SEGA has released a new trailer for Sonic Frontiers (opens in new tab), detailing how combat and progression will work in the blue hedgehog’s next adventure. Functionally titled “Combat & Upgrades,” it runs through the various abilities Sonic will start with, and how those abilities will expand and improve throughout the game. It also proudly announces that Sonic’s first open-world game will have a skill tree, which is a bit like someone excitedly saying their chair has four legs and a backrest.
According to the trailer, Sonic starts the game with a basic moveset that includes a stomp attack, his familiar drop-dash spin attack, and the “homing” attack that’s been controversial since Sonic transitioned to 3D. But these abilities are only good for dealing with basic opponents. Against tougher enemies, you’ll need to deploy special “combo” moves like Phantom Rush, where Sonic punches his opponent in such rapid succession that it’s as if there are multiple of them attacking at once. Also available is “Wild Rush,” a drunken boxing version of Drop Dash that lets Sonic attack and avoid being hit at the same time, and “Cyloop,” which Sonic can use to break enemy shields by literally running rings around them. Oh, and Sonic also has a parry move, because every game has to be Dark Souls now.
As for how you’ll access these powers later in the game, defeated enemies drop items called “skill pieces.” Collecting them will allow you to unlock new abilities in the skill tree. Skill pieces can also be found in breakable containers hidden throughout the game’s world, encouraging you to explore the game’s nooks and crannies.
It all feels very Sonic Frontiers, that is, bowing to popular convention in a way that feels at odds with the series' core identity. Mollie felt the same way when she took the game for a spin. (opens in new tab)earlier this month, stating that “Sonic Frontiers is the perfect example of how not every game needs to make large open-world formats work.”
Of course, it could still be brilliant, and it would be nice for Sonic to finally get his Mario moment, as unlikely as that may seem. We don't have to wait long to find out either way, as the game is out on November 8.
