Sonic Forces

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 46
  3. Negative: 5 out of 46
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  1. Gamer.nl
    Nov 15, 2017
    45
    Sonic 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.
  2. games(TM)
    Dec 31, 2017
    40
    As 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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  3. PlayStation Country
    Nov 22, 2017
    40
    Sonic 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.
  5. Push Square
    Nov 10, 2017
    40
    Sonic 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.
  6. Metro GameCentral
    Nov 7, 2017
    40
    Whoever 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.
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  1. Kotaku
    Nov 8, 2017
    In 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.
  2. Vice
    Nov 10, 2017
    Top 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

15
#15 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
65
#65 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1024 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 459 out of 1024
  2. Mixed: 285 out of 1024
  3. Negative: 280 out of 1024
  1. Ali_Moghimi
    Nov 7, 2017
    9
    Sonic Forces is a great game but it has been judged badly since its first trailer and some are even treating it like its another sonic 06 theSonic Forces is a great game but it has been judged badly since its first trailer and some are even treating it like its another sonic 06 the game has an amazing soundtrack , interesting story , great graphics , fun gameplay and its stages get better the further you get into the game and it has some of the best modern sonic stages from any boost game i dont know why people hate this game while modern sonic has better and smoother controls from colours' mechanics and classic sonic is alot like the one in mania and the game even allows you to make your own character which is pretty clever and fun im certain anyone who enjoyed generations , colours and unleashed will also enjoy this game dont let people tell you othewise… Full Review »
  2. LeopoldTheBrave
    Nov 7, 2017
    3
    I'm honestly surprised this is getting good user reviews when it is all the worst parts of generations and colors combined. The game is tooI'm honestly surprised this is getting good user reviews when it is all the worst parts of generations and colors combined. The game is too short, the level design is too basic and narrow, and it's too easy. But as someone who used to be a Sonic fan for years upon years starting back in 2007, I should've predicted this. The fans can hold onto this game all they want to cling on to any hope they have left, but once the critic reviews come out, it'll be hard for the user score to be taken seriously unless it goes down as well.

    Now don't get me wrong, I'd love Sonic to succeed. I'd adore a new Sonic game that is actually good. But this one isn't because Sonic Team keeps making the same stupid decisions. Let's start with the story. Ever since Sonic Colors, the blue blur has been slowly heading down a path similar to a bad cheesy shonen anime. There's an overabundance of incredibly stale and cheesy humor, an overly edgy and uninteresting villain, and mindless dribble about the power of friendship. I couldn't tell if I was playing a Fairy Tail or My Little Pony game. The marketing for Sonic Forces was as sneaky as a snake. It wants you to believe Eggman has won and that all hope is lost, but in the actual games story it doesn't feel like that at all. Making some of the stages look like a post apocalyptic city just isn't enough for me.

    And that brings us to the stages. These have to be some of the most uncreative levels Sonic has seen in a long time, not including his Boom incident. If it's not a stage rehashing a classic theme like Green Hill or Chemical Planet, then it's a generic burning city or generic lab with the same browns and grays every time. Not to mention that with the level design being as basic and lazy as some of the New Super Mario Bros. games, it's hard to tell each level apart, At least the New Super Mario Bros. games had gameplay, Sonic doesn't even have that.

    While nothing is horribly glitchy and broken as we've come to expect with the blue blur, they've definitely downgraded from previous installments that use this boost-to-win gameplay. Because the levels are so basic and narrow, most stages can be won by running forward and holding the boost. It's nearly impossible to take any hits from how incredibly easy Sonic Team gives it to the players. The customizable character has nothing to offer either despite being marketed as the selling point for the game. It plays way too similarly to modern Sonic, and all the rewards in the game are based on unlocks for this character you'll care nothing about. The creator is bland and his weapon based gameplay is bland. One weapon seems to do the trick for everything in the game so there's no reason to use anything else. Then we get to Classic Sonic. He's just not good. Again, the level design is some of the most basic and bland we've seen in the series, and with Classic Sonic's awkward gameplay, they're the worst. Thankfully he has the least amount of stages in the game, and will have you wonder why he's even in there to begin with. His physics don't match his old Sega Genesis self, not even close. This is especially disappointing considering we got Sonic Mania earlier this year which was a masterpiece in 2D platforming.

    Even something the Sonic series almost never fails on still ends up lackluster here. The music. Oh what have they done to the music. Sure you may have heard the main theme and likely enjoy it very much. But that's the only good part of the music. Anything else in the games soundtrack with some sort of quality is just an alternate rendition of the theme. When it's not just another remix of the theme song, it's super trance, techno, dubstep trash with no memorable beats or melodies to hum when on a car ride. Sonic typically excels in the music department, but this time the blue blur struck a sour note.

    Overall, Sonic Forces is a failure, proving that Sonic Team can indeed ruin anything if they put their minds to it. While I wasn't a fan of how easy Colors and Generations were, I could at least see them as competent games. But here, Sonic Team took everything people liked about those previously mentioned games and dumbed them down hardcore while making the bad things more present. It's pretty sad when the fans can make a better Sonic game than Sonic Team itself with Sonic Mania. Take notes Sega.    … Full Review »
  3. guilher
    Nov 7, 2017
    10
    Best Sonic in Years, of course he wave some problems but not so BIIIGG! The Story is Good! The Levels can be short but for me is not bad, theBest Sonic in Years, of course he wave some problems but not so BIIIGG! The Story is Good! The Levels can be short but for me is not bad, the content itself is great, the avatar costumization is great too!… Full Review »
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