SEGA has posted a first look at gameplay for the upcoming Sonic Frontiers, showcasing a drastic departure from the 3D Sonic games of yore.
The tease comes ahead of a month-long exclusivity deal with IGN commencing in June. We'll be getting more gameplay reveals, hands-on impressions of the game, and interviews with the creators. Hopefully maybe a release date, too!
The gameplay itself seems to boast an impressive open world, not entirely unlike 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Sonic is currently the only character showcased, but we'd be surprised if the likes of Tails and Knuckles don't show up at some point. We also get a short glimpse at some of the game's enemies, along with various means of traversal.
Check out the gameplay via the video below:
What do you make of the first look at Sonic Frontiers' gameplay? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
[source youtube.com]
Comments 92
Just got done watching it and found the news story here. Yeah, Breath of the Wild immediately came to mind when watching this teaser.
This is the most promising-looking 3D Sonic game since Adventure 2! Perhaps open-world is what the series needed to fully transition to 3D
Looks promising. I'm starting to get hyped for this!
The problem with sonic in terms of desing is the developers are always forced on making worlds and leves insanely big so they are not easily explored or completed because of sonic's speed.
Sonic's speed has always been a mayor problem in terms of creativity for sonic teams, if sonic is not fast is just not sonic, that means less things you can do with the characters.
Looking good!
I wonder if there will be some kind of power progression where fights start hard but you get stronger later on. Sonic looked pretty powerful in the little showcased
Wonder how "great" this will run on Switch
Feels less like Breath if Sonic and more like Sonic Stranding …
@TheMelodiusRose it looks really janky to me. i've got a bad feeling...
I'm cautiously optimistic.
I've not been able to enjoy a 3D sonic since my motion sickness stuff kicked in.
The rapid camera movements in that footage make me kinda worried.
fingers crossed
Hmm... IM definitely interested, not going to lie. Sonic is my favorite gaming franchise. And the openness looks good. combat is hard to nail down, but looks a bit stiff.
Still excited!
This isn’t going to be a a real platformer is it? That’s their answer to their problems just make a Ubisoft open world checklist game with combat so they can avoid making a high speed platforming open world game.
Is it just me or is anyone else getting more Xenoblade vibes rather than Breath of the Wild?
I’m cautiously optimistic. Moreso after seeing these comments
Man, this is going to be a dumpster fire in terms of performance on Switch.
Hmm, it looks a bit too realistic for my liking, like one of those fan videos made in Unreal Engine on YouTube. Sonic looks out of place.
I don’t get how playforming can take place in a world designed like that. Will it just be isolated linear platforming challenges interspersed through an empty open space?
Please don't suck...
it looks interesting. The look of the open world hasn't really wow'ed me so far though, hope that changes soon. The combat also looks a bit stiff but that will hopefully be improved.
Looks good, i'm pretty hopeful for this one.
Ooh looks pretty! Need to see more though.
@mariomaster96 If they went with a cel shaded style on Switch it would run fine.
@SimplyCinnamon53
I mean going off the little we have seen so far they were probably looking at every game that wasn’t Mario Odyssey or even all the other 3D platformers we’ve had recently, they decided their best foot forward was to show Sonic just running down a empty field very briefly while focusing on combat and clearing out open world objectives like towers.
@Munchlax
Yes most likely, this developer struggles at platforming in heavily scripted corridor based levels they aren’t gonna to make a Sonic Utopia or even the stuff I’ve seen in Dreams like Sonic Venture, even a open world game designed around an improved version of the Sonic Adventure controls seems beyond the current Sonic Team.
Not bad, not bad at all... but, it really is just Zelda: Breath of The Wild + Shadow of the Colossus with Sonic as the playable character. But, in the end, the gameplay matters most, even if this game took so much from other games. The graphics look excellent, although it gives me a bit of a Sonic 2006 vibe with the semi-realistic graphics and the design of the robots.
I'm intrigued 👀
looks good loved the City Escape easter egg lol
Ready to see more. I hope this turns out well!
this game is going to look like crap on Switch
Looks really cool! Looking forward to this, and Origins next month!
I like the more serious tone, but I'm not a fan of these open world games.
Looks good if it was a PS3 or Switch game. For PS5 this is just disappointing.
Sonics planet mobius is rich and unique. The world shown here does look quite generic. What’s been shown could be a small portion with more diverse environments to come.
I don’t love the art style they went for here, and I still can’t tell what is actually plays like from this trailer
The more I watch the trailer, the more it vaguely reminds me of this VR game I played once, I don’t remember what it was called though
I'm not sure what to think yet.
I need to see more to get a better feeling of it.
I just hope the world doesn't look bland and generic.
Looks a bit drab and generic….I love the bright colours of the older Sonic games.
I feel like someone dreamed of this game and maybe they'll be getting it.
I am so ready for people to trash talk this game for a decade before it starts getting appreciation.
The gameplay looks promising but I’m still gonna be cautious. I feel like sonic is one of those franchises that shouldn’t go open world thanks to Sonics speed.
