Sonic Frontiers is rolling out onto storefronts, and fans everywhere can't wait to experience the hedgehog's newest adventure. Set on the mysterious Starfall Islands, Sonic is tasked with saving his friends and foiling Eggman's latest plot. It seems like a simple setup for a straightforward game, but players will quickly find that there's more to it. Sonic Frontiers is touted as an open-zone game, featuring giant fields filled with collectibles, bosses, and puzzles, with several regular Boost Sonic levels dotting each zone. It's a major shift to Sonic the Hedgehog’s formula, and time will tell if it pays off.
In advance of Sonic Frontiers’ release, a couple prequel works were put out as advertisements. The first was an eight-page comic written by Frontiers’ writer Ian Flynn titled Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence, and the second was a Knuckles-oriented animation called Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence. Both of these are compelling teasers for Sonic's next major entry, but there may be more to them than meets the eye. The Convergence comic in particular could hint at reveals that won't come until late in Sonic Frontiers.
Convergence’s First Half is Pure Sonic Fan Service
The eight-page comic opens with an action scene, with Sonic and Tails arriving at an unspecified island via their plane, the Tornado. Amy Rose is already there fighting off several Crabmeat and Shellcracker Badniks. Dr. Eggman is also seemingly present, appearing in silhouette within the cockpit of a giant Shellcracker-like mech. The first half of Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence depicts this fight in its entirety, showing Sonic and his closest allies at their best. Amy's skills with her Pico Pico Hammer are a highlight, especially considering how rare it is for Sonic fans to see her in action nowadays.
With the small fry already dispatched, attention turns to Eggman's robot. Tails gets the chance to show his mechanical skills and even smashes through one of the giant crabs' legs with a tail swipe. He hasn't done something like that in years, and any Sonic veteran able to recognize the maneuver will already be aware that Eggman is acting off. All the doctor's lines are memetic battle quotes from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Generations. As it turns out, this Eggman is just a robotic decoy and was meant to give the real deal time to set up defenses and begin his research on the Starfall Islands.
Analyzing Eggman's Scene in Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence
Part two of the comic begins to foreshadow Sonic Frontiers in earnest. While recapping the situation, Tails notes that the Chaos Emeralds have mysteriously gathered on the Starfall Islands, which was once the home of an ancient civilization. Some time after the trio has taken off to Kronos Island, Eggman himself is shown deploying supply caches across the Starfall Islands. After a cameo from Eggman's sometimes-henchmen Orbot and Cubot, the doctor makes it clear that he wants the Ancients’ hyper-advanced technology for himself. As part of his plan, he has developed an AI speaking in familiar black and red text boxes to hijack the Islands' cybersecurity, and the comic ends with Eggman about to plug it into a Cyber Space portal.
A glimpse at Sonic Frontiers’ plot seems to be forming here. With the AI warning that it is untested, it's likely that the Ancient security hijacks it and turns it into the mysterious red-and-black Sage. This will coincide with the activation of the robotic defenses across the Starfall Islands, though whether they'll be earnestly defending Eggman or holding him captive is another matter entirely. Having Eggman appear as a captive character later on would be a big twist, and would deepen the mystery of what Sage, the Titans, and the other robots are protecting. Combined with Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence teasing the Ancients' involvement with the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic Frontiers could be a must-play entry for long-time Sonic fans.
Sonic Frontiers will launch on November 8 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.