Sonic Frontiers Is Basically SEGA's Breath Of The Wild
The Green Hill Zone is just a dot to us, as SEGA is the latest big publisher to make the leap into open-world. With the newly announced Sonic Frontiers going open *erm* zone, fans have noticed that blue blur is going full The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It was back in 1991 that the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog first spun onto the Sega Genesis. As the de facto mascot of the gaming giant, he's continued to race his way into our hearts for the past 30 years - transcending the world of crossovers, Saturday morning cartoons, and even feature films.
Is Sonic Frontiers Just SEGA's Breath Of The Wild?
Remembering that Sonic could give even the Flash a run for his money in terms of speed, the Sonic Frontiers map has to be suitably large. There's no point giving us a Fortnite-sized map because he'd be across it in seconds.
Even though we don't get any gameplay from Sonic Frontiers, the long-rumoured open-world addition showed off a lush and green backdrop that's reminding everyone of Breath of the Wild's Hyrule Fields. Although the plot is largely under wraps, a description on YouTube offers a bit more insight into what Frontiers will be about:
"An experience like never before, accelerate to new heights and experience the thrill of high velocity, open-zone freedom. Battle powerful enemies as you speed through the Starfall Islands – landscapes brimming with dense forests, overflowing waterfalls, sizzling deserts and more!"
It didn't take long for the BotW comparisons to start doing the rounds online. "Sonic Breath of the Wild is either gonna be the best thing ever or the worst thing ever and I’m 100% here for it either way," wrote one.
Another added, "Shadow of the Colossus and Breath of the Wild mixed into one big Sonic masterpiece?!?! Sign me up," while a third concluded, "Nah f**k y’all, I’m hyped for Breath of the Wild Sonic I don't give a sh*t anymore. Sonic games have sentimental value to me and it’s all about the adventure and feeling like a kid again."
What Else Do We Know About Sonic Frontiers?
The first reactions are pretty positive - even if everyone seems to be trying to emulate BotW's formula right now. Sonic Frontiers is being developed by Sonic Team in Japan, with Morio Kishimoto directing and Sachiko Kawamura producing.
The writing is on the wall for many, as Kishimoto famously steered the ship as a Lead Artist on the maligned Sonic Forces. Sonic Team doesn't have the best track record with 3D games, so let's hope Frontiers can turn this around.
Elsewhere, last night's Game Awards gave us a first look at the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 trailer, which featured the much-hyped return of Tails and a very sexy Knuckles - sorry Idris. It's a big year for Sonic, as the sequel comes to cinemas on April 8.
As for Sonic Frontiers, SEGA's promising showstopper is soaring onto last and new-gen consoles toward the end of 2022. We bet those Nintendo lawyers are suitably p*ssed right now.