Sonic Forces Reviews
Sonic Forces has polish in some key places, but fails to bring that polish to every facet of its design.
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.
Sonic Forces stands side by side with the best 3D Sonic games. It gives a lot of good feelings and a few very bad ones, but it's an honest game, and you should trust the Sonic Team this time.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sonic Forces is a flawed and unremarkable game, despite occasionally providing moments of decent enjoyment.
We get the impression that Sonic Team wanted Forces to be the Best Sonic Game Ever, with a Greatest Hits package of everything good in the series, but they didn't have the time, money or talent to accomplish this.
There's certainly something in Sonic Forces for fans of the franchise and there are some steps in the right direction. However, the story, world, and characters never come together into a cohesive whole.
But compared to say, Super Mario Odyssey, you get the feeling that it's just another example of a fun and shallow Sonic game in a long line of fun and shallow Sonic games.
I won't pretend that Sonic Forces is a disappointment – it telegraphed its kitchen sink approach to content a long time ago. Desperately trying to please every kind of Sonic fan, it is every bit the mishmash of half realised ideas vying for your attention that it seemed like it would be. I guess I just never expected that their attempts to hold that attention would be so feeble.
As the latest generation of Sonic series, Sonic Forces remains the high-speed game experience. To comply with the trend of the time, Sonic Forces reduce the difficulty, hoping using this strategy will attract new players who have never tried this kind of game. Unfortunately, the length is not good enough to satisfy players, and too much repeat content makes this game boring.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
For every cool idea in Sonic Forces, there is a half-hearted execution, and while that may give me warm memories of my childhood, it doesn't make for something I could whole heartedly recommend.
If you are a fan of the Sonic universe, it’s characters, and have been dreaming of creating your own unique character in the games, you will enjoy your time with Sonic Forces. But, it’s difficult to recommend the game to anyone outside of diehard fans.
How many more hedgehogs have to suffer before SEGA understands that Sonic should use only 2D platformer genre?
Review in Polish | Read full review
Like Sonic? Play Sonic Mania. Played Sonic Mania? Play it some more. While Sonic Forces looks fantastic, it's one of the least engaging games in the entire series.
It's not a great game, but it's solid. It looks nice, plays smooth, and the gameplay variety is solid. It's an average 3D Sonic game at a budget price, and that's not really a bad thing.
There's a moment early on in Sonic Forces where Sonic says that it's “not time for thinking. It's time for running.” Not only does he perfectly describe his series' design philosophy, he also sets the blueprint for who will enjoy this game. If you're willing to turn your brain off for a few hours, and just take in the pure spectacle that is watching hundreds of Sonic characters fighting on a battlefield during a cutscene, then you'll find a lot to enjoy here. It's a really dumb game at its core, but it's also just pure fun in a well-meaning, lighthearted package.
Sonic Forces is a disappointing rehash of everything that has been done wrong with the Sonic franchise in the past. There were some good ideas here, but none of them were executed in a way that was fun or enjoyable.
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.
It may look lovely and run well, but Sonic Forces' uninspired level design and lack of flow prevent it being much fun to play.
A few months after a terrific Sonic Mania, Sonic Team gives us a short, unchallenging game lacking fresh ideas and unable to fix some issues from previous disappointing iterations. Don't hope to get magic of the first days back with Sonic Forces.
Review in French | Read full review