A Prologue For Sonic Frontiers – Promotional And Promising Within Divergence

After the second teaser trailer for Sonic Prime provided more potential for an adventure in an alternate universe on Netflix this December [54], the animated prologue for Sonic Frontiers has been summoned in preparation for a new chapter in the one we dashed through since 1991 within a few days [23] [32] [38] [40] [42]. A sneak peek was revealed on Sonic Central back in June with a distanced view of a red echidna guarding a prized relic that keeps his homeland afloat [41] [64] [65]. Titled “Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence”, the short consists of a running time of six minutes and nine seconds and it is centred around his perspective before a blue hedgehog’s open-world adventure. This is not the only prologue taking place before the events of the game as the perspectives of Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles “Tails” Prower and Amy Rose have been shown in a digital comic titled “Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence” [39]. Would you believe that the animated short was uploaded on Hello Kitty and her twin sister’s birthday, which is also known as “Hello Kitty Day [8] [9] [26] [49] [52]? In a hopeful disposition, let us proceed to analyse a new perspective for Knuckles the Echidna just before Sonic forges new frontiers on a widespread rescue mission. Will it be approved by his tall, muscular counterpart from the Sonic Boom series [34] [36]? 

As a preppy nerd, I have come a long way since I played one of the handheld Crash and Spyro games from McDonald’s and take care of a shih tzu on my pink Nintendo DS back in the mid-2000s [16] [21] [35] [55]. Even as a former Sonic the Hedgehog fan, I still see a lot of potential in Sonic Frontiers [55] [62] [63] [64] [65]. As a writer and reviewer nowadays [53] [55] [56] [57] [66] [67], I shall state my thoughts in its promotional prologue. [42]

As previously stated, the short stars Knuckles the Echidna in a time before the events of Sonic Frontiers [23] [32]. On his usual duty of guarding the Master Emerald, he begins to question what his life would be like without the responsibility as he narrates, which is a new and fresh aspect of his character [38] [40] [42]. How he showed nobility and compassion to a Chao resembling NiGHTS who struggles to pull a mask out from under a boulder is a rather heart-warming call-back to Chao Garden in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 [28] [29] [30]. After he discovers a relic that unlocks a mysterious passage to Starfall Islands [38] [40] [42], he expresses confrontation as he suspects that Dr. Eggman is involved in it as a sign of being determined to not fall for his tricks again [1] [30] [44], which is some consistent character progression. It turns out that Knuckles is the first one to confront a new league of foes before Sonic the Hedgehog’s arrival [23]. He then demands to be sent home after a fair battle, meaning he is still as hot-headed and feisty as always [44]. Sadly, he ends up captured after waking up [38] [40] [42]. The fate the red echidna met in the prologue is sure to lead to him being a supporting character in need in the game. 

I do not doubt that plenty of Sonic supporters would prefer this portrayal of the feisty red echidna and his portrayal in my significant other’s Film Of The Year over his Sonic Boom counterpart to a specific extent [34] [36] [38] [40] [44] [55]. [42]

The ending may have been unfortunate [38] [40] [42], but at least Knuckles did not end up becoming consumed by ink…from an ink demon [13] [14]. Not quite the life without a certain responsibly you would expect, eh Knucks? From the moment he guards the Master Emerald to his unfortunate captivity in Starfall Island, I find the pacing throughout the prologue quite exceptional [38] [40]. [42]

Anything to say about the other characters? The flashback of Tikal and the tribe of echidnas is not only a call-back to Sonic Adventure and Sonic X but vaguely reminds me of a flashback in the second live-action film from Paramount Pictures as Knuckles narrates [29] [38] [40] [42] [44] [46]. In the present, Flicky makes a minor appearance during the rainfall at the Altar of Emerald [38] [40] [42]. As Knuckles paces through the floating forts of Angel Island, several Chao are being as adorable as always with two of them happily receiving some fruit from a tree as a reference to Chao Garden [29] [30]. Sage makes an appearance after Knuckles ends up in Starfall Islands [38] [40] [42]. She does not speak at all in the short, yet her expression is apathetic. It seems likely that she is responsible for Knuckles’ captivity. However, I still believe there could be some progression for her that will lead her into ultimately being a neutral character, such as an anti-villain [60] [61]. Apart from the light-heartedness of the Chao, the tone is conflict based and quite serious as it provides a deeper portrayal of Knuckles, especially from his narrating [38] [40] [42] [50], compared to the slapstick and wittiness in King Tweety, the animated film about a certain yellow birdie becoming a king in association with his 80th anniversary [24] [27] [51]. 

