Sonic Forces

 Switch
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 694 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 336 out of 694
  2. Mixed: 195 out of 694
  3. Negative: 163 out of 694
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  1. gietergeit
    May 15, 2023
    1
    This game is not fun it is just pres foreword the game with Sonic slapped on.
  2. Sonica
    May 9, 2023
    0
    It's really very bad game, wtf with level design? It's too short and very bad with stupid stroy
  3. diealegend
    Apr 5, 2023
    0
    Worst sonic game in history of all sonic games. The character customization idea wasn’t bad it was good it’s just how it was executed was poorly. More so how the game plays doesn’t play tribute to the good old sonic adventure or sonic heroes style. I’m tired of seeing that green target thing on my screen for sonic to hit something.
  4. mariokartwiifan
    Apr 5, 2023
    0
    I mean its all right I had a lot of fun with the first levels but toward the end it got really tedious
  5. Momer
    Mar 24, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Fore me is the best game! Because it was the firat 3d sonic game that i ever playd! So this is way.… Expand
  6. AlexMakesToast
    Nov 23, 2022
    4
    Sonic forces = 4/10
    ............................................................
  7. Hamza_gh
    Nov 23, 2022
    0
    the worst **** game in existance every sonic level is boost to win classic sonic plays like trash and the avatar is boring and slow to play as DO NOT RECCOMEND
  8. Sickotendo
    Nov 11, 2022
    0
    Worse then 06, idc what anyone says, this is the WORSE GAME in the entire SONIC FRANCHISE.
  9. JacobDelany225
    Nov 9, 2022
    4
    Sonic Forces Is a boring game that while not unreedemable It Is still In my opinion one of Sonics Worst outings. 1st with the positive. The graphics and character animations are pretty good. The music Is pretty good. Some levels like Egg Gate and The Custom Hero Capital City are quite good along with the tag team levels. Voice acting Is quite good and messing around In the Custom heroSonic Forces Is a boring game that while not unreedemable It Is still In my opinion one of Sonics Worst outings. 1st with the positive. The graphics and character animations are pretty good. The music Is pretty good. Some levels like Egg Gate and The Custom Hero Capital City are quite good along with the tag team levels. Voice acting Is quite good and messing around In the Custom hero Customisation Is fun. With that out of the way let's go Into why I don't like this game. The story and dialouge Is complete dumpster fire with a lot of miss potiental especially with the new villian Infinite who Is given such a pathetic back story In a pretty useless Dlc pack. There's so much stupid moments from claiming Sonic Is tortured for months but when you see him he Is completly fine. Classic Sonic being there all cause of marketing since 2011s Sonic Generations was a hit. Many things In the story just happen off screen and are only explained during text on a black screen. Finally Tails Is so stupid In this game. The moment where they say "He's gone insane" when he clearly Isin't and then got scared by Chaos 0 made me want to throw my controller at my screen. Infinite Is a weak villian which sucks since the marketing and his design made him look so cool but In the game he Is just so terrible. His motivation for being a villian was because Shadow called Him childish names. I am not jokeing It Is as sad as It sounds. Enough about the dreadful story let's talk about the gameplay. Theres 3 type of gameplay styles. 1st Mordern Sonic. What The Hell did they do to him? When he runs It's so off because unlike previous games like Colours Unleashed and Generations he doesen't slowly bulid up to the full speed but Instead after 2 seconds of moving he will blast off. This feels so unatural and especially doesen't help where your In a game with boringly designed levels. 2nd Custom Hero. Probably the best of the 3 but still not great. The wispon weapons are a cool Idea and sometimes can be fun in the levels but sadly ruined by again levels that are super boring. Could of been a great Idea If the levels were fun. And finally Classic Sonic. NOPE. That's all I need to say. Also his level music Is trash. That green hill level makes my ears bleed with that music. As I mentioned previous there are positives with this game but overall Sonic Forces was a complete disapointment from jank controls to a terrible story with boring levels and tons of miss potiential. I ocasionally go back to speed run the ocasional Mordern Sonic level but thats It. Do not recommend. 4/10… Expand
  10. TASF05
    Nov 4, 2022
    4
    Pros
    Decent Music
    And Some Alright Level Design
    Custom Character Is Kinda Fun
    Cons
    Sonic Is Too Slippery
    Classic Sonic Is the Worst and Is Pointless
    Terrible Boss fights
    Cheesy Cut Seens
  11. SonicFan20
    Sep 15, 2022
    3
    The Story Is Garbage,Terrible Writing All The Characters Control WAY To Stiff Its Press Y To Win. Don't Buy It Its Garbo I'm Not Even Gonna Go In Depth Its Boring And If Your Gonna Play It Get The Xbox Series Version Because It Has 4K 60FPS. Oh And The Graphics Are Not Better Than Sonic Unleashed IN 2008!. Its Very Slow And Bad The Only Good Is That It Made Sega Learn What To Not Do AndThe Story Is Garbage,Terrible Writing All The Characters Control WAY To Stiff Its Press Y To Win. Don't Buy It Its Garbo I'm Not Even Gonna Go In Depth Its Boring And If Your Gonna Play It Get The Xbox Series Version Because It Has 4K 60FPS. Oh And The Graphics Are Not Better Than Sonic Unleashed IN 2008!. Its Very Slow And Bad The Only Good Is That It Made Sega Learn What To Not Do And Mabey Frontiers Is Good, and that The Pre Release GCI Was Alright.If I Ever Play It Again Its Because Im Doing A Boost Game Marathon . i give it a 3 Because Its The Worst Version,The Switch Version.… Expand
  12. Ixss-805
    Sep 14, 2022
    4
    (Opinión rehecha abajo)
    Es un buen juego y sega hizo buen trabajo. No es una revolución, mas bien es un juego para mantener vivo al personaje por que da para mas. La jugabilidad esta bien hasta cierto punto, sonic moderno tuvo sus típicas fases frenéticas y de implemento bien la nueva jugabilidad del avatar que aparte tenia una personalización infinita y para todos los gustos, el único    (Opinión rehecha abajo)
    Es un buen juego y sega hizo buen trabajo. No es una revolución, mas bien es un juego para mantener vivo al personaje por que da para mas. La jugabilidad esta bien hasta cierto punto, sonic moderno tuvo sus típicas fases frenéticas y de implemento bien la nueva jugabilidad del avatar que aparte tenia una personalización infinita y para todos los gustos, el único que fue en declive fue el de Classic sonic que “cojeaba” en aspectos como su velocidad que sentía a veces que se frenaba y en el spin dash que era lo que me gustaba del del generations, eso si implementaron el drop dash que podía mas o menos fácilmente eclipsar lo demás.
    En general me gusto la historia, no era un sonic adventure 2 obviamente pero mejor que los últimos juegos después de unleashed. Eso si tenia huecos argumentales y algún que otro fallo de lo que podía ser la historia como que : “por que silver aparece en la resistencia así de la nada” o, el poco o nulo protagonismo de Chaos. Lo otro bueno son la participación constante en la historia de los amigos de Sonic , excepto de tails y Classic sonic. Lo otro bueno son los niveles, que en general todos me gusto mucho el diseño con una calidad grafica bastante buena para ser una portátil donde también los 920 p no se notan, aparte opino que me impresiono como sega logro hacer que el control del personaje sea como de 60 fps a pesar de que el juego valla a 30fps .Lo ultimo malo seria que los jefes son fáciles y un poco igual los niveles que de ves en cuando te cuesta sacar una S.
    Nota 10/10

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    5 años han pasado, no solo he logrado un juicio critico completamente superior a esa época si no que, incluso en aquel tiempo sabia en mi interior que estaba siendo benévolo con sonic, por que honestamente en aquel tiempo también me sentí decepcionado, pero nunca me pareció justo el trato que estaba recibiendo sonic y por eso decidí defenderlo. Aun así y aunque siga defendiéndolo en muchos sentidos, creo que debo ser justo con este juego y exponer mi nueva perspectiva critica.

