Sonic Frontiers just received a brief teaser yesterday, which already got fans buzzing, and now IGN First has finally revealed some extended gameplay of Sonic’s first open-world installment.
You can watch the full seven minutes of footage on IGN’s official YouTube channel here:
The gameplay footage begins with Sonic scaling a tower through various methods, including classic jump pads, wall running and rails.
The map traversal is actually full of familiar objects, including everything from hoop boosts to floating orbs that Sonic can hit to bounce through the air.
This shows off just how fluid the open world is going to feel, which was a major concern. After all, open worlds slow everything down to focus on exploration, and Sonic was always meant to feel fast-paced.
The footage does show some mysterious statues and puzzles, such as the floor pads that seem to establish points of interest. Also, the music from yesterday’s teaser is still providing a slow and moody atmosphere.
But it’s clear that with dashes and air boosts, Sonic can cover an enormous amount of ground in little time. Speeding through vast landscapes gives scale, and with that frame of reference, it could actually make players feel even faster.
The running, leaping and boosting have great visual cues, and it’s clear that the beginning island of the game has absolutely beautiful artwork. Some fans were worried about the graphics revealed so far, but it seems things are looking up.
Other fans were worried about the battle animation in yesterday’s teaser, and unfortunately, those mechanics weren’t cleared up in today’s footage.
But it might persuade some to wait until further reveals this month, because it’s now clear that the new Sonic game may not be focusing on battles as much as expected. The future of Sonic looks very different, and while that may upset purists it will definitely invite new players.
You can read more about the Sonic franchise in our news section!
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