2022 has been a pretty great year for games. With smash-hits like Elden Ring, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Stray, and Horizon Forbidden West, this year has proven itself to be one of the best in recent memory, and the struggle for the top spot is going to be a pretty hard-fought battle at the end of the year. With a plethora of stellar titles already released this year, it's easy to forget just what's in store for the latter half, and there's some real game of the year contenders. Though it hasn't had the best reputation pre-launch, Sonic Frontiers could surprise people.
Set to release at some point in the 2022 Holiday season, Sonic Frontiers sees the franchise move into the realm of free-roam and open-world game design, with the player being able to freely explore multiple different Zones. From the trailers released so far, the game is looking a little rough in some places, but at its core, Sonic Frontiers is a very promising title, and fans of the series should feel right at home with its story. Set in the brand new location of Starfall Islands, Sonic is tasked with once again recovering the Chaos Emeralds, and he has some familiar faces helping him through his journey.
Every Character Confirmed For Sonic Frontiers So Far
Sonic Frontiers will open with Sonic, Tails, and Amy all being sucked into a mysterious wormhole, caused by Dr. Eggman's meddling with ancient technology on Starfall Islands. Awaking on one of the Islands, Sonic finds himself separated from his friends, and after being greeted by an AI, Sonic learns that his friends are lost, and that he'll need to collect the Chaos Emeralds to defeat the Titans and save them. During the course of the adventure, Sonic will meet a number of characters, some of which are returning fan-favorites, and some of which make their first appearance in the canon.
Along with Tails, Amy, and Dr. Eggman, Big the Cat is also returning in Sonic Frontiers. According to Game Informer's recent breakdown of the game, players will be able to fish alongside Big the Cat, which will grant them some in-game currency to use on Vault Keys and other items. Big the Cat will probably show up quite near the beginning of Sonic Frontiers, as he'll reportedly appear on Kronos Island, which is the first location Sonic will visit after escaping from Cyber Space and meeting the AI.
Right now, no other classic Sonic characters are confirmed for Sonic Frontiers just yet, but there are a handful of brand new characters and creatures that have been announced. Throughout Sonic Frontiers, players will need to protect and collect little creatures known as Kocos. These beings are the ancient inhabitants of Starfall Islands, and rescuing them will grant Sonic attack power, speed, and health upgrades. Players will need to hand in these Kocos to the Hermit Koco, or the Elder Koco to earn their rewards.
One of the more mysterious characters in Sonic Frontiers is Sage. Taking on the appearance of a young, child-like girl, Sage will crop up throughout Sonic Frontiers, constantly warning Sonic of the dangers that Starfall Islands holds. Based on their appearance, with red computer code lining their clothing, it seems as though Sage may be closely tied with the Cyber Space, and the AI that brought Sonic to the Islands. It's currently unclear whether Sage is ultimately an antagonist of Sonic Frontiers, or whether she's actually trying to help Sonic and his friends.
Sonic Frontiers is also home to a number of bosses, all of which are brand new to the Sonic franchise. These bosses are all mechanical, hulking creatures that tower above Sonic. Asura is the size of a tower, and is capable of crushing Sonic in just one blow, while Ninja is a much more sleek and agile foe. Two more bosses have been confirmed so far, with Tower appearing like its namesake, and being capable of firing spikes of energy, and Flyer being able to levitate above the battlefield and attack those below it.
Sonic Frontiers is set to release Holiday 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
