Flynn Offers Sonic Frontiers Story Details in New Interview

Continuing in IGN First's coverage of Sonic Frontiers, prolific Sonic writer Ian Flynn spoke to IGN regarding his experience writing an entirely new Sonic game for the first time.

With so little known about Frontiers' world and story, Flynn does lay out the basic premise:

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Sonic, Tails and Amy embark for the Starfall Islands to investigate the disappearance of the Chaos Emeralds. Things take a turn for the dramatic immediately, and Sonic is left alone with a lot of questions. The story is his journey to uncover all the mysteries of the islands, rescue his friends, and discover how everything ties together.

For fans of story in Sonic games, you'll likely be relieved that it sounds a bit more involved than the slim plots of Generations, Colors, and Lost World. Though we've not seen any thus far, Flynn suggests that you will have significant interactions with other characters in the game, and that the story itself may have a slightly darker, "melancholy," tone, than other recent entries:

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Sonic’s indomitable spirit carries him throughout the adventure, and it’s what allows him to help each of his friends as they tackle their own personal challenges. Someone else you encounter will have their very identity shaped by their interactions with Sonic, which isn’t always a comfortable process. Then there’s the secrets of the Starfall Islands themselves and how the tragedies of the past have led to the adventure today. Sonic’s “never say die” attitude is certainly put to the test.

It will be interesting to see what Flynn brings to Sonic game writing. He notes that while he has greater creative control with what he pitches in his other work on the franchise, the core elements of Frontiers' story were provided by SEGA. Which isn't to say there's no room for his trademark style of characterization, as Flynn cites getting to take Dr. Eggman "in some interesting directions." In closing, Flynn offers well wishes to players, and hints at another of his trademarks: connections and references between Frontiers and other games in the series.

Flynn's Sonic resume is impressive, and while he's best known for his work on both the Archie and IDW Sonic comics, he's also contributed to Sonic Boom, Sonic Origins, YouTube's Tails Tube shorts, and the upcoming Sonic Prime in a consulting role. With Sonic Frontiers releasing this Winter, there's still plenty of time for SEGA to give eager fans a more robust taste of this new and distinct Sonic setting and story.