Upcoming SEGA platformerSonic Frontierswill be bringing theSonicfranchise into the open world genre for the first time, and it will feature a number of big changes. The speedy hedgehog will still zip around collecting rings, but he will have a whole new realm called the Starfall Isles to explore complete with puzzles to solve, towers to climb, and, of course, collectibles to find. One collectible inSonic Frontierscomes in the form of the Kocos, small rock-like creatures who are native to the Isles. While it has been confirmed that the Kocos will serve as a collection quest for players to complete, some suspect that the Kocos might also play a role similar to the Chao of previousSonictitles.
The Chao, a race of mystical beings with gelatinous appearances, have been seen throughout Sonic’s world. They are peaceful creatures who prefer to live safely in Chao Gardens, where they can swim, play, and eat fruit to their heart’s desire. Although Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team, confirmed in an interview thatKocos would be quite different from Chao, many fans still theorize that the Kocos' inclusion inFrontiersherald the return of a mode similar to previousSonictitles' Chao Garden mini-games.
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Kocos Could Be The Next Chao Garden
First introduced inSonic Adventure,theChao Gardenswere a number of locations where players could raise, play with, and breed Chao. Performing various tasks could reward the players with Chao Eggs, which would hatch into Chao if stored in the garden. Depending on how well the Chao was cared for, and which Chaos Drives and Animals it was fed, it could evolve into one of over 100 adult Chao variants. These Chao could then be entered into Chao Races and Chao Karate, and would eventually reach full maturity and reincarnate into another Chao egg. ManySonic Adventureplayers reportedly spent hours in the Gardens raising high-level Chao.
Information shared about Kocos confirm that, like Chaos, they live in tight communities deep within the natural world. This makes them an obvious choice for a Chao Garden-like mode where Kocos can be collected, organized, bred, and evolved. Koco are also confirmed to have varied appearances based on the style of leaf on their head, giving players incentive to raise and care for many types of Koco. In addition,Kocos have been confirmed to provide different benefits to Sonic, which could potentially encourage players to care for Kocos. The previously revealed Elder and Hermit Kocos could also serve as special versions of the Koco, similar to Dark and Hero Chao in previous titles.
Kocos Are Also Likely Similar to Koroks
Fans have also noticed similarities between the appearance of the Kocos and the Koroks ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.These tiny creatures who resemble sticks and leaves like to play hide and seek around the land of Hyrule, encouraging Link to find them. Solving a Korok’s puzzle and determining its location earns Link a Korok Seed; he can exchangeKorok Seedsfor expansions to his inventory size. There are 900 Korok seeds for players to collect throughout Hyrule, although only 441 of the seeds are necessary to receive the maximum number of inventory upgrades.
Based on information shared by SEGA, it seems that Sonic will be able to encounter Kocos hidden around theStarfall Islands. When Sonic locates enough Kocos and delivers them to the Elder or Hermit, he can trade them in for enhancements to his attack, health, Ring capacity, and, of course, speed. Hermit Kocos will reportedly focus on strength and defense, while Elder Kocos will focus on improving Sonic’s speed and ring limit. This definitely brings Koroks to mind, although, unlike the creatures fromBreath of the Wild,the Kocos are primarily located via sound - the Kocos make a unique bell-like noise when discovered.
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Will Chao Race or Chao Karate Return in Sonic Frontiers?
In addition to raising Chao in the Garden, players ofSonic AdventureandSonic Adventure 2could enter their Chao into races on a variety of tracks. The performance of Chaos in the races depended on their stats, including Swim, Fly, Power, and Stamina. Certain races were exclusive to Dark and Hero Chao, while others - known as Party Races - could be played together with friends. The enhanced portSonic Adventure 2: Battlealso addedChao Karate, another mini-game where Chao could compete against each other in combat.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Kocos inSonic Frontierwill be able to compete in races or combat. However, it has been confirmed that there will be mini-games featuring Kocos, including one where Sonic has to find lost Kocos and guide them home. As SEGA currently hasno plans to release a free demo ofSonic Frontiers,it is likely that the Kocos' full role will not be revealed until the full game debuts later in 2022.
Sonic Frontierswill release on June 22, 2025 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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