He states with Sonic Frontiers, the mysterious islands and their secrets are what the team and artists have been shooting for. When asked about the tone that Sonic Frontiers is aiming for, Iizuka noted how the tones between entries have varied depending on the setting or plot. He also states that the puzzles that players will find throughout the game's world are part of the fun, where the player discovers the secrets of Starfall Islands and surrounding areas. He notes that these linear stages will contain the high-speed gameplay that games like Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors have utilized before. Iizuka states that this game will allow the player to enjoy a mix of open-world and traditional 3D action stages, both of which are present in Sonic Frontiers' gameplay. As a result, he notes that Sonic Frontiers gives more freedom for fans to explore in a 3D Sonic game, with action as its main focus when approaching this open-world design. This inspired them to change up the linear style of gameplay fans have gotten used to. According to Iizuka, he and the team realized after the completion of Sonic Forces, that there was "little room for evolution" in regard to a traditional 3D Sonic game. RELATED: Sonic Frontiers Shows Boss Battle, Confirms Animated ShortĪ recent interview from IGN with Sonic Team's Creative Officer, Takashi Iizuka, reveals even more details about how Sonic Frontiers' open-zone gameplay came to be. Sega's own Sonic Central event even showed off a clip of a boss battle in Sonic Frontiers, along with confirmation that an animated short will take place before the events of the game. More trailers and gameplay previews have been gradually shown throughout June via IGN First, with each video focusing on a different aspect. The first look at the game was shown through a sneak peek trailer for Sonic Frontiers, which showed off some of the aforementioned elements. The team behind Sonic Frontiers is dedicating an entire month to showing off chunks of the game, which feature a variety of gameplay elements, including its combat, exploration, puzzle-solving, and more. It has been billed as the series' take on an open-world setting and gameplay, similar to other franchises that have made the leap in genre, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. For more news in the world of Sonic the Hedgehog, stick with us here on Shacknews.P>After months of teasing from Sega, the company is finally giving fans a look at the next upcoming title in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, Sonic Frontiers. During the Sonic Central event, we got another glimpse at combat in Frontiers, particularly a boss battle reminiscent of Sonic Colors. Sonic Frontiers Prologue will be released later this year, prior to the launch of Sonic Frontiers. At the very least, the animated prologue will shed more light on the story in Sonic Frontiers, which remains shrouded in mystery. Of course, fans will likely be hoping that the sidekicks show up as playable characters at some point during the game. Here’s hoping that the prologue will explain his (as well as Tails’) whereabouts during the events of the game. This is the first we’ve seen of Knuckles in the timeline of Sonic Frontiers. The surrounding area is filled with mountains and forested areas, similar to the environments we’ve seen in Sonic Frontiers. We see Knuckles the Echidna standing atop an ancient structure in front of a massive chaos emerald. While there is still very little known about the story, a teaser image provides us with some clues. This animated prologue will be released later this year and will set the stage for the events of the latest Sonic adventure. Sega revealed Sonic Frontiers Prologue during the Sonic Central presentation on June 7, 2022. Knuckles will be included in Sonic Frontiers Prologue, which will be released prior to the game. While we still haven’t seen any sign of them in the upcoming open-world game, an animated prologue will feature at least one member of the team. One of which being the whereabouts of Sonic’s iconic sidekicks Tails and Knuckles. With audiences recently getting the first look at Sonic Frontiers, there have been a lot of questions and concerns.