First sweeping trailer for Sonic's new video game looks like 'Zelda the Hedgehog'

He’s a big screen star and throwback video game icon these days, but it’s still been a while since we had a truly great video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise that didn’t simply pull out the old side-scrolling formula.

The latest try? Give Sonic the Breath of the Wild treatment!

SEGA has dropped the first full trailer for Sonic Frontiers, which promises an experience like never before that will have our favorite blue speed-demon ripping around an open world in the Starfall Islands. Instead of neon casinos or industrial backdrops with spinning gears and tech, the action is heading to a massive 3D world filled with dense forests, expansive deserts and sweeping waterfalls.

Check out the trailer below:

The first look really feels like something straight out of Nintendo’s playbook, with Sonic in the role of a Link-esque adventurer (albeit a very fast one) in a game that looks more like a modern-day Zelda title than a Sonic sequel. It’s an interesting direction to take the Sonic franchise, and if nothing else, it at least feels like it could be a fresh new story to go along with Sonic’s upcoming film sequel in 2022. The formula has worked out pretty well for Nintendo over the years, right?

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has been one of the most successful in video game history, dating back to the SEGA Genesis days of super-fast side-scrolling action. Things got a bit messier when the series jumped to 3D, with a mish-mash of games that have sometimes failed to consistently live up to the character’s place in pop culture history. Here’s hoping Sonic Frontiers can tap into the magic of the old Dreamcast hits Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2. If they’re half that good, go ahead and add us to the wait list.

Sonic Frontiers is developed by SEGA and Sonic Team, and set for a winter 2022 release on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.