New stages, cutscenes, and a release date for Sonic Frontiers were all shown in a brief but compact news drop ahead of the Gamescom expo.
The trailer
The Story trailer showcased Sonic and the new character Sage, as she warned the hedgehog to stop what he was doing, and claimed that his “reckless actions will endanger the world.”
Besides the story, the trailer featured gameplay of a new desert island (called Ares Island) for the first time, with new enemies variations and bosses alongside the setting. A glimpse into the Cyberspace levels was also present, with the return of a city level, Sky Sanctuary and Green Hill. The levels were more akin to a traditional Sonic game in terms of linearity and progress.
Race across five massive overworld islands brimming with dense forests, overflowing waterfalls, and sizzling desert landscapes, each with their own unique action-platforming challenges and hidden secrets to uncover.
SEGA
With the trailer, also came the confirmation of a release date for the title: 8 November 2022. Fans perceived the early-to-mid-November window as the franchise’s go-to for game releases, and the date appeared to be one day after the anniversary of Sonic Forces’ release in 2017.
Sonic Frontiers’ pre-order editions explained
Fans can begin to pre-order the upcoming mainline title on both digital and participating physical retailers. Following the tradition started by Sonic Colours Ultimate and Sonic Origins, Frontiers will have a Standard edition; and a Digital Deluxe edition with extra features and goodies, and select physical storefronts like Gamestop in the United States will carry an exclusive steelbook.
Those that pre-order the Standard edition will receive what is called “The Adventurer’s Treasure Box”, which will give the player:
- Skill Points
- Red Seeds of Power
- Blue Seeds of Defense
Adventure across the Starfall Islands and see what each has to offer at the speed that only Sonic can deliver. Blaze a trail as you see fit and discover side quests, solve puzzles, scale enormous structures, go fishing, and encounter a friendly face or two along the way…
SEGA
Fans that pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition will receive the above. and the “Explorer’s Treasure Box”, which contained:
- Amy’s Memory Tokens
- A Portal Gear
- Chaos Emerald Vault Keys
- Additional Gloves & Shoes for Sonic
Additionally, those that pre-order the Digital Deluxe version will also obtain a digital art book, with a 25-track digital mini soundtrack.
The standard version of Sonic Frontiers will be sold for a full game price of $59.99 USD, while the deluxe will be going for $69.99 USD.
Minimum system requirements announced
The Steam page for the new game also updated. Not only did the listing confirm the addition of Denuvo anti-tamper software, but it unveiled the system requirements to play Frontiers.
- 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Core i7-3770
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 28 GB available space
Discover portals scattered across the island and venture into Cyber Space levels through portals scattered across the islands featuring signature 3D platforming at Sonic speeds, packed with challenges to put your skills to the test.
SEGA
Sonic Frontiers will be released 8 November 2022.