10, 2022). "How Sonic Frontiers Came to Be an 'Open-Zone' Game - IGN First". IGN. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c Totilo, Stephen (June 15, 2022). "New Sonic the Hedgehog game has had a rough debut". Axios. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Ivan, Tom (November 8, 2021). "Sega's 'Sonic Frontiers' trademark seemingly corroborates open-world claims". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  24. ^ a b c d Robinson, Martin (June 13, 2022). "Sonic Team had to scrap its first pass at Sonic Frontiers". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Doolan, Liam (January 1, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Was Originally Planned For A 2021 Release, But Sega Wanted To "Brush Up The Quality"". Nintendo Life. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  26. ^ a b c d Ramée, Jordan; Klein, David; Morris, Chris (June 13, 2022). "How Sonic Frontiers Brings Sonic Into An Open World - Developer Interview I Summer Game Fest 2022". GameSpot. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Krabbe, Esra (June 15, 2022). "Sega Explains What Sonic Frontiers' 'Open Zone' Structure Actually Means". IGN. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  28. ^ a b Krabbe, Esra (June 14, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers' Combat Was Inspired By the Sonic Movie". IGN. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  29. ^ a b Saltzman, Mitchell (June 22, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Writer Talks Open-Zone Story, Dr. Eggman, and More – IGN First". IGN. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  30. ^ Boxer, Steve (December 29, 2021). "Looking back on 30 years of 'Sonic The Hedgehog' with composer Jun Senoue". NME. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  31. ^ a b Capel, Chris (May 27, 2021). "New Sonic game may be called Sonic Rangers, press release accidentally reveals". Game Revolution. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  32. ^ Skrebels, Joe (June 7, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Is Getting an Animated Special Ahead of Release". IGN. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  33. ^ Wales, Matt (May 27, 2021). "Sega confirms Sonic Colors Ultimate plus a retro Sonic compilation for next year". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  34. ^ Skrebels, Joe (May 28, 2021). "The New Sonic Game May Be Called Sonic Rangers". IGN. Retrieved June 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ Doolan, Liam (July 22, 2021). "Takashi Iizuka Admits The Sonic 2022 Reveal Was Probably A Bit Too Early". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  36. ^ Hagues, Alana (June 7, 2022). "The First Hands-On With Sonic Frontiers Has Dropped". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  37. ^ Hagues, Alana (June 3, 2022). "New Sonic Frontiers Gameplay Lets The Blue Blur Show Off His Combat Skills". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  38. ^ Reynolds, Ollie (June 1, 2022). "Sonic Frontiers Gameplay Showcases A Pretty, But Sparse Open World". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  39. ^ Robinson, Andy (June 4, 2022). "Fans call on Sega to delay Sonic Frontiers following gameplay reveal". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
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