Sonic Frontiersfeatures one of the most detailed stories in aSonicgame over the last decade. The story isn’t one that can be easily explained as “good guys beat bad guys,” and is instead filled with nuance and well-written characters. Throughout the game, Sonic’s friends find themselves and decide what they need to do moving forward once they’re freed from Cyber Space. These changes aren’t swept under the rug when the game ends, almost signaling to players that things will be different in future titles as Tails, Amy, andKnuckles all decide to go on their own journeys - perhaps becoming playable in the next game.
Now that many players have finished the open-zoneSonictitle, there’s been more evidence of multiple playable characters as the director ofSonic Frontiershas said this is a recent goal for the series.New playable characters are coming toFrontierslater this year as well, as the last of three DLC updates. This, along with the narrative emphasis on these classic characters going toward their own adventures, has made many fans think thatSonic Adventure’ssplit storylines across multiple characters might make a return soon.
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Why Sonic Adventure’s Storytelling Should Make a Comeback
The reason fans were so quick to think that the end ofSonic Frontierswas leading into a game where each character had their own miniature plot is because of the scale of each character’s role inFrontiers. It wasn’t a matter of Sonic’s friends just deciding they need time on their own, they all have their own reasons why.
Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of the Master Emerald of Angel Island, decides it would be fine for him to leave the island and go on his own adventures after previously being stubborn about never leaving.Amy Rose is inspiredby the Koco to share her love with the world, even if it means she’ll be far away from Sonic himself. Even Tails, Sonic’s sidekick, acknowledges he has spent too much time in Sonic’s shadow and decides to go on his own heroic quest. None of these decisions are something that can be easily ignored, as these change key pieces of the classic cast members.
If the nextSonicgame afterFrontierschooses to pretend that Amy, Tails, and Knuckles did not decide to go on their own adventures, many players would likely feel alienated and even betrayed by Sonic Team’s lack of commitment to the cast and their stories. ManySonicfans have been hoping other characters besides Sonic would be playable in main story campaigns for years, andignoring the great set-up inFrontierswould hurt the series overall.
Luckily, there’s plenty of choices Sega and Sonic Team has made that say these character-defining moments will serve their purpose in later titles. Not only is the goal of the future ofSonicdedicated to increasing the number of playable characters, butSonic Frontiersitself will be the start of that new endeavor.Sonic Frontiers’writer Ian Flynn is also part of a new team that willhelp keepSoniclore consistent, which bodes well for future games taking place whereFrontiersleft off. This means there’s a high chance that a new mainlineSonicgame with branching storylines for each playable character could be just around the corner.
Sonic Frontiersis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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