Sonic Frontiers getting photo mode and more in new update this week

‘Sonic Frontiers’ is getting a photo mode and more as part of the Sights, Sounds, And Speed update.

Sega's open-zone game - which sold nearly three million copies globally in three months - is getting a new update on March 22 and 23, depending on your time zone.

The photo mode is for capturing "memories of your journey".

Players can use a "freely moveable camera to position the shot however you want."

There are also seven visual filters to choose from.

As well as photo mode, there are new challenge modes

After finishing the main story, challenge modes are instantly playable via the title screen. Players can expect the Cyber Space Challenge, " a time-attack mode where you’ll complete seven stages from each island (Kronos, Ares, Chaos) while competing against the clock."

Plus, there is Battle Rush, " a timed-battle mode where you rapidly defeat multiple rounds of enemies, Guardians, and Titans in one go."

And a special surprise awaits those who achieve the "fastest clear time".

Meanwhile, Hiroki Tokunaga, Sonic Team Lead Programmer, has spoken about how they used the PS5 to "create the vast open-zone freedom that gives Sonic more room to run at speeds only the Blue Blur can deliver."

In a PlayStation blog, he explained: “Sonic Team created and implemented a brand-new texture streaming system in the Open-Zone areas so players can run around the vast, diverse environments at incredibly high speeds. On PS5, the SSD could support high-speed streaming, so we were able to make the most out of the texture streaming feature and keep up with Sonic’s speed.

"It was also crucial for the team to reduce wait times during scene transitions between the Open-Zone areas, Cyber Space, and other areas so fans can spend more time exploring and immersing themselves in the game. A lot of load processing happens during these transitions, which is why we deployed compressed files, organized the resources, and coordinated everything to maximize the file input and output. The PS5’s fast SSD enabled us to significantly reduce wait times for smooth transitions between scenes in the game.“

'Sonic Frontiers' is available now on both PS5 and PS4 consoles.

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