Sonic Frontiers: First open world gameplay throws me into emotional chaos
Sonic will soon be allowed to flit around in an open game world.
If you are fans of the blue hedgehog, you should tonight at 6 p.m better not do anything. Because just in time for supper, SEGA show where the journey is from Sonic Frontiersthe first open world game in the series.
However, a trailer for the game was already published in advance, which shows the first gameplay and plunged me into a real emotional chaos. On the one hand, what is shown looks super interesting and chic, on the other hand, since the announcement last year, the thought has been buzzing in my head that the project will be anything but a good Sonic.
First gameplay of Sonic Frontiers
But first the facts: According to SEGA, Sonic Frontiers will be a 3D platformer in an open game world that will be released in late 2022 for PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and also for the PC.
The game was announced last year with a first teaser and you can get a first impression of what the whole thing looks like in action in the new trailer:
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Sonic Frontiers – Trailer shows first gameplay from the open world
It’s just a feeling…
One thing in advance: What is shown in the trailer above makes you want more. Sonic Frontiers looks snazzy here, the music is really well chosen, and the mere thought of dashing through a Zelda: Breath of the Wild-esque open world with the blue hedgehog is utterly enticing.
Since the announcement, the game has been one of the most exciting upcoming open world games for me after the recent, positively formulated, mixed Sonic past (with Sonic Generations as the only positive 3D excursion).
“But Dennis, it’s all great”: That may well be the case, and as a fan of the fast-paced 2D offshoot, I wish that Sonic would land another real hit. But three points are running through my mind, which make my alarm bells ring loudly.
- The open world hype: To put it bluntly, every franchise or developer’s portfolio today needs an extensive open world. That might work for many in the case of Zelda or Assassin’s Creed – I preferred the more linear parts – but it can also backfire on recent examples like Ghostwire Tokyo or Biomutant.
- Open World Dilution: When it comes to Sonic Frontiers, the thought inevitably crosses my mind whether a more compact world design, preferably in 3D, wouldn’t go much better with the blue hedgehog. With Sonic, I want fast-paced action, but can I get that in a sprawling open world?
- The head cinema: Currently and with a view to the trailer, I imagine it to be quite repetitive in the long run, dashing through the extensive game world, racing up towers and now and then running into an opponent’s face. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s fun for 1-2 hours, but can such a principle keep me happy in the long run?
I am very, very happy to be wrong here!
But I want Sonic Frontiers here expressly do not prejudice and talk about failure. Maybe tonight’s reveal at 7 p.m. will convince me of the complete opposite and if I jump into the game at the end of 2022 I’ll have the unexpected second biggest open world fun of the year – sorry, but beat Elden Ring, I beg you. But the feeling that all sorts of things could go wrong here is there.
Dennis Michael
@DemiG0rgon
Whatever happens in the end, next to Diablo Immortal, Sonic Frontiers is at least high up on my list of the most exciting releases of the year. Because just like the question of whether Blizzard will deliver again or conjure up the next shitstorm, the new adventure with the hedgehog is one of the games where everything is possible.
How are you doing in terms of gameplay? Do you think the open world concept with the hedgehog works?
Reference-www.gamepro.de