    Evidentemente era un juego con el propósito de mantener al sonic moderno "vivo" en el mercado, uno completamente mediocre y que es hasta un poco triste.
    El diseño de niveles de sonic moderno se vio limitado a pasillos con apenas una que otra ruta diferente que al final vuelve al mismo camino rápidamente, no se recompensa en casi ningún sentido el esfuerzo por querer encontrar mejores formas de pasar el nivel, sobre todo por que hagas lo que hagas o como quieras hacerlo podrás obtener una S super fácilmente. El personaje es super estático y el homing attack es mucho peor utilizado en el diseño del nivel, sin decir que se siente mas torpe, lo demás lo típico, todo muy automatizado, super corto y con físicas limitadas.

    Nuestro personaje tiene un customize bastante pobre, personalmente no exijo mucho en un customizador y aun así sentí que todo era super simple. El diseño de niveles del personaje esta OK, realmente no es que me haya impactado ningún nivel y en realidad no soy el mayor fan de los wisp ni de cerca, pero si admito es algo que diversifica mucho la manera en que puedas pasarte los niveles, y los con Sonic en general estaban bn.

    Classic sonic sigue siendo medianamente disfrutable, pero su control y físicas fue contundentemente empeorado con respeto a generations, a veces tiene un diseño agradable, a veces es completamente olvidable.

    La historia es de lo peor de todo sonic, Ken Pontac creo que ha sido el escritor desde Colors y es de lo mas reprochable que ha tenido Sonic desde que existe, colors si bien tiene un desarrollo super infantil y con un sonic simplificado a solo bromas, no se tomaba en serio y el contexto seguía siendo un poco interesante, en Generations la historia es una justificación básica sin relevancia, Lost World fue una cosa rara, pero en Sonic Forces la historia se pasa de pretenciosa, intentado tomarse en serio varias veces, con personajes que están absolutamente infantilizados. Un montón de fanservice , ya sea los villanos, los secundarios, sonic clasico o tails, todos tienen un impacto casi nulo en lo que pasa y solo son justificados por una "guerra" de la que ni sabemos de como se llego ahí, y creando incongruencias completas con algunos como silver o Knuckles (como casi siempre). Aparte, ¿y las esmeraldas? ¿No era un momento obvio para ocuparlas o buscarlas?. Y bueno infinite es un villano planísimo y "edgy".

    Lo demás, apartado grafico decente, visual bastante bueno, música que incluso siendo obviamente mainstream la considero bastante buena (No la mejor de un Sonic ni de cerca), y pues todo al final para un cierre fácil y con un mensaje que queda super intrascendente y tiempo de juego mínimo, que ni si quiera el precio reducido justifica.
    Para mi de los peores juegos de Sonic, prefiero 06. 4/10    … Expand
  13. ROTSA2
    Sep 13, 2022
    2
    17%

    Sonic Forces fails to do everything that a Sonic game should do, due to a low budget from poor precious sales. This game is unforgivable.
  14. FireBroFilms
    Aug 15, 2022
    3
    ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎
  15. mistermuck
    Apr 14, 2022
    4
    Having loved the previous "boost formula" Sonic games (Unleashed, Colors, and Generations), I had high hopes. Sadly, this does not live up to any of the previous entries and strips away more control away from the player. Even Classic Sonic controls worse than ever. How did they break what was already working? I don't understand what happened here, but it is super disappointing as someoneHaving loved the previous "boost formula" Sonic games (Unleashed, Colors, and Generations), I had high hopes. Sadly, this does not live up to any of the previous entries and strips away more control away from the player. Even Classic Sonic controls worse than ever. How did they break what was already working? I don't understand what happened here, but it is super disappointing as someone who was pretty hyped for it. Giving it a 4 because it technically "works" and a small child might have fun, but anyone who's played other entries in the entire Sonic series will instantly feel the downgrade. I simply can't recommend this game to anyone.… Expand
  16. Jambro
    Apr 10, 2022
    4
    This game is so vapid it hurts. Everything is a shallow imitation of things that worked in prior entries to the series. The levels, shorter. The story, lacking. The gameplay, it's there, I suppose.

    The main villain of the game, Infinite, isn't even well-written. He is just a by-product of Sonic Team's desperate attempts to regain the 2000s Sonic fans and the complete failure of the    This game is so vapid it hurts. Everything is a shallow imitation of things that worked in prior entries to the series. The levels, shorter. The story, lacking. The gameplay, it's there, I suppose.

    The main villain of the game, Infinite, isn't even well-written.
    He is just a by-product of Sonic Team's desperate attempts to regain the 2000s Sonic fans and the complete failure of the 2010s staff to write a character in the vain of the older ones. The vain, by the way, is being a good character, which Infinite is most certainly not.

    All of the villains are underutilised, only placed in trailers as promotional material. And, that is all I get from the game. It is a failed attempt at being anything other than mediocre.

    If they were attempting to make the most boring, vapid, underwhelming experience possible, they couldn't even do that, since the music is actually quite good. But the music is the only thing keeping this game from a 3/10. So, a 4/10 it will get.    … Expand
  17. Cyan_Can
    Apr 7, 2022
    3
    Sonic Forces is bad. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's not bad in some "I can enjoy it" type of way like Sonic 06, it's bad in the "this is a snoozefest" type of way. The controls are clunky and restrictive, the physics are bad at best, and even the soundtrack, something the Sonic franchise hardly gets wrong, is annoying to listen to.

    What really boggles my mind with this game is how    Sonic Forces is bad. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's not bad in some "I can enjoy it" type of way like Sonic 06, it's bad in the "this is a snoozefest" type of way. The controls are clunky and restrictive, the physics are bad at best, and even the soundtrack, something the Sonic franchise hardly gets wrong, is annoying to listen to.

    What really boggles my mind with this game is how they made three other games using the boost oriented gameplay, and managed to screw this one up so bad. The level design is very linear, and the alternate paths you can take are usually clearly shoehorned. The custom character gimmick is awful and I doubt even a 12 year old would enjoy it once they got their hands on it. Classic sonic also doesn't play anywhere near how he would in classic games and is worse than even Sonic 4's gameplay imo.

    The few positives I can say about the game is that it can play itself if you're looking for a game that looks cool but in actuality you're hardly doing anything, it still has red rings which can be a bit of a challenge for the player to collect (not recommended), and the boss fights are decent.

