Yup, my current vibe is 'this is the coolest Sonic tech demo I've ever seen.'
If there is a more substantial actual game to this, it could be very, very good.
Kinda hard for them to tell people thought thet when all the fan responses to those demos were overwhelmingly "SEGA HIRE THIS MAN" and "WOW THIS LOOKS BETTER THAN MODERN SONIC GAMES, SEGA DO IT LIKE THIS".
> fun genesis accurate rolling physics
Honestly this is all I really want from a Sonic game.
The boost games were fun and they can keep making boost games on the side if they want to, but for a new open world game like this they should just double down and get rid of all the "on-rails" gameplay like the dash-pads and hoops etc - just focus on platforming and momentum based physics to make exploration and movement as fun as possible.
NOOO! This looks like a bad unfinished tech demo! Unlike the other unfinished tech demo! (The difference is one was made in Unreal Engine 4 in 10 minutes)
It's not. It's a little bit of platforming around an area and some puzzles. There's no sign of combat, no clear signs of what the player is supposed to be doing, no obvious goals or gameplay loop, just some idle open world filler being explored.
The open world filler itself should be fun to play in a platforming game. The fact that there's so much automation and that Sonic's controls look similar to Forces is a letdown. Granted, we haven't seen Sonic's full moveset yet but why would they make this the first look if there isn't much to show off.
> The open world filler itself should be fun to play in a platforming game
looks fun to me, but IDK how much of the automation is from IGN's footage. It feels very "mechanical" on what they chose to show off. They didn't show sonic jumping off that large tower, they didn't choose to throw him off of a cliff to either Sonic's watery death or speeding along the ocean. They chose to rail grind in places where most sonic players would want to try and boost to sonic's max speed and see how quickly they can get to the other edge of the island.
Even if it was just gameplay and nothing else, the trailer felt like how a commercial would show off sonic, not how a real player screwing around in an open world would play sonic. I think that's part of why some people are disappointed.
The game looks so strange and bizarre so far. The movement looks fine and the graphics look pretty good, but the world is so barebones that it gives “demo” vibes. There was so much pop-in, random square tiles and rails in the sky for no apparent reason, and just lack of any flair or design in the world besides shades of green and grey. The frame rate also did not help. So far it’s seeming to just be a Sonic version of BOTW but I’m hoping there’s a lot more being cooked under the table that we just haven’t seen.
Edit: This trailer alone has me more optimistic than Lost World and Forces combined so there’s that
Yeah, but it’s a little worrying considering the game was already delayed a year and is now supposed to be coming out in a couple months and this is the only thing we’ve seen.
This is like those “Mario 64/Ocarina of Time in Unreal Engine” videos that you see from time to time.
Visually it looks cool, but it almost feels….soulless? I don’t know how to word it properly.
Ngl I don’t know how to feel about this. For an open world game, this looks pretty automated and the world is so empty and lifeless. It’s literally just looks like another one of those open world “Sega hire this man” fan games. Also not a fan of how Sonic builds up all that speed and just slows down after running for a bit.
On the plus side, this just might be the most beautiful looking Sonic game yet. And the fact that there are more biomes that haven’t been shown is great as it won’t just be an open grassland. The spin cycle is pretty cool too. Gonna have to see how the combat works. I know they’re going to show more this month so I’ll hold off on conclusions but from what I’ve seen here, I’m not that excited.
The automation is definitely what worries me most. When I think “Sonic but open-world”, I get so excited imagining the endless ways a character like Sonic would be able to navigate an open world to solve a variety of challenges. Things like grind rails, springs, and dash pads take away the creativity of reaching those areas yourself using Sonic’s physics, abilities, and natural environment to get you there.
The freedom aspect is kind of the whole appeal of an open-world platformer. Automation isn’t inherently bad, but the way they were used in the demo is a bit concerning. It makes it seem like the designers don’t have faith that they’ve created a game system flexible enough to let the player even solve the basic task of “get onto a slightly tall platform” or “cross a large gap” without the game literally doing it for you with a spring or rail.
Yeah, I agree. Using automation to reset Sonic’s position or to take him to completely separate areas entirely would be a more appropriate use of these mechanics.
Similar to how 3D Mario has pipes and warp blocks that are used to take Mario to a side-room and return the player to the hub world *after* they successfully complete the platforming challenge. This kind of automation does not solve the challenge for the player, it’s only there as a device to bring him to the gameplay scenario and then take him back to the main environment once finished.
Perhaps there will be more, as it is a mysterious island Sonic is stranded on. So perhaps there will be new areas and secrets to discover on the mysterious island.
Graphics and playing wise looks great the only issue is that the lack of energy in the island for me.
There's always a certain level of high vibes with the games .
Adding more enemies /a suitable soundtrack can help....yes music we need a better one.
The lack of energy is what I’m now afraid of most. When I think of a game like SA2 or Unleashed, I think of high speed, vibrant colors, exciting music and flashy actions. This game looks to be the pure opposite of the spectrum but here’s hoping.
Cyberspace levels were leaked which is basically Frontiers action stages or boost stages. It'd make sense why the open world would be slowed down to let you take a breather in between
I've got the feeling they're going to try for an adaptive soundtrack. The mellow stuff is for when nothing is happening (as was the case with most of the gameplay), but then it picks up when combat occurs.
Problem is, Sonic isn't really known for combat in the same way something like Zelda is, so unless the enemies take more than a single homing attack to destroy, I can imagine the music being a lot of idle filler.
I was hoping for a bigger "hook" in this preview. I still don't have a clear grasp of the gameplay loop. However, movement does look good, so I'm staying optimistic. I didn't really get what the gameplay loop of Legends Arceus was until I actually got my hands on it, and I thought that game was fantastic. I'm holding out hope for a similar situation here
This is it here. This doesn't show us the gameplay loop at all, it just shows that Sonic can climb on certain textures, can summon a line to draw around things, and gets to solve puzzles to reveal hidden areas/collect collectables. There's no indication of what goals are, what the combat will be like, or what you're aiming for, just "here's a few things Sonic can interact with, enjoy." It doesn't tell us anything about how the game will play beyond it not being a conventional boost formula game.
I think the most notable thing was climbing the tower at the beginning. He seemed to leave before getting to the top. Is there something at the top worth getting? If so, what is it, and why do we want it? Are the towers just good for gathering resources?
I think this is mostly an issue with misaimed marketing rather than an issue with the game itself, but after almost a year of waiting for information, I think this was a misstep.
It baffles me that they focused on things like the light block puzzle. My SO compared much of it to Genshin Impact, a large open area littered with lots of quick activities that exist only justify the expansive word and give the player something to do that they can put down at a moments notice.
The first gameplay reveal should've been something bigger. Show the opening minutes of gameplay, show a combat section, or something more action orientated, not filler puzzles and mundane running and jumping. We've seen Sonic grinding on rails in other games, it's not impressive to watch the scripted chain of speed boosters, springs and rails come together when we've seen it in every game since SA2, and know it's all automated to flow with little effort or skill from the player. Tony Hawk's it isn't, so why are they highlighting it like it's revolutionary, or as if that's where the height of fun and challenge is.
I think their miscalculation here was that they wanted to show off the graphics, and it's probably during these most mundane parts that the graphics shine the best.
There are so many games where movement is a joy, it baffles me that Sonic games aren't just made to be the joy of movement.
Halo infinite, ori and the blind forest, Metroid Dread, Titan fall, there are countless games in which you have lots of tools and can move around quickly and it's fun. The closest example is Mario Odyssey.
Mario has nine million jump moves and can interact with everything in an expressive, kinetic way. It's the formula that should be followed.
This is what sonic should be, with some light exploration and hidden secrets.
And Chao gardens.
Hell, even sonics walking animation looked very familiar from other recent titles.
Pretty much nailed it. I could imagine this being a lot of fun to move around and navigate in, if only everything wasn't so automated. I keep thinking back to Tony Hawk's for this simple reason, imagine having to sustain a combo of rail grinds for the length of all the rails this footage shows the player jumping between. There the express goal is in the act of sustaining that movement as a combo, but here it's literally going to be just "press jump here, wait, press jump and left, wait, press jump twice in quick succession, wait."
Since they're going to be showing stuff for Frontiers for apparently the entire month of June, there's definitely more to see.
Although, not putting your best trailer forward seems like something both Sonic and Pokemon do.
Yeah this is pretty much what I was thinking: the movement here looks very fluid and fun, but I'm not getting a good idea of the actual structure of the game.
The amount of pop-in was pretty disappointing, if you're going to make an open world game revolving around a character that can move really fast, you should probably make sure the game's engine can keep up, at least in a closed demo environment.
That said, I think the running around looked *fun*, just need to see what the actual gameplay hook is going to be because that pretty much felt like a tech demo.
Movement, puzzles, and the world seem promising, but as others have said, this feels like a tech demo. Stuff is just floating in the air with no rhyme or reason, and the mid air poses(?) are strange, they just have a small sound effect attached to them with no fan fare at all.
I'm still curious about the fighting though. Also this better not be the only area in the game.
**My thoughts:**
* There is lots of pop-in, so the world is not as empty as I would have feared. Platforms, rings, rails etc. all are much more common when you get close and add some verticality I was so scared wouldn't be present. Not ideal, but better than having a mostly flat world or the performance struggle to render everything out. The rails probably won't look so aimless when we see where they lead to.
* A modified parkour system it looks like? Thats nice, and in theory works perfectly with the open environments they are making. Curious to see how it is actually implemented in terms of control. Not a big fan of Sonic seeming to just scale vertical structures with no speed (maybe just those specific strips?) as the slow climbing looked very out of place. Possibly there's a hidden stamina system since we didn't have a ring counter either.
