In collaboration with IGN, Sega has revealed the first extended gameplay from its blue mascot’s first foray into open-world exploration. Sonic Frontiers looks to bring the titular hedgehog into a huge environment full of puzzles, exploration, and opportunities to go fast. The gameplay trailer shows off more than a few hints at the developer’s Breath of the Wild inspirations, but there are plenty of elements that also feel unique to Sonic’s 3D adventures.
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Sonic’s best games are all about going fast above all else, but Sonic Frontiers looks to offer a variety of different activities in addition to the obstacle courses that players know and love. The gameplay video shows Sonic climbing a tower via grinding rails and homing attacks, as well as a new ground pound maneuver that will look familiar to those who enjoyed Sonic Mania. There are even rings to collect per usual, but they are in addition to new pickups like blue coins and hearts.
Alongside pure platforming, this new trailer showcases Sonic Frontiers‘ puzzle segments. Similar to the shrines from Link’s open-world adventure, these challenges seemingly dot the landscape and provide a brief respite from the running and looping. None of the puzzles seem particularly brain-bending, but it’s likely that this gameplay is from early on in the campaign and not representative of the full experience.
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Sonic Frontiers looks to be a huge departure from anything that’s come before and a sharp left turn from 2017’s poorly received Sonic Forces. It remains to be seen if Sonic can capture the same magic as Nintendo has with its open-world experiments, or if Sonic simply cannot do what Nintendoes. The gaming public will find out when Sega’s latest Sonic adventure hits consoles and PC this holiday.