A first extended chunk of Sonic Frontiers gameplay has been released by IGN, showcasing the newly open world platforming of Sega’s latest attempt to redefine the blue blur’s adventures.
As was almost immediately clear from the teaser video that came along yesterday, it really feels like Sonic Frontiers is taking inspiration from The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – though the cooler colour tone and detail in the world does feel a bit more Xenoblade Chronicles. The mysterious island that Sonic finds himself on features plenty of wide-open expanses interspersed with all kinds of platforming aids – grind rails, boost pads, floating platforms and more. There’s also large towers that you can puzzle platform your way up.
Later, Sonic starts to interact with elements in the world, solving statue puzzles, doing Sonic-y circles around things in the world, completing grid puzzles, and more. Bit like Breath of the Wild’s shrines and seed collecting, eh?
One thing that was in yesterday’s teaser but missing from today’s was any kind of combat. This was all world exploration, but IGN say that they’ve got plenty more Sonic Frontiers coming in a month of IGN First exclusives.
The top 10 best Sonic the Hedgehog games of recent times
Sonic Frontiers has been in development since the release of Sonic Forces in 2017, with Sonic Team and series producer Takashi Iizuka keen to kickstart a new era for the long-running series.
We’re looking forward to seeing how this all comes together. Sega and Sonic Team have done a lot of work recently to rehabilitate the blue blur after a batch of decidedly inconsistent games, so here’s hoping that this is the one to truly challenge that Italian plumber for his spot atop the 3D platformer leaderboard. It already looks like Sonic Frontiers actually has Sonic going fast in a 3D space, a feat that we’ve waited decades for.
Besides Nintendo Switch, Sonic Frontiers is set to release on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and the humble Xbox One, and it’s expected for later this year.
