The first full gameplay trailer for Sonic Frontiers has just been released, showing off impressive graphics and speedy platforming - but sadly, little else. SEGA revealed its newest Sonic The Hedgehog game after months of speculation during December’s Game Awards 2020 livestream, with the developers at Sonic Team later promising that Sonic Frontiers will serve as a reinvention for the long-running franchise. A small stream of promising developments soon followed, with Sonic franchise veterans like comic book writer Ian Flynn and longtime Sonic composer Jun Senoue returning to lend their talents to Sonic Frontiers' story and music respectively.
The main area of discussion surrounding Sonic Frontiers and how it differs from past Sonic 3D offerings is the gameplay shown off in previous trailers, particularly the lush open world that players quickly compared to games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. SEGA has also promised that Sonic Frontiers will shake up combat with new, fast-paced combat styles for Sonic to smash up his robotic enemies with, and a recent snippet of footage highlighted this as Sonic made use of punches and kicks alongside his trusty Homing Attack and Spin Dash. This brief Sonic Frontiers teaser also hinted at a larger trailer being revealed later this week, along with plenty of interviews and new information surrounding Sonic’s next big adventure all month long.
Sure enough, IGN has just released a new gameplay trailer for Sonic Frontiers earlier today through the official IGN YouTube channel, one that shows the Blue Blur exploring even more of the grass-covered ruins that have been featured prominently in past Sonic Frontiers footage. Sonic demonstrates his full range of platforming abilities, including running, jumping, boosting, rail grinding, and even wall running as he collects Rings, coins, and even some kind of health-granting heart collectibles through impressively rendered ruins and landscapes. It even starts raining at one point, suggesting that Sonic Frontiers could have some sort of in-game weather cycle. However, the Blue Blur doesn’t come across a single classic Sonic enemy or NPC throughout the entire Sonic Frontiers gameplay trailer, making the large and visually impressive open world feel a bit too empty.
Sonic Frontiers was originally meant to be released sometime last year to commemorate Sonic The Hedgehog's 30th anniversary, but Sonic Team decided to extend its development time to allow for more gameplay polish and to hopefully avoid the bug-ridden releases of recent Sonic titles like last year’s Sonic Colors: Ultimate. There is still no word on when Sonic Frontiers will release now, but a recent leak hinted at a November launch - a release window that would mirror past 3D Sonic games like Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic '06, Sonic Colors, and Sonic Forces.
Sonic Frontiers' lush visuals and massive open world look like a promising departure from the traditionally linear structure of past Sonic titles, but fans might be left wanting more after today’s almost barren gameplay trailer - which some have likened to a tech demo or Sonic-themed game mod than a high-octane triple-A release. Of course, there is still plenty of time for SEGA to show off Sonic Frontiers’ more action-packed elements before the game launches across all major platforms later this year, but it seems a little odd that today’s showcase was light on the combat and thrills players have come to expect from SEGA’s super-fast mascot.
Source: IGN/YouTube, (via IGN)