SEGA participated in the Tokyo Game Show event, during which the developers demonstrated a small gameplay segment from an early prototype of Sonic Frontiers.
During the presentations of Sonic Frontiers gameplay, many players had questions, as colorful structures and objects appeared in the air during gameplay: rings, walls, platforms, and "paths" that Sonic could use.
However, in the shown Sonic Frontiers prototype, everything is different. In the early stages of development, the game had a different, darker tone. There were no flying platforms then; Sonic could use an elevator to climb towers and look around — at that moment, not only platforms but also other floating objects were not visible in the frame.
But in the distance, a huge enemy can be seen. The blue hedgehog could run up to it and then climb up to extract an emerald.
The moment showing the prototype in the broadcast "飯塚Pがディレクター陣とゲームを語り尽くす！【ソニックTGS記念特番】" begins at 54:30.
Ultimately, Sonic Frontiers was still liked by many players. On Steam, the project has "very positive" reviews, an 89% rating after more than 28 thousand user reviews.