    I wouldn't even call Sonic Forces an unfinished game, it's just a blatantly awful one made in poor taste.    … Expand
  18. PeteyPirahna
    Feb 18, 2022
    4
    4/10
    I used to like this game. Unironically. What was I smoking when I was 10?
  19. Knuckles06
    Dec 24, 2021
    1
    This product has Disappointed me

    Many flaws with the story
    A short easy game that can be beaten under 3-2 hours without deaths
    Classic sonic has no reason to be in the story and classic sonics controls are terrible
    Modern sonic feels slow same with classic
    Level design is short
    Story doesn’t make sense
  20. Boubert
    Jan 22, 2020
    4
    Le jeu a de plutôt bon graphismes pour de la Switch ( Enfin, dans la moyenne), mais les problèmes sont nombreux sur ce jeu: Les niveaux sont très et trop linéaires et on a pas l’impression de pouvoir se déplacer librement dans les niveaux et ils se ressemblent trop. À propos de ça, le level design est très moyen, les niveaux se font trop rapidement tous comme le jeu qui se fini en 3 heuresLe jeu a de plutôt bon graphismes pour de la Switch ( Enfin, dans la moyenne), mais les problèmes sont nombreux sur ce jeu: Les niveaux sont très et trop linéaires et on a pas l’impression de pouvoir se déplacer librement dans les niveaux et ils se ressemblent trop. À propos de ça, le level design est très moyen, les niveaux se font trop rapidement tous comme le jeu qui se fini en 3 heures environ. Le jeu est trop facile, tout le moveset de Sonic est inutile, car spammer le boost = gagner. Quand les niveaux sont plus difficiles, les niveaux sont encore plus ennuyeux car les contrôles sont même pas correctement bien fait et c’est pas cool à jouer quand tu meurt 20 fois au même checkpoint et juste parce que la physique n’est franchement pas bonne. Les 30fps de la version Switch chutent parfois à 15fps quand il y a trop d’éléments. Certaines musiques ne sont franchement pas travaillées ou sont insupportables (Comme Green hill niveau 10). Le Sonic classique n’est pas très cool à contrôler car la physique n’est pas du tout similaire aux jeux 2D originaux. Et franchement, le boss final n’est même pas un spoil, c’est juste (étonnamment) le robot Death egg et des patterns trop simple. Bref, un jeu qui aurait pu être mieux travaillé.… Expand
  21. multiplat_gamer
    Dec 18, 2021
    1
    Sonic Forces has levels that are either shallow, gimmicky and boring or just broken, with just a few exceptions in the whole game. Sonic 3D controls are correct but incomplete, lacking Drift and Air Dash. Sonic 2D controls are decent. Avatar's controls are a mess, the character goes from walking to dashing in a second, even if you slightly press the stick and this results in cheap deathsSonic Forces has levels that are either shallow, gimmicky and boring or just broken, with just a few exceptions in the whole game. Sonic 3D controls are correct but incomplete, lacking Drift and Air Dash. Sonic 2D controls are decent. Avatar's controls are a mess, the character goes from walking to dashing in a second, even if you slightly press the stick and this results in cheap deaths because of the levels that don't fit in this control scheme because you have to walk longer than a second before jumping and just before jumping you accidentally dash and fall off.

    The first levels of Sonic Forces are disappointing and the last levels are infuriating. Two boss battles are fine and creative (Zavok and Mystic Jungle Infinite), two of the three battles against Infinite are confusing and the final battle is challenging in the wrong way. The music and presentation is the best that the game has to offer, since the story relies too heavily on negative feelings and death in a serious way instead of cartoony and comical like before. The first time you play the game you'll get tons of notices with useless cosmetics for your avatar. This is not the worst Sonic game ever but it's certainly the most disappointing. If Sonic Generations is 10/10, this is 1/10.    … Expand
  22. Ihatesonicboom2
    Nov 1, 2021
    3
    Well, I wanted to review this game for a while, but never got the chance.

    This isn't an organized review, so I may talk about various things at the same time. First off, the positives. The game graphically looks great, and the dialogue isn't as bad as you'd think. However for me, that's where the positives ends. Now, let's get into the thick of it. Yes, the levels are ridiculously    Well, I wanted to review this game for a while, but never got the chance.

    This isn't an organized review, so I may talk about various things at the same time.

    First off, the positives. The game graphically looks great, and the dialogue isn't as bad as you'd think. However for me, that's where the positives ends.

    Now, let's get into the thick of it. Yes, the levels are ridiculously short as you may of heard, but The clones are basically filler and really don't exist. The same could be applied to Classic Sonic.

    Now. The Avatar. A good idea in concept, but ended up being completely **** in every way. This breaks canon in every way possible. A character that has the stereotypical "Suddenly Appearing Protagonist." Brilliant.

    The story tries to go for a dark tone, but fails. We expected Sonic and friends desperate, we got none of it.

    For the gameplay itself, It feels to easy, even on hard. The characters controls are wonky, especially Classic Sonic. The bosses are lackluster and some are even reused.

    Now, this all would have been forgivable in my eyes if the game hadn't been in development in 4 years. 4. **** YEARS. They built an engine instead of the damn game for 3 years, so that left only one year to develop it. Shame.

    Overall, the game sucks, and is the 4th worst Sonic game in the entire series. The next game will decide the fate of Sonic for sure, and I'm not talking about Sonic Colors: Ultimate, that released already and I'm already casting doubt into it. If the new game goes well, we'll celebrate. If not, the entire world has prepared a coffin for Sonic.    … Expand
  23. ShadowRose
    Sep 17, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is not the best as it gets boring at times as it is easy even on hard mode. The story mode is not the greatest either as Infinite at the end with no explanation and in one part of it classic Sonic came out of a random portal (I am guessing that the portal was the bad ending from Sonic mania when he got sucked thought a portal but if it isn't it is a bit random). This game does have a few good things going for it but sadly it gets outweighed by the bad ones.… Expand
  24. JPC96
    Sep 3, 2021
    0
    Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Rouge, Omega, Vector, Espio and Charmy are not playable characters.
  25. Blue-Guy
    May 17, 2021
    4
    Very disappointing compared to past titles. Level design is almost non-existent, you're constantly running in a straight line doing absolutely nothing except holding down boost. Physics are also very wonky compared to Gens and Unleashed. The story is one of the worst stories I've seen in a Sonic game, a step up from '06, but that's it. Extremely cringe. Every level theme in this game hasVery disappointing compared to past titles. Level design is almost non-existent, you're constantly running in a straight line doing absolutely nothing except holding down boost. Physics are also very wonky compared to Gens and Unleashed. The story is one of the worst stories I've seen in a Sonic game, a step up from '06, but that's it. Extremely cringe. Every level theme in this game has already been used in past Sonic games or is very uninteresting. An obviously rushed game will get obviously low reviews. 4/10, would not recommend.… Expand
  26. Amitie10g
    May 14, 2021
    0
    Sonic Team makes Sonic games with no love and passion, unlike Christian Whitehead with Sonic Mania.
  27. Criti-Wise
    Mar 7, 2021
    3
    It's an obvious downgrade in many ways. The controls are dumbed down and unbearable, the level design almost feels like it goes back to the type of level design from Secret Rings, and the visuals are worse than in Sonic Generations (despite this game coming out on new hardware). What makes this worse is that the people who made the game had the intention of making the game insanely simpleIt's an obvious downgrade in many ways. The controls are dumbed down and unbearable, the level design almost feels like it goes back to the type of level design from Secret Rings, and the visuals are worse than in Sonic Generations (despite this game coming out on new hardware). What makes this worse is that the people who made the game had the intention of making the game insanely simple and easy.… Expand
  28. DistH
    Feb 26, 2021
    4
    not that good of a game the only good thing was classic Sonic but not as bad as sonic 06
  29. funkirbo
    Jan 18, 2021
    0
    A very disappointing game. It's not the worst game SEGA's made, but for the time spent on the game, there should've been more polish, because the game felt rushed. 30 levels, each 2 minutes long. The game can be beaten in 3 hours on a first playthrough, and that's only due to the insane difficulty spikes and Classic Sonic's whack controls. It's not amazing.
  30. IkOzael
    Jan 10, 2021
    4
    I had hopes for this game at first, but when I look back at it, it's just depressing.

