Sonic Forces Reviews
Fans might get a kick out of designing their own character, but weak platforming stops Forces dead in its tracks.
On top of the joy of creating and playing as your own character, there's a lot of goofy charm that makes Sonic Forces hard to be too disappointed with. The graphics are colorful and engaging, and the music is a pumping backdrop for extreme team-ups, super-speed cinematics, and lots of ruminations on the power of friendship. There are some really fun levels in the mix, too, and surprisingly strong boss fights make for some unexpected highlights. But Sonic Forces doesn't build on its handful of good ideas as much as it should, and it screeches to a halt just as it seems to hit its stride.
Though not without its moments, Forces is a depressing return to form for Sonic the Hedgehog after the joys of Mania.
Sonic Forces is a spectacular but empty sugar rush that's over in a blur. Once again, Sonic's return to form falls flat.
Despite its silly story and inconsistent gameplay, Sonic Forces is a fun adventure and a step in the right direction for 3D Sonic titles
Sonic Forces consistently fails more than it succeeds, squandering the opportunity to build on the series' past successes.
Sonic Forces creators' good intentions and interesting ideas don't amount to much in a game so clumsy and limited in design. It certainly doesn't help that Forces follows right on the heels of Sonic Mania, a game that not only demonstrated a more focused design sensibility but also did a far better job of realizing its creators' ambitions. Forces may have had a larger budget than Mania, but it feels like the poorer creation all around. Unless your dearest dream has always been to play a Sonic game as your own original fan art character, Sonic Forces doesn't have much to offer.
It's a playable Saturday morning cartoon: silly, janky but for a brief period of time, a fun distraction.
What do you do with a problem like Sonic? A custom character isn't the answer.
What ends up holding Sonic Forces back is that it — ironically — moves too fast to leave any sort of lasting impact, speeding through both its plot and levels in short bursts instead of leaving more time for anything to soak in.
To answer our initial question, Sonic Forces hasn't managed to convince us that it is a must-play title in the series, but has at least alleviated some of our initial fears. A relatively short five-hour or so campaign, a lack of difficulty that ramps up unexpectedly on the final boss, and the non-coherent blend of 3D sequences, 2D sections and cutscenes make Sonic Forces a mixed experience, with positive moments undone by weaker areas.It isn't poor as many feared, and for children it could well be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. For the ‘hardcore' (and likely slightly older) generation of Sonic fans, though, perhaps it's best to accept that - for better or worse - Sonic isn't what it used to be. Stick with Sonic Mania for classic Sonic fun, and let Forces attract a new, younger audience.
Despite its weird, war-focused beginning, Sonic Forces turns out to be a fun return to form for Sonic Team.
Sonic Forces is an easy, soft and repetitive experience in which Sonic Teams shows again how the "good times" of the IP seem to stay in the past. A perfect product for the youngest players but with a huge lack of creativity.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The saying “Too many cooks spoil the broth” certainly rings true with Sonic Forces. It's a game where despite it's many level types none of them quite leave a lasting impression. As a result, it comes off as merely average in all departments with the sole exception being the visual design. Sonic Forces is far from the train wreck that Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was, but it doesn't come close to reigniting the series' magic in the way Sonic Mania did.
Think of it as a Sonic games for the toddlers at home. Even so, it keeps some mistakes from which Sonic Team should have learned a long time ago.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The new hedgehog adventure features a terrible level design and a very low difficulty. However, it makes you want more thanks to its charisma, making this a good base that needs to be very well polished.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
While I see potential in Sonic Forces, the execution just isn't there, especially with the Switch edition. In the future I really hope Sega reinvents the wheel, taking a more Mario Odyssey adventure approach. The whole level-based 3D "thing" hasn't worked out so frequently that it's worth a shot.
A somewhat exhilarating and spectacular journey in (almost) every 3D Sonic game. Unfortunately all its mechanics are shallow and mixed up.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Whoever this shoddily made platformer is meant to please it won't be those that like Sonic Mania, or any of the better 3D Sonic games.