Sonic the Hedgehog has had an active year, as both Sonic Mania and Sonic Forceshave been released to exhibit nowhere speedster's continued popularity in the current era. While Mania would be a go back to form for classic 2D Sonic games, Forces took an interesting method of the series' history. Whether you are a traditional Sonic fan or modern Sonic apologist, by combining several features seen over the library of games and melding them into one experience, this latest Sonic adventure can appease fans for completely different reasons, or in turn, shut them off.
Like most Sonic games, the plot doesn't make an effort to get too deep, which is a wise option for making the custom hero an integral part of the storyline. Sonic and also the usual gang, including Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and many more, have seemingly been defeated by Dr. Eggman's latest attempt to control the universe. His success comes down to pulling in villains seen throughout the series to assist him, however the standout reason is dependant on the strength of Forces' new baddie, Infinite. With Sonic banished to an unknown realm, it's up to the remaining team to take on a number of covert missions across the globe to gain control back from Eggman and the army. A part of that team may be the player's custom hero, known as the “new recruit” in the story, and is undeniably the good thing of Forces' new additions.
In the primary storyline missions, players can control modern Sonic, classic Sonic, and also the custom hero character they've created at the beginning of the sport. The create-a-hero system begins with picking from seven different animal types, which include unique abilities, like the wolf's skill to draw in nearby rings or the bird's double jump. In addition to the innate abilities of every animal, the only real practical customization choice for the characters comes down to the Wispons found throughout the game, which are the different weapons at your disposal. A flamethrower, gravity gun, and drill are just a few of the choices to use, but all Wispons provide an additional ability that contributes a platforming mechanic. For instance, the flamethrower shoots flames at enemies but can also allow the custom hero boost into the air continually on the limited period of time before needing to be recharged.
As an enjoyable twist, other accessories may also be unlocked by completing missions and challenges, however they only provide cosmetic changes for the hero. You need to say, though, that acquiring and adding new what to a hero is really a blast. Yes, it's all regulated for looks, but area of the charm of Sonic Forces may be the chance to produce a hero that is representative of what you are as a player. The sport has a lot of accessories to unlock and select from, and they even include a handy “outfit creator” to keep looks that can be easily put on as an entire outfit.
However, the general success of Forces rests in the practical options available, as they continually permit players to return to levels and try different choices to beat the platforming situations. Within the 30 primary missions offered in the game, players are experiencing 2.5D side-scrolling and 3D platforming levels that will continuously change up gameplay, from classic speed-based movement through levels to less linear platforming portions. While any animal type and Wispon combo can successfully conquer these missions and level designs, the different paths and collectible items hidden within the stages require the player to return to each level while using different options for that hero. Consequently, the replay value for every mission is high and offers a motivation for going through the levels' branching paths. It is a nice departure in the classic Sonic games' typical speed-based gameplay without completely deviating from that well-made formula. The boss fights also utilize the Wispon/animal type pairings by looking into making the encounters about doling out damage from weapons, instead of pure platforming like past Sonic titles.
While the custom hero character is really a welcome addition, some issues include its presence. Along with your hero, players will even play stages as modern 3D Sonic and classic 2D Sonic, each using their own unique abilities. Sonic Generations fans will feel at home with the controls for contemporary Sonic, as he can dash attack enemies and, of course, speed through areas in ball form. Classic Sonic works relatively the same way, but rather than a dash attack, he is able to hurt enemies just by jumping on top of them, which can be frustrating when navigating Forces' levels built around platforming rather than speed. Several of the areas require fast movement from classic Sonic to traverse, but you will find enemies place in his method in which are difficult to prevent, forcing the gamer to begin and stop their speed rolling continually. It makes the overall handling of classic Sonic feel clunky along with a step back from the fluid style of the custom hero. It's clear the Sonic Team were able to bring breeziness to 3D Sonic gameplay, finally, but at the cost of successfully incorporating everything from the classic era from the series. However, even modern Sonic feels overshadowed through the player's hero, as his in-battle movements and commands are limited making him feel less powerful.
The custom hero also receives more attention through the new SOS missions. While the player moves on in the story, notifications will appear with an SOS-style warning that a custom hero is in danger and needs your help. When the player returns to the level, there are three ways the SOS quest can be completed: look for a character hidden in the level, complete happens utilizing an online player's custom hero, or reach the end either using your character or another custom hero. As the online functionality from the game is limited as of now, the way the Sonic Team incorporated the use of other custom heroes online was the best move. Not only are players instructed to try new animal types and Wispon combos when completing an SOS mission, it encourages players to add unique flairs for their characters to make them stick out and ultimately help out players seeking to complete along side it missions.
Unfortunately, there's no other online multiplayer option yet, however the mechanics from the SOS stages provide a strong indication that it could be considered a possibility down the road. Players will notice in levels that modern Sonic will join the custom hero as a playable and switchable character, and while that's exciting, this option lends much more credit as to the might be done with Forces if the online co-op or multiplayer mode was introduced. Partner track of a buddy online and fight Infinite together? Yes, please.
When it comes to the different stages players will experience in Forces, there is a beautiful diversity to the look of the locales and how they push the gamer along. Rail gliding, loop-de-loop segments, and scripted action sequences are put in the team's way, but the game makes sure to alter up how they look as part of the story's “global scale.” Space, Green Hill Zone, and even another dimension permit refreshing changeups to the look of the game and never result in the five to six-hour campaign feel stale. Sadly, when it comes to level design, at this point, it appears nearly impossible to obtain a formula for 3D Sonic perfect.
While this is easily the best design of the 3D generation, the possible lack of clear direction and warnings of upcoming obstacles can make getting through certain stages frustrating. Many times I had been rushing through a level simply to come across a wide open pit which has no borders or edges, sending me to my death. Granted, the amount are all relatively short, so dying and restarting is not a huge loss overall, but it is an obvious flaw in an otherwise well-developed game.
The most difficult a part of weighing the good and bad aspects of the sport come down to player preference. Sonic is a long-running and beloved franchise with polarizing entries, so Forces' make an effort to meld a majority of yesteryear mechanics into one game has its own level of questionable complexity. Players that love classic Sonic, including the most recent Sonic Mania, will likely feel let down by the lack of care provided to 2D side-scrolling, but modern Sonic lovers is going to be happy to visit a flawed but more well-rounded level design.
Personally, I'm partial to both Sonic styles, as Sonic CD and Sonic Adventure 2are a couple of my favorites in the franchise, not to mention, feature vastly different experiences. I appreciated more attention being placed on the 3D features becasue it is been awhile since a contemporary Sonic game has captured my excitement, however i begin to see the disappointments classic Sonic fans could voice. With that in mind, Sonic Forces is a good but fallible shake at honoring the entire franchise. It's a fun time and houses ideas worth praise, but it is not the defining modern Sonic game it could and should attend this time.
