Fun is Infinite – Sonic Forces Review (PlayStation 4)

What is Sonic Forces?

To say Sonic Forces was released at an important time would be underselling it. Even with the success of Sonic Mania, the brand was still in recovery mode. Taking the best elements from Sonic Generations, while adding in some new elements, the Blue Blur was ready.

Did Sonic and his resistance save the day? Or did they stumble along the way? While some elements of this adventure showed promise, this speedy venture needed a few more laps around the track.

Publisher/Developer: SEGA/Sonic Team
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC
Price: $19.99
Release Date: November 7, 2017
Reviewed On: PlayStation 4

Rise of the Resistance – Premise

Following the events of Sonic Lost World, Eggman is back at it again. After discovering Phantom Ruby, a powerful gem that can distort reality with very physical illusions, he recruits a mysterious mercenary by the name of Infinite to lead his army.

Sonic sprints to the scene to save the day, but he’s quickly overwhelmed by returning threats. Taken captive on the Death Egg, the world falls under Eggman’s rule. Sonic’s friends aren’t done yet, though, forming a resistance led by Knuckles and Amy to take back the world.

Through the efforts of the Rookie (a custom character the player creates), Sonic escapes the Death Egg and helps the duo assist the resistance in saving the day.

The core premise of Sonic Forces is brilliant, as it directly takes inspiration from the Archie Sonic Comics and Sonic SatAM cartoon series. In both those pieces of media, Eggman has already won, making Sonic’s fight against the good doctor that much more tense. Combine that with more grounded storytelling and a somewhat heavier tone, and you have the makings of an engaging Sonic story.

Unfortunately, for the awesome premise at work here, it’s underutilized in several areas.

The Missed Potential of Sonic Forces

Many major plot points ‘just happen’ without any real buildup or consequence. The idea of Sonic being captured and MIA for several months should not only have lasted for more than a few stages, but also had a major impact on his friends.

And my biggest gripe has to be how the game handles Infinite as a character. Having the cool factor of Shadow design-wise, a great voice (performed by Liam O’Brien), and dangerous reality-warping powers, he’s a great inclusion to the Sonic series. But the story doesn’t do much with him, nor does it give him a good reason for being so evil.

I’m not going into the Sonic series expecting deep narratives on the level of a Persona or anything, but when this followed up on the confused tone of Sonic Lost World’s narrative and the failed experiment that was Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, it’s disappointing all the same.

It Takes Generations – Gameplay of the Sonic’s

Similar to the narrative, Sonic Forces utilizes other bright spots in the franchise for its foundations. And it directly looks at Sonic Generations, bringing back the Boost formula from Sonic Unleashed and Colors, alongside having Classic Sonic dash his way through some 2.5D stages.

Unleashed Speeds – Modern Sonic

Modern Sonic plays just how you would expect him to, running at fast speeds and only going faster when holding down the boost button. Other moves from Sonic Unleashed return, such as the Quick Step and Stomp. Sonic Colors’ double jump also returns.

With this moveset, modern Sonic largely feels fun to control, though he doesn’t feel nearly as speedy as he did in Unleashed. However, the level design takes a major step back from world adventures and generational retrospectives.

Though some levels continue the branching path approach from Unleashed and Generations, several stages feature automation and 2.5D platforming sections. In many cases, it copies the speed-focused levels of Sonic Colors, but without the interesting Wisp mechanic to flesh things out.

Some stages, like Lost Valley, can be played by just holding down boost and pressing jump a few times. It’s a major step back from the highest peaks of modern Sonic level design, though it’s a lot better than the other Sonic playstyle.

Retro Jogs – Classic Sonic

After going on an adventure by the mania, for the mania, classic Sonic runs to the scene to help save the world. His gameplay is classic 2D Sonic gameplay, with levels focused on speeding left or right, destroying robots with well-timed jumps, and collecting tons of rings.

What made classic Sonic work in Generations was that, despite the control changes from the classic games, the set pieces, the dynamic camera, and strong level design made it all come together. None of that is here in Sonic Forces, making classic Sonic feel boring and genuinely painful to play as.

It’s even more glaring considering Sonic Mania just released mere months before Sonic Forces, so that gameplay comparison is fresh and in your face. Despite that, one standout was classic Sonic’s Death Egg, using the gravity elements from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Becoming a Hero – Avatar Gameplay

By far the game’s biggest highlight is the Avatar gameplay. Taking the core foundation of modern Sonic’s gameplay, your custom hero can jump and perform most of the Blue Blur’s moveset. The main difference is a slower homing attack via hook shot and the inability to boost.

