Sonic Frontiers revealed the latest trailer of the highly anticipated open-world game, along with confirmation of its upcoming release date.

While appearing at Gamescom, Sonic Frontiers unveiled a thrilling new trailer, showcasing a brand new villain and the clearest look so far at the plot and gameplay. It also confirmed its release date following several delays. Sonic Frontiers officially launches on Nov. 8, 2022.

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Sonic Frontiers is Sonic the Hedgehog's first foray into an open-world setting, although its developers prefer the term "open-zone." Frontiers was initially conceived as a celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog's 30th anniversary, but development took a bit longer than expected, and it missed its intended 2021 release date. Where the last few 3D Sonic games, Sonic Forces in particular, have drawn criticism from fans for their short length and linear levels, Frontiers seems primed to take the series in the dead opposite direction, placing the super-speedy platforming the series is known for in a setting that looks less like Green Hill Zone and more like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's ruined, post-Calamity Hyrule.

The first major gameplay showcase for Sonic Frontiers showed off the game's serene new setting, but it wasn't entirely clear what the Blue Blur would be getting up to in that gorgeous world. He was, of course, very fast, and he picked up some blue coins (a sharp departure from the rings he's known to chase), but it was difficult to spot any actual identity -- even the music drew more comparisons to Breath of the Wild than Sonic the Hedgehog, and throughout the video, the momentum of traversal was frequently cut short so Sonic could take a look around the gorgeously designed open world. Shortly afterwards, though, SEGA released a teaser showcasing some of the game's combat, which showed off a bit more Sonic flavor. That teaser sees Sonic leaping off of enemies, dropping rings when he's hit (there are rings in there somewhere) and doing other Sonic-ish things.

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The combat showcase wasn't quite enough to please everyone. Some Sonic the Hedgehog fans criticized it for looking generic and confusing, noting that, while combat is more of a Sonic concept than slowly exploring an open world, the combat in Frontiers still looks a bit clumsy and unpolished. It's been noted that open worlds don't necessarily mesh with the fast action and concise platforming fans have come to expect from Sonic the Hedgehog. Still, SEGA has continued to release information about the upcoming Sonic game, and the studio appears confident in its quality.

Sonic Frontiers is headed to PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Microsoft Windows on Nov. 8, 2022.

Source: Gamescom via YouTube