In case you somehow missed it, Sonic Frontiers has started rolling out gameplay footage from the upcoming title for the first time ahead of the video game’s release later this year. The reaction to the first gameplay from the new Sonic the Hedgehog video game has been… not great, to be polite. A newly released bit of footage specifically focuses on combat, and while it definitely shows off more from Sonic Frontiers, anyone left underwhelmed from the first footage is likely to remain that way following the new footage.
The new Sonic Frontiers combat gameplay video shows Sonic dashing around and fighting a variety of enemies. Sonic appears to have a variety of different combat abilities focused on revealing an enemy’s weak spot before then damaging it as fast as possible. All of the issues that folks have criticized like its empty-looking open world, odd lighting, and more are still present, but if you focus on just the combat there’s certainly something interesting there. You can check out the new gameplay footage of Sonic Frontiers, as initially shared by IGN, for yourself embedded below:
“Sonic Frontiers is a huge leap forward for the franchise, delivering an evolved gameplay experience that can be enjoyed by longtime Sonic fans and action-adventure enthusiasts alike,” said Takashi Iizuka, Creative Officer at Sonic Team USA, as part of the initial announcement of the title at The Game Awards 2021. “With the effort of the talented developers at Sonic Team Japan, we’ve created an all-new style of gameplay experience for Sonic the Hedgehog, where players will be able to explore lush and expansive landscapes with Sonic’s signature speed and abilities.”
As noted above, Sonic Frontiers is officially planned to release Holiday 2022 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. A release date of November 15th had previously been leaked, but it has yet to be confirmed for that date. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in general right here.
What do you think about the new Sonic Frontiers gameplay footage that’s been shown off? Are you looking forward to its release later this year? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop in order to talk about all things gaming!