    Infinite sounded like a cool villain, but he turned out to be pretty generic. He's just a guy who felt like causing chaos for the hell of it. And then there's the Jackal Squad who wasn't even talked about at all beyond being shown in a few panels in the prequel comic and getting "destroyed" by Shadow.    I had hopes for this game at first, but when I look back at it, it's just depressing.

    Infinite sounded like a cool villain, but he turned out to be pretty generic. He's just a guy who felt like causing chaos for the hell of it. And then there's the Jackal Squad who wasn't even talked about at all beyond being shown in a few panels in the prequel comic and getting "destroyed" by Shadow. Oh, and when they were beaten, he tries to avenge them, but gets put on his ass by Shadow's sudden teleporting without a Chaos Emerald. Shadow **** talks him before leaving, setting Infinite over the edge. Liam O' Brian voices him perfectly, but there's only so much a voice can do for bad writing. People are understandably confused about his ability since it's described inconsistently. Tails explained it pretty well with it essentially affecting the brain to cause all kinds of effects as if you were in a dream that can affect your real self. Still a li'l confused? Think of the power of suggestion--better yet, for you Jojo fans out there, think of Whitesnake's disks which can also give commands, including extreme ones like EXPLODING, to those they're inserted into. Now, this would be fine if it weren't for the fact that the Ruby's power was already established as reality warping which is ALSO shown when monster versions of Infinite are materialized in Metropolis. Then again, reality warping is pretty related to illusions, so I'll leave it at that.

    First of all, stop with the Classic Sonic! He has absolutely no reason to exist in this game (or any game that isn't Sonic Generations). He has the fewest stages of the three characters and to add insult to injury, he's now from another dimension instead of being younger Sonic. And at the end where Sonic says he'll be back is just the calm before the storm... along with Green Hill. Quick summarization of the gameplay: Sonic and the avatar are stiff, shallow, and automated while young Sonic is stiff and sloppy, not even able to go up an incline after runnin' down a massive downward slope.

    Anyway, the story ties into Sonic Mania. Young Sonic exists for no reason and the Phantom Ruby is a random plot device that conveniently lands on Egghead's front doorstep... again. Sonic confronts the man of eggs who has another plot of the day in the form of Infinite, a jackal (who I thought was a bat at first glance) with illusion powers via the Phantom Ruby. He shows up with Eggman to kick Sonic's ass with obvious clones of past villains while Tails watches. Months later, Sonic is presumed dead only to be confirmed alive seconds later and here's where your avatar comes in.

    The avatar is a Sonic FanFiction writer's dream come true. You can customize their look from somewhat of a variety of options. I've seen character customization done better in other games. Here, you have a few species to choose from, very few base species design options, and three color variants of most pieces of clothing. Then there's a Sanic ****post shirt as DLC. After you customize your look, you're off. Unlike Sonic, Burton (which is what I referred to my avatar as) uses a Wispon which is as busted as Sonic's boosting though some take a bit more effort to use.

    Back to the story. Burton saves Sonic who already kinda saved himself by beating the Zavok clone and they both go back to HQ... Young Sonic and Shadow one-shot two of the four clones... Sonic and Burton beat the last clone who was already a fake of something that wasn't real... Sonic fights Infinite and loses, but is left alive again for the hell of it... Burton fights Infinite and gets his ass kicked, but is saved by a Phantom Ruby prototype that Infinite should've clearly seen and later gets sent to Null Space with Sonic for ~20 seconds before they "gotta go fast" outta there somehow... The final battle begins and Infinite tries to drop a sun on The Resistance AND Eggman, but the prototype saves the day... Sonic and Burton fight Infinite one last time before he unwillingly disappears into the reactor due to the man egg's intervention and an underwhelming boss fight happens and boom, suddenly a "Let's change the world together!" speech for no reason.

    I didn't mention some stuff since it wasn't worth bringin' up. Notice the Chaos Emeralds are never mentioned beyond some bull**** $3.00 DLC that doesn't make the game any better. Super Sonic ain't worth it; you can already boost through everything as it is and there's no reason to play young Sonic like this since he still controls like ass. I don't know how they forgot the Chaos Emeralds. Maybe they saw that Mania already used 'em and thought the power of friendship can be a replacement for 'em in this game. One thing I could give praise for is the music (except young Sonic's stage music). My only problem is they use too much synth. I'd love to hear 'em without it.

    Overall, this is some ****ty FanFiction and my hopes aren't all that high for what's next.    … Expand
  31. JP-GH
    Oct 31, 2020
    0
    The worst Insult Sonic Team's ever given the Franchise and The Fans.
    Absolutely dry and devoid of joy.
  32. ajsupreme89
    Sep 1, 2020
    4
    This game is dissapointing on so many levels. Sonic unleashed and sonic generations demonstrated how good and fast you can control sonic with amazing Level Designs. In sonic forces, you mostly only need tu push the analog stick forward and the story is a mess. No sonic game has a deep story, but at least they were fun, simple,engaging and gave a good excuse to do what you needed to do.This game is dissapointing on so many levels. Sonic unleashed and sonic generations demonstrated how good and fast you can control sonic with amazing Level Designs. In sonic forces, you mostly only need tu push the analog stick forward and the story is a mess. No sonic game has a deep story, but at least they were fun, simple,engaging and gave a good excuse to do what you needed to do. Sonic forces story is all window dressing, with everything interesing happening off screen. It's crazy that this is the newest entry, since we have clearly seen better.… Expand
  33. dislexicpotato
    Jul 30, 2020
    4
    Probably the most shallow and uninspired Sonic game to date, Sonic Team evidently have no idea whatsoever what to do with the Sonic franchise and somehow managed to take the almost perfected boost formula and ruin it. Classic sonic is also a chore to play, the only decent part of the game is the character creator which is fun and could be good if used in a game that is actually fun toProbably the most shallow and uninspired Sonic game to date, Sonic Team evidently have no idea whatsoever what to do with the Sonic franchise and somehow managed to take the almost perfected boost formula and ruin it. Classic sonic is also a chore to play, the only decent part of the game is the character creator which is fun and could be good if used in a game that is actually fun to play. The Switch version of this game is also by far the worst with a 720p resolution and 30 fps on a game that isn't even very demanding. Save your money and buy Sonic Mania Plus.… Expand
  34. SwitchReviewer
    Jun 19, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Forces is a failure for Nintendo switch. I got this game thought it was going to be fun as seen in the E3 trailers but no. Broken mechanics, You can speed of the map, 2D Levels are slow, Mediocre story, ETC. I refunded this game to game stop already. What a waste of 60 bucks. SEGA really failed at making their mascot a good icon yet again with Broken 3D Games.… Expand
  35. VICKYDEANXTREME
    Apr 7, 2020
    0
    An extraordinarily disappointing game that has brought Sonic as a series to a complete stop. While some may claim it's failings are due to the boost formula, the truth is much different. Sonic Forces is the answer to the backwards question; What if we spent more time building an engine rather than the game? What we get is an incredibly lazy and blatant cash grab. Sega seemingly never willAn extraordinarily disappointing game that has brought Sonic as a series to a complete stop. While some may claim it's failings are due to the boost formula, the truth is much different. Sonic Forces is the answer to the backwards question; What if we spent more time building an engine rather than the game? What we get is an incredibly lazy and blatant cash grab. Sega seemingly never will learn there lesson long enough. The need to give developers time to create a great game is of key importance yet Sega continuously forgets this. Sonic Unleashed and Generations are what happens when Sega does give their developers full reign on a project.

