Jump to content

Sonic Forces

From The Sonic the Hedgehog Wiki

Join the Uprising!


— Tagline

Sonic Forces[17] (ソニックフォース Sonikku Fōsu?) is a platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was released in November 2017 for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Sonic Forces follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he joins a resistance force to take back the planet, after Dr. Eggman's Eggman Empire took over ninety-nine percent of it with the help of Eggman's newest lackey, Infinite, through his usage of the Phantom Ruby. The storyline of the game also ties into Sonic Mania.[18]

The game marks the return of the collaboration between both Classic and Modern Sonic, along with their associated gameplay styles, since the twentieth anniversary game Sonic Generations, although it is not a sequel to any previous games.[19] In addition, Sonic Forces also introduces a third gameplay mode featuring the Avatar, the player's own custom-created character. The game serves, along with Sonic Mania, as a continuation of the Sonic series' 25th anniversary celebration.[1]

Plot[edit | edit source]

Storylines[edit | edit source]

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.
File:ParkAvenueConceptArt.jpg
Concept artwork for Sonic Forces, featuring Sonic staring at the destruction caused by the Death Egg Robots.

Fueled by his years-long hatred of Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman prepares to take yet another shot at expanding his Eggman Empire across the globe by working on an "invincible instrument of destruction" within the confines of his laboratory, with Orbot and Cubot commenting on how serious Eggman is this time.

When everything is ready, he launches a large-scale offensive on an urban center with his Death Egg Robots and Egg Pawns. As things get desperate for the residents and all hope seemed lost, Sonic appears on the scene, having answered Tails' emergency call, and makes short work of the Egg Pawns threatening Tails and several civilians before challenging Dr. Eggman. Eggman, however, having anticipated this, has a surprise up his sleeve.[20] As Sonic charges at Eggman, the doctor summons his allies, who block Sonic from reaching Eggman in his Egg Mobile. To his surprise, Sonic sees that Eggman's allies are none other than Shadow, Metal Sonic, Zavok and Chaos. Among the familiar faces is also a newcomer: an enigmatic and powerful being who acts as Dr. Eggman's right-hand man and the leader of the Eggman Army.[21] Sonic tries to fight them but is overwhelmed and easily thrashed by the newcomer's mysterious power as well as his allies. Tails, unable to help or figure out the newcomer's power, could only watch as Sonic gets defeated and falls unconscious.[20]

With the world believing Sonic to be dead, Eggman and his forces quickly take over the world. Using the mysterious being's power,[22] the Eggman Empire manages to conquer over 99% of the Earth over the course of six months,[1][22] with only but a few isolated areas still free from their control. All hope is not lost however, as those among Sonic's friends who managed to escape Eggman's invasion[23] decide to continue the fight. Together, they form a rag-tag team called the Resistance to combat Eggman's forces, with Knuckles the Echidna as their commander. Other members include Amy Rose, Team Chaotix, Rouge the Bat and Silver the Hedgehog. Excluded from the Resistance is Tails, who vanished after Sonic's disappearance, having become distraught over his apparent demise.

Despite assembling a small army, the Resistance is unable to stop Eggman's forces led by the new enemy, and the innocent are starting to give up hope. As the Resistance's core members discuss their situation, they bring up a new recruit that is joining them. After accessing the recruit's file, Knuckles arrives with updates from the battlefield before introducing the new recruit: a cowardly soldier who survived an encounter with the mysterious being months prior, whom the Resistance nickname "Rookie". Not long after, Knuckles learns from Rouge that Sonic is still alive and that he is being held prisoner onboard the newly rebuilt Death Egg. Formulating a plan to rescue Sonic, Knuckles sends the Rookie and a squad to the Spaceport, and after much effort, the Resistance manages to steal a shuttle.

Meanwhile, Tails is in the City, trying to fix a badly damaged E-123 Omega. As he is about to give up though, he is threatened by Chaos, who managed to sneak up on Tails before he noticed it, and Tails cowers in fear. Before Chaos can attack Tails, however, Classic Sonic arrives, emerging from a wormhole he was sucked into after his most recent battle in the distant past, and saves Tails. Tails theorizes that the figure's strange powers are affecting other dimensions, which may have pulled Classic Sonic from his time period. Believing his appearance there as a sign, Tails regains his hope and sets out with Classic Sonic to save the world.

Back with the Resistance, Rouge reveals that Eggman has only kept Sonic alive for the last six months so that the hedgehog could see his empire upon its completion before being banished into space. With Eggman moving the banishment ahead of schedule as a response to their rescue attempt, however, the Resistance heads to the Death Egg. Once onboard, the Rookie's choice of route leaves them as the only one able to reach Sonic. As that is happening, Sonic is about to be escorted to his banishment by Zavok. However, the Rookie's commotion onboard the Death Egg undoes Sonic's restraints, allowing him to take on and defeat Zavok and his Death Queen, who mysteriously fades away upon defeat. As Sonic makes his escape, he finds the scared Rookie under attack from Egg Pawns and saves them, and together they return to their world via a shuttle. After getting reacquainted with his friends, Sonic is sent to go with the Rookie to destroy a weapon factory supplying Eggman's war effort. Despite the Rookie's cowardice, Sonic quickly accepts them as his partner.

After the attack, Sonic is sent to Mystic Jungle to help Silver and the Resistance forces there, who are being attacked by the mysterious being and the Egg Fleet. Although the being has the upper hand in their clash, Silver manages to make him drop a mysterious gemstone. Silver is eventually beaten, but Sonic quickly shows up to take on the being, who introduces himself as "Infinite". Although Sonic puts up a better a fight than before, he is still defeated, with Infinite leaving without killing him as he does not see him as a threat.

Meanwhile, Tails and Classic Sonic continue their adventure to stop Eggman, hoping to end the war by defeating the doctor and discover the way to get Classic Sonic back home, and soon find Eggman talking with Infinite about their schemes. By spying on them, the duo not only learns that Sonic is alive, but also learn that the source of Infinite's power comes from a gem called the Phantom Ruby, whose defective prototypes have all been destroyed by Infinite to keep them from interfering with Eggman's plans. After the villains' meeting is dismissed upon the notion that the Resistance and the world will soon fall to the Eggman Empire, Classic Sonic emerges from hiding and takes out Eggman and the machines he uses against him, including the Egg Dragoon. Despite this, the doctor still gloats to Tails and Classic Sonic that the Resistance will be wiped out by his master plan in just three days. Before Tails can ask more about it however, Eggman makes his escape.

Having helped rescue some civilians in the meantime, the Rookie is sent to check out some readings in Mystic Jungle. There, they find Infinite's dropped Phantom Ruby prototype. They also find Classic Sonic and Tails, who had come to the jungle to find Sonic. After that, Classic Sonic and Tails unite with the Resistance and relay what they learned. Sonic soon after heads to Sunset Heights to find Shadow, who is leading an attack on the City. Upon finding him, however, the real Shadow appears and dispatches his impostor. Shadow then reveals that the Shadow following Eggman was an illusionary doppelgänger created by Infinite, as are the other villains serving him, and that he can also create large quantities of them at will, meaning the size of Eggman's army can be virtually limitless.

