Sonic Forces Review

Sonic Forces has had an uphill battle right from the start, as the Sonic The Hedgehog series increasingly loses both fans and credibility. After the disasters of Sonic 2006 and Sonic Unleashed, the series was on its last legs. Sonic Colors and Generations did some damage control, but it wasn't enough for fans to forget a deluge of terrible game release after terrible game release. 

Sonic Forces adds many features that fans were clamoring for such as a custom avatar creator. You can even equip your custom Sonic character with several badass weapons! Including flamethrowers and laser machine guns! Classic Sonic levels return! Alongside the entire Sonic The Hedgehog cast! Yet so much of this game feels stale and predictable. 

The game plays exactly like Sonic generations, switching between 2D and 3D. There is a terrible sense of balance as every level is an on-rails race from left to right. No variation! As a platformer and action game hybrid, Sonic Forces stumbles throughout. Compare Sonic Forces to a masterpiece like Super Mario Odyssey which innovates on every level and evolves the platforming industry as a whole. An otherwise decent game in comparison becomes a pathetic display of mediocrity! Sonic Forces is lacking in any substance over style!

Gameplay facilitates between acquiring hidden tokens and fighting a stubborn timer that forces you to rush mindlessly through each stage, and inhibits open-ended exploration! Whereas Super Mario Odyssey gives players unlimited freedom in exploring its worlds, Sonic Forces limits freedom of choice, a fatal flaw! The games ranking system cares more about how fast you complete each level than the skill of your platforming. In short, gameplay feels forced and linear! Speed is essential to the Sonic franchise, but it used to have nuance dictated by strong platforming elements, now its just mindlessly speeding through each level with no skill.

These criticisms are not to say Sonic Forces is devoid of anything useful. The graphics are beautiful, running at a smooth 60FPS. The story is a nice change of pace, with Sonic getting captured by Eggman and the villains claiming victory within the first few cutscenes. Every Sonic antagonist makes an appearance here, Perfect Chaos, Shadow The Hedgehog, Metal Sonic, and a new villain. Its just nothing here feels fresh and original, this is an average game at best. The boss battles look epic enough! Yet they are based on over-extended, quick time events. Prescripted targeting controls which suck all the life and fun out of the experience. 

And this is the primary issue I have with Sonic Forces. Its a painfully average experience on every level! There is little that stands out, it feels like a Generations rehash, and that is sad. If you enjoyed Generations, I suggest giving Sonic Forces a try. However, compared to Sonic Mania which brings back classic 2D Sonic all the way through, Sonic Forces packs little punch.

Final Verdict:
Graphics: 10/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Replayability: 5/10
Overall: 6/10 (Slightly Above Average)