    The music in Forces is insanely mediocre. In a failed attempt to capture the magic of Crush40. Force's music is a pale imitation and the main theme Fist Bump wasn't even constructed with any lyrics in mind.

    Most importantly the level design is the most simplistic and automated in any Sonic game. The level designers hired to make the levels in the game had only ever worked on Sonic Lost World and have no experience working on this game-play style, which is very apparent. All the worth while Sonic Team employees have jumped ship to Nintendo where their talents can be appreciated by a competent Developer. Sonic Forces is an utter failure in every sense of the word.    … Expand
  36. CyberSurge
    Feb 12, 2020
    3
    It is very clear that this game was somehow rushed out despite the fact that it has been 4 years since the last 3D sonic game. Levels are pitiful in length, all three playable characters control poorly, the story is overly dark for a sonic game and does not complement the gameplay, the levels are very poorly designed, half of the returning villains that were used as an advertising pointIt is very clear that this game was somehow rushed out despite the fact that it has been 4 years since the last 3D sonic game. Levels are pitiful in length, all three playable characters control poorly, the story is overly dark for a sonic game and does not complement the gameplay, the levels are very poorly designed, half of the returning villains that were used as an advertising point aren't even fought outside of a short cutscene, and the game will often automatically move your through or around certain obstacles with NO way to actually fail. After all of the innovation that was presented throughout this generation of gaming, Sonic Team proves that a group of fans have a better understanding of what makes a fun game, much less a sonic game, then they do… Expand
  37. MarkDream35
    Feb 8, 2020
    4
    Exceedingly mediocre. The game almost plays itself, and sonic moves like a tonne of bricks. Would not recommend unless it's like €15 at most.
  38. siyaiscool
    Dec 27, 2018
    4
    Well i wrote a review once before on sonic forces and gave it 10/10 like an idiot like a years ago but this time i will actually review it, so i tell you this Dont buy this game even if you're a sonic fan this game is pretty okay when you play it the first time but the more time passes the more you realize that the game isn't good and its not bad either i'll say that but its far from good,Well i wrote a review once before on sonic forces and gave it 10/10 like an idiot like a years ago but this time i will actually review it, so i tell you this Dont buy this game even if you're a sonic fan this game is pretty okay when you play it the first time but the more time passes the more you realize that the game isn't good and its not bad either i'll say that but its far from good, its just it has too little content for a price of 40 bucks, the game is 5 hours long or even 4 and after that there is nothing else you can do except do some of the missions that will keep you occupied for a while maybe for another 5 hours but after that theres nothing else you can do, but i shall say this the graphics are just amazing and the music is just amazing but the gameplay is the thing that matters the most and do you know why?? because its called a game and a game needs gameplay and this game doesn't have gameplay that will keep you coming it will have gameplay that will make you think that this game is whack and its true the physics is WHACK. so in conclusion dont buy this game i highly recommend you buy it from humble bundle or on steam when its on sale and its under 10 bucks and thats it, i kinda hoped this game would be better but no, also the custom character is pretty neat and i hope he will be used in all the other sonic games with more options i just think to save this game is to just fix the level design and some of the physics and mechanics remove classic sonic and thats it, that may sound like a lot but "that will do donkey, that will do".… Expand
  39. SonicFanatic
    Oct 24, 2018
    4
    Sonic forces is like most other sonic games in the sense that it had an amazing concept but had a really poor execution. The gameplay consists of 3 play styles, them being modern sonic, classic sonic, and your own custom character. The modern sonic and custom character gameplay styles are nearly identical, however the custom character uses a type of weapon known as a 'wispon' to beatSonic forces is like most other sonic games in the sense that it had an amazing concept but had a really poor execution. The gameplay consists of 3 play styles, them being modern sonic, classic sonic, and your own custom character. The modern sonic and custom character gameplay styles are nearly identical, however the custom character uses a type of weapon known as a 'wispon' to beat enemies rather than the boost ability. These 2 play styles consist of moving forward and pressing 2 buttons every now and then. Modern sonic stages are all pretty much just boost to win, and the custom character levels mostly require you to spam the wispon and move forward. The classic sonic stages however are by far the worst, which is why i am happy that there are few of them. The controls feel very clunky, slow, and aren't even momentum based. Another problem with sonic forces is the story. Now i personally think that the concept was great, however, the way they included the story into the game was really bad. Lots of characters and plot points will just sort of come out of nowhere and then disappear the next second. It also seems as if SEGA forgot certain events from past games in the sonic timeline since tons of things that happen in this game completely contradict certain events from sonic's past games. Now not only are both the story and the gameplay heavily flawed, but the game is way to short. While the price has declined from about $40 to $20, they still should have offered a longer experience. While the game has tons of issues, we can't overlook the fact that the soundtrack is great. The songs that play simply make you want to go fast like every sonic soundtrack to this day. Overall, Sonic forces really isn't a good sonic game, or a game in general. I do not recommend this to anyone unless you are a die hard sonic fan making a collection or just someone who wants to try it out… Expand
  40. Invader9
    Aug 20, 2018
    1
    Horrible level design, lousy "story", boring gameplay, forgettable music, lackluster animations (isn't it sad that Unleashed, a game from 2008, is still the best looking Sonic game?) and a dark tone that just comes off as forced more than anything else. This might not be the absolute WORST Sonic game, but of all the ones I've played, it's defiantly the one I've hated the most.
  41. HonestReviewer9
    May 31, 2018
    1
    It's strange how the trailers made the game look a lot better than it really is.
    The music doesn't really stand out ,unlike other games, story is quite lacking, and the game play..
    All of the characters feel far too heavy for no reason, it amazes me how the controls have taken a step back, in Generations, you have various different options but in Forces, you can't even drift or    It's strange how the trailers made the game look a lot better than it really is.
    The music doesn't really stand out ,unlike other games, story is quite lacking, and the game play..

    All of the characters feel far too heavy for no reason, it amazes me how the controls have taken a step back, in Generations, you have various different options but in Forces, you can't even drift or sidestep any more.