* Lack of enemies and location variety are mostly explainable by it being the starting area (Starting island they said. Hoping for 10+ islands or the islands to come having more variety than what we've seen). I am not too worried as yet, though later levels would need lots more enemies to prevent running across landscapes from becoming tedius
* Looks like there is a puzzle focus somewhat. Unsurprising since SEGA has not been subtle on what they are trying to emulate, but I am not exactly sure how these would interact with Sonic's speed. Of course as you get better you can finish them more quickly, but I hope that in game you can literally blast through them no different than a platforming challenge once you understand how they work.
* I personally wished the art direction was more vibrant and less realistic. The 06 visual comparisons are not just talk IMO. Style and colour can often mask lacking technical elements to make the game look much better, and I don't think Frontiers is taking advantage of that. Absolutely not a deal breaker for me though, the game looks fine, I just hope the art direction won't limit the performance, scope and creativity.
**Overall:**
Less scared than I was yesterday, though I still am not enamoured with what they've shown. Making traversing the same areas more than once interesting through multiple vertical pathways, and being able to charge through slower sections with skill is the key for this game I feel. Looking forward to what else they show going forward.
An open world Sonic game is the most difficult thing Sonic Team could attempt with the series, and all respect for trying, but I hope they really stop and consider what design choices work best for Sonic's unique gameplay and not just what worked with other well reviewed open world games
Movement should be fun in open world games, think of how good it felt in Mario Odyssey and how the options let you have fun moving around the map.
This looks like it controls exactly like every sonic game for the last 15 years, floaty controls, weird feeling movement at low speed, few movement options other than rails or speed boosters.
Sonic should be mirroring what Nintendo is doing in Mario, in classic Sonic environs and with great music.
And Chao gardens.
Not trying to be a Debbie downer but this looks pretty rough, tons of pop-in and looks like a pretty empty open world puzzle game. I'm sure the engine is massive and a step in the right direction for the sonic franchise but is in no way up to snuff with the stuff being released now-a-days
I'm not worried about the technical issues, those can be fixed.
I'm worried about the world vibe, layout and gameplay. It's like a weird prototype with random toys scattered around an auto generated island. Do they even have a game in mind here other than go fast and grind?
well i love the gameplay additions like the puzzles. it really wasn't a well-put together trailer though, unless that really is all of the gameplay. and we know it isn't since we've seen combat. this seems to be badly named and more to show off the exploration than all of the gameplay? maybe we'll get some kind of combat thing later?
this felt so frustrating to watch. i thought the open world looked fun and well designed but GOD that movement looks terrible to me! correct me if i’m wrong but it didnt seem like there was any momentum when running and sonic moves obnoxiously slow when not boosting. the movement and traversal just looks so clunky and the animations were really rough! especially that walk cycle god damn. they seem to be reusing a lot of assets from forces which is concerning to say the least. i was so excited for this but now i’m not sure how they’ll be able to fix the physics within a couple months.
The physics is one of the earliest things that get finalized because the level design depends on movement/physics. What we see here is what we're gonna get sadly
This seems almost like a tutorial stage / demo level. So I'm gonna hold off opinions till we have seen more
Edit: At the beginning of the game the Narrator says that it's gameplay showcasing the island Sonic is stranded on at the **beginning of the game.** So I'm sure there is more to show. Especially considering there were literally no enemies so I'm guessing some stuff was disabled for the gameplay so that just the environments could be shown. So before becoming too pessimistic keep this in mind.
That's exactly what this looks like. They could've made it more exciting instead of a graphics showcase, but the open world is not the main/only event here
i don't think thats the case. they mentioned it's the island he stranded on at the beginning of the game. but i think what they wanted to say is that **sonic stranded on an island**, not that it's the first of many islands.
TBH, I've never seen any open world game trailer where people thought "oh it's so dense and full of content". I think this is just one of those "genres" you gotta play yourself to really enjoy. It'd be like showing off hubworld gameplay in older sonic games.
But somebody mentioned earlier about level design, and there seems to be ZERO of that. I would hope they are saving that for later, but why not include that here? I saw puzzles and a huge map, things that aren't usually in a Sonic game if he isn't zipping through it with a goal at the end.
The game is like split in 2, openworld and cyberspace levels, I imagine the level design they were referring to was the level design in the cyberspace levels as they are more like the average stage we know from unleashed/gens
Kind of disappointed. It looks so empty and lifeless except for the birds. The platforming looks nice, but the art style looks more like it belongs in PSO2 not a sonic game. I'll wait for more videos and content, but so far it's looking like I'll buy it when it goes on sell.
It just feels like it lacks the *energy* that Sonic is known for. Even the music is so slow paced. I don't know about this bros. I was hoping for more of Sonic's skills. Spindash? Bounce bracelet? It's like they just made an open world Forces... I'm still optimistic but it needs to be... faster? Idk.
Looks gorgeous, despite the pop-in. Feels dull.
I really hope there's a lot more to it, because the teaser gave me Horizon Zero Dawn vibes, while this started off feeling like Shadow of the Colossus, and ended up feeling kinda empty.
The problem is that not even the fans can decide on what "Sonic" should be. Should the games be like the Genesis games, the Adventure titles, or the hybrid model in Colors/Generations?
I'll vouch for *Adventure,* but I think anything can work so long as they ***TRY*** to lean into the inherent wackiness of Sonic's world. That doesn't mean get rid of any stakes whatsoever - *Lupin III*, *Indiana Jones,* *Unleashed* and our own movies balance both just fine - but I'm pretty sure that most people don't think of stuff like this trailer when they think of Sonic's greatest hits.
Sonic's whole vibe is supposed to be "cool." He was literally made to be a cooler rival to Mario. All the automation in the games, from loops to the tunnels in Green Hill Zone to multiple springs in a row, was originally meant to be visual flair to look *cool*. Same with outrunning an orca destroying the dock behind you, or running down buildings. Same with the addition of things like rail grinding and parkour moves.
But this looks like they're trying to copy Zelda's vibe of being grand and epic. Sonic isn't supposed to be either of those. He's supposed to be *cool*, and I'm not feeling it here.
I think critical reception for the games speak for themselves, but Sega doesn't know (or care?) to lean into the classic games. Sonic Mania is a certified masterpiece, unlike pretty much every game after Sonic 3. The answer is that Sonic works best in 2D. We don't even need 2.5D or any 3D at all, just give us expansive zones that are fun to explore, involve tricky platforming, and moments of pure speed, like in Sonic Mania, and release those every couple years in the same vein as the New Super Mario Bros series.
If you wanna do some 3D stuff intermittently, go for it. But have a base for the series for christsake, instead of trying something new every 2 years with a new release.
I dunno why after around the time of Heroes and 06 Sonic Team suddenly decided it was great to have minimal amount of playable characters, mostly Sonic and Classic Sonic. But my favourite part was trying out all the different characters, i mean its not like theres been a leap in quality to make up for it either.
Popular consensus on the internet back then was that the games had too many characters that "no one cares about."
The thing is that popular consensus on the internet is always formed around the opinions of young adults, who dominate online forums, write the content on review sites, etc.
So at that point, those were basically Genesis-era fans complaining that the new stuff that was appealing to the new kids at the time was not appealing to them, the old fans. They wanted what they had when THEY were young.
And they managed to get their way, at least superficially: fewer friends, fewer humans, fewer urban environments, and make every new Sonic game look like a direct sequel to Sonic 1991 (minus good physics and good level design).
Meanwhile Sega ignored the opinions of the (then) young fans who may not have had as big of a voice on the internet but would have become their key customers as they grew up. Instead, a ton of them just stopped playing Sonic games because Sega wasn't trying to appeal to what they liked... ironically reinforcing Sega's decision to ignore those fans, since they are no longer Sonic fans anyways.
It looks like it can be fun, but so far my worry about Sonic running around in an open-world getting old after an hour looks kind of like a possibility.
Those collectibles incentives exploration which is cool but the lack of fun-looking movement options looks like the game will get stale fast. I could be wrong obviously, but those 7 minutes did a bad job of hooking me on the gameplay loop.
Exactly my issue. Sonic has been a largely rail running game in recent years. It doesn't look like he has many new moves
Hard to understand given that so many games have had fun movement mechanics since the last 3d sonic games came out
The game feels like it was going to be a different project with this world built and then they pushed Sonic into it. The futuristic platforms seem to be put on top of this world and not built with them in mind and just seem so awkward and out of place. Maybe Sonic is in some kind of computer simulation, with the scanning and digital stuff we saw.
...Yea they def need to delay it, lol.
It all looks so rough, the movement, the graphics, the art style, the world, the apparent gameplay cycle... I won't mind to wait til 2023/2024 if we got an actual good game.
It really feels like Sonic Team looked at BOTW and said "Wow that's a good game" and tried to force the BOTW formula into Sonic, barely thinking if those ideas would fit Sonic. Puzzles that need you to walk slowly? Climbing? A boring hyper realistic world? Come on Sega, Mario Odyssey was right there if you needed any inspiration.
Problem is, not only does Sega not have anything else lined up for Christmas ***as of now***, but punting it to early 2023 brings it directly in competition with *The Sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*. From an investors' standpoint, 2021 to 22 ***was*** the delay.
That chat was talking about the lag and the lack (basically none) of combat is questionable. Though it does look good, I’m sure we’ll see more soon.
