June has been a busy month for Sonic the Hedgehog fans, as SEGA is finally giving them the first proper look at the next mainline title in the franchise, Sonic Frontiers. It's also looking to be one of the most ambitious, as this will be the first time the series is implementing an open-world setting, with the genre leap being compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is especially evident with the gameplay reveal of Sonic Frontiers, which showed many Breath Of The Wild-inspired elements such as puzzles, atmosphere, and side-quests.
Regarding the story of Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Team has stated that it will be a narrative written not only by its in-house writers but also by longtime mega-fan and comics writer of the Sonic franchise, Ian Flynn. His contributions to the series include the Archie Sonic Comics, the currently ongoing IDW Sonic Comics, and even a few episodes of the Sonic Boom cartoon. For Sonic Frontiers, his role has been detailed by Sonic Team in a recent interview with Game Informer.
Sonic Frontiers' writer Ian Flynn revealed several details about his involvement in the project, where he stated that he wasn't granted complete control of the story, as he was given the plot, backstory, and characters that could be written. Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka stated that Flynn was chosen mainly for his intimate knowledge of the series and how he could improve the dialogue and personal stories of the characters in the game.
Iizuka also revealed that Sonic will make small references and comments to himself as he explores the world of Sonic Frontiers, with voice lines referencing things like the Chao Garden. While there won't be a cavalcade of character cameos throughout the game, Iizuka mentions that Flynn helped put in some NPCs into the game, with some lesser-known Sonic characters that might surprise fans being mentioned in the dialogue. Big the Cat, for example, will be making appearances throughout the game, with Flynn helping flesh out his and other characters' stories as they appear.
Sonic Team also stated that there was some back and forth between the writers and Ian Flynn, who had a hand in being able to pitch some of his own ideas to the story of Sonic Frontiers. The story revolves around the mysterious island inhabited by rocky lifeforms known as Koco that Sonic, Tails, and Amy visit, with Dr. Eggman arriving on the island before the trio. Director Morio Kishimoto states that Dr. Eggman himself will be playing a prominent figure in the story, with the story itself also taking on a more dramatic and serious tone.
Sonic Frontiers is scheduled to release holiday 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Game Informer
