It took a little while for Sonic to warm up, but his newest gameSonic Frontiersfinally has a finish line in the form of a release date. This upcoming open-zone adventure will take Sonic into a series of mysterious islands once inhabited by an ancient civilization. With the focus once again being on collecting the Chaos Emeralds while fighting a new robotic threat,Sonic Frontiersalmost seems like a soft reboot for the franchise. That shouldn’t come as a surprise after many missteps and attempts at refreshingSonic the Hedgehog, butFrontierslooks like the most earnest and fully realized attempt yet.
Of course,Sonic the Hedgehogis in a different place than it used to be.Frontiersstill makes use of the Boost formula, and it’s taking another look at integrating combat mechanics. Now, Sonic can both speed across the landscape and make use of a strange power to blast foes with various physical and energy attacks. Another element that shows just how far the hedgehog’s franchise has gone is the returning cast of Sonic’s friends. With an imprisoned Amy Rose featured in the Gamescom 2022 trailer,Sonic Frontiershas a chance to bring a small portion ofSonic’s extended roster back into the action.
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Rescuing Sonic’s Friends Could Be Another Objective
It appears that Sonic is going to be very busy throughoutSonic Frontiers' longer than average campaign. On top of rescuing the Starfall Islands’ Korok-like Koco inhabitants and fighting world bosses to unlock linear levels that will lead to Chaos Emeralds,Sonic will also apparently be rescuing his friends. Amy is shown in a futuristic cage that makes her look like a hologram. Statements in the most recentSonic Frontierspress release hint at more familiar faces, and a couple are already known.
Sonic Frontiershas been the subject of many rumors and leaks over the past couple years, and it was there that fans got their first hint at Sonic’s friends appearing. Amy may be serving as the main mission control for this entry, with Tails also coming in at some point.Stranger still is theSonic Originsleakfor Big the Cat, who will apparently be heading up a new fishing minigame. Said minigame was explicitly referenced by the new press release, so it seems like fans can look forward to at least three of Sonic’s old allies joining him on his latest adventure.
The Sonic Cast Could Play Many Roles
For a game as large asSonic Frontierspromises to be, there’s no reason to just stop there. These three characters will likely be found early on to give Sonic access to their various functions. The rest may not be so integral to events, but Sonic could still come across many old allies and enemies in cages. It couldplay out a lot likeSonic Generations, in which one of Sonic’s friends is unfrozen whenever both Acts of a Zone are beaten. How Sonic rescues his friends inFrontiersis not yet known, but it could just involve completing some of the many objectives the game offers.
Looking back atSonic Generationsreveals the true potential of bringing back the oldSoniccast. In that game, side missions involving Sonic’s friends would gradually unlock, making use of some unique property everyone has to remix part of a level. The same could be done with the environmental puzzles spread acrossSonic Frontiers' islands. Much like how releasing Big would unlock a fishing minigame, different characters would provide their talents in other circumstances.Knuckles could dig in certain places, and the Chaotix members could prompt a hunt for hidden objects in the vicinity. Even though some fans would prefer a focus onSonic’s base gameplay and an uncluttered story, not adding some of his friends toSonic Frontierswould pass up giving the game a lot more character.
Sonic Frontierswill be released on Jul 13, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