    The level design is bland too, the Classic Sonic levels don't reward you properly if you explore the stage. Most Sonic levels can be completed by just holding forward, occasionally holding Y and occasionally jumping.    … Expand
  42. PyroProductions
    Jan 23, 2018
    4
    _________________________________________________
    And that is the level design of Sonic Forces. This game is so uninspired that I can't even make a long review on it. This game has so much potential to be great.
    But no. It was just playing it safe, but way too much. I wish it was more like Unleashed or Lost World. Even though I dislike the latter, at least they tried to vary their    _________________________________________________
    And that is the level design of Sonic Forces. This game is so uninspired that I can't even make a long review on it. This game has so much potential to be great.
    But no. It was just playing it safe, but way too much. I wish it was more like Unleashed or Lost World. Even though I dislike the latter, at least they tried to vary their content. All in all, I give Sonic Forces a 4/10.    … Expand
  43. MelonReviews69
    Jan 8, 2018
    1
    Terrible Game to date. If you want to get a good Sonic Game, Buy Sonic Mania, Don't buy this. There are only 2 worlds and the story is super short. Sonic Generations is much Better than Forces by a Landslide.
  44. TAnnoyedGamer_1
    Dec 29, 2017
    3
    THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN PLOT ELEMENTS (as I prefer to write reviews mostly on gameplay.)When receiving this as a gift a first I got pretty excited, oh yay a new sonic game but unlike mania is 3D.
    but after wasting 4+ hours on this game, I started to build frustration. In a sense, it was kind of like sonic heroes in that one moment you feel awesome then flamethrowers. The inclusion of    THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN PLOT ELEMENTS (as I prefer to write reviews mostly on gameplay.)When receiving this as a gift a first I got pretty excited, oh yay a new sonic game but unlike mania is 3D.
    but after wasting 4+ hours on this game, I started to build frustration. In a sense, it was kind of like sonic heroes in that one moment you feel awesome then flamethrowers. The inclusion of classic sonic just made me wish I had sonic mania; for instance, there was this one Classic Sonic level towards the end where it was okay... then they decided to add in a slow autoscrolling level.
    This concludes my review 3/10 because it would break on multiple occasions and there have been no patches.    … Expand
  45. Somerandomgame
    Nov 30, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic forces is not a good game from what i have played, the bosses are weak the final boss especially, the music is fine, and most levels are 2D. Classic sonic shouldn’t be in the game, and apparently he came from a different dimension now instead of a diffrent time. The game overall is a bad game and worth 60 bucks.… Expand
  46. Ladrultral
    Nov 19, 2017
    1
    DON'T BUY THE GAME ON THIS CONSOLE. I WAS WRoNG YOU CAN ENJOY IT HERE ON THE PS4 REVIEW. ALL I CAN SAY IT'S THAT THIS GAME HAS HERE HIS WORST VERSION OF ALL THE FOUR THAT EXIST ACTUALLY.
  47. AllToasters
    Nov 19, 2017
    0
    DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY, or at least wait for it to go on sale. As a long time fan and customer I don't appreciate the low-quality and rushed overall product. I have standards, and just because Sonic is on the cover doesn't mean I'll automatically like it. You CAN judge a game by it's cover in this case: a failure just like communism (why the red star design, and Russian Revolution 100 yearDON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY, or at least wait for it to go on sale. As a long time fan and customer I don't appreciate the low-quality and rushed overall product. I have standards, and just because Sonic is on the cover doesn't mean I'll automatically like it. You CAN judge a game by it's cover in this case: a failure just like communism (why the red star design, and Russian Revolution 100 year anniversary release date? Odd). If anything, Eggman would be the communist, since world domination is literally a goal of that ideology which killed more than 100 million innocent lives. Keep political propaganda out of games aimed at kids/youth.
    Also if you're going to introduce a new character, or even a recurring character, there should be an explanation as to how/why that character is even in the game in the first place! If you're gonna just throw in some fan-favorite characters, or spam the "create clone" story crutch, or make yet another failure of a deep, dark story, the music, gameplay and/or level design should make up for it! At the end of the short gameplay, it feels like so many things in this game were just recycled and downgraded.    … Expand
  48. Seta
    Nov 11, 2017
    0
    Not worth the money. it's short, most levels are like 2 minutes the first time around. The story was a huge let down. Even though he's in the game you never get to face off against Chaos. infinite was a good concept but his personality ended up being stupid because of arrogance and laziness to finish off his opponents. Boss fights felt very copy, paste. Linear uninspired level design. YouNot worth the money. it's short, most levels are like 2 minutes the first time around. The story was a huge let down. Even though he's in the game you never get to face off against Chaos. infinite was a good concept but his personality ended up being stupid because of arrogance and laziness to finish off his opponents. Boss fights felt very copy, paste. Linear uninspired level design. You can't even play as Knuckles or Tails. Generations, Colors, and Unleashed were all better in my opinion.… Expand
  49. Alone1sAgain
    Nov 10, 2017
    3
    The SONIC Team proves, once again, that they just can't simply put enough "force" into their own Sonic titles to make them a real, worthwhile experience. If you go into this game expecting something a' la Mario Odyssey quality, you'll be severely disappointed. As for it being a Sonic game, well, the downward spiral of 3D Sonic games is still as apparent as ever. This title doesn't evenThe SONIC Team proves, once again, that they just can't simply put enough "force" into their own Sonic titles to make them a real, worthwhile experience. If you go into this game expecting something a' la Mario Odyssey quality, you'll be severely disappointed. As for it being a Sonic game, well, the downward spiral of 3D Sonic games is still as apparent as ever. This title doesn't even add up to the quality of Generations or Colors, which is ridiculous. Sonic Mania is half the price, and clearly the better option.

    The first point is the frame-rate issues. This game goes in a 30fps on the Nintendo Switch, and it even struggles with that. The level design is better, to say the least, but still as random as ever. What I mean by that is that there are points that make you enjoy it, but then you're brought back to the harsh reality that it's terrible again. Red rings and character parts (costumes) are littered throughout the levels, but the diverging paths are downright dumb. Unless you wish to "collect 'em all", it didn't keep me playing the same levels over and over again. They "force" you to play as Sonic, classic Sonic, and your own character creation during different parts of different levels, seemingly randomized in the story (at least to me). At the end of the story, it seems that your character simply had no impact on the turnout other than just simply existing. It's just borderline "okay" and "mediocre", and I wouldn't suggest this title except to the Sonic "enthusiasts". In my own opinion, go grab a GameCube and get Heroes or Sonic Adventure... you'll have more of a blast playing those than this title.

    Another point is the amazing reviews from users I'm seeing. "It's not Mario Odyssey, but it's SONIC!!! It's not a great game, has frame-rate issues, I've fallen through the world once, yet... I'll give it a 10/10!!!" This title is nowhere in any way possible a 10/10. Mario Odyssey is a 10/10. Zelda Breath of the Wild is 10/10. This title shouldn't even clock in at a 3 for me because there is just too many issues with the game.