Knuckles soon after launches a massive attack meant to seize Eggman's undermanned headquarters, Metropolis, only for Infinite to foil the attack and wipe out eighty percent of the Resistance's army with the Phantom Ruby, forcing the remaining troops to retreat before the Resistance is completely annihilated. While retreating, the Rookie comes across Infinite alone, who attempts to scare him into running away again. Remembering Sonic's words of encouragement, the Rookie musters the courage to fight Infinite. Infinite attempts to kill the Avatar, but finds his power unexpectedly countered. Despite his confusion, Infinite leaves the Rookie alive, knowing that Eggman will crush everyone in two days.

Realizing that they need to stop the Phantom Ruby to win the war, Tails and Classic Sonic infiltrate Eggman's computer network in Chemical Plant and find the Phantom Ruby's weakness: it is directly powered by the Death Egg's core, and without a power source it is useless. In the meantime, Sonic and the Rookie grow closer after going after and defeating a Metal Sonic Phantom Copy together. Putting their next plan into motion, the Resistance has the Rookie stage a diversion in Green Hill while Sonic shuts down the Death Egg's weapon defenses, thus allowing Classic Sonic to destroy the Death Egg, which in turn causes Eggman and his motley crew to make a retreat to Metropolis. Believing they have the upper hand now, the Resistance target Eggman in Metropolis. However, when Sonic and Tails find Eggman, the mad doctor has Infinite banish Sonic into Null Space, with the Rookie getting pulled along with Sonic while trying to save him. Eggman then reveals to the confused Tails that he knew the Resistance would eventually target the Death Egg, so he built a hidden backup power supply for the Phantom Ruby underneath Metropolis. Meanwhile, Sonic and the Rookie manage to escape Null Space together and rejoin the battle in Metropolis. Catching Eggman off-guard with their return, Eggman retreats with his lackeys to prepare his endgame, which is only mere hours away, while Metropolis falls to the Resistance.

The entire Resistance eventually confronts Infinite and his army of Phantom Copies at the Eggman Empire Fortress in an effort to reach the Phantom Ruby's backup power supply. As Infinite attempts to destroy the Resistance however, Omega, now fully repaired and ready to join the Resistance, arrives and distracts him. Having enough of the rabble, Infinite creates a massive virtual sun over the planet to destroy the entire Resistance in one fell swoop, which has been Eggman's endgame all along. During the chaos, Tails notices that the Rookie has the Phantom Ruby prototype from Mystic Jungle and deduces that they can use it to neutralize the sun. Since the prototype's design let's only the Rookie use it, the new hero climbs the Imperial Tower and eliminates the virtual sun (although the prototype is destroyed in the process), giving the Resistance a fighting chance. At the same time, Sonic himself confronts Infinite while he is weak from having formed the sun, only for Infinite to regain his full power in his battle with Sonic. At that point, the Rookie comes to Sonic's aid, and together, the two heroes finally defeat Infinite, causing him to fade away. Despite this loss, however, Eggman refuses to give up and warns the heroes that his plan is now going into "overtime".

Taking this warning seriously, Sonic and the Rookie destroy the Phantom Ruby's power supply after Classic Sonic finds them an entrance, seemingly winning the war. After Sonic and the Rookie meet up with Tails and Classic Sonic however, Eggman reveals that the power source was actually a decoy, and that the original Phantom Ruby has been incorporated into his trump card: the Death Egg Robot. With the Eggman Army on the rise thanks to the Ruby and beginning to outnumber the Resistance, Sonic, Classic Sonic, and the Rookie confront Eggman together and destroy his Death Egg Robot. This causes Eggman's army to vanish, leaving the Resistance as the victor.

File:Light of Hope.jpg
The title screen of Sonic Forces after completing the game.

With the war finally over, Classic Sonic returns to his own time period as a result of the Phantom Ruby's disappearance. After the Resistance bids farewell to Classic Sonic, the group sets out to clean up the mess that Eggman has left the world in. In the aftermath, Knuckles disbands the Resistance, although not without Silver noting that they still have a lot to do following the war. Feeling that plenty of people out there need their aid, the Rookie parts ways with their new friends, who compliment them for their growth. Tails then concludes that they all saved the world through cooperation, which will make their friendships last forever. Sometime after, Sonic and the Rookie meet up in the City to say goodbye to each other before setting off in search of new adventures.

Episode Shadow[edit | edit source]

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.

One month before the events of Sonic Forces, Shadow the Hedgehog is contacted by Rouge the Bat, who has a report from the intelligence division. Apparently, they have discovered an active Eggman base outside Eggman's chain of command in a strategically useless position. Suspecting that the doctor is up to something, and with rumors flying about the doctor developing a new weapon, Shadow heads to the base to link up with E-123 Omega, whom Rouge has sent ahead, and do some recon. Before Shadow can reach him however, Omega launches a full-frontal attack on the base, only for Shadow and Rouge to lose radio contact with him.

Arriving at the base, Shadow finds Infinite, who had defeated Omega to test out his new power. Although Shadow does not find his opponent familiar in the slightest, Infinite reveals that he knows Shadow, and begins telling his backstory. Accordingly, Infinite was once a mercenary and the captain of Squad Jackal, who were assigned by Eggman to protect one of his facilities. A couple of months ago, Shadow annihilated Squad Jackal when he came to raid and destroy Eggman's facility. Infinite tried to stop Shadow himself, but was beaten by the hedgehog, who told him not to show his "pathetic face" around him again before leaving. Outraged by his own weakness, Infinite abandoned his former identity and let himself get assimilated with the finalized Phantom Ruby prototype to become stronger.

Finishing his story, Infinite attempts to crush Shadow by trapping him in a virtual reality with his new power. Though Shadow escapes this reality, Infinite is pleased with the results and gloats that not even Sonic can stop him now. Before Shadow can question Infinite about what he means by that, however, the facility they are in begins to explode, which Infinite uses as a distraction to escape. At the same time, Rouge persuades Shadow to withdraw from the facility.

About a month later, Shadow is contacted by Rouge, who reveals that Eggman is launching an assault on the City. At first, Rouge tells Shadow that it is nothing to worry about since Sonic and the others are there. As Shadow recalls Infinite's words, however, Rouge alerts him that Sonic has just been defeated by Infinite and his Phantom Copy army.