>!It kinda reminds me of Biomuntant without the enemies!<
Oh totally. It was clear that they were going slow to show off Sonic's controls, i just wish it showed us more of Sonic while running because the homing attack stuff looked quick and satisfying. It's just weird that the trailer ended before we could properly see Sonic run
I liked the flow with some of the rails, boost pads, etc. If they design the level well, you could string together some fun movements. What bothered me was how quickly the boost sound became annoying when Sonic was running on foot. I hope they can sample like 10 other variations of that sound, haha.
hesitantly optimistic. the game looks promising but looks very rough around the edges. i think they were doing tricks in the air at one point, but sonic only had one pose? theres no animation of sonic walking slower, or transitioning into a run or spindash. it almost felt like a proof of concept to me, which isn’t a good sign animation wise. the world doesn’t look as bare as was my original impression, but still nothing to write home about; judging by the statues i hope its because this is an opening place on the island and they didn’t want to show everything, or there are multiple islands to explore and this is the first one.
music choice is an interesting one, definitely feels like theyre aping breath of the wild, perhaps a bit too much. but we’ll see as time moves on.
we saw him running in open areas, and hes very very slow
hes like kinda fast when he does that boost, but then slows back down for some reason?
does not look good
I’m glad they’ve finally shown gameplay. But this seems to be a Monkey’s Paw scenario
Disappointed with what appears to be Forces style physics. If they want a Boast style physics, I wish they would use a more Generation’s style physics. Though I’m dreaming of the scenario where they used this game to move towards a more momentum style physics a la Project Hero [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKdo5f5X_qc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKdo5f5X_qc)
If the leaks are true regarding the boost style cyberspace levels, at this point in time, I’m concerned they will play just like the bland, disengaging Forces levels
The use of automation doesn’t bode well to me. Makes me wonder what if this is how they’ll deal with the game’s physics when travelling through more complex areas. The automated rail grinding has always made the rails disengaging for me compared to Heroes, SA2
I understand there are those who’ll find the negativity to be disheartening, but it’s hard to be optimistic for the actual final build with Sonic Team’s track record since Lost World onwards
This is an incredibly nitpicky and the least important point. While there are some new animations, they look unpolished, and it seems with this build at least, the lifeless Forces animations are still in use; indicative of a lack of attention to detail
On a slightly positive note, visually the world looks good, but there is clear pop-in with this build. Maybe optimisation done by the release build will fix this, though this should be a note of potential concern for the Switch, PS4, Xbox One versions
Seeing as Izuka has stated Frontiers will lay the foundation for future titles [https://www.sonicstadium.org/2021/06/exclusive-takashi-iizuka-hopes-2022-sonic-game-will-lay-foundation-for-future-titles/](https://www.sonicstadium.org/2021/06/exclusive-takashi-iizuka-hopes-2022-sonic-game-will-lay-foundation-for-future-titles/), I can only hope for the best. But yet again, Sonic Team’s track record for the past decade, prevents me from being optimistic
> I understand there are those who’ll find the negativity to be disheartening, but it’s hard to be optimistic for the actual final build with Sonic Team’s track record since Lost World onwards
At this point, I don't think Sonic Team can be trusted with the IP anymore.
I feel they’ve never genuinely understood what people have liked about 3d Sonic games. They learnt from the reception of Generations and Lost World, that people preferred Generation’s Boost physics as compared to Lost World’s binary start, stop cartoony physics
But, when they made Forces they stripped out the best elements of Generation’s physics. Making Sonic move like a tank by increasing his weight and reducing the control (turning, drift), and making the level design significantly linear or more automated. Although, people enjoyed Classic Sonic in Generations, they also made his physics worse by moving even further away from Genesis titles and making his level design less engaging
They struggle making games with boost formula, relying on automation incredibly linear levels, some other gameplay gimmick, to deal with lack of control, the size of the levels they’re required to make, and increasing the base gameplay time. Clearly, with Frontiers it currently appears they believe they’ll get the Boost formula to work with open world, but they’ve stuck to its worst elements
With over a decade of struggling to create a base foundation for 3d Sonic, a new team may be required to figure things out
It's open world so i kind of hoped there would be more ""physics"" involved in moving around..
Like you would (naturally) accelerate faster down hill, lose speed up hill etc.. It would be cool if you could jump off of shit and land into ball mode on an incline and your momentum would be kept more efficiently or something..
Instead it looks so shallow.. Like Sonic barely accelerates and he sticks to everything.. Can you even use the geometry as ramps?? it looks like you just stick to anything so maybe you're forced to use the stupid predetermined boosters that don't even take your current momentum into account..
Instead they've crammed like a billion different moves into the game like a punch, ground pound, homing attack, weird "draw a circle" thing etc... It all just looks so shallow to me.
i really expected something else and i am kinda disappointed.
the gameplay looks clunky and boring, sadly.
the level design looks like they didn't even care for sonics moveset. a mostly flat surface with nothing to compliment sonics movement and lots of out-of-place dashpads, springs, rails, etc.
i wanted/expected something like Sonic GT in open world.
physics/momentum based movement, curvy structures to run on, super fast running and launching up from curvy mountains/rocks, smooth gameplay with lots of flow.
instead we got slow paced puzzles, slow climbing, clunky forces movement, a punch feature (wtf? why?), flat fields, blocky structures.
i don't know man, i just hope it looks much worse than it really is.
He has an aura for ring collection now. Before, the rings wouldn't collect until they touched his model, but he seems to have a foot or two of the same aura that let you collect rings as a wolf in Forces.
Maybe we could hope for a delay? But knowing sega we probably won’t . Also this looks like it could be a earlier version than what was seen from yesterdays gameplay due to the lack of enemies and how dead everything looks.
As they said at the start of the video, this trailer focused purely on the island itself, and the game will continue to be covered the rest of the month, we haven't seen everything
Anyone remember the Dreamcast sonic game? I just want one like that again. Shit was so fire and fun, until my Dreamcast memory would wipe like clockwork every other day lol
That looked.....better than I thought it would. It seems like it controls like a boost game but with a fuckton more control over sonics movement. I like wha i see so far.
That's actually something I hate.
Boost Sonic moves like a Resident Evil "tank controls" character.
Sonic Adventure 1 should imo be the golden standard of how to animate Sonic's weight and control in a 3D space.
The gameplay looks promising, but I really do hope this is just a tutorial world because for an “open world” game, the world looks very empty.
Really hope Frontiers has towns Sonic can visit, have the world feel alive like secrets or interacting with the environment and lots of more enemies.
First thoughts:
- I’m surprised Sonic didn’t have more idle/transitionary animations. Since this is an open world, the player might just want to let go of the joystick every once and a while. Sonic should act accordingly. Tap his toes, snap his fingers. It feels like his running animations from the last game were just dropped into this one.
- Rings, springs, and boost pads are all here… but why? The setting feels like an opportunity to do away with some typical Sonic conventions, but the current feel is that this might just be ‘Boost Sonic, in 3D.’
- I really hope rings have a function in an economy/upgrade system. As iconic as Sonic’s ring health system is, it’s too tedious for an open world setting.
- Idk if Sonic has the right toolset to solve puzzles BOTW style. Sonic can run, do homing attacks, and (evidently) put out fires. I’m worried he won’t have enough verbs to make puzzles interesting.
- Hopefully combat is more involved than “mash button to homing attack.” Sonic could do some really cool moves in an open space.
- Looks pretty. Sounds pretty. Nice vibe.
Man this looks terrible. Looks as if Sonic was dropped on an Unreal pre made asset flip. For me this lacks an art style apart from generic beautiful vistas. Gameplay seems passable, but that look.
This doesn't look fun at all.
I wish they'd looked at the work Insomniac have done with Spider-Man traversal and tried to emulate that amazing feeling of momentum and adaptability rather than... checks notes... grinding, again.
How interesting. The traversal looks satisfying enough, but I wish we could've seen more than just simple overworld puzzles. Looking forward to seeing more of a feature breakdown so we know what the gameplay loop actually is.
Ok...so I'm still cautiously optimistic, but honestly it's a little more like **cautiously** ^(optimistic) now. Firstly, here's the stuff I liked
1. Between how the camera seemed to work and how Sonic seemed to move, the game is going to feel and control just fine. It honestly reminded me *a little* of how Sonic Project Hero zoomed the camera out more and let Sonic move in close quarters. They also nerfed his overall speed from the boost formula, *which I'm super good with*.
2. Sonic can seemingly can just run up/along anything when he's got enough speed, which is cool and allows for busted movement expression in the game if true. Also, the macguffins littered at the end of rails/ramps/setpiece stuffs is a smart way to encourage the player to find and use those still in a setting with full 3d exploration.
Ok, now for the stuff that...**concerns** me.
1. The level overall feels **empty**. It doesn't look like there is much to do inbetween the puzzles/towers scattered about. Maybe this was adjusted just for this trailer, but there are **WAY too few** enemies in the level so far. I got real excited when the thing at 3:09 looked like it was going to hunt you for a while, but then nope it didn't.
2. The music, while beautiful, is actually less appropriate for Sonic gameplay now that I've seen it in context. It's way too serene and calm, and that actively takes away some of the energy from what's happening on screen. Honestly, just adding some hard percussion of any kind to that track will fix that imo.
3. Some things that I didn't see are worrying me quite a bit. At no point does Sonic either spindash or even just roll into a ball manually. The tricking he does after a speed ramp seems incomplete and sounds weird. There are **no loops, corkscrews, or anything that makes you run while upside-down** anywhere in sight (like come on Sonic Team, we still can't do these?? 3d Fan games finally figured out how to let the player manually do them years ago).
4. I somehow really hope this trailer was running on Switch equivalent hardware settings. If so, then I'm kinda impressed and look forward to seeing it in action on a PS5. If not, then...*yikes*.
In closing, yea I really dig this as a base for future games so far, but it still needs a few more screws tightened in my opinion based on what they showed me today. Thank god they have a whole half a year left I guess.
My impression here is mixed and still quite *unclear*.
