Open Zone

The Open Zone,^[1] also known as the Open hub-world or the Open World is a recurring game mechanic that appears the Sonic the Hedgehog series. First introduced in Sonic Frontiers, they are vast explorable environments or Zones that offer various gimmicks through which Sonic and others can freely traverse.

Description

Taking cues from the open-world video game genre, Open Zones are designed as large areas filled with an interactable environment full of gimmicks, challenges and missions, collectables, enemies, etc. that Sonic and his friends can roam around and explore freely in.^[2] Open Zones are similar to Adventure Fields from Sonic Adventure, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and Sonic Unleashed, though are larger in scale and scope, and can be seen as a successor to them of sorts.

Despite this a huge freedom of movement, the Open Zone differs from the open-world in that story progression is relatively linear at times, and certain objectives must be done to advance the story and access more of the Open Zone.^[3]

Game appearances

Sonic Frontiers

Main article: Starfall Islands

The Open Zone in Sonic Frontiers are the Starfall Islands, a remote archipelago filled with ruins, signs of destruction, and highly advanced technology left over from a bygone civilization. These islands consist of:

• Kronos Island, an island full of grassy steppes.
• Ares Island, a large desert island.
• Chaos Island, a volcanic island that's high in the sky.
• Rhea Island, the upper side of Kronos Island, where six large towers await.
• Ouranos Island, a swampy, forested island.

Inhabiting the islands are a wide variety of Koco, small, playful stone creatures, that look to Sonic and his friends to help find peace. In return, the Koco can help them become stronger by being returned to their leader, the Elder Koco, or by trading Seeds with the Hermit Koco. Defending the islands are a variety of robots and Guardians created by the Ancients, as well as the extremely powerful Titans, four massively sized robots used by the Ancients to ward off the destructor of their previous home.

While on the Starfall Islands (except for Rhea Island), Sonic can find Portals, which must be unlocked with the Portal Gears found around the islands. These Portals can be used to access Cyber Space, a hostile, digital dimension filled with stages based on Sonic's memories. Completing these stages will yield Vault Keys or Lookout Koco, which can be used to unlock the Chaos Emerald Vaults or Trial Towers, respectively. There are also Purple Portals, which link to Fishing Spots, unique locations within Cyber Space where Sonic can trade Purple Coins found on the islands with Big the Cat to fish.

While exploring the islands, Sonic must stabilize and rescue his friends that are trapped within the Cyber Cages that hold them by using the Memory Tokens scattered around the islands. After freeing them, they and Sage may be found wandering the island, and interacting with them will play a Side Story, short conversations which give insight into the characters' feelings, surroundings, and their speculations about the islands, or it can play a Main Story scene, which are used to advance the progress of the island.

The islands are full of various platforms and grind rails fill out the island for Sonic and friends to traverse, usually with a reward of Memory Tokens, Skill Piece Koco, or Map Koco waiting at the end of them. Scattered around the islands are Challenges, which are mini-gauntlets where Sonic and friends must complete specific objects. Occasionally, Sonic's friends or the Koco will give him quests for him to complete, or they will find Island Mysteries, which must be completed to advance the island's progress.

Every so often, the islands exhibit a unique phenomena known as Starfall, during which star pieces will fall from the sky and every defeated robot and Guardian will revive, returning to their previous posts. There are also signs that denote spots where Sonic and friends can use the Cyloop to find useful items.

Rhea Island is unique in that it lacks many of these features, instead hosting six towers that are used to keep The End within Cyber Space. Five similar towers can be found on Ouranos Island during The Final Horizon scenario. Each tower hosts complex and involved platforming sections leading to a confrontation with the Master Koco.

Kronos Island (Birdseye View)

Ares Island (Birdseye View)

Chaos Island (Birdseye View)

Rhea Island (Birdseye View)

Ouranous Island (Birdseye View)

Shadow Generations

Main article: White Space

The Open Zone returns in Shadow Generations, this time taking place in an expanded, three dimensional version of White Space, with two distinct versions of it being accessible. These are:

• White Space, a flat area filled with large white and gold buildings, water, and corruption.
• Doom Zone, a corrupted version of White Space made by Black Doom, where a corrupted facsimile of Radical Highway floats overhead.

Shadow must use his Doom Powers to navigate the terrain of White Space, which can be activated by using the Doom Gears collected from stages on the Sealing Devices found around the area. Stage entrances and Boss Gates can be found at the end of platforming challenges that often require the use of one of Shadow's Doom Powers. Boss Gates may be unlocked with Boss Gate Keys collected by completing the Challenge Acts found near the stages. Harder variants of the Challenge Acts and Boss Gates can be found within the Doom Zone.

Similar to the Starfall Islands, White Space is also full of platforming challenges, which usually lead to Collection Boxes. Challenges once again can be found around the area, with harder variants existing within the Doom Zone. Machine Parts can be found scattered around White Space, which may be collected and given to Orbot and Cubot for their escape rocket. Grind Rails can be found around White Space, allowing for quick movement around the area.

Other NPCs can be found around White Space, having been trapped there by the Time Eater. Shadow can speak with them to gain some insight on their conditions and their thoughts on their situation, as well as their relationship with Shadow himself.

Trivia

• The Starfall Islands went through many changes during the development of Sonic Frontiers, Kronos Island, Rhea Island, and Ournaos Island were all part of a larger, combined Kronos Island before becoming split. According to Morio Kishimoto, the splitting of the larger Kronos Island into the three separate ones was a somewhat late change in the game's development due to play tester feedback finding the combined island "too big and boring".^[4] Despite the splitting, remnants of the combined island remains in the final game.
  • In the final game, Kronos Island and Rhea Island are still on the same physical landmass, but are treated as two separate areas, while Ouranos Island was moved to a new map all together. Despite this, they all share the same aesthetic (though Rhea Island and Ouranos Island are somewhat more wooded and marsh-like than Kronos Island).
  • In Egg Memo #7, Dr. Eggman claims there are only three islands on the Starfall Islands, seemingly as a holdover from before the splitting of the combined Kronos Island. In The Final Horizon, however, Dr. Eggman and Knuckles state there are four islands.^[5][6]
  • The ocean around Kronos Island/Rhea Island and Ouranos Island feature outlines where the two landmasses where split from each other.
  • A height terrain map of the combined island can be found in the Nintendo Switch and PS4 versions of the game, which can be loaded into the game.
  • An even earlier version of the combined island's wind map on the PS4 version shows that a secondary island that seemingly was missing to the leftover version of the combined island.
• Additionally, possibly as a result of the earlier feedback on the combined Kronos Island, the water outline for Ares Island and an early wind map for Chaos Island show that they were also initially planned to be much larger as well.

Gallery

Screenshots

Open Zone maps

Gallery
A Map of Kronos Island A map of Ares Island A Map of Chaos Island A Map of Rhea Island A Map of Ouranous Island A Map of White Space (Shadow Generations) A Map of the Underground Area of White Space (Shadow Generations)

Development

Gallery
The heightmap used for the combined version of Kronos Island, Rhea Island, and Ouranos Island, from Sonic Frontiers. The combined island loaded in-game, from Sonic Frontiers. An early wind map of the combined island, from Sonic Frontiers. The water line around Ares Island showing a much larger version of it, from Sonic Frontiers. An early wind map of Chaos Island, from Sonic Frontiers.

References