The director of the latest game in Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic Frontiers, has suggested that more 2D entries in the series are in development.
Speaking on Twitter, Sonic Frontiers director Morio Kishimoto stated that, in addition to 3D Sonic games, 2D side-scrolling Sonic games are also in development at Sega.
Kishimoto’s statement came in response to a question from a fan, who mentioned that they loved playing Sonic 4 Episode 1 and Episode 2 back when it was released. They wondered if they’d ever see another Sonic game of that kind, possibly in collaboration with developer Dimps. In response, the Sonic Frontiers director mentioned that both 3D and 2D Sonic games are currently in development at Sega, and urged fans to look forward to them.
Previously, Kishimoto had shared his vision for the next 3D Sonic game. He made multiple tweets, in which he expressed his desire to return to the Sonic Adventure style of gameplay. According to him, when he began working on Sonic Frontiers game, he thought a lot about whether or not a boost mechanic would work, and ultimately decided to use it in the game. However, he doesn’t appear to be interested in bringing the mechanic back for the next Sonic game, as he wants to do a game that doesn’t rely on it. He added that the first and second giant bosses from Sonic Frontiers are his favorites.
Kishimoto explained that he fully understands the advantages of having a boost mechanic. He assured fans that him and his team at Sega will also experiment with the coexistence of boost and spin dash. However, he added that he has a feeling that he would ultimately prefer to have the level design work without the boost mechanic, just like in the Sonic Adventure series. As per Kishimoto, the Sonic Adventure series is legendary, implying that he’s looking to work on a new entry that’s more in-line with it.
