While the main selling point of the upcoming Sonic Frontiers is the game’s new open-world (or rather, “open zone”) action, it’s been confirmed previously that the game would also have more traditional linear stages as well. Well, today during the most recent Nintendo Direct, Sega provided a first peek at Sonic Frontiers’ linear “Cyberspace” zones and they do indeed look familiar. They’re not strictly 2D, but they look like the 2D/3D hybrid stages from something like Sonic Colors or Sonic Generations. The footage also presumably provides our first look at Frontiers running on Switch, and the results appear pretty solid, although it’s clear the resolution has had to be bumped down a notch or two. Check out the footage for yourself below (skip to the 15:50 mark if the video doesn’t load properly).

　　Probably the best trailer we’ve seen for Sonic Frontiers thus far, despite the slight Switch blurriness. It will be interesting to see how many of these Cyberspace levels there are. Is there basically a full traditional Sonic game hiding within Frontiers or are they just a small bonus? Need to know more about the blue blur’s latest? Wccftech’s Kai Powell got to go hands-on with the game and came away with somewhat mixed feelings. Meanwhile, here’s a brief official description…

　　Worlds will collide in Sonic the Hedgehog‘s newest adventure. An experience like never before, accelerate to new heights and experience the thrill of high velocity open-zone freedom. Battle powerful enemies as you speed through the Starfall Islands—landscapes brimming with dense forests, overflowing waterfalls, sizzling deserts and more! Journey into new realms.

　　Sonic Frontiers blasts onto PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Switch during the 2022 holiday season. In the meantime, Sega also recently released a new compilation of the hedgehog’s 16-bit classics, Sonic Origins, although I’d suggest you approach the package with caution.