Plot Synopsis & New Images Revealed for Sonic Frontiers

Out of all the hundreds of exciting announcements made at last week’s game awards, from Cuphead‘s DLC, to Alan Wake 2 to Among Us VR, it’s safe to say that Sonic’s game Trailer failed to make as impressive a splash as his film Trailer did…

Originally announced as Project 2022 back in May 27th, the first teaser showed us exciting sights of the blue blur doing things he’s never done before, like…running past trees…..and….grass….

7 months later, fans were ecstatic about what the next trailer would bring! As it turned out…not much….until now!

While last week’s trailer only briefly elaborated on the previous’; with Sonic now gazing upon a large open landscape and encountering a large machine, new details have since emerged on the game’s official website with more enticing details.

As was expected given the open landscapes seen in the trailer, Sonic Frontiers is being officially labelled as an “open-zone” experience, implying perhaps that there will still be ‘levels’ and ‘zones’ like previous games, but each one is now much more expansive and vast, like the hub worlds of Sonic Adventure.

The six new screenshots uploaded to the official website seem to confirm this mentality, as we see a variety of different grassy landscapes filled with gorgeous water effects and mysterious structures. Of course, it doesn’t take much insight to immediately draw comparisons to a certain Hyrule Warrior’s recent exploits, but unoriginal or not, it can’t be denied that the prospect of running through an open world with the blistering speed of a character like Sonic is something that’s been long overdue.

While aspects of the gameplay are still vague, we do at least now have exciting information regarding the game’s plot. Whilst the cartoony hijinks of Sonic Lost World and the failed dark attempts of Sonic Forces left much to be desired, Sonic fans can rest easy now that we know that Ian Flynn will be taking charge of the game’s story.

For those unaware, Ian Flynn is a long-time writer of the Sonic Comics Books; being Chief Writer for Archie Comics, and is currently Lead Writer for the excellent IDW comics. This alone is enough to get anyone excited for this new venture! While Sonic games have continuously struggled to balance cartoon silliness with edge and attitude, this is one task that the comics have consistently perfected with aplomb.

Flynn has a deep and obvious love and understanding for the characters and world and always knows how best to utilise them! For years fans have clamoured for Sega to bring the comic writers to the main games, and now that wish has finally been granted.

Already there’s plenty to be excited about, as thanks to a source at Sonic Stadium, we now have the full synopsis:

“In Sonic Frontiers, Sonic’s long-time nemesis Dr. Eggman discovers an ancient technology on the Starfall Islands and installs his AI program SAGE to hack in and take over. But there is more to this technology than he realizes, and unintended consequences immediately come to bear. Sonic must race against time to discover the truth, save his friends and maybe even save himself at the same time.”

Sonic Frontiers Synopsis

While things look promising so far, there is naturally still tension in the air following recent missteps in sonic’s career. The game’s director is once again Morio Kishimoto, also director of the well-received Sonic Colours on Wii, the mixed Sonic Lost World on Wii U, and the not-so-well-received Sonic Forces. The game is, as always, being developed by Sonic Team with producer Sachiko Kawamura at the helm.

“Sonic Frontiers is a huge leap forward for the franchise, delivering an evolved gameplay experience that can be enjoyed by longtime Sonic fans and action-adventure enthusiasts alike”

Takashi Iizuka, creative officer at Sonic Team USA 

The game will be released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (via Backwards Compatibility), Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X (also via Backwards Compatibility), and PC in holiday 2022!

Are you excited about this new Sonic game? Do you think it will be a re-defining moment for the blue blur’s career? Let us know in the comments and make sure to follow All Maverick for your gaming & entertainment news!