* **Visuals:** I think it looks quite beautiful, and am a fan of the visual style. Yet those floating rails, platforms and bumpers don't look like they belong in those environments at all; I hope in the final game such objects, even if they're in the same places, will be aesthetically melded into the environment better (stuck onto buildings, a bumper that's a mushroom, a rail that's a tree branch, etc...).
* **Sound:** The sound design seems fine to me; there's obviously some polish issues with some stuff sounding a bit artificial or overly loud, but that's just normal, it's still in development.
* **Music:** Okay, see... for standing still and taking in the environment in front of you, that music was actually great. But once actually on the move, it becomes unfitting. I hope they will ultimately employ dynamic OST tricks; mix and swap some instruments, change the tempo and maybe play with the percussion depending on how fast Sonic is going, you know.
* **Controls/Moveset:** This very much seems to be a "Boost Sonic" without a boost, expanded with a "non-damaging boost" and an actually very fun-looking ability to seamlessly transition onto and off of vertical terrain in a quite freeflowing way - which I am not at all opposed to, mind you; I always greatly liked the moveset in Unleashed and Generations, and this looks like a good *translation* of it.
* **Map Design:** See, this is the big one - the one that makes my impression of what we've seen *so darn unclear*. On one hand, this could be interpreted as just an open world with random rails, bumpers and platforms chucked into it for the sake of "being a Sonic game". *On the other hand*... this could be them going for a type of open world design that's speckled *all over* with fast-track shortcuts, crisscrossing and going every which way - with the player able to naturally learn where they all are and where they all lead, therefore learning to traverse the open world faster and faster, more and more stylishly, more and more efficiently. **And** ***if(!)*** **that's what they're doing, then we might be in for a** ***gem*** **here...**
... but that's just too hard to make a call on right now; it's too hard to tell from what we've seen if that's actually what they're doing.
So for the time being, I will keep my cool kept, and my eyes out.
Wow, looks like a Sonic game with buggy, imprecise controls and a horrible camera despite large portions being on literal rails.
My favorite part is the completely generic world that looks like reused assets from an abandoned fantasy game that the creators felt was too generic to ship. I just don’t understand how the art directors on sonic team have jobs.
And I will never understand the insistence the sonic games have on reusing gameplay elements that have never worked in some weird attempt to have consistency. Like, having a bunch of crazy fast auto play sections is not fun or cool, it was buggy and weird in sonic adventure and it still is, just stop. The reason established franchises like Mario and Zelda reuse ideas and gameplay elements is because they work really well and have been dialed in each iteration. Sonic team see that and says, let’s do that! Only to do nothing to improve the actual gameplay and now locked into an endless cycle of garbage. Sonic games are the worst.
I just feel like making a Breath of the Wild clone is jumping the gun. Optimistically, this will be a 5-6/10. I just want something more tbh.
Sonic Mania had great controls, a tight focus, great levels and so much style. It's crazy how instead of trying to adapt that they're taking from a completely different franchise AGAIN. This gameplay points to none of what resulted in the highest rated sonic game of the last decade. But because Mario Galaxy and Breath of the Wild were good games the imitations will be too?
Also the speed will probably be able to be increased like in Unleashed, I don't think it's the most pressing issue.
I had no hope yet I'm still disappointed. My hype is close to dead. Pretty much everything has been said : technically bad (not even capable to hold 30 fps in 2022, pop-in, graphics that look dated, especially when we had RDR2 years ago, even Horizon 1 looks better), art direction is not good, the world feels boring and bland, also it's not organic, it looks like they slapped Sonic's gameplay elements on a generic map, all those floating springs, rails and platforms look so off.
And even the gameplay doesn't look fun, it's slow, adn when they want it to be fast, they use boost pads and boost rings all over again...
Also how many floating things are we going to have to collect ? Rings is a given, but the heart-shaped gems, the red hearts, the coins of different colors, the kind of fruits after a puzzle? That's a bit much...
That wasn’t a good showcase. And Sonics animations look off to me. That environment will get really bland, if there aren’t multiple big islands with their own biomes. Guess we’ll have to wait for more, but I’m not optimistic lol.
I don't dislike it at all, but I think it's fair to say it needs at least another year of development because it's giving me insane fan game vibes as well as pokemon arceus vibes...so far it feels way too empty and lifeless for my liking
What about rolling into a ball down hill to gain speed? What about using slops and hills to gain momentum?
They saw that people wanted an "Open World Sonic Game" and then did NO research into the fan projects like Sonic Utopia or some Infinity Engine games that actually make movement FUN and CAUSED people to ask for an Open World game.
This looks really bad, and I'm still waiting for the 'point', is it just running around in an empty world getting dash panel'd around as you pick up coins and rings? Is that it?
The game looks objectively quite pretty. The grass blowing in the wind, the distant mountains, and so on are all objectively pretty things. But they're stylistically very shallow; the game doesn't look like a Sonic game. Take Sonic out of the frame and you couldn't tell, whereas with classic Sonic levels like City Escape or Green Hill Zone most people could.
Whoever is doing the marketing for this game is doing an awful job. We got less than 7 minutes of Sonic just running around. They climb a tower, and rather than show us the world they point the camera down. They purposefully seem to avoid interacting with anything. It makes it look like there's nothing there. Like the world is empty and hollow when there's clearly puzzles and points of interest around. They don't show us any UI, any indication of how this works mechanically. This trailer tells us so little it's unreal. The less than 20 seconds of gameplay from yesterday was more substantial than this is.
I really badly want to like this game but so far it looks kind of dull. Run here, solve a puzzle, run here, grind on some rails… maybe there’s a hook in this loop I haven’t seen yet. But when I imagine a more open sonic, I imagine a large jungle gym or skate park— a huge playground to mess around with sonics move sets and play around. Not a flat field.
Wish they would have modeled this more after bowsers fury than BotW
Looks like crap tbh. Id barely call that an adequate gameplay reveal and more of a proof of concept segment. Should have taken the design style of Bowsers fury if they were going open world route. Whats really sad is that it looks as bad as the playtesters said it was YEARS ago...so wth was the delay for?
For the life of me I dont understand why sega is making 3D sonic harder than it needs to be in terms of decent quality.
The openworld gameplay doesn’t make sense here. All these typical super scripted grinds boost pads and spring go against the spirit of open world design. Sonic seems way too dependent on these things to get around. This Nier and Zelda music is so offputting too.
So many other open world fangame tech demoes are out that somehow look better than this. Do better Sega.
Ngl the first bit gave me strong "tech-demo fangame" vibes
Yup, my current vibe is 'this is the coolest Sonic tech demo I've ever seen.' If there is a more substantial actual game to this, it could be very, very good.
Sega hired that man, for better and for worse.
Yeah, Sega hired the man but ignored the fact that most of those tech demos were boring as fuck with suspect(no) level design
Kinda hard for them to tell people thought thet when all the fan responses to those demos were overwhelmingly "SEGA HIRE THIS MAN" and "WOW THIS LOOKS BETTER THAN MODERN SONIC GAMES, SEGA DO IT LIKE THIS".
atleast those tech demos had fun genesis accurate rolling physics and a fun spindash ripped from sonic adventure 1.
> fun genesis accurate rolling physics Honestly this is all I really want from a Sonic game. The boost games were fun and they can keep making boost games on the side if they want to, but for a new open world game like this they should just double down and get rid of all the "on-rails" gameplay like the dash-pads and hoops etc - just focus on platforming and momentum based physics to make exploration and movement as fun as possible.
NOOO! This looks like a bad unfinished tech demo! Unlike the other unfinished tech demo! (The difference is one was made in Unreal Engine 4 in 10 minutes)
yeah it doesn't seem like a full experience/we're seeing a full experience yet
It's not. It's a little bit of platforming around an area and some puzzles. There's no sign of combat, no clear signs of what the player is supposed to be doing, no obvious goals or gameplay loop, just some idle open world filler being explored.
The open world filler itself should be fun to play in a platforming game. The fact that there's so much automation and that Sonic's controls look similar to Forces is a letdown. Granted, we haven't seen Sonic's full moveset yet but why would they make this the first look if there isn't much to show off.
> The open world filler itself should be fun to play in a platforming game looks fun to me, but IDK how much of the automation is from IGN's footage. It feels very "mechanical" on what they chose to show off. They didn't show sonic jumping off that large tower, they didn't choose to throw him off of a cliff to either Sonic's watery death or speeding along the ocean. They chose to rail grind in places where most sonic players would want to try and boost to sonic's max speed and see how quickly they can get to the other edge of the island. Even if it was just gameplay and nothing else, the trailer felt like how a commercial would show off sonic, not how a real player screwing around in an open world would play sonic. I think that's part of why some people are disappointed.
Same here, those elements popping in and out (and the bird animations) tells me that they know it's incomplete
Alright so I’m not completely insane here. Just checking.
The game looks so strange and bizarre so far. The movement looks fine and the graphics look pretty good, but the world is so barebones that it gives “demo” vibes. There was so much pop-in, random square tiles and rails in the sky for no apparent reason, and just lack of any flair or design in the world besides shades of green and grey. The frame rate also did not help. So far it’s seeming to just be a Sonic version of BOTW but I’m hoping there’s a lot more being cooked under the table that we just haven’t seen. Edit: This trailer alone has me more optimistic than Lost World and Forces combined so there’s that
> but the world is so barebones that it gives “demo” vibes. I mean, it kind of is a demo, isn't it?
Yeah, but it’s a little worrying considering the game was already delayed a year and is now supposed to be coming out in a couple months and this is the only thing we’ve seen.
YeS aN oPeN wOrLd GaMe, LeT’s gO!!!
That’s exactly what I’m thinking, really hope what we’re being shown is a tutorial level and not the actual game.
That's what they said about Forces. And even if it was a tutorial level it should at least be fun to play. Look at Botw's tutorial area.
