Sonic Forces

Hedging our bets on Sonic’s speedy generational debut

- Ben Griffin

In our incredibly reductive hypothesis, there are two types of people: those demanding a return of classic Sonic, with the portly belly, the 16-bit visuals, and the tireless running from left to right, and those clamouring for a modern 3D Sonic, with electric guitars and chili dogs and the possibility an orca might jump out of the sea and crush you at any moment. Luckily, Sonic Team has the entire spectrum of humanity covered.

The first group will want launching-soon Sonic Mania, a retro-leaning sidescroller taking inspiration from the hedgehog’s golden years. For the latter there’s this more expensive-looking 3D effort. Sonic Forces is the blue blur’s first fully powered run out on current-gen consoles, and it shows in gleaming puddles reflecting back scenery in real time, physics-enabled objects (traffic cones sit around waiting to be kicked), and plenty of moving parts extending all the way to a distant horizon.