Sonic Frontiers looks to take the long-running Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in a new direction, and it might take diehard fans a few years to fully appreciate it. Sega unveiled the newest mainline installment of its flagship platforming franchise during last December’s Game Awards 2021 livestream, with a trailer of Sonic running through a semi-realistic open world that instantly drew comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Kirby and the Forgotten Kingdom.
This open-world format is a first for the traditionally linear Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, but it isn’t the only new thing Sonic Frontiers is bringing to the table. At this year’s Summer Game Fest, fans got their first look at Cyber Space, Sonic Frontiers’ virtual reality sections that play out like a regular Sonic the Hedgehog level. There will also be new combat options for Sonic in Sonic Frontiers, such as the attack power-boosting Phantom Rush, the long-range Sonic Boom, and the barrier-breaking Cyloop that allows players to conjure powerful tornados by drawing a circle around their foes. Sonic can also upgrade these abilities by collecting the Red Seeds of Power and Blue Seeds of Defense that are scattered across Sonic Frontiers’ Starfall Islands. Sonic Frontiers’ story also seems to be more serious than those of the past few Sonic games, as Sonic has to rescue his friends from a mysterious force across this new open-world landscape.
Sonic Frontiers May Divide Fans At First
While these changes make Sonic Frontiers stand out among previous Sonic the Hedgehog games, they could prove controversial to the Blue Blur’s large and devoted fanbase – at least at first. Past efforts to shake up the traditional Sonic formula have been met with derision, such as the edgy, gunplay-focused spinoff Shadow the Hedgehog and the dramatic Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Even before Sonic Frontiers’ release, early impressions of the game have been mixed. The aforementioned Cyber Space levels have drawn criticism due to their reliance on overused locations like Green Hill Zone, and footage of Sonic Frontiers’ open-world gameplay from earlier this year was decried as feeling dull and lifeless.
However, Sonic Frontiers has many promising aspects, and fans may look more fondly at the game after the initial shock of its changes wears off. People who have gotten to play Sonic Frontiers early at this year’s Tokyo Game Show have praised its transversal and more complex combat gameplay, and newer Sonic Frontiers trailers and TV spots have generated much excitement. The game’s plot also carries plenty of promise, with longtime Sonic the Hedgehog comic scribe Ian Flynn lending his talent to Sonic Frontiers’ character dialogue.
In many ways, Sonic Frontiers feels like an evolution of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, but fans are still weary of the series’ many uneven installments over the past two decades. Due to the ways it alters the formula these fans are used to, Sonic Frontiers could be one of the most divisive Sonic games at the time of its launch – but these changes might be seen more fondly as the years go on. Only time will tell how longtime fans see Sonic Frontiers when it releases alongside God of War Ragnarök later this week.