Characters[edit | edit source]

Image Character Biography
File:SFpc pic 01.png Sonic the Hedgehog The world's fastest supersonic hedgehog who loves freedom and hates injustice. While busy foiling yet another one of Dr. Eggman's evil endeavors, he was attacked and captured by an unknown assailant.[24]
File:SonicForcesAvatar.png Avatar A custom character of your very own! As a survivor of Dr. Eggman's robot armies, and a new recruit with the resistance, you will be tasked with a number of dangerous duties. Go find Sonic, combine forces, and help save the world![24]
File:SFpc pic 05.png Dr. Eggman A greedy and selfish evil genius who boasts an IQ of 300. With his heavily armed robots, some familiar faces, and what he affectionately refers to as his invincible instrument of destruction, he will crush Sonic once and for all, and finally realize his dreams of a world-spanning Eggman Empire![25]
File:SFpc pic 06.png Infinite N/A
File:Sp pic 04.png Resistance (Tails and Knuckles) The base of operations for Sonic's allies as they bring the fight straight to Eggman's forces. With Knuckles as commander, operations are proceeding in every region.[26]
File:SFpc pic 07.png Eggman Army (Phantom Copies) Dr. Eggman has recruited a number of powerful enemies to aid him in his selfish cause. Each has their own bone to pick with our hero...[26]

Gameplay[edit | edit source]

Sonic Forces includes three playable characters and a fourth optional character via DLC. Akin to Sonic Adventure 2, the story is told from the perspective of each of the characters throughout the game, and when it all is put together it tells the overarching story.[27] The first two of these characters include Classic Sonic (Sonic's original design from the Sega Mega Drive Sonic games) and Modern Sonic (Sonic's revised form in Sonic Adventure and afterward). The game's third playable character is a new character, referred to as the Avatar, whom players can modify to their liking, which is a first for the series.[28] Other characters make non-playable appearances, offering support and advice to the player via radio communication during gameplay.[29] The Avatar is created from the base of seven animal species, and possess several attributes that can be customized.[28][30] However, attributes like species, gender, head shape, eye shape, color scheme, victory pose, and voice can only be set once. While playing through the game, one can unlock hundreds of Costume options for the Avatar by different means.[28][31] All Avatar customizations are directly reflected in the game, appearing in the stages and even during scripted cutscenes. At the start of the game, the player can only make one Avatar. After completing the main story however, one is allowed to create up to fourteen additional Avatars; these characters can use all the parts and equipment the player has collected and have no restrictions set for them.

The overall gameplay is relatively unchanged from previous Sonic entries; players run at high speeds through levels (referred to as "stages") filled with gimmicks, enemy robots, and other hazards on the way to the goal. Game progress is automatically saved at specific times, such as when a stage is cleared. The game also incorporates a point system in the form of "Stage Scores" for each stage, which can be increased by collecting Rings and items, attacking enemies, destroying obstacles, and completing the stage without dying. Once at the goal, the player is given a stage rank based on their Total Score in points, with an "S" rank being the best and "C" being the worst.[32] Experience increases with the Total Score. The bigger the score, the more experience is rewarded. Collecting enough experience will reward the player with different honors: Bronze honors, which are obtained by gathering enough experience, Silver honors, which are obtained in exchange for five Bronze honors, and Gold honors, which are obtained in exchange for two Silver honors. Each created Avatar comes with their own experience pool and can achieve a maximum of three Gold honors.

Scattered around the stages are Rings: Rings protect players when they take damage, though they will lose their Rings upon being hit. Sonic Forces has two difficulties that affect the Ring cap. "Normal" mode (which is intended for newcomers) only allows players to collect up to 100 Rings. Getting hit by enemies will decrease the Ring count by twenty each time. "Hard" mode (which is intended for those already familiar with Sonic gameplay) on the other hand allows players to collect up to 999 Rings, but getting hit will make them lose all their Rings.[33] Best ranks and times in "Normal" mode are also not recorded. Taking damage without any Rings will cost the player a life. A character will also lose a life if they stay underwater for too long or fall into a bottomless pit. Losing a life makes the player start from the last Star Post they passed in a stage or from the beginning of the stage if they have not passed any Star Posts. Also, if the player takes more than 60 minutes to complete a stage, they will receive a Time Over and be returned to the game's stage select screen (also referred to as the "World Map"). However, there are no Game Overs in the game due to the lack of an extra life system.[34]

Wisps, which can be obtained from Wisp Capsule to give players temporary special powers, from earlier titles return in this game.[9][35] White Wisps are used exclusively by Modern Sonic, while the rest are utilized by the Avatar. Also returning are the Red Star Ring collectibles that are hidden in each stage. These rings can be collected in any order and over the course of multiple playthroughs through a stage. Collecting all five Red Star Rings in a stage will make five Number Rings appear in the same stage. Collecting these rings in numerical order during a single playthrough of a stage will make the Silver Moon Rings appear in the same stage, which must be collected within a time limit. Collecting Silver Moon Rings earns the player a higher score bonus, which will grant more experience. At different points throughout the stages, the player will also engage in Real-Time Interactions.

The majority of the contents in Sonic Forces can be viewed from the World Map. The World Map provides a view of Sonic's world, and is divided into seven regions, each holding a set portion of the game's stages that determine their respective layouts. The color of the regions represent the player's progress; gray regions belong to Team Eggman and blue regions belong to Team Sonic. At the beginning of the game, all regions will be under Team Eggman's control, but by clearing all storyline-related stages in a region, its control will switch to Team Sonic; the game will be complete once Team Sonic is in control of all the regions. In addition, the player can unlock bonus stages as they progress through the game. Finishing these bonus stages will reward the player with extra Avatar items and bonus experience for the Avatar.

When selecting a stage, players can view its information on the stage information screen, such as Best Time, Clear Rank, and Red Star Rings collected. Sonic Forces also has network synchronization, allowing players from around the world to "rent" other players' Avatars. These "Rental Avatars" can be chosen on the stage information screen and can then be freely switched out with the player's own Avatar during gameplay. When switching Avatars, special abilities and equipped Wispon will also be swapped over. One can also access the Rankings on the stage information screen to see the clear time of players from around the world.

Besides the main story, Sonic Forces offers additional side missions, the standard of which are the Challenge Missions. Some of these Missions involve simply reaching the goal, while others will require a stage to be beaten under a time limit. Successfully clearing a Mission will award the player with Costume Parts and Wispons. There are also Daily Missions that change daily. By completing a Daily Mission, the player's regular Stage Score will receive a bonus multiplier for thirty minutes, thereby allowing greater experience rewards. Also, different types of SOS Missions occasionally become available on the World Map after completing a stage or exiting a menu. If the player loses a life, quits the game or clears the stage without clearing an SOS Mission, the player will fail the mission without the option to retry. Leaving to the Main Menu will remove all SOS Missions on the World Map.

Character-specific gameplays[edit | edit source]

Sonic Forces features four different gameplay styles, with each stage in the game being reserved for one of them. Two of these include those of Classic and Modern Sonic, respectively, as seen in Sonic Generations,[36] while the third reserved for the Avatar, and the fourth is for a joint gameplay style between Modern Sonic and the Avatar.

Sonic[edit | edit source]

Modern[edit | edit source]
File:Sonic Boost.jpg
Modern Sonic's gameplay in Sunset Heights.

