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Nov 10, 20172017 is the year the Sonic franchise stops running from itself. Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces celebrate different eras, but they both take the same shameless “all-in” approach. Sonic Forces is a confident game, serving up a story and stages that go for broke while dodging the pitfalls of the past. As long as you’re not a hardline 3D Sonic hater, this earnest, entertaining adventure is worth a spin.
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Nov 8, 2017There’s a moment early on in Sonic Forces where Sonic says that it’s “not time for thinking. It’s time for running.” Not only does he perfectly describe his series’ design philosophy, he also sets the blueprint for who will enjoy this game. If you’re willing to turn your brain off for a few hours, and just take in the pure spectacle that is watching hundreds of Sonic characters fighting on a battlefield during a cutscene, then you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. It’s a really dumb game at its core, but it’s also just pure fun in a well-meaning, lighthearted package.
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Jan 21, 2018As the latest generation of the Sonic series, Sonic Forces retains the high-speed game experience. To comply with the trend of the times, Sonic Forces reduces the difficulty, hoping to use this strategy will attract new players who have never tried this kind of game. Unfortunately, the length is not sufficient enough to satisfy players, and too much repetitive content makes this game boring.
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Nov 10, 2017Sonic Forces is neither the best nor the worst game starring the blue hedgehog. It's mediocre at best with spectacular action, but blunt characters.
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Nov 17, 2017Despite its weird, war-focused beginning, Sonic Forces turns out to be a fun return to form for Sonic Team.
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Nov 13, 2017Sonic Forces mashes together everything from Sonic’s history, from 2D/3D mechanics to over-the-top action spectacle pieces. The new customizable hero feature breathes fresh life into the franchise, but the 3D gameplay it uses overpowers the game’s attempt to combine what has made the different eras of Sonic work.
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Nov 9, 2017What ends up holding Sonic Forces back is that it — ironically — moves too fast to leave any sort of lasting impact, speeding through both its plot and levels in short bursts instead of leaving more time for anything to soak in. Outside of its length issues, however, the gameplay is solid, the character customization is incredibly fun and the aesthetics are impressive as always.
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Nov 8, 2017It's not the game we hoped for, but it will make fans happy and those looking for a good platform.
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Nov 8, 2017Sonic Forces is passionate, strong and fast... very fast. However, it has notorious design problems we have seen in previous Sonic games. That said, the game is visually charming, musically vibrant and brings real hope to fans for seeing the revival of Sonic in the future.
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Nov 10, 2017On top of the joy of creating and playing as your own character, there’s a lot of goofy charm that makes Sonic Forces hard to be too disappointed with. The graphics are colorful and engaging, and the music is a pumping backdrop for extreme team-ups, super-speed cinematics, and lots of ruminations on the power of friendship. There are some really fun levels in the mix, too, and surprisingly strong boss fights make for some unexpected highlights. But Sonic Forces doesn’t build on its handful of good ideas as much as it should, and it screeches to a halt just as it seems to hit its stride.
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Dec 29, 2017Sonic Forces improves on the 3D gameplay but ruins Classic Sonic. This game will be met with torches and pitchforks by the fans, but their kids will have fun with the custom created character and the rest of the game.
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Nov 15, 2017The old-fashioned 2D-levels are - as always - a treat, while the 3D-levels once more disappoint with wooden controls and confusing perspectives. Just stick to 2D, folk - you'll be all the better for it.
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Nov 8, 2017Despite my multiple gripes with Sonic Forces, I still enjoyed the adventure. 3D Sonic games still aren't to where they should be after such a long time of iteration and experimentation, but through improved gameplay and level design, Sonic Forces continues the series' evolution in the right direction.
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Games Master UKDec 4, 2017Sonic Forces is messy, frustrating, and surprisingly basic, but there is fun to be had in perfecting a level. [Christmas 2017, p.74]
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Playstation Official Magazine UKFeb 6, 2018While it looks and sounds great on an S-rank run, regular play is messy and unsatisfying. Mania's Classic Sonic must wonder what nightmare dimension he got sucked into. [Jan 2017, p.90]
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Jan 21, 2018The efforts for modern concept of the legend came out of the way. Sonic Forces has obvious problems with the transition between two perspectives as well with the movement and speed. Only customization possibilities and several new weapons saves it from the average.