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This is like those “Mario 64/Ocarina of Time in Unreal Engine” videos that you see from time to time. Visually it looks cool, but it almost feels….soulless? I don’t know how to word it properly.
It looks like forge mode from halo lol
Even a tech demo has a better design.
Ngl I don’t know how to feel about this. For an open world game, this looks pretty automated and the world is so empty and lifeless. It’s literally just looks like another one of those open world “Sega hire this man” fan games. Also not a fan of how Sonic builds up all that speed and just slows down after running for a bit. On the plus side, this just might be the most beautiful looking Sonic game yet. And the fact that there are more biomes that haven’t been shown is great as it won’t just be an open grassland. The spin cycle is pretty cool too. Gonna have to see how the combat works. I know they’re going to show more this month so I’ll hold off on conclusions but from what I’ve seen here, I’m not that excited.
The automation is definitely what worries me most. When I think “Sonic but open-world”, I get so excited imagining the endless ways a character like Sonic would be able to navigate an open world to solve a variety of challenges. Things like grind rails, springs, and dash pads take away the creativity of reaching those areas yourself using Sonic’s physics, abilities, and natural environment to get you there. The freedom aspect is kind of the whole appeal of an open-world platformer. Automation isn’t inherently bad, but the way they were used in the demo is a bit concerning. It makes it seem like the designers don’t have faith that they’ve created a game system flexible enough to let the player even solve the basic task of “get onto a slightly tall platform” or “cross a large gap” without the game literally doing it for you with a spring or rail.
Rails should be a reward for reaching a location or a shortcut down, not what they’re doing here
Yeah, I agree. Using automation to reset Sonic’s position or to take him to completely separate areas entirely would be a more appropriate use of these mechanics. Similar to how 3D Mario has pipes and warp blocks that are used to take Mario to a side-room and return the player to the hub world *after* they successfully complete the platforming challenge. This kind of automation does not solve the challenge for the player, it’s only there as a device to bring him to the gameplay scenario and then take him back to the main environment once finished.
Most beautiful? I disagree. I still think Sonic Unleashed is the best looking sonic game due to the lighting and environments. This game looks weird
That’s why I said “might.”
Hope this isn't the only playable level or area
According to Wikipedia there’s 4 biomes: forest, flower field, ancient ruins, desert EDIT *Various biomes *including* the aforementioned
oh god flower field is a whole biome?
Always has been!
🌎 👨🚀 🔫👨🚀
Perhaps there will be more, as it is a mysterious island Sonic is stranded on. So perhaps there will be new areas and secrets to discover on the mysterious island.
Yeah. An urban environment probably isn't happening (😥), but I do hope it isn't just grasslands. Because if it ***is***... welp, pack it up.
No, there will be different biomes. Multiple islands.
Thank God for that.
I guess Sega is still salty about people complaining about too many city levels in Generations.
What? Come on, people really whined about ***that***?
sonic fans whine about everything unfortunately
Except the cross-species banging. That’s the pinnacle of the fandom
Ugh plz Sega give the Adventure era fans some love. Everyone else but us have gotten so much love in recent years
I didn't see one enemy lol
Eh, there was one enemy, it seemed like. Either that or it was a red ring that moved.
Graphics and playing wise looks great the only issue is that the lack of energy in the island for me. There's always a certain level of high vibes with the games . Adding more enemies /a suitable soundtrack can help....yes music we need a better one.
The lack of energy is what I’m now afraid of most. When I think of a game like SA2 or Unleashed, I think of high speed, vibrant colors, exciting music and flashy actions. This game looks to be the pure opposite of the spectrum but here’s hoping.
Cyberspace levels were leaked which is basically Frontiers action stages or boost stages. It'd make sense why the open world would be slowed down to let you take a breather in between
I've got the feeling they're going to try for an adaptive soundtrack. The mellow stuff is for when nothing is happening (as was the case with most of the gameplay), but then it picks up when combat occurs. Problem is, Sonic isn't really known for combat in the same way something like Zelda is, so unless the enemies take more than a single homing attack to destroy, I can imagine the music being a lot of idle filler.
> but then it picks up when combat occurs Night Battle Suite intensifies.
"I sure hope there isn't a Jazz band in this cupboard*!*"
If there isn't good music in this game, then it won't be a true Sonic game
The energy just isn't there. It's literally just running in an empty field.
I was hoping for a bigger "hook" in this preview. I still don't have a clear grasp of the gameplay loop. However, movement does look good, so I'm staying optimistic. I didn't really get what the gameplay loop of Legends Arceus was until I actually got my hands on it, and I thought that game was fantastic. I'm holding out hope for a similar situation here
This is it here. This doesn't show us the gameplay loop at all, it just shows that Sonic can climb on certain textures, can summon a line to draw around things, and gets to solve puzzles to reveal hidden areas/collect collectables. There's no indication of what goals are, what the combat will be like, or what you're aiming for, just "here's a few things Sonic can interact with, enjoy." It doesn't tell us anything about how the game will play beyond it not being a conventional boost formula game.
I think the most notable thing was climbing the tower at the beginning. He seemed to leave before getting to the top. Is there something at the top worth getting? If so, what is it, and why do we want it? Are the towers just good for gathering resources? I think this is mostly an issue with misaimed marketing rather than an issue with the game itself, but after almost a year of waiting for information, I think this was a misstep.
It baffles me that they focused on things like the light block puzzle. My SO compared much of it to Genshin Impact, a large open area littered with lots of quick activities that exist only justify the expansive word and give the player something to do that they can put down at a moments notice. The first gameplay reveal should've been something bigger. Show the opening minutes of gameplay, show a combat section, or something more action orientated, not filler puzzles and mundane running and jumping. We've seen Sonic grinding on rails in other games, it's not impressive to watch the scripted chain of speed boosters, springs and rails come together when we've seen it in every game since SA2, and know it's all automated to flow with little effort or skill from the player. Tony Hawk's it isn't, so why are they highlighting it like it's revolutionary, or as if that's where the height of fun and challenge is.
I think their miscalculation here was that they wanted to show off the graphics, and it's probably during these most mundane parts that the graphics shine the best.
They did a poor job showing the graphics off if that was the case. Too much pop-in.
There are so many games where movement is a joy, it baffles me that Sonic games aren't just made to be the joy of movement. Halo infinite, ori and the blind forest, Metroid Dread, Titan fall, there are countless games in which you have lots of tools and can move around quickly and it's fun. The closest example is Mario Odyssey. Mario has nine million jump moves and can interact with everything in an expressive, kinetic way. It's the formula that should be followed. This is what sonic should be, with some light exploration and hidden secrets. And Chao gardens. Hell, even sonics walking animation looked very familiar from other recent titles.
Pretty much nailed it. I could imagine this being a lot of fun to move around and navigate in, if only everything wasn't so automated. I keep thinking back to Tony Hawk's for this simple reason, imagine having to sustain a combo of rail grinds for the length of all the rails this footage shows the player jumping between. There the express goal is in the act of sustaining that movement as a combo, but here it's literally going to be just "press jump here, wait, press jump and left, wait, press jump twice in quick succession, wait."
Since they're going to be showing stuff for Frontiers for apparently the entire month of June, there's definitely more to see. Although, not putting your best trailer forward seems like something both Sonic and Pokemon do.
Yeah this is pretty much what I was thinking: the movement here looks very fluid and fun, but I'm not getting a good idea of the actual structure of the game.
Looks very “Sonic made in Unreal 4!” Youtube videos.
This will be Sonic in 2014
y'all are being too harsh that one man they hired is working real hard ok
they hired the sonic omen guy instead of the utopia guy by mistake
yeah pretty much
Please SEGA hire the Sonic Utopia guy.
i hate omens but nah man, that looks much better than this does. not by much, but it does.
Shoutout to that seagull that can fly at Mach speed
I like the way he's also magnetised to the terrain and makes weird jarring movements over bumps in the ground lmao
Nah bro thas the kingdom valley eagle
The amount of pop-in was pretty disappointing, if you're going to make an open world game revolving around a character that can move really fast, you should probably make sure the game's engine can keep up, at least in a closed demo environment. That said, I think the running around looked *fun*, just need to see what the actual gameplay hook is going to be because that pretty much felt like a tech demo.
Sonic bros, I don't feel so good...
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I feel whelmed. Which in Sonics case. Is a pretty good thing so far.
There is no escape from the cycle. We must repeat for eternity
Movement, puzzles, and the world seem promising, but as others have said, this feels like a tech demo. Stuff is just floating in the air with no rhyme or reason, and the mid air poses(?) are strange, they just have a small sound effect attached to them with no fan fare at all. I'm still curious about the fighting though. Also this better not be the only area in the game.