I honestly loved the tidbits of gameplay that was just received. I am a little concerned on if it will have some originality to set itself apart from other big open worlds, but the core mechanics that I briefly saw seem promising. I need to see more.
@KBuckley27 stop being disrespectful to people it's not nice
Hate to be pessimistic, but...
Even though this game looks like it could run on the Switch, it does not look like it'll run on the Switch WELL. I'm expecting maybe The Skywalker Saga level of clarity, maybe.
So I just learned open world games didn't exist before March 2017.
Sonic games are always good; yes, even the ones that get bashed by the critics.
It's going to look good but be mediocre when it comes out. If you're a Sonic fan that gets every release you'll probably enjoy it, but I think that's the only demographic they can sell these Sonic games to at this point.
I'm over the breath of the world concept we had this Mario and Kirby now were getting it with Sonic idk if they have chao garden I'm sold but for now just feels like another Sonic 06.
SEGA went and hired that man
Confused why they thought Sonic should go open-world. But maybe it'll be good.
Looks fine actually, but what matters is the gameplay going to be good?
What is up with that spinning attack where Sonic is just posing in the air with his feet facing up towards the sky?
That animation looks so dumb and ridiculous, it doesn't look good imo 😂
I hope they improve it before the final release.
@moodycat No valid reason? Pokémon went open world (to some extent) with Legends Arceus and it’s easily the best game in the series. If anything, blame BOTW because of how much it changed the Zelda franchise (for the better) so others want in.
Looks nice, like the music, Sonic whizzing around an open plain looks fun, no issue with the combat graphics. Wallop.
Breath of the Wild was lovingly crafted by an amazing team over years of dedicated hard work. I do not have anywhere near that level of hope in Sonic Team so hopefully someone competent helping them go this big
I love platformers and always liked the artstyle of the classic (and therefore many later) "Sonic" games, but I have yet to find one that convinces me gameplay-wise.
This looks terribly uninspired and bland in terms of art-direction AND gameplay, so far. Why does it look so realistic? Seems odd.
And the way they drip out so little material and information over the time, that also appears completely random doesn't give me much faith that the creators have a clear vision for "Sonic Frontiers" and that this won't be a critical failure once more. (which doesn't seem to bother "Sonic"-Fans that much, though)
I'd be glad to be proven wrong. I think this franchise has potential for greatness.
P.S.: Not a platformer, but "Sonic & All-stars Racing Transformed" was brillant, I want to add and in some aspects even better than "Mario Kart".
I saw nothing that would sell me the game right now. Is Sonic going to be all alone? Are there any new mechanics other than the NiGHTS paraloop? I need something fresh besides the Open zone concept.
I saw nothing that really tells me what the game is other than "look, its an open field now with some samey looking combat." Not saying it looks bad, just looks generic right now, nothing to really sink my teeth into.
This looks so good so far, I really hope they do it right, don’t make the world too big, and make some way for me to be fast, add infesting mechanics, and a hopefully not empty world, and we’re good, Please be good, and don’t rush it sega please!
Though I find it odd they showed off the combat more in this, combat has never been sonics highlight, at least to me, people hated it in unleashed but I thought the night combat was great!
Oh and I’m not even chancing it with the switch version lol.
Definitely on PS5. Switch can't handle these visuals. Looks pretty polished. But I also thought, Breath of the Wild?
Hope this works out in the end. But even though, Day 1 buy.
I was gonna post that "ok not every open world game is BOTW" but then Sega conveniently decided the main instrument for Sonic is suddenly piano for some completely unknown reason.
@KayFiOS Sonic unleashed Lol,
Looks solid so far... but I refuse to get even somewhat excited for a new Sonic game. I feel like Sonic Team might be biting off more than they can chew here. If they can't get linear 3D Sonic right, how can they pull off open world?
They'd be smart to put out a quality Switch version, it's definitely gonna sell best on Switch(as did Sonic Mania and Sonic Colors Ultimate).
"What should we use to highlight our new game?"
"5 seperate short clips where we show the combat is spamming homing attacks"
"Genius."
Why does Sonic keep trying to be things it's not? Or just blatant Nintendo ripoffs?
I'm also surprised people are excited for this. It's looks extremely bland and the combat looks REALLY janky. And I mean like, Sonic 06 kind of janky...
Maybe we can’t yet say it’s a bad game, but that was a bad trailer. But that’s okay because BotW2 also got a bad gameplay trailer. Although that game at least hinted at fun looking mechanics. I don’t know what this was trying to show… a hamster wheel, some tech junk in janky explosion..
I can't really say what I think atm as there simply wasn't enough gameplay shown. The open world does look very nice though I must admit but I want to see what the actual Stages play like, not just the open world. I'm cautiously optimistic and it's nice to see Sonic getting some love again like in the old days.
@Matty1988 Idk why but I laughed quite hard reading your statement.
I watched this video twice earlier today and not once did BotW enter my mind. I was mostly thinking it looked like Sonic Adventure in HD.🤷
This looks like a fan put Sonic in an Unreal Engine demo. Remember that Switch game that did the rounds before the Switch was released (I think it was called Troll and I - but could be wrong) anyway, it reminds me of that lol.