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Nov 24, 2017Sonic Forces has the power and the duration of fireworks. It is at points spectacularly beautiful and smooth, but it is extremely short, easy and offers little you have not seen before.
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Nov 23, 2017Sonic Forces is uninspiring and disappointing. The game excels with its’ great music and robust character design, but most of the levels have been lazily put together, the story is rushed and the graphics are subpar. It is not a bad game, just feels OK-ish. The guys at Sonic Team should look at this game and improve going forward.
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Nov 19, 2017If you’re not willing to simply sign up for more of the same Sonic with the same problems and not enough meaningful innovation, Sonic Forces will easily lose your interest and leave you frustrated with its many shortcomings.
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Nov 10, 2017The quality of the control system is affected by assorted inaccuracies and legacy issues, while the physical model seems unsuitable for the playful production goals, which also fosters a narrative without infamy or praise.
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Nov 10, 2017Sonic Forces tries to offer the best elements of previous 2D and 3D Sonic games, but the end result is a confusing gameplay experience. Though the sense of speed is back and it’s great, the player gets interrupted after every stage by long and uninteresting cut-scenes. And the same old problems of 3D Sonic games are still present. Technically speaking, the game is at least solid and runs smooth at 60fps.
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Nov 10, 2017The good news is that Sonic Forces is not the disaster it could easily have been. There’s a fairly enjoyable, silly romp here, that’s got some nicely handled fan service. The bad news is that it still makes so many of the same mistakes synonymous with the series’ 3D past.
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Nov 9, 2017The saying “Too many cooks spoil the broth” certainly rings true with Sonic Forces. It’s a game where despite it’s many level types none of them quite leave a lasting impression. As a result, it comes off as merely average in all departments with the sole exception being the visual design. Sonic Forces is far from the train wreck that Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was, but it doesn’t come close to reigniting the series’ magic in the way Sonic Mania did.
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Nov 8, 2017Unfortunately, all of its mechanics are shallow and mixed up... If you love the franchise, go back to playing Sonic Mania.
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Nov 13, 2017While the technical part is quite convincing, the new Sonic lacks game depth and scope.
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Nov 13, 2017It may look lovely and run well, but Sonic Forces' uninspired level design and lack of flow prevent it being much fun to play.
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Nov 9, 2017Sonic Forces is clearly on of the biggest duds of the year. In spite of some good graphics, the gameplay is very poor and all the content seems to be recycled from old Sonic games. Today, Mario must be laughing out loud.
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Nov 8, 2017Despite my issues with sidescrolling Sonic games I mentioned earlier, what I appreciate about Mania is that it’s a concise and focused game, with clear goals and philosophies behind its design. Forces feels like the antithesis of that, in that it’s a bloated, self-important mismatch of ideas with some great moments packed in between a lot of nonsense. Forces is fun to play in short bursts, but as an extended experience it feels like it has no idea what it wants to be, or is just incapable of encapsulating it all in one game.
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Nov 8, 2017Sonic returns with an adventure full of good intentions, but poorly executed. The control and level design are the main issues to tackle, but if you're a hardcore fan Sonic, you'll probably enjoy the game.
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Nov 8, 2017Sonic Forces is an easy, soft and repetitive experience in which Sonic Teams shows again how the "good times" of the IP seem firmly in the past. A perfect product for the youngest players but with a huge lack of creativity.
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Dec 11, 2017Sadly, Sonic Forces struggles with the same issues that have plagued 3D Sonic games since Sonic Adventure – portraying an accurate sense of speed to the character while giving players a choice on how to clear obstacles. While the game includes three stage types – all of them are plagued by their own gameplay issues.
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Dec 11, 2017It’s a particularly dire case of style over substance, putting you through an easy, unremarkable rollercoaster ride that you’ll play in an afternoon and forget about a couple days later. And with the number of quality family titles and platformers to choose from this year, I just don't see a place for a game like this. There’s a point in the weak story where Classic Sonic has to go home, making Tails feel sad. Sonic cheers him up: “I’m sure we’ll run into him again.” Well, 3D Sonic, with Mania’s quality and success, I'm sure we will too. It’s you I’m worried about.
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Nov 29, 2017The latest game in the Sonic-franchise is everything you’d expect; intense, high tempo, simple and predictable. However, the controls lack of precision and the few levels stops it from reaching its former glory.