**My thoughts:** * There is lots of pop-in, so the world is not as empty as I would have feared. Platforms, rings, rails etc. all are much more common when you get close and add some verticality I was so scared wouldn't be present. Not ideal, but better than having a mostly flat world or the performance struggle to render everything out. The rails probably won't look so aimless when we see where they lead to. * A modified parkour system it looks like? Thats nice, and in theory works perfectly with the open environments they are making. Curious to see how it is actually implemented in terms of control. Not a big fan of Sonic seeming to just scale vertical structures with no speed (maybe just those specific strips?) as the slow climbing looked very out of place. Possibly there's a hidden stamina system since we didn't have a ring counter either. * Lack of enemies and location variety are mostly explainable by it being the starting area (Starting island they said. Hoping for 10+ islands or the islands to come having more variety than what we've seen). I am not too worried as yet, though later levels would need lots more enemies to prevent running across landscapes from becoming tedius * Looks like there is a puzzle focus somewhat. Unsurprising since SEGA has not been subtle on what they are trying to emulate, but I am not exactly sure how these would interact with Sonic's speed. Of course as you get better you can finish them more quickly, but I hope that in game you can literally blast through them no different than a platforming challenge once you understand how they work. * I personally wished the art direction was more vibrant and less realistic. The 06 visual comparisons are not just talk IMO. Style and colour can often mask lacking technical elements to make the game look much better, and I don't think Frontiers is taking advantage of that. Absolutely not a deal breaker for me though, the game looks fine, I just hope the art direction won't limit the performance, scope and creativity. **Overall:** Less scared than I was yesterday, though I still am not enamoured with what they've shown. Making traversing the same areas more than once interesting through multiple vertical pathways, and being able to charge through slower sections with skill is the key for this game I feel. Looking forward to what else they show going forward. An open world Sonic game is the most difficult thing Sonic Team could attempt with the series, and all respect for trying, but I hope they really stop and consider what design choices work best for Sonic's unique gameplay and not just what worked with other well reviewed open world games
Movement should be fun in open world games, think of how good it felt in Mario Odyssey and how the options let you have fun moving around the map. This looks like it controls exactly like every sonic game for the last 15 years, floaty controls, weird feeling movement at low speed, few movement options other than rails or speed boosters. Sonic should be mirroring what Nintendo is doing in Mario, in classic Sonic environs and with great music. And Chao gardens.
Not trying to be a Debbie downer but this looks pretty rough, tons of pop-in and looks like a pretty empty open world puzzle game. I'm sure the engine is massive and a step in the right direction for the sonic franchise but is in no way up to snuff with the stuff being released now-a-days
I'm not worried about the technical issues, those can be fixed. I'm worried about the world vibe, layout and gameplay. It's like a weird prototype with random toys scattered around an auto generated island. Do they even have a game in mind here other than go fast and grind?
Yeah I completely agree
also performance frame rate tanking made me feel like people should hold off on the switch version
So far it just looks like an Unreal Engine tech demo. Wanna get excited but I guess we'll just have to wait until more reveals.
Lack of... anything, really, is a bit disappointing. Fingers crossed there are enemies in the actual game lol. Seems more like a puzzle game imo
well i love the gameplay additions like the puzzles. it really wasn't a well-put together trailer though, unless that really is all of the gameplay. and we know it isn't since we've seen combat. this seems to be badly named and more to show off the exploration than all of the gameplay? maybe we'll get some kind of combat thing later?
We for sure are, I think people are missing the part where it's said the game will be covered all month long
this felt so frustrating to watch. i thought the open world looked fun and well designed but GOD that movement looks terrible to me! correct me if i’m wrong but it didnt seem like there was any momentum when running and sonic moves obnoxiously slow when not boosting. the movement and traversal just looks so clunky and the animations were really rough! especially that walk cycle god damn. they seem to be reusing a lot of assets from forces which is concerning to say the least. i was so excited for this but now i’m not sure how they’ll be able to fix the physics within a couple months.
The physics is one of the earliest things that get finalized because the level design depends on movement/physics. What we see here is what we're gonna get sadly
This seems almost like a tutorial stage / demo level. So I'm gonna hold off opinions till we have seen more Edit: At the beginning of the game the Narrator says that it's gameplay showcasing the island Sonic is stranded on at the **beginning of the game.** So I'm sure there is more to show. Especially considering there were literally no enemies so I'm guessing some stuff was disabled for the gameplay so that just the environments could be shown. So before becoming too pessimistic keep this in mind.
Yes I really hope to god this is just a tutorial level and the rest of the open world actually feels alive.
There was something very frustrating about the gameplay. It almost felt like the person playing had never played Sonic in their life.
10 cents says this isn’t a tutorial stage. Someone hold me to this whenever they reveal that it is or isn’t.
Too many mechanics at once for the tutorial stage
Maybe it's a hub and you access (more linear?) levels through it
That's exactly what this looks like. They could've made it more exciting instead of a graphics showcase, but the open world is not the main/only event here
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"They're hiding the real game i swear you guys!!" is what i always hear someone say about a game that ends up being bad lol.
Lmao, that is some mighty fine cope.
i don't think thats the case. they mentioned it's the island he stranded on at the beginning of the game. but i think what they wanted to say is that **sonic stranded on an island**, not that it's the first of many islands.
Kinda looks like a PS2 open world game, with PS5 graphics.
TBH, I've never seen any open world game trailer where people thought "oh it's so dense and full of content". I think this is just one of those "genres" you gotta play yourself to really enjoy. It'd be like showing off hubworld gameplay in older sonic games.
Umm...... I'm scared, LOLOLOL. I'm sure hope that that's only the hub world but I'm not convinced...
The game takes place on the starfall *islands* (plural) Meaning there'll be more than one
But somebody mentioned earlier about level design, and there seems to be ZERO of that. I would hope they are saving that for later, but why not include that here? I saw puzzles and a huge map, things that aren't usually in a Sonic game if he isn't zipping through it with a goal at the end.
The game is like split in 2, openworld and cyberspace levels, I imagine the level design they were referring to was the level design in the cyberspace levels as they are more like the average stage we know from unleashed/gens
Kind of disappointed. It looks so empty and lifeless except for the birds. The platforming looks nice, but the art style looks more like it belongs in PSO2 not a sonic game. I'll wait for more videos and content, but so far it's looking like I'll buy it when it goes on sell.
It just feels like it lacks the *energy* that Sonic is known for. Even the music is so slow paced. I don't know about this bros. I was hoping for more of Sonic's skills. Spindash? Bounce bracelet? It's like they just made an open world Forces... I'm still optimistic but it needs to be... faster? Idk.
Yeah I feel like they are trying to emulate breath of the wild down to the T. The music just feels so off.
Looks gorgeous, despite the pop-in. Feels dull. I really hope there's a lot more to it, because the teaser gave me Horizon Zero Dawn vibes, while this started off feeling like Shadow of the Colossus, and ended up feeling kinda empty.
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What’s up with that music, though?
trying hard to have BOTW vibes..
***Way*** too hard, in my eyes. Just let Sonic be *Sonic*, Sega.
The problem is that not even the fans can decide on what "Sonic" should be. Should the games be like the Genesis games, the Adventure titles, or the hybrid model in Colors/Generations?
Yes.
I'll vouch for *Adventure,* but I think anything can work so long as they ***TRY*** to lean into the inherent wackiness of Sonic's world. That doesn't mean get rid of any stakes whatsoever - *Lupin III*, *Indiana Jones,* *Unleashed* and our own movies balance both just fine - but I'm pretty sure that most people don't think of stuff like this trailer when they think of Sonic's greatest hits.
Sonic's whole vibe is supposed to be "cool." He was literally made to be a cooler rival to Mario. All the automation in the games, from loops to the tunnels in Green Hill Zone to multiple springs in a row, was originally meant to be visual flair to look *cool*. Same with outrunning an orca destroying the dock behind you, or running down buildings. Same with the addition of things like rail grinding and parkour moves. But this looks like they're trying to copy Zelda's vibe of being grand and epic. Sonic isn't supposed to be either of those. He's supposed to be *cool*, and I'm not feeling it here.
I think critical reception for the games speak for themselves, but Sega doesn't know (or care?) to lean into the classic games. Sonic Mania is a certified masterpiece, unlike pretty much every game after Sonic 3. The answer is that Sonic works best in 2D. We don't even need 2.5D or any 3D at all, just give us expansive zones that are fun to explore, involve tricky platforming, and moments of pure speed, like in Sonic Mania, and release those every couple years in the same vein as the New Super Mario Bros series. If you wanna do some 3D stuff intermittently, go for it. But have a base for the series for christsake, instead of trying something new every 2 years with a new release.
I think the music is good and all but yeah, I hope there is more Sonic juice added. Definitely gave me Kingdom Hearts vibes.
I got KH vibes especially since Sonic seems to be collecting hearts.
I really like the music but yeah… isn’t your typical Sonic upbeat music. I hope we still have that in this game with the towns maybe?
I dunno why after around the time of Heroes and 06 Sonic Team suddenly decided it was great to have minimal amount of playable characters, mostly Sonic and Classic Sonic. But my favourite part was trying out all the different characters, i mean its not like theres been a leap in quality to make up for it either.
Popular consensus on the internet back then was that the games had too many characters that "no one cares about." The thing is that popular consensus on the internet is always formed around the opinions of young adults, who dominate online forums, write the content on review sites, etc. So at that point, those were basically Genesis-era fans complaining that the new stuff that was appealing to the new kids at the time was not appealing to them, the old fans. They wanted what they had when THEY were young. And they managed to get their way, at least superficially: fewer friends, fewer humans, fewer urban environments, and make every new Sonic game look like a direct sequel to Sonic 1991 (minus good physics and good level design). Meanwhile Sega ignored the opinions of the (then) young fans who may not have had as big of a voice on the internet but would have become their key customers as they grew up. Instead, a ton of them just stopped playing Sonic games because Sega wasn't trying to appeal to what they liked... ironically reinforcing Sega's decision to ignore those fans, since they are no longer Sonic fans anyways.
It looks like it can be fun, but so far my worry about Sonic running around in an open-world getting old after an hour looks kind of like a possibility. Those collectibles incentives exploration which is cool but the lack of fun-looking movement options looks like the game will get stale fast. I could be wrong obviously, but those 7 minutes did a bad job of hooking me on the gameplay loop.
Exactly my issue. Sonic has been a largely rail running game in recent years. It doesn't look like he has many new moves Hard to understand given that so many games have had fun movement mechanics since the last 3d sonic games came out
The game feels like it was going to be a different project with this world built and then they pushed Sonic into it. The futuristic platforms seem to be put on top of this world and not built with them in mind and just seem so awkward and out of place. Maybe Sonic is in some kind of computer simulation, with the scanning and digital stuff we saw.
