Sonic Frontiers Writer Ian Flynn Discusses Somber Tone, Game References & Redirecting Eggman To Being More Human

Game Informer has shared new comments from writer Ian Flynn regarding the storytelling for Sonic Frontiers. Aside from general gameplay concerns, the narrative has been a crucial worry for several fans, especially after how many perceived Sonic Forces. However, Flynn being a part of the project has at least moderately soothed fans’ minds, with even Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka saying that Flynn’s work on the characters in the comics was the primary contributor to him joining the team.

One of the most vital comments Flynn provides is the following:

“I wanted to advance the characters’ personal stories, even if just by a little bit. I also wanted to bring some interconnectivity to the previous games. There isn’t anything that will be too dense for new fans to wade through, but just enough for long-term fans to appreciate.”

Despite references stated to be more subtle in this upcoming game, there will still be many, so the world here will still feel connected to Sonic’s rich history. Flynn also had a significant say in certain narrative elements, though Sonic Team obviously still had to okay his requests. As he states, this process was more of a collaborative effort than a solo one.

Some of the statements that excited me the most are the following from director Kishimoto:

“We wanted Eggman to be an extremely important key figure in this story for it to be successful; we didn’t want him to just be the bad guy in our ‘good guys versus bad guys’ scenario. We wanted to portray him as a flesh and blood human being in the story”…”We needed something dramatic to set that serious tone and foreshadow things to ponder while playing the game…”

Flynn concludes the piece by saying that the story of Frontiers is rather somber, “about self-reflection and choosing how to move forward.” It’s clear that Sonic Frontiers is undergoing a massive shift in direction story-wise, and I’m thrilled. It’s been quite a while since the Sonic games had narratives that took themselves seriously and had emotional weight, so here’s hoping that Sonic Frontiers succeeds in its ambitions.

You can read the full article via Game Informer’s website, where other aspects are discussed, such as Japanese localizations.

Sonic Frontiers is releasing for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC in Holiday 2022.

• Exploration Trailer
• Combat Trailer
• Sonic Central & IGN Preview Info
• The setting of the title was confirmed to be called Starfall Islands.
• Voice and subtitled language support has been detailed.
• Press Preview Impressions.
• Playtime & Speed Upgrading Confirmed
• Story & Tone Discussion Interview
• Nintendo Direct Mini Info
• Game Informer Coverage
• Final IGN Exclusive Coverage