Sonic Forces Preview

The release of Sonic Mania heralded a change in the timeline of Sonic titles. The gaming world was treated to a sublime slice of Sonic nostalgia that managed to capitalise on the series’ greatest strengths, whilst modernising it enough to bring it in line with current platformers. With this in mind, it’s fair to say that Sonic Forces has a some big shoes to fill, and unfortunately, Sonic’s wee feet are several sizes too small for those big white and red trainers.

- Thomas Hughes

I’m not sure what that shoe analogy was about, but what I’m basically trying to say is that Sonic Forces is not very good. I gingerly approached the stand for the title at EGX, half-expecting to find myself disappointed, and after 5-10 minutes with it - on top of subsequent revisits - my fears were pretty much confirmed.

The first thing that struck me is just how poorly Sonic controls. Where Sonic was reactive, crisp and quick in Mania, Forces feels sluggish and downright unresponsive in comparison. This is important because the biggest selling point in any Sonic game is the feeling of speed and fluidity, two things that help distinguish Sonic from his portly competitor, Mario. Sonic games that have lacked those qualities in the past have often had the worst reception.