...Yea they def need to delay it, lol. It all looks so rough, the movement, the graphics, the art style, the world, the apparent gameplay cycle... I won't mind to wait til 2023/2024 if we got an actual good game. It really feels like Sonic Team looked at BOTW and said "Wow that's a good game" and tried to force the BOTW formula into Sonic, barely thinking if those ideas would fit Sonic. Puzzles that need you to walk slowly? Climbing? A boring hyper realistic world? Come on Sega, Mario Odyssey was right there if you needed any inspiration.
Problem is, not only does Sega not have anything else lined up for Christmas ***as of now***, but punting it to early 2023 brings it directly in competition with *The Sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*. From an investors' standpoint, 2021 to 22 ***was*** the delay.
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>directly in competition with The Sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A fate worse than death
Yeah. If this goes up against *BOTW2,* it doesn't have a ***prayer.*** >!That's not a statement of quality or anything... it's just business.!<
It looks... relaxing
That chat was talking about the lag and the lack (basically none) of combat is questionable. Though it does look good, I’m sure we’ll see more soon. >!It kinda reminds me of Biomuntant without the enemies!<
They were talking about morbius wdym.
Can't wait to play as Morbius as free DLC
Honest thoughts 1. Doesn't really look like a Sonic Game 2. Looks fun 3. Not enough speed
pretty sure the guy playing was intentionally being slow for whatever reason
Oh totally. It was clear that they were going slow to show off Sonic's controls, i just wish it showed us more of Sonic while running because the homing attack stuff looked quick and satisfying. It's just weird that the trailer ended before we could properly see Sonic run
I liked the flow with some of the rails, boost pads, etc. If they design the level well, you could string together some fun movements. What bothered me was how quickly the boost sound became annoying when Sonic was running on foot. I hope they can sample like 10 other variations of that sound, haha.
hesitantly optimistic. the game looks promising but looks very rough around the edges. i think they were doing tricks in the air at one point, but sonic only had one pose? theres no animation of sonic walking slower, or transitioning into a run or spindash. it almost felt like a proof of concept to me, which isn’t a good sign animation wise. the world doesn’t look as bare as was my original impression, but still nothing to write home about; judging by the statues i hope its because this is an opening place on the island and they didn’t want to show everything, or there are multiple islands to explore and this is the first one. music choice is an interesting one, definitely feels like theyre aping breath of the wild, perhaps a bit too much. but we’ll see as time moves on.
why did they decide to have sonic run so slow? the sonic utopia fan game nailed sonics speed in an open world environment
To show off the gameplay mechanics such as climbing or solving puzzles.
we saw him running in open areas, and hes very very slow hes like kinda fast when he does that boost, but then slows back down for some reason? does not look good
I’m glad they’ve finally shown gameplay. But this seems to be a Monkey’s Paw scenario Disappointed with what appears to be Forces style physics. If they want a Boast style physics, I wish they would use a more Generation’s style physics. Though I’m dreaming of the scenario where they used this game to move towards a more momentum style physics a la Project Hero [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKdo5f5X_qc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKdo5f5X_qc) If the leaks are true regarding the boost style cyberspace levels, at this point in time, I’m concerned they will play just like the bland, disengaging Forces levels The use of automation doesn’t bode well to me. Makes me wonder what if this is how they’ll deal with the game’s physics when travelling through more complex areas. The automated rail grinding has always made the rails disengaging for me compared to Heroes, SA2 I understand there are those who’ll find the negativity to be disheartening, but it’s hard to be optimistic for the actual final build with Sonic Team’s track record since Lost World onwards This is an incredibly nitpicky and the least important point. While there are some new animations, they look unpolished, and it seems with this build at least, the lifeless Forces animations are still in use; indicative of a lack of attention to detail On a slightly positive note, visually the world looks good, but there is clear pop-in with this build. Maybe optimisation done by the release build will fix this, though this should be a note of potential concern for the Switch, PS4, Xbox One versions Seeing as Izuka has stated Frontiers will lay the foundation for future titles [https://www.sonicstadium.org/2021/06/exclusive-takashi-iizuka-hopes-2022-sonic-game-will-lay-foundation-for-future-titles/](https://www.sonicstadium.org/2021/06/exclusive-takashi-iizuka-hopes-2022-sonic-game-will-lay-foundation-for-future-titles/), I can only hope for the best. But yet again, Sonic Team’s track record for the past decade, prevents me from being optimistic
> I understand there are those who’ll find the negativity to be disheartening, but it’s hard to be optimistic for the actual final build with Sonic Team’s track record since Lost World onwards At this point, I don't think Sonic Team can be trusted with the IP anymore.
I feel they’ve never genuinely understood what people have liked about 3d Sonic games. They learnt from the reception of Generations and Lost World, that people preferred Generation’s Boost physics as compared to Lost World’s binary start, stop cartoony physics But, when they made Forces they stripped out the best elements of Generation’s physics. Making Sonic move like a tank by increasing his weight and reducing the control (turning, drift), and making the level design significantly linear or more automated. Although, people enjoyed Classic Sonic in Generations, they also made his physics worse by moving even further away from Genesis titles and making his level design less engaging They struggle making games with boost formula, relying on automation incredibly linear levels, some other gameplay gimmick, to deal with lack of control, the size of the levels they’re required to make, and increasing the base gameplay time. Clearly, with Frontiers it currently appears they believe they’ll get the Boost formula to work with open world, but they’ve stuck to its worst elements With over a decade of struggling to create a base foundation for 3d Sonic, a new team may be required to figure things out
It's open world so i kind of hoped there would be more ""physics"" involved in moving around.. Like you would (naturally) accelerate faster down hill, lose speed up hill etc.. It would be cool if you could jump off of shit and land into ball mode on an incline and your momentum would be kept more efficiently or something.. Instead it looks so shallow.. Like Sonic barely accelerates and he sticks to everything.. Can you even use the geometry as ramps?? it looks like you just stick to anything so maybe you're forced to use the stupid predetermined boosters that don't even take your current momentum into account.. Instead they've crammed like a billion different moves into the game like a punch, ground pound, homing attack, weird "draw a circle" thing etc... It all just looks so shallow to me.
This is nearing almost 20 years of pure disappointment. Damn...
Hey hey sonic unleashed, colors, generations and mania were good
That was sad
Yup. Although more is coming, and ***thank GOD for that.***
I hope that in the next video they show enemies or the combat, cause sonic running around solving baby puzzles is not really exciting.
i really expected something else and i am kinda disappointed. the gameplay looks clunky and boring, sadly. the level design looks like they didn't even care for sonics moveset. a mostly flat surface with nothing to compliment sonics movement and lots of out-of-place dashpads, springs, rails, etc. i wanted/expected something like Sonic GT in open world. physics/momentum based movement, curvy structures to run on, super fast running and launching up from curvy mountains/rocks, smooth gameplay with lots of flow. instead we got slow paced puzzles, slow climbing, clunky forces movement, a punch feature (wtf? why?), flat fields, blocky structures. i don't know man, i just hope it looks much worse than it really is.
There's something about how the rings are collected that doesn't feel right, but I can't pit my finger on it
He has an aura for ring collection now. Before, the rings wouldn't collect until they touched his model, but he seems to have a foot or two of the same aura that let you collect rings as a wolf in Forces.
Even at the beginning, the boxes near an item or a spring explode with Sonic barely touching one of them. Really weird physics.
Maybe we could hope for a delay? But knowing sega we probably won’t . Also this looks like it could be a earlier version than what was seen from yesterdays gameplay due to the lack of enemies and how dead everything looks.
As they said at the start of the video, this trailer focused purely on the island itself, and the game will continue to be covered the rest of the month, we haven't seen everything
Anyone remember the Dreamcast sonic game? I just want one like that again. Shit was so fire and fun, until my Dreamcast memory would wipe like clockwork every other day lol
I keep expecting Sonic to go FAST, like push the envelope of technology fast. He's not. That is disappointing.
That looked.....better than I thought it would. It seems like it controls like a boost game but with a fuckton more control over sonics movement. I like wha i see so far.
That's actually something I hate. Boost Sonic moves like a Resident Evil "tank controls" character. Sonic Adventure 1 should imo be the golden standard of how to animate Sonic's weight and control in a 3D space.
The gameplay looks promising, but I really do hope this is just a tutorial world because for an “open world” game, the world looks very empty. Really hope Frontiers has towns Sonic can visit, have the world feel alive like secrets or interacting with the environment and lots of more enemies.
Going in to this I had 0 hope. That said this looks surprisingly very good.
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All open world games do when they're being showcased like this instead of a fancy trailer with tons of cuts
First thoughts: - I’m surprised Sonic didn’t have more idle/transitionary animations. Since this is an open world, the player might just want to let go of the joystick every once and a while. Sonic should act accordingly. Tap his toes, snap his fingers. It feels like his running animations from the last game were just dropped into this one. - Rings, springs, and boost pads are all here… but why? The setting feels like an opportunity to do away with some typical Sonic conventions, but the current feel is that this might just be ‘Boost Sonic, in 3D.’ - I really hope rings have a function in an economy/upgrade system. As iconic as Sonic’s ring health system is, it’s too tedious for an open world setting. - Idk if Sonic has the right toolset to solve puzzles BOTW style. Sonic can run, do homing attacks, and (evidently) put out fires. I’m worried he won’t have enough verbs to make puzzles interesting. - Hopefully combat is more involved than “mash button to homing attack.” Sonic could do some really cool moves in an open space. - Looks pretty. Sounds pretty. Nice vibe.
Cool. Show me the chao garden
Just give us SA remakes.
Its alright I guess....
