Sonic Frontiers is set to be the big return for Sega's blue mascot. It was officially announced at the 2021 Game Awards, but the buzz began months before this. Fans had been speculating at what the next game could be, as the last Sonic title was Sonic Forces in 2017. But after years of waiting, we finally see a new exciting trailer.
Sonic hasn't been without news, though. The Sonic the Hedgehog film and announcement of a Netflix cartoon did keep fans' appetites whetted. But in terms of games, this has Sonic speculation going into overdrive. The large new world and colorful trailer have viewers mesmerized and excited for the upcoming release, so it's good to take a second and recount everything we know so far.
It Will Be Open World
The thing currently dominating Sonic Frontiers' marketing is definitely its world. The Starfall Islands will serve as the location for Sonic's next adventure. When it's not focussing on Sonic himself, fans get to see many shots of the majestic islands. This will be Sonic's first foray into the open-world genre.
The trailer shows some more traditional stages, as the game will still be a 3D platformer. However, there are also plenty of sweeping shots of lush forests and hills. The trailer's key visual is Sonic atop a mountain looking over the world. This has driven fans to compare it to the legendary box art for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, some of the best video game box art ever made, from which the game seems to be taking a lot of influence.
It Will Have Multiple Biomes
The Starfall Islands aren't going to be completely uniform, however. One criticism against Breath of the Wild is that while it has plenty of environments, most of it is grassland. However, Sega has said that Frontiers will have many environments in an "open-zone" style. This is a reference to the "zone" level titles in classic Sonic games, which implies tons of variety.
Aside from the marshlands and grasslands that can be seen in the trailer, other biomes have been confirmed. Deserts and ancient ruins have both been stated to be appearing, and you can see ruins in the trailer. It's also likely that we will see jungle and ice levels as well. And of course, the Sonic staple casino level is expected to appear.
It Will Define Sonic For Years
One thing we've known since before the game's grand reveal is that it's going to be important to the Sonic franchise. During that time, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka gave some interviews, including to Sonic Stadium. In them he said that he wanted Frontiers to lay the foundation for future Sonic games. He also makes a specific comparison to Sonic Adventure.
The Sonic Adventure titles were some of the best games in the Sonic series and are still beloved today. As Iizuka said, they were also the model for future 3D Sonic titltes until the release of Sonic Unleashed. Fans are excited to hear the comparison to Adventure, but it remains to be seen if Frontiers will live up to this hype.
It Will Be Released In Late 2022
One thing that was revealed alongside the title of the game was its release date. Despite the game first being teased in May 2021, there's still a while to go before its official release. As Iizuka revealed to Sonic Stadium in June 2021, Sonic Frontiers is "progressing towards a 2022 release." No official date has been announced yet, but the game is still on course for a holiday 2022 release.
Any Sonic fan knows the series' history with rushing development, such as the case of Sonic 06 (as detailed by Looper). Still, fans still have a long wait for this new release, the first since 2017's Sonic Forces.
It Will Launch On All Modern Platforms
Sonic Frontiers will release on all modern platforms. Those platforms include the Nintendo Switch, the Xbox Series consoles, Playstation 5, and Windows. Its Steam page is even already up. This makes sense, considering it's being pushed as the next evolution for Sonic.
But in addition to that, it will also release on the Xbox One and the Playstation 4. Most next-generation third-party titles are still doing this, so it's no surprise. It might still mean something, however. Sonic's games have had version-exclusive content before. Some games, like the original Sonic Colors were only released on certain platforms, so fans should be sure to look out for this.
It Shares A Director With Sonic Colors
The staff of the game has already been announced. Aside from the expected Takashi Iizuka in a producer role, that role is shared by Sachiko Kawamura. Both of them have credits at Sonic Team going back to 1993 and 1996 respectively. But perhaps more interesting is that Morio Kishimoto is the director.
Fans of the blue blur will recall Kishimoto's director role in the well-liked Sonic Colors. However, it doesn't guarantee success for this latest title. He was also the director on the glitchy rerelease of Colors, and the mixed Sonic Lost World and Sonic Forces. While he has demonstrated some understanding of the franchise, Sonic games often generate lots of unpopular opinions, and fans are hoping Kishimoto will be able to replicate his past successes rather than the series' failures.
It Will Feature Amy Rose
One mysterious thing in the Frontiers trailer is that Sonic is spoken to by a disembodied voice. The voice tells Sonic "Over here!", moving him out of harm's way. Initially, the speaker was a mystery, but the subtitles on the Xbox version trailer revealed their identity. It was confirmed via Sega representative that the voice was Amy Rose.
Amy Rose is thought of as Sonic's love interest, though she hasn't had that role in decades. Amy hasn't had a lot of prominence recently, so fans are excited that she might have a big role in the upcoming game. The ghostly quality of her voice also led fans to speculate. An often underutilized aspect of her character is her fortune-telling abilities, which fans think may explain her disembodied voice.
It's Been In Development For Years
Sega has rushed games for release windows before. Even as far back as Sonic 3 & Knuckles features had to be cut to make a deadline. But this is something the team is striving to avoid with Frontiers. According to PCGN, the game began development in 2019, with pre-production reportedly starting as early as 2017.
There has been a growing movement of gaming fans demanding longer development times and Sega seems to be heeding this call. This is one of the longest development cycles in the franchise's history. At the very least, the game's world seems to be suitably huge and is sure to add to the long list of hidden secrets in Sonic games.
It Shares A Writer With The Comics
One of the most exciting announcements for devoted fans is the writer of this new title. The work of the previous writing team, Ken Pontac and Warren Graff, has fallen out of favor. This led Sega to seek a writer with franchise experience who can mix comedy and drama. Their choice was Ian Flynn, writer of great comic books based on video games, formerly of the Archie Sonic, and currently of the IDW Sonic series.
Flynn has been a beloved figure in the Sonic community due to his respect and knowledge for the Sonic characters. While he has been criticized, fans mostly view him as rescuing the Archie series after the departure of former head writer Ken Penders. He's also known for utilizing elements from the entire franchise, including lesser-known characters and plot points. If the game is to be similar to Sonic Adventure, Flynn is a great choice for this.
It Will Feature The Current Sonic Voice Cast
Nintendo Everything details that, according to Sonic Social Media manager Justin Thorman, we can expect a returning voice cast for Sonic Frontiers. This is exciting for fans, as earlier this year it was reported by NewsWeek that Roger Craig Smith would be retiring from his role as the blue blur. However, he is now confirmed to be returning to voice Sonic. Also, through the announcement of their voices, several other characters have been confirmed to appear in Frontiers.
Amy Rose will be returning with her voice provided by Cindy Robinson. Colleen O'Shaughnessy will be voicing Tails both in Sonic Frontiers and the upcoming Sonic 2 film. And finally, Mike Pollock will be voicing Dr. Eggman, likely as the antagonist. Several characters, like Knuckles, have yet to be confirmed. Fans are hoping to see them announced soon, and maybe even playable!