Modern Sonic's stages are based around three-dimensional movement like that of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, which feature transitions between dynamic 3D perspectives and slower 2.5D side-scrolling sections during a stage. For these stages, Modern Sonic has his standard Spin Jump, Double Jump, Homing Attack, Slide, Quick Step and Stomp maneuvers, along with a reworked Air Boost and Boost that rely on energy from the Boost Gauge (which can be filled by collecting White Wisps and destroying enemies) to work.[9][35]

Classic[edit | edit source]
File:Green Hill (Sonic Forces).jpg
Classic Sonic's gameplay in Green Hill.

Classic Sonic's stages focus on 2.5D side-scrolling stages reminiscent of the Sega Mega Drive-era of games, except this time they feature a "twist".[1] Classic Sonic also has maneuvers like the signature Spin Dash, Spin Jump and Spin Attack, as well as the Drop Dash from Sonic Mania. During stages, Classic Sonic can also utilize Item Box power-ups.

Avatar[edit | edit source]

File:LightningWisponPromo.jpg
The Avatar's gameplay in Park Avenue.

The third gameplay style features the Avatar. Its style is much like Modern Sonic's, but without the Boost, and the Avatar utilizes a grappling hook as a means of platforming and attacking opponents.[28] The Avatar also makes use of new unique equipment called Wispons, each one with an offensive function (Basic Attack) and an ability for traversing the stage (Special Action).[28] Depending on the Wispon equipped, Avatars can harness Color Powers in new ways by collecting a corresponding Wisp within each stage; for example, if the Avatar is equipped with the Burst Wispon, they can activate Red Burst abilities with a Red Wisp. Before a stage, the player can choose different Wispons to customize how the Avatar controls, thereby allowing access to different parts of the levels.[37] Like Costumes, players can unlock new Wispons as they progress. New Wispons also come equipped with additional skills that grant the Avatar extra abilities during gameplay.

Depending on what animal species the Avatar is, they will gain a unique ability to aid the player in gameplay:[28]

  • Bear: Blows away enemies when performing a Wire Attack.[28]
  • Bird: Enables you to perform a Double Jump.[28]
  • Cat: Hold on to some Rings after taking damage.[28]
  • Dog: Restart with some Rings after a knock out.[28]
  • Hedgehog:
    • [Original] Collects Rings when getting damaged.[28]
    • [Day-one patch] Dropped rings will remain longer after taking damage.
  • Rabbit: Extends invincibility duration when hit.[28]
  • Wolf: Draws in Rings and extends collection radius of collectibles excluding Red Star Rings.[28]

Tag Team[edit | edit source]

File:TagTeamPromo2.jpg
Tag gameplay in Arsenal Pyramid.

The fourth gameplay featured is a tag team mechanic (akin to that in Sonic Heroes) that involves Modern Sonic and the Avatar. In the stages reserved for this mechanic, the player wields both characters and their movesets to navigate through a stage, with the leader switching to Sonic when boosting and the Avatar when using the Wispon. The Tag mechanic also introduces a collaboration move between Sonic and the Avatar called the "Double Boost",[38] which is triggered when the player engages in an automatic Real-Time Interaction.

Controls[edit | edit source]

Button formation Movement
PlayStation 4 Xbox One Switch PC Sonic Avatar Shadow
(DLC)
Pro Controller/
Joy-Con (Pair)
GameCube controller Classic Modern
Template:Left Analog Stick/Template:Directional Buttons (PS) Template:Left Analog Stick/Directional buttons Template:Left Analog Stick/Template:Directional Buttons (Switch) Template:Analog Stick/Directional buttons [D]/[A] Move
Template:Left Analog Stick/Template:Directional Buttons (PS) up Template:Left Analog Stick/Directional buttons up Template:Left Analog Stick/Template:Directional Buttons (Switch) up Template:Analog Stick/Directional buttons up [W] Look up
(2D section)
N/A
Template:Left Analog Stick/Template:Directional Buttons (PS) down Template:Left Analog Stick/Directional buttons down Template:Left Analog Stick/Template:Directional Buttons (Switch) down Template:Analog Stick/Directional buttons down [S] Look down/Crouch
(2D section)
Cross Template:A Button (Xbox One) Template:B Button (Switch) Template:B Button (GameCube) [SPACE] Spin Jump Jump Spin Jump
Cross x2 Template:A Button (Xbox One) x2 Template:B Button (Switch) x2 Template:B Button (GameCube) x2 [SPACE] x2 N/A Double Jump Double Jump (Bird form) Double Jump
Cross (midair) Template:A Button (Xbox One) (midair) Template:B Button (Switch) (midair) Template:B Button (GameCube) (midair) [SPACE] (midair) Homing Attack Wire Attack Homing Attack
Spin Jump > hold Cross Spin Jump > hold Template:A Button (Xbox One) Spin Jump > hold Template:B Button (Switch) Spin Jump > hold Template:B Button (GameCube) Spin Jump > hold [SPACE] Drop Dash N/A
Circle Template:B Button (Xbox One) Template:A Button (Switch) Template:A Button (GameCube) Left [CTRL] Crouch
Crouch + Cross Crouch + Template:A Button (Xbox One) Crouch + Template:B Button (Switch) Crouch + Template:B Button (GameCube) Crouch + [SPACE] Spin Dash N/A
Move + Circle Move + Template:B Button (Xbox One) Move + Template:A Button (Switch) Move + Template:A Button (GameCube) Move + Left [CTRL] N/A Slide
Circle (midair) Template:B Button (Xbox One) (midair) Template:A Button (Switch) (midair) Template:A Button (GameCube) (midair) [SPACE] (midair) Stomp
Square Template:X Button (Xbox One) Template:Y Button (Switch) Template:Y Button (GameCube) [SHIFT] Boost/Air Boost Boost/Air Boost (swaps to Sonic in Tag Team stages) Boost/Air Boost
Tapping Square Tapping Template:X Button (Xbox One) Tapping Template:Y Button (Switch) Tapping Template:Y Button (GameCube) Tapping [SHIFT] Triple Boost (only in final boss) Double Boost/Triple Boost (only in Tag Team stages and final boss) N/A
L1/R1 File:Xbox-Button-LB.png/File:Xbox-Button-RB.png Template:L Button (Switch)/Template:R Button (Switch) Template:L Button (GameCube)/Template:R Button (GameCube) [Q]/[E] N/A Quick Step/Grind Step
R2 Template:RT Button (Xbox One) Template:ZR Button (Switch) Template:Z Button (GameCube) [L] Wispon Basic Attack (swaps to the Avatar in Tag Team stages) Wispon Basic Attack N/A
File:PSTriangleButton.png Template:Y Button (Xbox) Template:X Button (Switch) Template:X Button (GameCube) [K] Wispon Special Action (swaps to the Avatar in Tag Team stages) Wispon Special Action
OPTIONS Template:Menu Button (Xbox One) Template:Plus Button (Switch) START [ESC] Pause

Scoring system[edit | edit source]

Main article: Point#Sonic Forces

Objects[edit | edit source]

Items[edit | edit source]

Gimmicks and obstacles[edit | edit source]

Characters[edit | edit source]

Playable characters[edit | edit source]

File:SFgame pc pic 02.png
Modern and Classic Sonic with the Wolf Avatar.

