Sonic Frontiers Cyber World Preview: A Jog Down Memory Lane

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Sonic Frontiers is an ambitious project from Sega, bringing the blue hedgehog's iconic brand of platforming action to a photorealistic open-zone setting. This change has already proven jarring for some fans based on early footage; there have been concerns that Sonic Frontiers' open-world style will limit the high-speed movement Sonic has always been known for. During a hands-on demo at Summer Game Fest, Screen Rant got a chance to experience a stage in Cyber Space, a mysterious digital realm inspired by the speed-based obstacle courses 3D Sonic games are most known for.

Cyber Space stages are accessed through mysterious stone structures scattered across the Starfall Islands. Each requires a certain amount of Portal Gears to activate; these Gears are acquired by defeating the robotic bosses that can be found scattered around the islands, which, if the demo is any indication, won't be too hard to find. In the Summer Game Fest Sonic Frontiers demo, simply interacting with a structure while holding an insufficient amount of Gears caused a boss to appear and provide the missing piece. The structures serve as gateways to specific stages in Cyber Space, which can be replayed at leisure.

Related: Sonic Frontiers Gameplay Preview Showcases Open-World Combat

The Cyber Space stage explored in the demo was a classic speed segment reminiscent of any of Sonic the Hedgehog's 3D offerings. While the nature of this cybernetic realm does seem to have a direct connection to the overarching plot of Sonic Frontiers, the stage itself was a radical departure from the rest of the game in nearly every respect. The photorealistic, lifelike setting of the Starfall Islands is wholly eschewed by a much more palatial setting, featuring grand columns