Cuteness overload! The Chao in the forts of Angel Island is much like in the Hero Garden in Sonic Adventure 2 [29]. I can imagine Stolas from Helluva Boss being cuted out by the Chao in the Dark Garden [18] [19] [29]. [42]

Let us not directly blame Sage for Knuckles’ captivity just yet. [38] [40] [42] She still does not seem to be as tyrannical as Mephiles the Dark from Sonic ’06 [31]. The overall tone of the short is a plus as it seems to lead to a rehash of the vibes of Sonic Adventure 2 [29]. [42]

The art style is not as bright and bold as Sonic X and Team Sonic Racing Overdrive [1] [2] [43], but it is still outstanding with striking shading and lighting effects [38] [40] [42]. The detail of Knuckle’s violet irises is a little more complex than the looks of the mobians’ irises in Sonic X [1] [2] [46]. The backgrounds and such are majestically detailed enough to match the quality of the animation in anime [68], including the beautifully animated puddle near the Master Emerald [38] [40] [42]. The rainfall effect at the beginning is very good as it is a frequent flock of white specks that do not look too drastic. As expressive and lively the movements of the Chao are to bring on some adorableness, the red aura that beams as Knuckles places a relic into the slot of the entrance to Starfall Islands adds to the tension of the very start of some conflict. The pace and grittiness of the fighting scene remind me of the visuals in Wolverine Vs. The Hulk [3]. The animation in Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence is impressive and not as gritty as the animation in “The Salem Sisters”, the first prequel short in association with promoting Marvel’s Midnight Suns [17], which prevents the tone from being a little too dark for the game’s primary target audience [23] [38] [40] [42].

The set of still images is darkened with a palette that enhances the feeling of having a flashback, which further proves the amount of artistic ambition put into the short [38] [40] [42], somewhat similar to the nostalgic film effect in a flashback in “C.H.E.R.U.B.”, the fourth episode of Helluva Boss [18]. Other great details in the present include the cloud effects where Knuckles soars by and the piercing shine of the Master Emerald [38] [40]. [42]

Behold, reader! Knuckles can FLY [33]!!! I would also consider the animation in this prologue is about as vibrant and eye-catching as the animation in Big Hero 6: The Series [5] [6]. [42]

In conclusion, this is quite a promising way to promote Sonic Frontiers about a week before its worldwide release [38] [40] [42], which like the first prequel short that takes place before Marvel’s Midnight Suns that will be followed by a few more [17] [58] [59]. Watching Sonic Frontiers: Prologue: Divergence must have given plenty of players the basic idea of the game’s plot when they are determined to avoid spoilers [37], even for a little while after its release [23] [38] [40] [42]. Let us just say that this review of the prologue is the packet of crisps to go with a Sonic Frontiers article sandwich [62] [63]. What would be even yummier though is finally playing the game on either the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S and considering it an outstanding new chapter with many great qualities in terms of gameplay and storytelling [23] [62] [63]. While our Nintendo nerds celebrate the 15th anniversary of Super Mario Galaxy and our loyal lombaxes and robotic rangers prepare for the 20th anniversary of the Ratchet & Clank franchise [7] [11] [12] [22] [53], our Sonic supporters are pumped for the outcome of Sonic Frontiers before the releases of the first few episodes of Sonic Prime conclude an elevating year for the speedy blue rodent [55]. 

Kudos to the creative team [10]! A little later this month, our Sonic supporters will refuse to leave Starfall Islands to save some friends [54]. There will later be some more cartoony shenanigans with Cuphead and Mugman while fans of a monochrome cartoon demon will experience a dark revival [13] [14] [20] [45] [55]. My boyfriend and I, but mostly my boyfriend will look forward to Sonic Frontiers [23] [25]. Be brave, be kind and be expressive [4] [15] [47] [48] [54]. [42]

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