Non-playable characters[edit | edit source]

Enemies[edit | edit source]

Stages and Bosses[edit | edit source]

File:SonicForcesWorldMap.png
The World Map in Sonic Forces. On it, the player can see Stage Targets that indicate the available character for the stage and the player's current ranking for it.

The main playthrough of Sonic Forces consists of thirty stages (seven of which count as boss battles) that can be accessed on the World Map. Each stage belong to one of the seven regions the World Map that is divided into and is reserved for one of the playable characters (Both Sonics and the Avatar) or the Tag gameplay (which include Sonic and the Avatar). Each region commonly holds a stage for each character, while boss battles and Tag stages are more randomly spread out. The stages in their order are:

No. Stage/Boss Region Character(s)
1 Lost Valley GREEN HILL Modern Sonic / Shadow
2 Spaceport CHEMICAL PLANT Avatar
3 Ghost Town CITY Classic Sonic
4 Prison Hall DEATH EGG Avatar
5 VS. Zavok Modern Sonic
6 Egg Gate
7 Arsenal Pyramid GREEN HILL Modern Sonic and Avatar
8 Luminous Forest MYSTIC JUNGLE Modern Sonic
9 VS. Infinite (Bout 1)
10 Green Hill Classic Sonic
11 VS. Eggman
vs. Egg Dragoon
GREEN HILL
12 Park Avenue CITY Avatar
13 Casino Forest MYSTIC JUNGLE Classic Sonic
14 Aqua Road Avatar
15 Sunset Heights CITY Modern Sonic / Shadow
16 Capital City METROPOLIS Avatar
17 VS. Infinite (Bout 2)
18 Chemical Plant Classic Sonic
19 Red Gate Bridge
vs. Metal Sonic
CITY Modern Sonic and Avatar
20 Guardian Rock GREEN HILL Avatar
21 Network Terminal CHEMICAL PLANT Modern Sonic / Shadow
22 Death Egg Classic Sonic
23 Metropolitan Highway METROPOLIS Modern Sonic / Shadow
24 Null Space Modern Sonic and Avatar
25 Imperial Tower EGGMAN EMPIRE FORTRESS Avatar
26 Mortar Canyon Modern Sonic / Shadow
27 VS. Infinite (Bout 3) Modern Sonic (Phase 1)
Tag with Avatar (Phase 2)
28 Iron Fortress Classic Sonic
29 Final Judgement Modern Sonic and Avatar
30 VS. Death Egg Robot Classic Sonic (Phase 1)
Avatar (Phase 2)
Tag Trio with Modern Sonic (Phase 3)

Secret[edit | edit source]

Main article: Secret stage

Secret stages are additional stages that are unlocked on the World Map after the player reclaims an area from the Eggman Empire. Only Modern Sonic and the Avatar are playable in them. The stages in their order are:

No. Stage Region Character Unlock requirement
by clearing...
1 Fire Cannon 1 Mystic Jungle Avatar Aqua Road
2 Vanish Panel 1 City Sonic / Shadow Red Gate Bridge
3 Bomb Block 1 Green Hill Guardian Rock
4 Plasma Cannon 1 Chemical Plant Avatar Network Terminal
5 Laser Cannon 1 Death Egg Sonic / Shadow Death Egg
6 Reverse Block 1 Metropolis Avatar Null Space

Extra[edit | edit source]

Main article: Extra stage

Extra stages, also known as EX Stages or Advanced Stages, are additional stages that are unlocked on the World Map after the player collects a certain amount of Red Star Rings that coincide with the amount in the Challenge Missions. Much like secret stages, each EX stages are reserved for either Sonic or the Avatar. The stages in their order are:

No. Stage Region Character Unlock Red Star
Ring requirement
1 Flying Pod Green Hill Sonic / Shadow 25
2 Bomb Block 2 Chemical Plant Avatar 40
3 Laser Cannon 2 Metropolis 55
4 Reverse Block 2 Green Hill Sonic / Shadow 70
5 Vanish Panel 2 Mystic Jungle Avatar 85
6 Fire Cannon 2 City Sonic / Shadow 100
7 Plasma Cannon 2 Death Egg 120

Episode Shadow[edit | edit source]

The Episode Shadow DLC features three additional stages separate from the main story that can only be accessed from the main menu. The stages in their order are:

No. Stage Region
1 Enemy Territory City
2 Eggman's Facility Mystic Jungle
3 Virtual Reality Green Hill

Other modes[edit | edit source]

Options[edit | edit source]

Options is the settings menu for Sonic Forces which holds the following options:

  • Gameplay: Make changes to the game settings as follows:
    • Difficulty Level: Select "Normal" or "Hard" difficulty.
    • Pad Vibration: Set the Pad Vibration on/off.
    • Hints: Turn the in-game Hint Rings on/off.
    • Radio: Turn the in-game radio communication during the stages on/off.
    • Voice/Text Language: Set the language of voices and text display.
    • Reset to Default: Revert to the default settings.
    • Confirm: Save settings and return to the title screen.
  • Graphics: Make changes to graphic setting as follows:
    • Resolution: Set the screen resolution.
    • Screen Mode: Set the screen mode.
    • Selected Monitor: Select which monitor to use when two or more monitors are connected.
    • Vsync: Enable/disable Vsync.
    • Max FPS: set the maximum FPS.
    • Brightness: Set the in-game screen brightness (10 = the brightest, 1 = the darkest).
    • Quality Preset: Set the preset graphic quality settings.
    • AA: Set the Anti-Aliasing quality.
    • AF: Set the Anisotropic Filtering quality.
    • Shadows: Set the Shadows quality.
    • DOF: set the Depth of Field quality.
    • Bloom: set the Bloom effect quality.
    • Blur: Set the Motion Blur effect quality.
    • Light Scattering: Set the Light Scattering effect quality.
  • Audio: Make changes to audio settings as follows:
    • Master Volume: Set the master volume.
    • SFX Volume: Set the sound effect volume.
    • Music Volume: Set the music volume.
    • Voice Volume: Set the voice volume.
    • Movie Volume: Set the movie volume.
  • Controls: Make changes to button and key assignments here. If the user is stuck, they can always reset the default setting.

Theater[edit | edit source]

In the Theater, the player can re-watch previously viewed movie scenes from the game.

Downloadable content[edit | edit source]

Sega/Atlus Pack[edit | edit source]

File:SegaAtlusCover.jpg
The "Sega/Atlus Pack" DLC costumes.

