Given that I had heard only negative reception going into Sonic Forces, I kept my expectations low. Perhaps this helped the game to leave a lasting impression on me, as I was pleasantly surprised. The game, if a bit short, was mostly fun to play through.
Apart from Sonic stages, there are also classic Sonic stages (2D) and “Avatar” stages, where you play as your custom Sonic character. Wisps make a return from Sonic Colors, providing unique abilities that can be used throughout the game, and also provide some incentive for replaying stages with a different Wisp equipped.
The character creation process is rather basic, but there are hundreds of clothing items for you to customize your character. This customization is made out to be a big part of the game, and is the main type of reward you’ll receive for completing stages and missions (unique tasks/quests in their own menu). For example, clear stage X with an S rank for 5 customization items, etc.
Since there is a wide variety of customization options, it was fun to play around with my character’s appearance every now and again, but there is truly an absurd amount of items to unlock for your character. In fact, every time you simply clear a stage for the first time you’re made to click through five or more new items you just unlocked. This got pretty tedious after the third or fourth stage, and I found myself wishing that it could be skipped or had an Accept All button.
The story is not bad for a Sonic game. I appreciate that the characters are involved in and outside of stages, talking about what’s going on and communicating with you as your character (even if the constant “Rookie” feels a bit jarring). Cutscenes are mostly dynamic with unique character actions, which is more credit than I can give some other Sonic titles.
Along with the main story, you can unlock some Special and EX stages. These are mostly short and gimmicky stages that I felt didn’t really add much to the game. There are also SOS encounters, which have you replay various stages in order to save characters trapped inside of them. I didn't see much point in doing these.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Forces. Outside of a few stages with questionable level design, the game felt pretty well put together. Just don’t expect a masterpiece!
Apart from Sonic stages, there are also classic Sonic stages (2D) and “Avatar” stages, where you play as your custom Sonic character. Wisps make a return from Sonic Colors, providing unique abilities that can be used throughout the game, and also provide some incentive for replaying stages with a different Wisp equipped.
The character creation process is rather basic, but there are hundreds of clothing items for you to customize your character. This customization is made out to be a big part of the game, and is the main type of reward you’ll receive for completing stages and missions (unique tasks/quests in their own menu). For example, clear stage X with an S rank for 5 customization items, etc.
Since there is a wide variety of customization options, it was fun to play around with my character’s appearance every now and again, but there is truly an absurd amount of items to unlock for your character. In fact, every time you simply clear a stage for the first time you’re made to click through five or more new items you just unlocked. This got pretty tedious after the third or fourth stage, and I found myself wishing that it could be skipped or had an Accept All button.
The story is not bad for a Sonic game. I appreciate that the characters are involved in and outside of stages, talking about what’s going on and communicating with you as your character (even if the constant “Rookie” feels a bit jarring). Cutscenes are mostly dynamic with unique character actions, which is more credit than I can give some other Sonic titles.
Along with the main story, you can unlock some Special and EX stages. These are mostly short and gimmicky stages that I felt didn’t really add much to the game. There are also SOS encounters, which have you replay various stages in order to save characters trapped inside of them. I didn't see much point in doing these.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Forces. Outside of a few stages with questionable level design, the game felt pretty well put together. Just don’t expect a masterpiece!