The Classic Sonic segments are, well, classic Sonic segments. The only downside is that while they have a slight character arc, their lack of vocals means it gets downplayed. Not only is designing your own character surprisingly fun, but they gameplay sections feel like a natural continuation of the Modern Sonic segments, with the Wispons being enjoyable to use. And I’m just going to say it, the Avatar segments are the most fun bit of the game. Not only can you then dress them up in whichever gear you can unlock to give them their own personality, but you also get to apply any Wispons you unlock, various weapons with different abilities and passive bonuses. The big draw this time around is the Avatar character, a new member of the resistance created by you (and named “Rookie” by the other cast members) that you can customize from the ground up, selecting from one of seven different animal species, each with their own bonus (wolves have rings drawn towards them, birds can double jump, etc). But the homing attacks still work fine and the Wisp-powered boosts that lets you smash through enemies is fun, with everything here being executed fine. Modern Sonic places most of the emphasis on blowing through levels at insane speeds, with a lot of segments on rails or playing like a runner, but things still work quite well, even if you come across those awkward segments where you accidentally end up sliding into an enemy you weren’t prepared for. And much like our preview a while back, it may be best to go over how each play style works here.
Still, the plot is indeed usually secondary to Sonic games, with the fast-paced gameplay being the main draw. True, some will say the plot doesn’t matter in a game like this, but if that were the case, maybe the developers shouldn’t have invested in such huge setups with so little payoff. Classic Sonic returns like in Sonic Generations…and contributes nothing of significance to the plot. A whole batch of enemies from past Sonic games are working together…and without giving anything away, that alliance ends up being a cop-out. Our heroes now have to lead a small resistance to topple the empire…and not only are virtually zero other resistance members outside the usual main cast shown, but again, the actions leading to their hopeful victory mostly happen offscreen as well between levels. Eggman launches an all-out assault with an invincible ally and actually conquers the world…and the actual conquest is done offscreen, defeating Sonic and then - no joke - just cutting to some text saying that Eggman rules everything now. Yes, despite ostensibly being another 25th Anniversary celebration for Sonic the Hedgehog and suggesting his biggest battle ever, the plot for Sonic Forces sadly wastes every golden opportunity it has. It’s an impressive concept that has the makings of a deep, complex plot…that never ends up being executed. With his allies now believing him to be dead, Eggman finally takes over, spreading chaos everywhere, and once Sonic finally returns, it’s up to him and a resistance containing his best friends and an alternate version of himself to fight back against a massive army headed up by a group of former foes. The setup this time around is one of the biggest challenges Sonic has ever faced, as after a fight with Eggman where he unleashes his new ally, Infinite the Jackal, the hedgehog is bested by the godlike opponent powered by a mysterious gem.
But can it at least still make for an enjoyable platformer worth checking out and another decent entry in the Blue Blur’s library? The answer is yes, albeit not with a few missteps along the way.
And let’s not dance around it here: Sonic Forces doesn’t reach those same heights, despite being the next major entry in the franchise. After all, titles such as Cuphead, Super Mario Odyssey, Hollow Knight and even Sonic himself with Sonic Mania have already created a massively high bar for the game to try and clear. In hindsight, it may have been a bad idea for Sonic Forces to be released in November as one of the year’s final platformers.
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