Game doesn't look compelling to me. And the current switch can't load open world environments fast enough to keep up with sonic zipping around.
Glad they've at least shown some gameplay, was starting to get concerning, being they are still insisting its releasing this year. As Nights into Dreams is my favourite game, I definitely appreciate the "run a loop around something to collect/attack it" mechanic! I'm not fully sold yet, but I certainly don't hate what I'm seeing. I always buy and play every Sonic game because I love the characters, so I hope its good. I'll buy it regardless.
I definitely echo some of the above comments in that it feels too realistic (even generic? Unreal+Stock assets and textures?) and not like a 3d representation of the world of the classic games, but thats been the case to one extent or another since SA1, and many younger Sonic fans seem to love this style. Looks like I'll never get my "Mario 64 looking Sonic game" which has been my dream since the '95 ShoShinKai show. Perhaps Lost World came closest to the colourful, chunky cartoonish aesthetic I'd like... but without the Galaxy/Xtreme style gimmick.
However, I'm still optimistic this will be a good game, and looking forward to seeing more. IGN says there will be multiple reveals over the next month
Not every open world game needs to be compared to botw 🙈
I'm just glad it's confirmed that it's coming to Switch. But with the recent events of Sonic Origins, now I have to ask (when I didn't have to do it in the past): Will it have a physical version?
It's big. That's about it.
I can't help but get uncanny 'Sonic in Unreal' vibes from this though. Still looks pretty interesting all things considered.
So you replace Link's Master Cycle with Sonic and this is what we have somewhat... Looking forward to seeing more.
I'm confused.
My eyes say "Here is speed and action!", but my ears say "Calm down and chill a bit."
I CAN'T HANDLE THIS! 😵💫
@Fizza Yeah you’re so right. Uncanny is definitely the word. There’s just something about it that’s so jarring. Not ugly but just…yeah.
Also this trailer just makes me think that BOTW has had THE most resounding influence on the gaming landscape. It seems like every franchise looking to do something new is taking notes even now.
Ah, yes, I forgot Zelda invented open-world games. Anyway, I'm definitely definitely really excited to see how this turns out. Will be grabbing it on PS4.
Nyooming across wide open areas sounds like a blast. I’m absolutely not interested in though. Sonic’s been bad longer than he’s been good now.
Honestly? Looks like it needs some more time in the oven, looks kinda glitchy. Risk of another Sonic Boom?
I’m done with open worlds
This gameplay actually looked pretty cool if not a little un polished aesthetically. It still looks like they just plopped sonic into Hyrule again but it does look a bit more Sonic then it did the last time I guess.
Looks more like Xenoblade than Zelda.
I get Sonic is a big deal to many but I’m not sure a genre change like this will do the character favours. The ‘combat’ looks button spam mediocre and Sonic feels completely out of place in this setting. What’s with the music? I realise it’s a trailer but can someone tell Sega this isn’t Final Fantasy?
We lose a Mania sequel to this? Seriously? I hope I’m wrong but yeah - not vibing with this at all.
Doesn't look horrible, but someone really needs to fwd the dev team a copy of Sonic Robo Blast 2 for notes on how to do a "good" 3D open world Sonic game. I am remaining interested in the meantime.
All due respect to these devs, I'm sure they are working hard, this just doesn't look fun or enjoyable at all. Sonic Mania 2 please!
Yes, it looks nice BUT it looks like sonic doing random things in PSO2 new genesis.
So... Play PSO2 the way it's designed or play it with Sonic?
I'm skeptical about this, might be one of those games where it's good or bad and no in-between for me.
Looks good, but whats the controls like? What downgrade will we have on the Switch? Will there be a physical? So many questions no real answers
The environment, the enemies and Sonic himself look like they're from 3 different games.
This just looks like one of those "someone put a Sonic model into Unreal and it looks stunning" NL articles thats just a video of a visibly older character model from a game with and art style running bout in a generic photo-realistic world. Underwhelming and bland and jarring and very much not stunning.
Hopefully there's more too it. But I've learned not to get my hopes up with Sonic games on the whole.
wow, that actually looked real nice......if only I didn't know better
@ModdedInkling
Yeah im hoping that it will be a pleasant surprise but definitely feel somewhat pessimistic regarding the switch version.
i feel like performance issues such as low resolution, framerate drops and scenery/object pop in would end up even more noticeable in a faster paced game even if they were at a level that would be tolerable in a slower paced game.
hoping it ends up being a great port but always somewhat sceptical until there's footage of it running on switch.
its also why I'm fine when a switch versions release date is announced to be later than the other versions since it allows more time to optimise it, the switch version of DQXI for example was a couple of years or so iirc after the original Japanese release of DQXI on ps4 and ended up being one of my favourite switch ports of a game.
@TheMelodiusRose Yeah, holding out hope this is an unquestionably good 3d modern sonic game!
I saw the gameplay and the graphical effects look ridiculously high, it's like their main focus was to put Sonic on a Crysis-like world. So many franchises are making their open world debuts, maybe it's time for Nintendo to do the Mario?
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