Sonic Frontiersmarks the start of a new era for the series, with its open-zone gameplay and lore adjustments helping stabilize the entire brand. Sega did its best to make sure players were excited aboutSonic Frontiersover the last year with plenty of marketing and convention appearances, letting fans play and understand just where the series was headed ahead of launch.
Much ofSonic Frontiers’initial marketingleft a lot to be desired, but later trailers and gameplay previews ignited hype just in time for launch. However, It turns outSonic Frontiersrevealed some endgame secrets a year before release as part of this initiative.
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The Glyph in Sonic Frontiers
The first thing fans saw ofSonic Frontierswas a teaser trailer that depicted Sonic running through a forest. As he ran, he helped draw a glyph featuring a loop, as well as a few turns and breaks using the Cyloop. This strange symbol was subject to fan speculation for some time. However, despite it being one of the first things shown, it wasn’t used again untilSega released the “showdown” trailerjust before the game launched.
The use of this symbol in the video was a signal that fans could expect the glyph to continue playing a role, and it certainly did in the end. Players can find the glyph ominously hanging over grim cutscenes and as a prominent figure in some ancient temples. Despite how the marketing makes a big deal out of the cryptic ancient symbol, it goes without explanation. Considering just where and how the glyph shows up at times, some fans believe it represents theAncients' Cyber Space dimension.
Sonic Frontiers' Ouranos Island Screenshots
Sonic Frontiers’The Game Awards trailer offered a first look at how the game looked in-engine, as well as an idea of the size for the game’s open-zone areas. Alongside this trailer, screenshots of the game’s environments were made public. However, the trailer prominently features some broken arch structures and a large diamond-shaped temple in one of its shots. Once players made it far enough in the game, they’d find these on Ouranos Island; the last ofthe Starfall Islands. The temple in particular serves as the prelude for the game’s final boss.
Once fans realize that the penultimate location inSonic Frontierswas revealed far ahead of the game’s launch, they may be surprised. In a way, the similar aesthetic between the first and final islands worked in Sonic Team’s favor, as finally getting to explore the big temple from the game’s very first trailer at the end of their adventure may serve as a great bookend toplayers' time withSonic Frontiers. Deep within the temple, fans are once again greeted to the strange glyph that has followed them throughout their journey.
The waySonic Frontiersmarketed such important aspects so early on while keeping their true purpose secret is notable. Many video game players struggle with whether or not to watch the latest trailers for their most anticipated games, as some titles likeupcomingPokemonreleasesreveal more than fans are comfortable with.Sonic Frontierstook a unique approach in that it teased late-game secrets without saying a word, letting fans figure it out for themselves.
However, this has also backfired for Sega in some ways. One location showed in the first trailer appears to have been removed from the game entirely, and others appear to be swapped around - with one shot possibly backing up the theory that Kronos Island and Ouranos Island were meant to be one location. What doesn’t help is that people have also found anunused island in the files ofSonic Frontiers' Switch version, which suggests there was even more that Sonic Team wished to do with its latest release.
Sonic Frontiersis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