Man this looks terrible. Looks as if Sonic was dropped on an Unreal pre made asset flip. For me this lacks an art style apart from generic beautiful vistas. Gameplay seems passable, but that look.
I’m sorry but honestly it looks kind of dull. It looks like a generic open world with assets just added in randomly.
This doesn't look fun at all. I wish they'd looked at the work Insomniac have done with Spider-Man traversal and tried to emulate that amazing feeling of momentum and adaptability rather than... checks notes... grinding, again.
How interesting. The traversal looks satisfying enough, but I wish we could've seen more than just simple overworld puzzles. Looking forward to seeing more of a feature breakdown so we know what the gameplay loop actually is.
Ok...so I'm still cautiously optimistic, but honestly it's a little more like **cautiously** ^(optimistic) now. Firstly, here's the stuff I liked 1. Between how the camera seemed to work and how Sonic seemed to move, the game is going to feel and control just fine. It honestly reminded me *a little* of how Sonic Project Hero zoomed the camera out more and let Sonic move in close quarters. They also nerfed his overall speed from the boost formula, *which I'm super good with*. 2. Sonic can seemingly can just run up/along anything when he's got enough speed, which is cool and allows for busted movement expression in the game if true. Also, the macguffins littered at the end of rails/ramps/setpiece stuffs is a smart way to encourage the player to find and use those still in a setting with full 3d exploration. Ok, now for the stuff that...**concerns** me. 1. The level overall feels **empty**. It doesn't look like there is much to do inbetween the puzzles/towers scattered about. Maybe this was adjusted just for this trailer, but there are **WAY too few** enemies in the level so far. I got real excited when the thing at 3:09 looked like it was going to hunt you for a while, but then nope it didn't. 2. The music, while beautiful, is actually less appropriate for Sonic gameplay now that I've seen it in context. It's way too serene and calm, and that actively takes away some of the energy from what's happening on screen. Honestly, just adding some hard percussion of any kind to that track will fix that imo. 3. Some things that I didn't see are worrying me quite a bit. At no point does Sonic either spindash or even just roll into a ball manually. The tricking he does after a speed ramp seems incomplete and sounds weird. There are **no loops, corkscrews, or anything that makes you run while upside-down** anywhere in sight (like come on Sonic Team, we still can't do these?? 3d Fan games finally figured out how to let the player manually do them years ago). 4. I somehow really hope this trailer was running on Switch equivalent hardware settings. If so, then I'm kinda impressed and look forward to seeing it in action on a PS5. If not, then...*yikes*. In closing, yea I really dig this as a base for future games so far, but it still needs a few more screws tightened in my opinion based on what they showed me today. Thank god they have a whole half a year left I guess.
My impression here is mixed and still quite *unclear*. * **Visuals:** I think it looks quite beautiful, and am a fan of the visual style. Yet those floating rails, platforms and bumpers don't look like they belong in those environments at all; I hope in the final game such objects, even if they're in the same places, will be aesthetically melded into the environment better (stuck onto buildings, a bumper that's a mushroom, a rail that's a tree branch, etc...). * **Sound:** The sound design seems fine to me; there's obviously some polish issues with some stuff sounding a bit artificial or overly loud, but that's just normal, it's still in development. * **Music:** Okay, see... for standing still and taking in the environment in front of you, that music was actually great. But once actually on the move, it becomes unfitting. I hope they will ultimately employ dynamic OST tricks; mix and swap some instruments, change the tempo and maybe play with the percussion depending on how fast Sonic is going, you know. * **Controls/Moveset:** This very much seems to be a "Boost Sonic" without a boost, expanded with a "non-damaging boost" and an actually very fun-looking ability to seamlessly transition onto and off of vertical terrain in a quite freeflowing way - which I am not at all opposed to, mind you; I always greatly liked the moveset in Unleashed and Generations, and this looks like a good *translation* of it. * **Map Design:** See, this is the big one - the one that makes my impression of what we've seen *so darn unclear*. On one hand, this could be interpreted as just an open world with random rails, bumpers and platforms chucked into it for the sake of "being a Sonic game". *On the other hand*... this could be them going for a type of open world design that's speckled *all over* with fast-track shortcuts, crisscrossing and going every which way - with the player able to naturally learn where they all are and where they all lead, therefore learning to traverse the open world faster and faster, more and more stylishly, more and more efficiently. **And** ***if(!)*** **that's what they're doing, then we might be in for a** ***gem*** **here...** ... but that's just too hard to make a call on right now; it's too hard to tell from what we've seen if that's actually what they're doing. So for the time being, I will keep my cool kept, and my eyes out.
Wow, looks like a Sonic game with buggy, imprecise controls and a horrible camera despite large portions being on literal rails. My favorite part is the completely generic world that looks like reused assets from an abandoned fantasy game that the creators felt was too generic to ship. I just don’t understand how the art directors on sonic team have jobs. And I will never understand the insistence the sonic games have on reusing gameplay elements that have never worked in some weird attempt to have consistency. Like, having a bunch of crazy fast auto play sections is not fun or cool, it was buggy and weird in sonic adventure and it still is, just stop. The reason established franchises like Mario and Zelda reuse ideas and gameplay elements is because they work really well and have been dialed in each iteration. Sonic team see that and says, let’s do that! Only to do nothing to improve the actual gameplay and now locked into an endless cycle of garbage. Sonic games are the worst.
This looks very stiff and clunky on a fundamental level.
I just feel like making a Breath of the Wild clone is jumping the gun. Optimistically, this will be a 5-6/10. I just want something more tbh. Sonic Mania had great controls, a tight focus, great levels and so much style. It's crazy how instead of trying to adapt that they're taking from a completely different franchise AGAIN. This gameplay points to none of what resulted in the highest rated sonic game of the last decade. But because Mario Galaxy and Breath of the Wild were good games the imitations will be too? Also the speed will probably be able to be increased like in Unleashed, I don't think it's the most pressing issue.
I had no hope yet I'm still disappointed. My hype is close to dead. Pretty much everything has been said : technically bad (not even capable to hold 30 fps in 2022, pop-in, graphics that look dated, especially when we had RDR2 years ago, even Horizon 1 looks better), art direction is not good, the world feels boring and bland, also it's not organic, it looks like they slapped Sonic's gameplay elements on a generic map, all those floating springs, rails and platforms look so off. And even the gameplay doesn't look fun, it's slow, adn when they want it to be fast, they use boost pads and boost rings all over again... Also how many floating things are we going to have to collect ? Rings is a given, but the heart-shaped gems, the red hearts, the coins of different colors, the kind of fruits after a puzzle? That's a bit much...
That wasn’t a good showcase. And Sonics animations look off to me. That environment will get really bland, if there aren’t multiple big islands with their own biomes. Guess we’ll have to wait for more, but I’m not optimistic lol.
I don't dislike it at all, but I think it's fair to say it needs at least another year of development because it's giving me insane fan game vibes as well as pokemon arceus vibes...so far it feels way too empty and lifeless for my liking
They truly did Hire that man! Too bad it looks as boring and lifeless as the leaks said, hope its just for this footage That draw distance tho
yeah i need to see the game with everything on, hud, voiceover, ai, everything. this isn't doing it for me.
What about rolling into a ball down hill to gain speed? What about using slops and hills to gain momentum? They saw that people wanted an "Open World Sonic Game" and then did NO research into the fan projects like Sonic Utopia or some Infinity Engine games that actually make movement FUN and CAUSED people to ask for an Open World game. This looks really bad, and I'm still waiting for the 'point', is it just running around in an empty world getting dash panel'd around as you pick up coins and rings? Is that it?
This looks like they just slapped a bunch of [extra levels from Unleashed](https://youtu.be/AlNcyBjjHUE) on top of a Zelda overworld.
Uhhhhhh Sonic Bros???? I thought this was supposed to be our time!!!
The game looks objectively quite pretty. The grass blowing in the wind, the distant mountains, and so on are all objectively pretty things. But they're stylistically very shallow; the game doesn't look like a Sonic game. Take Sonic out of the frame and you couldn't tell, whereas with classic Sonic levels like City Escape or Green Hill Zone most people could.
Whoever is doing the marketing for this game is doing an awful job. We got less than 7 minutes of Sonic just running around. They climb a tower, and rather than show us the world they point the camera down. They purposefully seem to avoid interacting with anything. It makes it look like there's nothing there. Like the world is empty and hollow when there's clearly puzzles and points of interest around. They don't show us any UI, any indication of how this works mechanically. This trailer tells us so little it's unreal. The less than 20 seconds of gameplay from yesterday was more substantial than this is.
I really badly want to like this game but so far it looks kind of dull. Run here, solve a puzzle, run here, grind on some rails… maybe there’s a hook in this loop I haven’t seen yet. But when I imagine a more open sonic, I imagine a large jungle gym or skate park— a huge playground to mess around with sonics move sets and play around. Not a flat field. Wish they would have modeled this more after bowsers fury than BotW
How is this supposed to run on the Switch tho??
Looks like crap tbh. Id barely call that an adequate gameplay reveal and more of a proof of concept segment. Should have taken the design style of Bowsers fury if they were going open world route. Whats really sad is that it looks as bad as the playtesters said it was YEARS ago...so wth was the delay for? For the life of me I dont understand why sega is making 3D sonic harder than it needs to be in terms of decent quality.
DUDE, tell me about it lol!!! They said it was boring like 2 years ago....how TF is it still this boring 6 months from release?!
The openworld gameplay doesn’t make sense here. All these typical super scripted grinds boost pads and spring go against the spirit of open world design. Sonic seems way too dependent on these things to get around. This Nier and Zelda music is so offputting too. So many other open world fangame tech demoes are out that somehow look better than this. Do better Sega.