    The cleanup from the Sonic fan-base is ridiculous. Save yourself $40-50 and buy another game. Black Friday is just around the corner, I'm sure you'll be able to find games on sale that are much more polished. Not to mention Doom, Rocket League, L.A. Noire, and Skyrim all coming soon. Just not worth it. At. All.    … Expand
  50. TheNCSmaster
    Nov 9, 2017
    4
    Before I say anything I want you to know that I love Sonic but this game just broke my spirit. This game's level design is one of the most boring and bland we have ever seen in the Sonic series, the story, while full of potential, doesn't go anywhere near in depth for it to be enjoyable. It went incredibly simple but with such a serious plot and introduction of such large elements it endedBefore I say anything I want you to know that I love Sonic but this game just broke my spirit. This game's level design is one of the most boring and bland we have ever seen in the Sonic series, the story, while full of potential, doesn't go anywhere near in depth for it to be enjoyable. It went incredibly simple but with such a serious plot and introduction of such large elements it ended hurting it's self because of it. The game is also incredibly short clocking in for me a 4 hours and that's counting the extra Shadow DLC levels. In short this game felt incredibly rushed and was a gigantic disappointment, it is a massive step down from Unleashed, Colors, and Generations. While I don't this will lead Sonic into another dark ages, it most certainly isn't the best the series has to offer.… Expand
  51. sarkwalvein
    Nov 9, 2017
    0
    Dragon's Lair had more gameplay than this interactive movie.
    SEGA should stick to making actual games instead of their repeated incursion in the world of disguised quick time events.
  52. KingGames
    Nov 8, 2017
    0
    Ich gebe es zu, ich hatte nicht besonders hohe Erwartungen an Sonic Forces, dennoch wurde ich entäuscht.

    Die Grafik ist auf der Switch auf PS3/XBOX 360 Niveau und das liegt ganz sicher nicht an der limitierten Hardware. Trotz der weitaus schlechteren Grafik als auf den anderen Plattformen läuft das Spiel auf der Switch nur mit 30 FPS statt 60 FPS, wieso genau? Natürlich ist die    Ich gebe es zu, ich hatte nicht besonders hohe Erwartungen an Sonic Forces, dennoch wurde ich entäuscht.

    Die Grafik ist auf der Switch auf PS3/XBOX 360 Niveau und das liegt ganz sicher nicht an der limitierten Hardware. Trotz der weitaus schlechteren Grafik als auf den anderen Plattformen läuft das Spiel auf der Switch nur mit 30 FPS statt 60 FPS, wieso genau?
    Natürlich ist die Hardware der Switch schwächer, aber Sie sollte in der Lage sein ein Spiel mit last gen Grafik in 60 FPS abzuspielen.

    Aber nein das ist nicht der Grund weswegen ich enttäuscht wurde.

    Das Gameplay ist einfach schrecklich, Sonic läuft wie auf Schienen und das Spiel nimmt einen einige Aktionen ab. Teilweise wirkt es mehr wie ein schlechter interaktiver Film als wie ein Spiel. Die 2D Passagen sind sehr hakelig zu spielen und wirken gegenüber Sonic Mania wie eine Amateurarbeit.

    Auch die Story ist absoluter Mist, ich möchte hier niemanden Spoilern, aber die Storyline ergibt absolut keinen Sinn und man fragt sich, was für ein Idiot die Story geschrieben haben muss. Ganz ehrlich, jede Fanfiction ist besser geschrieben als dieser Mist!

    Ich frage mich was Sonic Team und Sega sich bei diesem Spiel gedacht haben. Man hat doch kürzlich mit Sonic Mania erst ein von Fans entwickeltes 2D Sonic rausgebracht was richtig gut war. Wieso lässt man in Sonic Forces die 2D Level nicht vom Sonic Mania Team gestalten, Wieso? Ich verstehe Sega nicht mehr und wurde wieder mal enttäuscht.    … Expand
  53. 9to10Gaming
    Nov 8, 2017
    2
    Its a sad time to be a Sonic Fan. At least we got Sonic Mania this year. Sonic Forces is average at best. Miles worse than Colors and Generations. I wish they would go in the Sonic Adventure direction again to be honest.
  54. scrimbim
    Nov 7, 2017
    4
    For people looking for the tl;dr: Sonic Forces is incredibly average and boring, and it's not bad enough to be a funny train wreck like '06 or Boom.
    A weird and occasionally unfitting soundtrack, exceptionally linear and un-challenging gameplay, and the build up to fights with Chaos and Shadow that are done away in cutscenes. Sonic Forces does deliver on what it advertised, and if it    For people looking for the tl;dr: Sonic Forces is incredibly average and boring, and it's not bad enough to be a funny train wreck like '06 or Boom.
    A weird and occasionally unfitting soundtrack, exceptionally linear and un-challenging gameplay, and the build up to fights with Chaos and Shadow that are done away in cutscenes. Sonic Forces does deliver on what it advertised, and if it seemed to advertise more, you should remember that that this is a 3D sonic game made by the team that put out Lost World. The choices for making your own character are also off-putting, and the clothing options are exceptionally gaudy - see the "gamer" snapback. Classic Sonic handles so slowly as well; he's stiff to control and shows that the team learned nothing from what was implemented in Mania, which fantastically did classic's momentum and control.
    Sonic Forces is, truly, dangling plastic keys in front of kids and fanboys alike, and despite their admittedly hilarious PR team, Sonic Team has left you with a boring experience. If you have the opportunity, opt for Mania instead - its team is much more passionate and wise with how sonic should play.    … Expand
  55. McRadical
    Nov 7, 2017
    4
    This is literally one of the worst of the boost games. It feels like this game was untested, the level design is literally horrid as I find myself being thrown off of paths. The polish in previous Sonic games is lost and whats here instead is a game that literally takes itself to seriously. I wouldn't reccomend this to anyone at all, I really wouldn't. This game actually drained me it wasThis is literally one of the worst of the boost games. It feels like this game was untested, the level design is literally horrid as I find myself being thrown off of paths. The polish in previous Sonic games is lost and whats here instead is a game that literally takes itself to seriously. I wouldn't reccomend this to anyone at all, I really wouldn't. This game actually drained me it was so bad. I picked this game day 1 because I thought it wouldnt be that bad...

    but no, it was. Please don't buy this, buy generations or mania or colors or unleashed or even just wait for the next new sonic game. this is one you can literally skip over.    … Expand
  56. Prodigic
    Nov 7, 2017
    4
    Im sorry I love sonic and have played all the way back to the Adventure games but this just hurts..the level design was horrid and I hate the idea of using classic sonic as a crutch. when you try to give fan service so much to the point where its ridiculous is exactly whats happened here. Add to the fact that you literally have little interaction just makes for a horrible experience.
  57. turbo_chuffa
    Nov 7, 2017
    0
    If Sonic Team had any honor they would commit seppuku on themselves and spare the world any more of this migraine saccharine lobotomized festival of dross.
  58. JohnGrey
    Nov 7, 2017
    3
    Sonic Forces Review
    Switch
    Version 1.01 I was nine years old, and already well loyal to Nintendo, when Sonic the Hedgehog burst onto the games scene in 1991 and forced me to join most of my mates in vassalship to SEGA. Britain had been in the first Major ministry for less than a year and the Soviet Union, then politically little more than inertia and wishful thinking, was a mere six    Sonic Forces Review
    Switch
    Version 1.01

    I was nine years old, and already well loyal to Nintendo, when Sonic the Hedgehog burst onto the games scene in 1991 and forced me to join most of my mates in vassalship to SEGA. Britain had been in the first Major ministry for less than a year and the Soviet Union, then politically little more than inertia and wishful thinking, was a mere six months from delivering the death blow to a half-century long Cold War. Though I did not have the language or context to describe it at the time, I recall a attitude of youthful exuberance, playful irreverence and cautious optimism that a decidedly new day had dawned, and SEGA's new mascot felt utterly at home. I've been there with Sonic through most of the intervening decades: making the leap to CD, to the Dreamcast Adventures, even to the trying and inconsistent Modern days.