The Sega/Atlus Pack is a free add-on pack for anyone who owns Sonic Forces. It launched alongside Sonic Forces and was included in various bonus editions of the game. It contains five unique Costumes for the Avatar that cannot be acquired in normal gameplay. These outfits are stylized after video game characters from other video game franchises owned by Sega and Atlus. The packs were also available separately as the Sega Pack and Persona 5 Costume. The sets of outfits in the pack include:

Episode Shadow[edit | edit source]

File:Sonicforces-episodeshadow-add-on-glamshot.png

Episode Shadow is a free add-on pack for anyone who owns Sonic Forces. It focuses on Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega, and serves as a prequel to the main storyline of Sonic Forces. It launched alongside the game with Sonic Forces Digital Bonus Edition and also in the normal packs of the game.[45][46] "Episode Shadow" explores Shadow's allegiance, the fate of Team Dark, and the origin of Infinite. In it, the player assumes control over Shadow, who possesses the same gameplay controls and abilities as Modern Sonic.[47] The pack allows players to play as Shadow in three redesigned stages and twelve Modern Sonic stages in the main game.[45][48][49] The cutscenes in "Episode Shadow" do not become available in the Theater after completing the episode.

According to Shun Nakamura, Sonic Team created "Episode Shadow" to help the game appeal to fans of older games such as Sonic Adventure.[50] Upon its announcement, several gaming journalists noted that "Episode Shadow" was the first time Shadow was a playable character in a mainline Sonic game for several years.[50][51] Game Informer also wrote that it was much more difficult than the main game.[52]

Shadow the Hedgehog Costume[edit | edit source]

File:SF Avatar Costume Shadow.png
The Avatar wearing the Shadow Costume.

The Shadow the Hedgehog Costume is a unique DLC for Sonic Forces. It was available to those pre-ordering the Bonus Edition and Digital Bonus Edition of Sonic Forces. The DLC contains a unique Costume set for the Avatar that is designed in the likeness of Shadow and cannot be acquired in normal gameplay. The set includes three type of Parts: a headgear shaped like Shadow's quills, Shadow's gloves, and a bodysuit designed like Shadow's body. These Parts come in three color variations, which are included in the DLC too.

Sanic T-shirt[edit | edit source]

File:SF Avatar Costume Sanic.png
The Avatar wearing the Sanic T-Shirt.

In late 2017, the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter page officially announced the launch of a DLC "Sanic T-Shirt" based on the infamous "Sanic" internet meme. Like Episode Shadow, this DLC was offered for free. It was made available on 25 November 2017 in the west and on 27 November 2017 in Japan.[53][54][55]

Super Sonic[edit | edit source]

File:SFModernTransforming.jpg

Super Sonic is an add-on pack for Sonic Forces. It was made available on 22 December 2017,[56] and was stated to be free until 23 January 2018, after which it becomes payable. However, it was later announced the DLC would remain free starting from 24 January 2018.[57]

This DLC allows Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic to transform into Super Sonic during gameplay (not including most boss battles). When using Super Sonic, the player cannot participate in world rankings. He can be used to complete challenges, however.

Development[edit | edit source]

Sonic Forces started development in 2013, around the release of Sonic Lost World.[1] The title was first mentioned at the Tokyo Joypolis Sonic 25th party on 25 June 2016 under the name "Project Sonic 2017".[58] The game was developed by Sonic Team, the same team that had previously developed Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations,[59] and was headed by Sonic series veteran Takashi Iizuka.[60]

The idea for Sonic Forces was to bring back a modern 3D Sonic made by Sonic Team themselves, who had not engaged in such a project for a while. The goal was to give players the experience of a classic 3D Sonic game while also offering as much content as possible by including old fan-favorite characters and 2D gameplay experiences. Also, because Sonic Team had gotten a lot of feedback from people who wanted to create their own characters in the Sonic universe, they decided to implement the Avatar system so fans could both create their own original character and go on adventures with Sonic through them.[61]

The first half of the game was produced by Iizuka, with Shun Nakamura stepping in when the game became more defined. Although the direction of the game was intended to be "Vs. Eggman", the addition of colliding armies was added to the mix to make the game stand out. To make the game's story more serious, it was written so that 99% of the world had been conquered by Eggman. According to Nakamura, the team tried to make a detour from Sonic's normal streak of victories by adding an element of despair, namely by having Sonic rescue a world stuck in despair from Eggman's tyranny. Furthermore, the team sought to express character development through the Avatar, something which is difficult for Sonic, to add more fitting depth to the story. Also, according to Iizuka, the All-star cast in the game itself came as a result of the game's premise rather than the other way around.[62] As an extension of this wish to make a game will all the cast members of Sonic's world, it was decided to include Classic Sonic too.[63]

In his Sonic Channel interview, art director Yoshitaka Miura explained how the team came up with a more serious take on Sonic's world. Lead graphics programmer Takao Oyama upgraded the Hedgehog Engine with Global Illumination and Physically Based Rendering to create realistic and detailed worlds which were first tested with the City location. The City concept artworks then were used as an example for other stages.[64] The City in particular was designed with the atmosphere of European-style buildings and lighting in the main story.[65] Regardless, the developers wanted the stages to be different and contrasting, so they came up with many ideas. For example, the Resistance base was originally intended to be in Mystic Jungle and Eggman's prison was to be in a much darker version of Green Hill instead of the Death Egg. While the stages were supposed to be more detailed, the team kept in mind that Sonic mostly runs so fast the player won't see all the decorations closely, so they simplified billboard signs using basic shapes to imitate the letters.[64] When it came to choosing the enemies, the team decided to reuse old enemies from the Sonic series. However, according to character artist, Shinkichi Tanahashi, because the theme of the game was "war", it was decided that the old enemies had their "cute" appearances redesigned to bear a closer resemblance to weapons. Tanahashiin particular worked took extra care to make the enemies took charming despite being inorganic.[65] Also, when designing the battleships, shuttles, fighters, etc. used by the Eggman Army, art director and background leader, Yoshitaka Miura, explained that he initially thought about basing them on a SF-orientated setting and similar military. However, after reviewing them again at the production timing, the enemies made by Eggman used a more simpler design, making the vehicles created by Mirua way too complicated at the time. As such, he gave the vehicles a simpler design that matched the world of Sonic and possessed the typical humor exhibited by an Eggman mech.[65]

The subtitle "Forces" was chosen because the word incorporates the themes of "power" and "army". These words embody the main theme of the game, with two strong forces (Sonic and co. versus Eggman) facing off against one another in the game.[1][62]

In terms of story, Sonic Team wanted to put Infinite in focus with a strong secondary main villain cast constantly interacting with him, which is something that has not been seen in the series before and would give the fan-favorite characters enough screen time. Also, the darker story approach for the game came as a product of the cast: when Sonic Team wanted the villains of the game to stand out as more threatening, dramatic and powerful, they needed a setting to emphasize the villainous activities going on and how Eggman is taking over the world, which led to the development of the darker world Sonic Forces takes place in. Sonic Team had also previously decided to exclude the classic mechanic that let the player recover dropped Rings as a result of Sonic Mania; after having a game with the classic mechanics, Sonic Team wanted to make something new that fit the modern style of Sonic Forces and provided a balanced aspect to the game difficulty that fans of both Modern and Classic gameplay would enjoy.[66] In the final version of the game, players are still able to recover dropped Rings.

