Sonic Forces (2017)

Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but does anyone else miss the humorous and clumsy "jock" Knuckles from the Sonic Boom game and short-lived TV show? That version of the character is so ingrained in my mind when it comes to the Sonic series, that it's almost unsettling to hear the same character (with the same voice actor) play it straight and serious in Sonic Forces.

Though Sonic Boom as a game was mediocre (and that's putting it mildly), the character designs had so much more personality than most other entries in the series. I really wish they had still stuck with that style.

Sonic Boom Knuckles:

Sonic Forces Knuckles:

My partner is playing Sonic Frontiers and she reached the first level with Retro Sonic. After asking why she’s playing as Sonic again immediately after creating her character she realized that some levels have you play as the player character while others employ Retro Sonic.

However the way she phrased it was “so sometimes you have to play as fat Sonic.”

Reached End Credits

• Finished all secret stages
• Finished Episode Shadow

Final thoughts: I had fun with this game, and I really enjoyed the inclusion of build-your-own Sonic OC. The game's aesthetics are stylized well both visually and musically (Fist Bump is a BANGER). However, there are a couple flaws holding this game back for me.

First off, I feel this is a game that can't even decide what it wants to focus on. For the overall theme, you have a serious war-themed story with Call of Duty styled orchestra music, but then you have Sonic asking if Infinite enjoys romantic beach walks with the most edgiest Sonic song to date. Also, why the heck was Classic Sonic added to this game outside of nostalgia pandering + Sonic Mania tie in? I felt the game would have a better focus if you cut Classic Sonic entirely, and have the gameplay focus like 70% on your custom avatar.

Second, these are like the EASIEST Sonic levels in existence. Modern Sonic stages are essentially 70% boost to win. While most of the levels are at least a visual rollercoaster ride, I would have prefered if the stages had more interactive elements like the stages in Sonic Generations. At the very least there isn't any pace-killing gameplay like Knuckles SA2 stages, and the stages are short -- maybe a bit too short.

Overall, I feel the game would be more well-received if it had a tighter focus, a bit more dev time, and probably a CGI budget on par with Sonic Unleashed.

... I still think my Sonic-OC is adorable...

Side Note: I did use Classic Sonic Improvement Mod

For Christmas I decided to buy myself Sonic Forces and play through the whole thing (because why not). And you know? It wasn't nearly as bad as people made it out to be. Yeah, it feels like just a DLC bonus story for Sonic Generations... six years later... and by a different team that couldn't make 3D levels as well as the original team.

But still, I had a fun time, which I guess is what matters most. The "make your own Sonic character" thing, which I thought would be a complete gimmick, turned out to surprisingly be my favorite part of the game. And the new villain was basically Coldsteel the Hedgehog, but I found his over-the-top VA performance just delightful. Also, great soundtrack, though that's to be expected of most Sonic games.

Maybe not worth the full asking price since it's a rather short game, but if you can get it on sale (such as now) it's an entertaining little romp.