October was the month of the return of Super Mario in 3D, November opens with that of the most irreverent and fast hedgehog on the planet. Accompanied by the release of Sonic Forces: Speed Battle for mobile platforms, Sonic Forces whizzes like a madman on console and PC,
proposing a more mature and less cartoonish title than the Sonic Boom. SEGA has thought of the 2017 of Sonic as a very serious matter, first with the Sonic Mania package dedicated to the nostalgic and then with a real 3D adventure, which aims at the quality of the Sonic Adventure. Or at least, try us.
SONIC FORCES OR SONIC AVENGERS?
What would happen if at the time of the umpteenth, repetitive clash between Dr. Eggman and Sonic, the latter had the worst? But our hero can not lose, no? And instead it loses. Sonic Forces begins where the porcupine adventures (apparently) end: Dr. Eggman this time he went down heavy on steroids, creating a super-powerful so powerful that he could slap and capture Sonic after the first two minutes of play, leaving us the task of saving it. And that’s how the plot of Sonic Forces becomes that of any cinecomic reduced to the bone, which can and may not like, but is undeniably trivial in every point.
Good against bad guys, save the world or see it destroyed.On the side of ours there are all the main heroes of the franchise, naturally stand out Tales, Knuckles, but also the less known Rouge The Bat, Silver and Vector The Crocodile.From that of the evil Eggman and his army, composed of
Chaos, Metal Sonic, Shadow, Zavok (another welcome return) and the beast created by the scientist for the occasion. That’s not all: to cast is added the little justified presence (at least within the game world) of the player avatar. You can create your own playable character from scratch, customizing it in almost every detail, starting from the breed and eye color to get him to wear
a motorcycle helmet and yellow slippers. Imagine a wolf, a cat, or a porcupine dressed like this, and fight against the army of Eggman. Sonic Forces makes your secret wishes come true, allowing you to give vent to your imagination. Too bad that then goes a little further.
AT FULL SPEED YOU RISK SLIPPING
The Sonic in 3D, with rare exceptions, have always been characterized by a mix of lateral sliding levels (in 2D, maximum 2D and a half) alternating with front scrolling sessions (real 3D).
An interesting and well-established formula, but also dangerous in a title in which speed and accuracy are fundamental aspects. Sonic Forces does not innovate in any way what we have already
learned to know, for example, from a Sonic Generations, except that the 2D phases are present in a more limited number than in the past. As always the player is required to collect as many rings as possible, eliminate the robots along the way, catch the red rings (more or less hidden)
and get to the finish as soon as possible, thus obtaining a high score that can also be shared online.Beyond the repurpositions (even the levels of play, as always), Sonic Forces is a nice title, but accessible to all.
Just think that we tried hard mode on PlayStation 4 ending up KO about ten times in all, half of which because of controls suddenly turned woody or unreactive. In this sense, the physics of the jumps, especially the lateral ones in the 2D phases, has not improved compared to
the past and makes the platform phases too often frustrating (not to mention that they slow down the pace of play). Not very convincing seemed to us also the gadgets supplied to our hero, and that only from him can be used,
among which a flamethrower, extensible harpoon, and devices similar to jetpacks that allow to reach high points without the support of platforms.
None of them manages to vary a gameplay that is basically always true to itself, nor the few action phases, and very often the special weapons reveal what they really are: a diversion that reminds the player that he is not controlling Sonic, but a puppet of his. Not even in the boss fight are exploited properly, where perhaps more could have shown the meaning of their existence.
