>>717862625
>it was difficult to create a Sonic-like environment in the open zone, where you can move freely in 360 degrees, which is something that has never been done before. It is precisely because there was a route with a start and a goal that Sonic's unique actions, suck as loops and jumps, were born.
>This time, there is an open environment with no such route, so I was worried about how to implement Sonic's level design.
It really is interesting to see Japanese devs continue to struggle with the the basic parallels that exist between Sonic's early ability to interact with the slopes and ramps in the classic games and and the entire sport of skateboarding/skating. Especially after SA2, which already took some inspiration from extreme sports trends at the time (e.g., rail grinding and its accompanying balance mechanic).
The whole concept of "what would an open-ended Sonic stage look like?" was already figured out with the Pro Skater games back in 1999. I guess it shows how alien/non-attractive skateboarding has always been to Japan, considering Sonic Team's immediate concepts for Frontiers involved dumping Sonic in an environment made up of empty fields instead, and then later scattering a bunch of 20-30 second long obstacle courses all over said fields with the first approach was, unsurprisingly, considered very boring.