    Twenty-six years removed from that first adventure, I, now a middle-aged and facing a world far more dystopian that the halcyon days of the nineties, decided to play and review the blue blur's newest adventure, and find that I much prefer the metaphysical horror of helplessness caused by real life to the metaphysical horror of uselessness found in Sonic Forces. It is, in the most concise and charitable phrasing I can muster, a testament to aspirations of mediocrity. Please note that I very specifically and intentionally write 'aspiration to' it, not the state itself, because I cannot reasonably even call the game mediocre. To my own mind, mediocrity would be stagnation, an inability to move beyond or improve upon whichever of the formulae, that have comprised the frantic experimentation of period inaugurated by the reboot of doom, is momentarily on display. This, alas, Sonic Team could not even muster. The level design, which to my opinion peaked in creativity with Colors and in consistency with Generations, has retreated in virtually every metric. Length, variety and dynamism are an unimagined dream in the doldrums of this disaster's roughly fifty stages. General control has managed to become even more wildly inconsistent, punctuating what is mostly sluggish and cumbersome translation of movement with the occasional burst of comical slipperiness, and the boost mechanic, having already overstayed its welcome on the whole, when coupled with the absurd brevity of the stages, is a recipe for game that appeals to speedrunners and few others. The art design is mostly clean though uninspired, but critically the technical presentation is notably poor on the Switch, and most other systems not natively outputting at 1080p, strongly suggesting that next to no optimisation was done despite it ostensibly being a mainline multi-platform release. By far the worst offender of this title, or the greatest victim depending on your degree of empathy, is Sonic's lore. Now having suffered three consecutive titles featuring time travel, cross-dimensionality or both, all pretence to a cohesive narrative has been obliterated. Worse still, the infantile writing of Ken Pontac and Warren Graff, already culpable for Sonic Lost World and all Sonic Boom games, delivers a story bereft of nuance or any emotion beyond shoneny angst, taking what ought to have been desperate and harrowing fight against tyrannical annihilation and giving it the emotional weight of schoolyard tussle over favourite Pokemon.

    It's a strange thing to grow up with, and in some ways away from, a cherished part of childhood, and frequently it's only in later adulthood when we find the strength, or perhaps resignation, to be more cynical about our formative years and those things which hallmarked them. With Sonic Forces, I sincerely believe that the time has come for the games community to have a frank and honest communication about the place of Sonic and whether his relevance, at least in the 3D platforming space, has passed from the commercial to the historical. For more than a decade I, and many others in the fandom, have soothed the wound of SEGA's and Sonic Team's incompetence with the balm of 'the next game', but there is a limit to the latitude that can be given to a pastime that demands so much and consistently offers so little. In life, there is always that moment, as certainly harrowing as it often is bittersweet, where we confront that not only are our days truly numbered but that those behind us are, with a moral certainly, better than those before us. I cannot help but question whether that time has come for Big Blue.    … Expand
  59. porcino
    Nov 7, 2017
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is horrible, the LD is completely linear, the enemies lack artificial intelligence, classic Sonic songs resemble the infamous Sonic 4, the phases are very repetitive and the story is very cliché. The ending is ridiculous, Sonic Classic did not surprise the members of the modern era and the end was a total failure, neither did Modern Sonci give a damn about the classic. The developer thinks that Sonic has to act like a bowling game, which makes racing mechanics look like cell phone racing games. The avatar reminds me a lot of Sonic Boom, the unnecessary introduction of the Wisps is massive, they should not be in this game, Sega could have better explored the elements of Sonic Mania like the classic Eggman, the Titanic Monarch the HBH the emeralds and the Litle Planet. I bet Sega thought about putting this damn Sonic but that changed his mind during the critics. The game is very short and finally can be worse than Sonic Unleashed, Sonic 4 and Sonic 2006.… Expand
  60. GreatGateway
    Nov 7, 2017
    4
    I can see what Sonic Team were doing here. Attempting to clean up the issues of games like Unleashed was a good idea in theory, but the resulting game has caused more problems than it fixes.

    I have seen a lot of people call this "Straight Line Simulator" and they are pretty much correct in doing so. Compared to the excellent branching paths in Colours or the reactions-based    I can see what Sonic Team were doing here. Attempting to clean up the issues of games like Unleashed was a good idea in theory, but the resulting game has caused more problems than it fixes.

    I have seen a lot of people call this "Straight Line Simulator" and they are pretty much correct in doing so. Compared to the excellent branching paths in Colours or the reactions-based rollercoasters in Generations, there isn't anything resembling competent level design in this game. If you don't run the way the designers want you too - full Boost ahead - you don't play the game.

    Although there really isn't much to play at that. Clocking in at less than 4 hours on average, Forces relies on replaying stages for its lifespan. Many Sonic games are short, so this isn't too bad a complaint on its own. However the inclusion of too many gameplay styles means the game never truly gets to focus on its strengths in the short time it has to do so.

    Perhaps most damaging of all though? The controls and physics. I am not exaggerating when I say early PlayStation platformers like Croc have better controls than Forces. Sonic, Classic and the Avatar shift across the levels so slowly they might as well be running through superglue. And when you suddenly speed up spontaneously, or plummet from unexpected surges in gravity, you know you're dealing with a poorly coded piece of software.

    Sonic Team have created a cinematic, fast paced game for themselves and nobody else. Everyone will likely compare this game's failure to the success of Mania. Myself? I just find it a shame that the magic behind Colours and Generations may never return. An abysmal platformer, and a low standard Sonic title. Avoid.    … Expand
  61. gamerdudettes
    Nov 7, 2017
    2
    This game was very boring. The level design for Modern Sonic and the Avatar levels were pretty awful. Now, I know there was only like 3 people on the design team and only 1 of them had worked on one single sonic game, but that's not really an excuse in my opinion. The Classic Sonic levels looked like they had just been thrown in so they could link it to Sonic Mania (which is a much betterThis game was very boring. The level design for Modern Sonic and the Avatar levels were pretty awful. Now, I know there was only like 3 people on the design team and only 1 of them had worked on one single sonic game, but that's not really an excuse in my opinion. The Classic Sonic levels looked like they had just been thrown in so they could link it to Sonic Mania (which is a much better game).

    The Avatars where a disappointment. You could literally use one item throughout the whole game and not find it challenging, which then makes the fact that almost every red ring rewarded you with an Avatar item that you didn't really need.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
12
#12 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Jan 7, 2018
    75
    It's not a bad game, but after four or so years, it just feels like it ought to be better. [Issue #31 – January/February 2018, p. 35E]
  2. GamingTrend
    Dec 7, 2017
    60
    Sonic Forces may be a misstep from this year’s Mania, but it’s still an enjoyable title. While it suffers from a host of problems with pacing and performance, it still is worth a weekend rental with its surprisingly entertaining plot and great music.
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  3. FNintendo
    Nov 17, 2017
    40
    Sonic Forces may have created some hype but unfortunately, it mostly falls flat on its face as it quickly becomes obvious that this game is an exercise in disappointment. While the action runs smoothly whether on a television screen or on handheld mode, the game's short and unimaginative levels, the absence of gameplay mechanics that had become a staple of 3D Sonic games, the unreliable controls and the mediocre soundtrack all add up to a very flawed game from which a lot more was expected.
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