However, the trade-off is that your custom hero can use the Wisps in the form of Wispons. These are firearms based on the colorful aliens from Sonic Colors, each one granting an attack with the right trigger and a special ability by collecting the correct Wisp Capsule in the stages.

Because of their use of Wisp abilities, they have more engaging level design than modern or classic Sonic. Most notably, a few of the stages feature fun set-pieces, such as Aqua Road’s water slide or Capital City’s reality-warping.

Sadly, like modern Sonic’s stages, when the engaging gimmick or set-piece pulls you in, the level ends. So while these are the highlights of Sonic Forces, the Avatar stages could’ve been even better.

Progression of Sonic Forces

Speeding through the adventure, Sonic and friends play through 30 stages spread across seven major locations, combining returning Sonic zones and some new ones for good measure. Progression is stage-by-stage, though by collecting five Red Rings in each level, bonus acts can be unlocked.

Completing these unlocks new Wispons and outfit pieces for the player Avatar. Most of the unlockables are directly linked to the Avatar character, with new Wispons offering special perks to help with speed running and general gameplay refinements.

But the game is very short, only lasting at most two hours for the main adventure. Sonic games aren’t the longest, with games like Generations and Colors having slightly longer runtimes. However, the replayable stages and worthwhile unlocks that those titles have aren’t present in Forces, making full 100% completion not a worthwhile endeavor.

Familiar Hills – Presentation

Running on the Hedgehog Engine 2 and built on the work established from Sonic Lost World, Sonic’s world-saving adventure is a looker on PlayStation 4. It’s a visual match to 2011’s Sonic Generations, which is impressive considering the higher frame-rate target.

Most stages stand out with great attention to detail. Major standout levels for me were Space Port’s snow-covered backdrop and the intense downhill run of Mortor Canyon.

By far the biggest visual highlight is the frequent set pieces for several Modern Sonic and Avatar stages. While limited in gameplay capacity, they are visually striking and keep you engaged for each level’s first run.

Performance

Being the return to multiplatform after a stretch where Sonic was Nintendo exclusive, seeing Sonic Forces run at a locked 60 FPS across multiple platforms was an impressive feat. Finishing the game across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, all three platforms run at a steady 60 FPS. The PS4 version runs at native 1080p, though when played on PS5 or PS4 Pro, it leverages the higher horsepower for select stages, running them at a slightly higher resolution.

Moonlight Echos – General Soundtrack

By far the greatest strength of Sonic Forces is the soundtrack. While it has some low points, with Classic Sonic’s tracks not sounding great like the retro jaunts from Sonic Mania, Modern Sonic’s levels have catchy themes across the board.

From the ‘let’s go!’ vibes from Lost Valley, the frantic rush in Egg Gate, and the almost haunting final zone theme of Mortar Canyon, it matches the quality of past Sonic ventures. Other themes throughout the game stand out, leveraging the London Symphony Orchestra for various menu themes to add to the game’s bold ambition.

However, the biggest surprise when this was released was the wealth of vocal tracks.

Vocal Themes

For the games’ Avatar levels. Each one has a unique vocal theme. Designed to put the player in the shoes of their custom hero, they range from hopeful ‘we can do this’, desperation to escape a dangerous area, and determination to save the day.

As a huge fan of the vocal themes in Sonic Adventure 2 and other games in the series, seeing that energy directly applied to in-game stages was a great decision. My favorite of these has to be ‘Moonlight Battlefield’. It has a fantastic melody, combining powerful vocal themes with great instrumentation. This concept was expanded upon in 2022’s Sonic Frontiers to great effect.

In addition, there is a main vocal theme (‘Fist Bump’) that is used to great effect throughout the adventure. The villain theme for Infinite is great in the edgy sort of way, though it’s sadly underutilized.

Closing Thoughts on Sonic Forces

I wanted to love Sonic Forces more. It’s a game with grand ambition, a big story, and tries to appeal to every fan with its three playable heroes, while also returning to the attitude of the Sonic Adventure days. But due to lackluster level design, lack of strong replay value, and a disappointing narrative, Sonic Forces is one of the franchise’s weaker experiences.

This game was reviewed using a copy purchased by the reviewer.

This game is reviewed via a copy purchased by the reviewer.