Sonic Origins is now available, and while the collection revitalizes the blue blur’s beginnings masterfully, it also gives us some hints about the series’ future. A datamine of Origins has revealed leftover files from Sonic Frontiers, raising some interesting questions about the upcoming adventure.
Modder @ahremic brought this datamine into the spotlight on Twitter. Their tweet includes a shot of some Sonic Frontiers shaders that were left in Origins’ code for some reason. @ahremic also links to a PasteBin collection of code strings in their thread, pointing out some other interesting finds. The strings name-drop characters like Amy Rose, who we already know will be one of the characters in the game, plus Knuckles the Echidna and Big the Cat, neither of which have been seen so far.
Along with Big the Cat comes a code reference to fishing. Sonic Frontiers is an open-world game in spirit, and while Sonic Team has been using the term “open zone,” that still leaves plenty of room for a fishing activity. One other curious find is code for an NPC named Kodama. In Japanese folklore, kodama are tree spirits, but it’s also worth pointing out that Japanese developer Rieko Kodama was also involved with the first two Sonic the Hedgehog games. Her name could be used as a reference to a completely unrelated NPC.
Clearly, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Sonic Frontiers out there. One of the biggest is the game’s release date, which has yet to be confirmed. A PlayStation database leak at the end of last year suggested a November 15, 2022 launch date, but Sega has yet to say anything official.
For now, we can savor the gameplay demos that have been released so far. There’s a lot of exciting stuff to spot in the gameplay, from classic rails and rings to new environmental puzzles and combat techniques. Some off-screen footage also seems to show the return of Sky Sanctuary Zone.
