Sonic Frontiers: Trailer, release date, and everything you need to know

Fans of the blue blur rejoice! A brand new open-world Sonic game is coming to Nintendo Switch and other platforms in 2022. The game was first teased during the Sonic 30th Anniversary Stream, but it wasn’t until The Game Awards 2021 that the name was officially revealed as Sonic Frontiers. There’s plenty to get excited about, so here’s everything you need to know.

We’ve only seen a short trailer for our favorite speedy hedgehog’s latest adventure so far, but in it we see Sonic running around the Starfall Islands and encountering enormous machines while somber music plays. The island itself has gorgeous, realistic visuals complete with waterfalls, forests, beaches, and giant ruins. It’s unclear what the plot is at present, but we do see Sonic getting chased by some large machine-like thing that shoots missiles. It’s likely that he’s out to stop a big bad by taking out challenging enemies and speeding through various locations.

As has become common with Sonic games, the world has a realistic visual aesthetic, but Sonic himself maintains a cartoony art style with realistic shading and lighting. There’s still plenty to learn about the story and we’ll be here to report on it as we learn more.

What Sonic characters are in it? Amy, Tails, Knuckles?

While the teaser is void of showing any other Sonic characters, the Xbox YouTube Channel’s video for Sonic Frontiers was the only one that included captions and they were more telling than you might think. If you watch without captions you’ll hear someone who the internet has dubbed as “Ghost Girl” say the hedgehog’s name and direct him down a different path. You might have assumed it was Tails, but that’s not true according to captions. No, it turns out Amy is the one who says, “Sonic! Over here!” and later says, “Don’t! It’s too dangerous!”

Additionally, during a Sonic Official Livestream hosted by Justin Thormann, he confirmed the entire voice cast would be returning in Sonic Frontiers.

“One big thing I should mention, the entire voice cast is returning for this. We’ve got Roger as Sonic, we’ve got Colleen returning as Tails, everybody’s come back. Cindy is Amy – Amy’s voice is actually what you heard in the trailer. I know some people online were a little confused about that, but it’s confirmed from me – that’s Amy. So all of the gang is back, they sound amazing – everybody is bringing their ‘A game’ on this one.”

It’s not surprising that Tails will be there, but it’s still unclear who else exactly will make an appearance in the game. I won’t be surprised at all if at least Knuckles has a major part to play.

Is Sonic Frontiers coming to Switch via Cloud Streaming or locally?

As you can see from images and the trailer, it’s looking like this game has some pretty intense visuals, which the Nintendo Switch does not support. So the Switch version will either have significantly lower graphics or it will come to the hybrid console via Nintendo Switch Cloud streaming to maintain the integrity of the imagery. If it comes to the Switch for local download and cartridge then it will likely be a larger game that requires plenty of space, so you might want to invest in a microSD card.

It’s unclear which one it will be at present, but if I was to bet on it, I’d say it will come to Cloud streaming. It’s easier to do that than to make a completely different version with downgraded visuals. I’ll keep my ear to the ground and will update when more information is available.

Is Ian Flynn involved?

Yes, longtime Sonic the Hedgehog comic writer, Ian Flynn, is one of the writers behind the game. So if you’re a fan of the comics, you might just find yourself liking this Sonic game a whole lot.

Is this an open-world Sonic game?

It sure is, though Sega’s official website for the game refers to it as having “open-zone freedom.” Players speed through the Starfall Islands fighting enemies and discovering new locations.

Is Doctor Eggman in it?

We don’t know if he will be in the game or not. However, the presence of giant robots highly suggests that he will be the main villain, as usual.

Sonic Frontiers Release date

Sonic’s latest adventure is set to release during holiday 2022 and will come to Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Open-world Sonic

Sonic is up against some monumental foes in his latest open-world adventure. There’s a set of islands to explore and plenty of bad guys to defeat as he speeds around undiscovered locations.