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Nov 28, 2017Sonic Forces is yet another stumble in a series that looked like it had regained balance after Sonic Mania's launch. A game for hardcore fans, although won't be so appealing to the rest of potential buyers.
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Nov 21, 2017Sonic Forces is an attempt of Sonic Team to satisfy fans and welcome newcomers, but it ends up being an average game with no Sonic epic feel but mainly with poor controls and a disappointing experience.
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Nov 20, 2017Sonic Forces has an intriguing concept and shows some high production values, but at the end of the day this translates in some shallow and rambling ideas, and a main character that fails to create any empathy with the player. It's not a bad game per se, but an anonymous one.
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Nov 13, 2017A few months after a terrific Sonic Mania, Sonic Team gives us a short, unchallenging game lacking in fresh ideas and unable to fix some issues from previous disappointing iterations. Don't hope to get magic of the first days back with Sonic Forces.
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Nov 10, 2017Sonic Forces ultimately fails to advance the mechanics of previously successful 3D Sonic games, or present them in their best light. A mediocre platformer at best, Sonic Forces manages to do nothing more than reinforce long held stereotypes against Sega's beloved blue blur.
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Nov 10, 2017Sonic Forces doesn't ever reach the lowest lows the series has gone through in the past. Yet it also has almost nothing in it that leaves a lasting impression. It's the kind of game you can breeze through in an afternoon and then forget about immediately after. The customization in Forces is appreciated, but it’s nowhere near enough in a game that lacks great ideas.
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Nov 8, 2017Sonic Forces is a spectacular but empty sugar rush that’s over in a blur. Once again, Sonic’s return to form falls flat.
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Nov 8, 2017Like Sonic? Play Sonic Mania. Played Sonic Mania? Play it some more. While Sonic Forces looks fantastic, it’s one of the least engaging games in the entire series...True, it doesn’t have the broken controls or half-witted camera of the worst examples, but there’s very little here to actually play, enjoy or discover – bar a cool custom character designer and a whole bunch of costumes to unlock.
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Nov 15, 2017Sonic Forces is too old fashioned to really be relevant as a platform game this year. The level design is a let-down, the controls are all over the place and the story mode will only take three hours of your time.
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games(TM)Dec 31, 2017As a game, it's an unfocused, erratic, undeniably loud but ultimately hollow franchise entry where an excess of energy has been mistaken for excitement. [Issue#195, p.84]
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Nov 22, 2017Sonic Forces may have impressive elements such as high-speed spectacle and graphical fidelity, but it completely falls flat in just about every other area. It fails to better 2011's Generations and to learn from past mistakes in the franchise. Stick with Mania.
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Nov 10, 2017Sonic Forces is a disappointing step back for the franchise. Uninteresting level design and subpar gameplay on all three playable characters make for a game that can be frustrating to get through. The nonsense story is poorly written and makes more tonal shifts than Mariah Carey with an ice cube down her back. The game is perfectly fine for the younger audience it’s targeting, and we’re sure they’ll enjoy it for what it is, but in the wake of Sonic Mania’s tremendous success, the problems 3D Sonic has always faced are becoming much harder to ignore.
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Nov 7, 2017Whoever this shoddily made platformer is meant to please it won’t be those that like Sonic Mania, or any of the better 3D Sonic games.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Nov 8, 2017In spite of these failings, Sonic Forces drives players forward with an incredibly fast pace and some breakout set pieces. Most levels last slightly over one minute regardless of which character you are playing as. The result is an experience that feels purposeful and tense. It punctuates itself with some stellar moments such as a journey through a reality-warped city with shifting geometry, a trippy blast through abstract “void space,” and race to outrun a deadly laser beam in a feverish sequence of wall jumps and ziplines. These moments incorporate cheesy but catchy rock tunes to create memorable sequences of high action adventure.
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Nov 10, 2017Top to bottom, Sonic Forces didn’t click for me, and even now, I stand by that. I’ve never been convinced by Sega’s meandering attempts to convert Sonic into 3D, believing the Mario-esque Sonic Adventure to be the most successful attempt. Sonic Forces only underscored my original issues. Sure, some have been better than others— Lost World, Generations—but for a franchise about speed, it’s never been able to meaningfully capture that feeling for more than a few moments.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 459 out of 1024
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Mixed: 285 out of 1024
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Negative: 280 out of 1024
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Nov 7, 2017
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Nov 7, 2017
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Nov 7, 2017