As the Nintendo Switch had not yet been revealed, the development team could not properly complete that version of Sonic Forces. After it had been revealed, they had still managed to create an algorithm so that the game could manage to run at 720p in the Switch version.[67]

Promotional[edit | edit source]

The game was first revealed by Sega at the Sonic series' 25th anniversary at San Diego Comic-Con on 22 July 2016, where it was announced alongside Sonic Mania.[68][69][70] The presence of Classic and Modern Sonic led some journalists to believe it was a sequel to Sonic Generations,[71] but Iizuka confirmed that it was not a sequel, but a new, stand-alone title.[19] The game would be released for Nintendo Switch, Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in late 2017.[72]

During the Sonic live stream that was held in Japan due to the release of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, it was revealed that there would be a new character introduced in Sonic Forces, along with a new component of gameplay besides the regular 2D and 3D gameplay.[73][74]

SXSW 2017 announced they would be hosting a second Sonic panel for that year’s event, set to reveal news about the upcoming Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces.[75] The latest Nintendo Dream magazine from Japan also revealed new information about Sonic Forces. The blurb stated that Dr. Eggman will be the main villain, that there will be no multiplayer features, and that the genre for the game is "adventure".[76] Soon after, it was unveiled that the game was to be an evolution of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, with it featuring a new game engine developed specifically for the title called "Hedgehog Engine 2".[36] An interview with Takashi Iizuka by Famitsu later revealed that "Boom Sonic" would not appear in the game and that the game's third character (who was to be revealed at E3 2017) would be an "unexpected character" that plays a vital role in the story and "embodies the overall features of the game".[1] On 16 May 2017 (a month earlier than planned), this third character turned out to be a customizable Avatar.[30] At E3 on 13 June 2017, Shadow the Hedgehog, Metal Sonic, Zavok, and Chaos were confirmed to return to Sonic Forces as Dr. Eggman's henchmen under the leadership of a new and mysterious villain called Infinite.[41][77] Soon after, Chao were stated not to be featured in the game, though they did end up making cameos as decorative gear for the Avatar.[78]

At Gamescom 2017, Sonic Forces appeared with new demos that featured a new type of level for the game called "Tag Team Stages" where Modern Sonic and the player's Avatar work together in collaborative gameplay.[79] On 31 August 2017, it was announced on the official twitter feed of Sonic that the game was to arrive on 7 November 2017 on all platforms. A physical bonus edition of the game with extra features was also announced to be available for pre-order for consoles.[14]

It was later announced that Sonic Forces would be showcased at Tokyo Game Show 2017, where limited game-related merchandise would be handed out to the attendees.[80][81][82] At said event, Takashi Iizuka revealed that the storyline of Sonic Forces ties into Sonic Mania.[18] It was also announced at the event that Sonic Forces would have a cross-promotion with Hooters Japan and Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone DX.[83] Later, on 19 September 2017, the Episode Shadow DLC featuring Shadow as a playable character was announced.[45][48]

A demo for Sonic Forces was released on 25 October 2017 in Japan for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Three stages were made available: Green Hill Zone with Modern Sonic, Spaceport with the Avatar and the Egg Dragoon boss fight as Classic Sonic. Players were only given sixty seconds of play-time on each stage.

File:Come Join the Eggman Empire.png
The introduction to the Come Join the Eggman Empire! promotional video.

On 1 November 2017, it was announced that various updates to Sonic Forces would be released on its day of launch.[84] The next day, a short titled "Come Join the Eggman Empire!" was released by the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube account to promote the game. The video is narrated by Dr. Eggman himself, who jovially describes the horrors of living under his empire and a naturalization process called "robotomy", painting them as a good thing.[85]

Cast and Voice Direction[edit | edit source]

Like in Sonic Generations, Classic Sonic is mostly silent throughout the game, showing his personality through his actions and gestures. The Avatar also does not have any spoken dialogue, but makes grunting sounds in both cutscenes and gameplay, with each gender of Avatar having several selectable voices.

This is the final Sonic game to feature Travis Willingham, Vic Mignogna and Quinton Flynn as the English voice actors of Zavok, Omega and Silver, respectively.

In the German dub, this is the final Sonic game to feature Anke Kortemeier, Shandra Schadt, Hartmut Neugebauer (who passed away five months before the game's release), and Mario Hassert as the voices of Tails, Amy, Eggman and Omega.

In the French dub, Omega is voiced by Luc Boulad (who previously voiced Zor in Sonic Lost World), rather than Thierry Buisson, who voices him in his other appearances.

Jack Fletcher, Keiichiro Miyoshi, Antoine Nouel, Alice Bongiorni, Michael Hülsmann, and Guillermo Reinlein were the respective voice directors for the English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, and Spanish duba.

Role Voice actor(s)
English Japanese French Italian German Spanish
Modern Sonic Roger Craig Smith Jun'ichi Kanemaru Alexandre Gillet Renato Novara Marc Stachel Ángel de Gracia
Avatar Yū Seki (male)
Aoi Yūki (female)
Modern Tails Colleen O'Shaughnessey Ryō Hirohashi Marie-Eugénie Maréchal Benedetta Ponticelli Anke Kortemeier Graciela Molina
Modern Knuckles Travis Willingham Nobutoshi Canna Sébastien Desjours Maurizio Merluzzo Claus-Peter Damitz Sergio Mesa
Modern Amy Cindy Robinson Taeko Kawata Naïké Fauveau Serena Clerici Shandra Schadt Meritxell Ribera
Modern Eggman Mike Pollock Kotaro Nakamura Marc Bretonnière Aldo Stella Hartmut Neugebauer Francesc Belda
E-123 Omega Vic Mignogna Taiten Kusunoki Luc Boulad Marco Pagani Mario Hassert Albert Vilcan
Modern Espio Matthew Mercer Yūki Masuda Antoine Nouel Silvio Pandolfi Andreas Hofer Dani Albiac
Modern Charmy Colleen O'Shaughnessey Yōko Teppōzuka Marie Millet Emanuela Pacotto Luisa Wietzorek Graciela Molina
Modern Vector Keith Silverstein Kenta Miyake Philippe Roullier Diego Sabre Andi Krösing Alfonso Vallés
Infinite Liam O'Brien Takashi Kondō Patrick Borg Andrea Bolognini Mario Hassert Jordi Salas
Shadow the Hedgehog Kirk Thornton Kōji Yusa Benoît DuPac Claudio Moneta Klaus Lochthove Manuel Gimeno
Orbot Mitsuo Iwata Tony Marot Massimo Di Benedetto Romanus Fuhrmann Albert Vilcan
Cubot Wally Wingert Wataru Takagi Benjamin Pascal Luca Sandri Matthias Horn Xadi Mouslemeni Mateu
Rouge the Bat Karen Strassman Rumi Ochiai Marie Lenoir Jasmine Laurenti Marianne Graffam Ana Vidal
Silver the Hedgehog Quinton Flynn Daisuke Ono Hervé Grull Davide Albano Roland Wolf Masumi Mutsuda
Phantom Zavok Travis Willingham Jōji Nakata Benoît Allemane Gianni Gaude Klaus Lochthove Miguel Ángel Jenner
Soldiers N/A Alfonso Vallés
Masumi Mutsuda
Albert Vilcan
Manuel Gimeno

Soundtrack[edit | edit source]

File:SonicForcesOriginalSoundtrack-AHeroWillRise.jpg
The cover of Sonic Forces Original Soundtrack - A Hero Will Rise.

