Sonic Frontiers, the 2022 Sonic the Hedgehog game, was fully announced at The Game Awards 2021, giving fans their first full look at the all-new Sonic adventure, which appears to be inspired by Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The previously unnamed game was first revealed earlier this year with a Sonic teaser trailer, which showed the hedgehog racing at high speed and revealed a 2022 release date but didn’t reveal much else. Long-time Sonic fans have been anticipating the release of the game since the tease, and their anticipation has finally paid off.
To say Sonic has had a difficult time in recent years is an understatement. Sonic Colors: Ultimate, a highly anticipated remake of the ever-popular Sonic Colors from 2010, sought to upgrade the game for modern platforms with enhanced lighting, 60 FPS support, and more. Unfortunately, the game was released in a bad state, with numerous flaws that were either game-breaking or, in the instance of the Sonic epileptic seizure issues, potentially dangerous to players. These bugs were eventually fixed, but the game’s issues, which were extensively publicised on social media, tarnished its reputation, with Sonic Colors: Ultimate becoming one of Sonic’s most divisive releases in recent years.
Sonic Frontiers, the next edition in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, was revealed with a full teaser during The Game Awards 2021. The trailer showcases the game’s amazing aesthetics and style and provides players with a taste of what they may anticipate when it comes sometime around the holidays in 2022. The announcement for Sonic Frontiers takes gamers on a tour of the game’s world, displaying breathtaking scenery and lush surroundings before teasing a menace leaning into the blue hedgehog. The game already looks comparable to Zelda: Breath of the Wild because of its subdued hues and huge landscapes, while the gameplay will certainly be very different.
Despite the mixed reviews of Sonic Colors: Ultimate, Sega’s persistent interest in the long-running brand is evident in the upcoming trip for Sonic and his friends. Following this year’s celebration of Sonic’s 30th anniversary, the firm appears to be doubling down on new games, with the next 2022 title arriving not long after the Colors remaster. Sonic has already made appearances in other games in 2021, including DLC for Monster Hunter Rise and as a character in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania.
The Game Awards 2021 have been highly eventful for the blue blur, with the release of Sonic Frontiers and the trailer for the sequel to the Sonic The Hedgehog movie. Given Sonic’s historical history, the quality of Sonic Frontiers remains to be seen, but what has been revealed thus far shows promise, especially as the series’ first open-world game with the ability to revive older Sonic features. This is uncharted territory for Sonic, and it gives rise to the optimism that this will be the start of a new age for the blue blur. It’ll be a busy year for Sonic in 2022, with the release of the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 film and Sonic Frontiers.
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