Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog Movies Inspired the Combat in Sonic Frontiers
The success of Paramount's two Sonic the Hedgehog movies has apparently had an impact on the video games produced by Sega. Director Jeff Fowler's take on the character has helped introduce Sonic to a brand-new audience, and Sonic Frontiers will be using elements from that movie in a handful of different ways. In a new interview with IGN, Frontiers director Morio Kishimoto revealed that the game's combat system is one notable element inspired by the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie. In the interview, Kishimoto praised the filmmakers, stating that their take on the character resulted in a major change to Sonic's movements.
"The first [Sonic the Hedgehog] movie really caught me by surprise. We have been focusing on how Sonic is supposed to run, jump and fight within our games, but the movie showed us an entirely new approach. They came up with a great interpretation of Sonic, which became a huge inspiration for Sonic Frontiers' development," Kishimoto told IGN.
Given how popular the Sonic movies have been, it's not surprising that Sonic Team is looking for elements to work into the developer's next major game. Sonic Colors Ultimate did include a couple of small callbacks to the movie, but it seems we'll see even more in Sonic Frontiers. Apparently, that won't just extend to the combat system.
"It's great to have a positive rivalry like that," Kishimoto said. "Like, if the movies do one thing, we would want to counter that with our next game, and vice versa."
It remains to be seen whether Sonic Frontiers will be as equally beloved as the two Sonic movies, but fans are notably concerned with the game's current state. Of course, many were equally concerned about the first Sonic movie prior to release, and things clearly worked out. Hopefully, Sonic Frontiers will surprise fans in a positive way, just as the movies have!
Sonic Frontiers will release later this year on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. In the meantime, you can check out our coverage of the game right here.
Are you looking forward to Sonic Frontiers? What elements from the movies would you like to see in the games? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!