Sonic Frontiers screenshots show off a new desert island area

Sonic Frontiers is shaking up the series’ formula by giving the blue blur big biomes to explore, rather than the linear levels that the series is known for. It’s not an open-world game (at least not by developer Sonic Team’s definition), but it will offer a variety of large areas to run through. Most of what we’ve seen is a lush Green Hill Zone-like island, but there’s a dry desert one too.

The Sonic Frontiers Gamescom trailer was our first look at the desert region, showing it for a brief moment. It also confirmed the return of Sky Sanctuary Zone, which was previously spotted in some off-screen footage. The trailer only gives us a quick glimpse of the desert, but ResetEra member BlueStarEXSF shared a big batch of accompanying screenshots in a forum thread. There’s a lot of interesting architecture in the desert zone, with floating pyramids chained to the ground, stone towers, and pathways paved with bricks. Another shot shows Sonic grinding through an elaborate series of rails, pipes, and floating buildings, but it’s unclear if this is part of the same desert area. In any case, the screenshots show some of the exciting variety that awaits in Sonic Frontiers.

Beyond showing us new areas, the Sonic Frontiers Gamescom trailer also confirmed the game’s release date: it’s headed to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on Tuesday, November 8. For those interested, there are two different versions of the game up for preorder: Standard and Digital Deluxe. Preordering either version will get you some in-game bonuses when Sonic Frontiers launches.

Not only did the new trailer give us a look at the desert area and the game’s final release date, but it also showed Amy Rose. The pink hedgehog was heard in earlier footage, but this is our first look at her, and she’s apparently been trapped and digitized by the game’s villain. The list of characters in Sonic Frontiers is growing.