Sonic Frontier" Test Report! Sonic runs freely in an open world! Tokyo Game Show 2022 Special Report

Tokyo Game Show 2022, the world's largest game trade show, is being held from September 15 to 18, 2022.

The Tokyo Game Show 2022 is being held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture from September 15 to 18, 2022. This is the first time in three years that the show has been held there since the venue went online due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. Various game makers, large and small, exhibited their products, and the show was bustling from the first day.

In this report, we present a play report on "Sonic Frontier," which we were able to try out at the Sega booth.

This is the latest title in the "Sonic" series, and at the same time, the first open world title in the series. In the first part of the game, we were able to explore a part of the island where the game takes place.

Perhaps because the demo version was the PS5 version, the graphics boast the high-end beauty of the latest hardware. Sonic's fur, the rain hitting him, and other details have been rendered in fine detail.

While the realism has increased, the sense of speed that is the true appeal of the "Sonic" series is still there. The open-world world allows players to run freely in all directions, allowing them to fully experience Sonic's nickname, "The Hedgehog of the Speed of Sound.

The island is equipped with various gimmicks such as jumps and rails, so there is more to the game than just running around. Sonic's actions can also be used to solve little riddles. The rings serve as a guide to lead the player through the island, so that the player does not get lost.

In addition to the familiar techniques of the Sonic series, such as jumping and homing attacks, many new techniques have been added in this title, such as the "Psy-Loop," which surrounds the opponent and attacks. The more things Sonic can do, the more complicated the controls are, so it will take some time to get used to them.

But don't worry, the gimmicks scattered throughout the game serve not only as a way to clear the game, but also as a tutorial to familiarize yourself with the new moves.

Along with the action, the "cyber world" is the centerpiece of this title.

It is an alternate world created by the ancients, and is familiar from past Sonic series games, where the stage is structured in such a way that the player just keeps moving forward. In this demo version, we were able to play a stage that seems to have been inspired by "Green Hill," which appeared in the first game in the series. The structure of the stage was similar to that of the 3D Sonic games, with the use of springs to climb over high platforms and homing attacks to wipe out enemies scattered around the stage.

The author is not familiar with the original "Green Hill," as he first played it as a hidden stage in the GameCube version of "Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.
Even so, it had been more than a decade since I had played Green Hill, and I was impressed by the nostalgic stage represented on the latest hardware. Perhaps the full version of the game will include stages from other past games.

Sonic Frontier," which combines newness and nostalgia, is recommended for Sonic fans of all ages.

Title Information
Sonic Frontier
Compatibility ：PlayStation 5／PlayStation 4／Nintendo Switch／Xbox Series X|S／Xbox One／PC ※DL version only for Xbox and PC
Release date : November 8, 2022
Price
Package and digital version: 6,589 yen (tax included)
Digital Deluxe 7,689 yen (tax included)

Genre : New frontier action-adventure
Player : 1 player
Publisher : SEGA Corporation
CERO ：A (for all ages)

＜Language : Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean
▼PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Audio: Japanese, English
Subtitles: Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (traditional and simplified)
▼ Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/PC version
Audio: Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain)
Subtitles: Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Portuguese (Brazilian), French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Russian, Polish

©SEGA