Sonic Forces

For the first time in years, I actually enjoyed and looked forward to going back to a Sonic game and will continue to hunt those red star rings for a while yet. But the main USP of the avatars let the side down. I really hope Sonic Team continue with the duel Sonic crossover games as they seem to be providing them with their best output in years.

Sonic Mania is undoubtedly a tighter, more exceptional experience; Sega should really allow that team to design the levels for the next 3D release! But if you missed the 3D Sonic experience and can tolerate some bland level design and roughness, Forces is certainly a worthwhile follow-up to Generations – especially for the reduced asking price.

Sonic is a good game, and very entertaining, with plenty of things to do. With very few arrangements it would be a very good game with a good scoring.

While I like the added emphasis put on replaying older levels, I am frustrated and baffled that the action-stopping tutorials from the earlier levels persist on repeated playthroughs.

Sonic Forces isn’t a bad game, nor the worst Sonic title in years. In fact, it’s quite fun and keeps up the series tradition of bringing a sense of speed to the forefront. But compared to say, Super Mario Odyssey, you get the feeling that it’s just another example of a fun and shallow Sonic game in a long line of fun and shallow Sonic games.

Forces continues the trend of Modern Sonic games being very average and not even an injection boost like Classic Sonic or the new customisable Avatar character can save this from being average at best.

Sonic Forces is a short and easy videogame, which also has a rude and imprecise control. In my opinion, nowadays there are many better alternatives than Sonic Forces on the market but it is enjoyable for kids and for all sonic fans.

Sonic Forces is a mixed bag, but the bad outweighs the good. Its few bright spots - mostly in the form of classic Sonic - get dimmed by the muddled mess of the weaker elements, and the lack of content doesn't help. The game's biggest achievement is the reminder of old school Sonic's superior gameplay.

It's business as usual for dear old Sonic. Which isn't necessarily a very good thing. [Jan 2018, p.82]

In this 3D Sonic game, developer Sonic Team attempts to iterate upon the formula of games like Sonic Generations and Sonic Colors, but it falls short due to frustrating design choices and inconsistent level design. Even its most entertaining moments come with caveats.