STACK #217 November 2022

GAMING FEATURE

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Sonic the Hedgehog is back in expansive new outing Sonic Frontiers .We fired some questions about it at Japan’s legendary SonicTeam, and they very generously gave us some answers. Words Amy Flower GOTTA GO VAST!

excited for players to discover more as they play.

After five or so years in development, what are you most looking forward to fans experiencing from Sonic Frontiers ? The Open-Zone gameplay is certainly the thing we’re most looking forward to fans experiencing, and we can’t wait to see their reaction to some of the surprises we have waiting for them. It’s also been great to work with Ian Flynn on the game. Ian has been an active contributor to the Sonic franchise for a long time and we’ve always been impressed with his work. He knows the characters well and brought great development to their emotions and interactions. He also incorporated references to previous games for the fans to enjoy, making it clear Sonic Frontiers isn’t a standalone world, but part of the overall history.

• Sonic Frontiers is out on Nov 8

with Sonic Adventure in 1998 and create a game that would be the cornerstone of future Sonic games.

Can you please give us a quick summation of the story we can look forward to in Sonic Frontiers ? Of course! We’re keen to keep a lot of the story a secret for players to discover themselves, but Sonic Frontiers takes place after Sonic Forces and Team Sonic Racing , and sees Sonic setting out alone to find and help his friends across Starfall Islands. Needless to say, as Sonic begins to uncover the mysteries of the island, he’ll be drawn into a different, larger goal… Sonic finally gets to roam free! How will this work in regard to the platforming tradition of Sonic? We’ve taken huge steps to evolve Sonic’s traditional, linear, stage-clearing 3D action by introducing new high-speed Open-Zones. Each Open-Zone is an expansive island that players can explore however they choose - running freely, interacting with various activities, accepting side quests from Sonic’s friends, and taking on different enemies with no predetermined path. We really think it takes the best parts of Sonic’s history to create an exciting new play style. Did any specific games provide inspiration for Sonic’s foray into more open areas? We know that the freedom to explore expansive worlds is loved by many players, but we also looked back over the franchise’s own history to help bring Sonic into the modern world. Our goal with Sonic Frontiers is to evolve the linear, stage-clearing 3D action that began

We believe there’s more focus on puzzles. What sorts of brain teasers should we look forward to? Yes, there are various activities that players can look forward to while exploring Starfall Islands, including environmental puzzles. We’ll leave it to fans to discover some of the puzzles we have created, but we also want to let you in on a little clue... Be sure to revisit puzzles at different times, as certain puzzles can only be completed during the day, while others at night. Yes, Sonic’s brand new ‘Cyloop’ ability is an addition to the Sonic battle system, enabling him to run in a circle and leave a band of light to unleash powerful blows, solve puzzles, and find rings and other items. Fans will really enjoy making use of this powerful new ability. Players can also unlock new abilities via a skill tree, to level up their unique playstyle and take on powerful foes. Will our blue blur hero have any new abilities in his arsenal? Do you think fans of the classic Sonic games will feel at home in this new world? Absolutely. Open-Zone gameplay feels like a natural evolution to the 3D action of previous Sonic games, it’s a natural step forward for the franchise. There’s lots more to Starfall Islands than we have shown so far, and we’re really

SCREEN HILL ZONE

Not surprisingly, Sonic Team have taken time out to enjoy the two Sonic the Hedgehog movies… “We love how they so perfectly captured Sonic’s character. They’re both fun, entertaining movies and we’re excited to see where they take the characters in the third film! They have also helped reinforce just how well Sonic and his friends are loved by millions of people, and that is inspiring to us. We feel like there is a very strong future ahead for Sonic.”

NOVEMBER 2022

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