The second island in Sonic Frontiers called Ares Island is filled with all manner of puzzles for players to solve. Sonic will need to run fast over every inch to uncover all the island's secrets and gather rings, vault keys, and koco.
In order to unlock every inch of Ares Island and help save and redeem Knuckles the Echidna, players will need to complete every numbered puzzle. This will not only reward Sonic with items but display any missing sections of map yet uncovered. There is a particularly challenging puzzle on Ares' island that requires Sonic to drain an oasis in this desert.
Where to Drain the Water in Sonic Frontiers
The location of the oasis is in the central part of Sonic Frontier's Ares Island. There will be a Knuckles head, indicating that there is a location where Sonic will need to interact with the Echidna. After chatting with the digital version of Knuckles, players will need to check out around the area of the watering hole to find the items that will help them to clear the oasis of its water.
Drain the Water in Sonic Frontiers Part 1: Find the Bomb
An informative tutorial screen will pop up after chatting with Knuckles, so players will need to check the area. After checking around for more Sonic Frontiers Koco friends, look for the bomb- or bullet-like thing that is glowing teal. It looks like this:
On the opposite side of the oasis' crater, players will find a massive cannon. It will look like this:
In order to unblock the plug and drain the water, Sonic will need to pick up the bomb and place it into the cannon within the 30-second time limit.
Drain the Water in Sonic Frontiers Part 2: Fire in the Hole
Pick up the giant bomb by drawing around this item with Sonic's new skill in Sonic Frontier called Cyloop. In order to trigger Cyloop, press and hold the Cyloop button and run around the bomb with Sonic. He will draw a blue circle around the object; then, it will turn pink once the circle is complete.
The button for Cyloop changes depending on which system Sonic Frontiers is being played on.
- Triangle on PS5.
- Y on Xbox.
- Right mouse click on PC.
- X on Switch.
The timer will start as soon as Sonic has picked up the bomb. Walk it over to the cannon and load it up with the interact button.
Drain the Water in Sonic Frontiers Part 3: Aim and Shoot
Finally, while the timer is still counting down, players will need to aim at the top of the plug. Fire the cannon before the time is up, aiming for the center of its diamond formation.
Finally, a cutscene will play, and players can watch as the water drains from the lake.
Sonic will then wonder if draining this important water feature was a good idea for the environment, and Knuckles will disagree. This is probably not the smartest thing Knuckles has ever done in the Sonic series, but at least players can move on to the next part of Ares Island.
Sonic Frontiers is available for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.