The game's soundtrack was composed by Sonic series sound director, Tomoya Ohtani,[10] and composer, Naofumi Hataya.[9] Kenichi Tokoi also contributed with a remix of the US version of Stardust Speedway's music for Metal Sonic's boss battle. The game's theme song, "Fist Bump", features lyrics written and performed by Douglas Robb, vocalist of the American rock band Hoobastank.[86] Multiple vocalists, including Jon Underdown and Nana Hatori, contributed to the soundtrack for the Avatar stage themes. Also, the theme song of Infinite was composed and arranged by Tomoya Ohtani, with lyrics and performance by Tyler Smyth and Andy Bane of the metalcore band, Dangerkids.[87] The game's ending theme, "The Light of Hope", was performed by Amy Hannam.

Contributing to the main orchestra theme for Sonic Forces was the London Symphony Orchestra.[88][89] According to Shun Nakamura, the orchestra was used to emphasize the weight in pieces such as the title theme and the World Map.[90]

Currently, three music albums for Sonic Forces have been released. These include Sonic Forces Original Soundtrack - A Hero Will Rise, which contains the game's entire soundtrack, Sonic Forces Vocal Traxx - On The Edge, which contains all the game's vocal themes, and Sonic Forces Hi-Res Collection, which contains fifteen songs from the game, including the orchestral songs made by the London Symphony Orchestra. A fourth album, titled Sonic Forces Original Soundtrack The Vinyl Cutz was released world-wide in June 2018.

Trophies[edit | edit source]

These are the achievements and trophies for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Steam versions of Sonic Forces.

Image Name Description Trophy Class Achievement Gamescore
File:SFTrophies 01.png
A Sonic Hero Earned every trophy. (PS4) Template:PSN Trophy Platinum N/A N/A
File:SFTrophies 02.png
A New Story Begins Cleared Stage 1.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF ANewStoryBegins.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 03.png
Your Own Story Created an Avatar.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF YourOwnStory.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 04.png
Sextuple Trouble Defeated Zavok.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF SextupleTrouble.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 05.png
Infinite Possibilities Drove off Infinite.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF InfinitePossibilities.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 06.png
Mean Egg Machine Drove off Eggman.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF MeanEggMachine.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 07.png
For the Future Liberated a world.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF ForTheFuture.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 08.png
Courage in Hand Drove off Infinite again.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF CourageInHand.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 09.png
Hope Turned the tide of the conflict.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF Hope.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 10.png
Bonds of Friendship Defeated Infinite.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF BondsOfFriendship.jpg 25
File:SFTrophies 11.png
Saved the World Restored peace to the world.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF SavedTheWorld.jpg 30
File:SFTrophies 12.png
Sonic and the Secret Stages Cleared all Secret Stages.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF SonicAndTheSecretStages.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 13.png
Sonic EXtreme Cleared all EX Stages.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF SonicEXtreme.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 14.png
Reach for the Red Stars Collected all Red Star Rings.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF ReachForTheRedStars.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 15.png
Sonic Teaches Numbers Collected Number Rings three times.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF SonicTeachesNumbers.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 16.png
Don't Lose Count Collected all Number Rings.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF DontLoseCount.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 17.png
Silver Moon Mania Collected Silver Moon Rings three times.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF SilverMoonMania.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 18.png
Our Rings are Your Rings Collected all Silver Moon Rings.
File:PSN Trophy Gold.png
File:SF OurRingsAreYourRings.jpg 50
File:SFTrophies 19.png
Ring Enthusiast Collected a total of 10,000 Rings. (All Rings held at the end of the stage will be counted.)
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF RingEnthusiast.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 20.png
Ring Collector Collected a total of 50,000 Rings. (All Rings held at the end of the stage will be counted.)
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF RingCollector.jpg 20
File:SFTrophies 21.png
Ring King Collected a total of 100,000 Rings. (All Rings held at the end of the stage will be counted.)
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF RingKing.jpg 30
File:SFTrophies 22.png
Fighter Defeated 1,000 enemies.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF Fighter.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 23.png
Warrior Defeated 5,000 enemies.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF Warrior.jpg 20
File:SFTrophies 24.png
General Defeated 10,000 enemies.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF General.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 25.png
Hooked on Wispons Changed Wispons for the first time.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF HookedOnWispons.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 26.png
Way Past Cool Equipped a part in every slot.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF WayPastCool.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 27.png
Running in Style Used the Closet.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF RunningInStyle.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 28.png
On a Roll Achieved a soldier's highest honor.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF OnARoll.jpg 30
File:SFTrophies 29.png
Honor Roll Achieved highest honors with all races.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF HonorRoll.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 30.png
Global Allies Utilized the Rental Avatar function.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF GlobalAllies.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 31.png
Rivalry Begins Made it into the rankings.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF RivalryBegins.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 32.png
A New Beginning Created your second Avatar.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF ANewBeginning.jpg 15
File:SFTrophies 33.png
Sonic Blaster Collected 10 Wispons.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF SonicBlaster.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 34.png
Sonic Jammer Collected 30 Wispons.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF SonicJammer.jpg 25
File:SFTrophies 35.png
Sonic Battler Collected all Wispons.
File:PSN Trophy Gold.png
File:SF SonicBattler.jpg 50
File:SFTrophies 36.png
Outfitter Collected 50 parts.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF Outfitter.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 37.png
Style Hog Collected 100 parts.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF StyleHog.jpg 15
File:SFTrophies 38.png
Fashion Unleashed Collected 500 parts.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF FashionUnleashed.jpg 25
File:SFTrophies 39.png
You Got Them All Collected all parts.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF YouGotThemAll.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 40.png
Everyday Enthusiast Completed 3 Daily Missions.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF EverydayEnthusiast.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 41.png
Daily Devotee Completed 5 Daily Missions.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF DailyDevotee.jpg 20
File:SFTrophies 42.png
Constant Connoisseur Completed 10 Daily Missions.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF ConstantConnoisseur.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 43.png
Super Sonic Rescue Completed your first SOS Mission.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF SuperSonicRescue.jpg 10
File:SFTrophies 44.png
Freedom Fighter Completed 5 SOS Missions.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SF FreedomFighter!.jpg 20
File:SFTrophies 45.png
Nameless Hero Completed 10 SOS Missions.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF NamelessHero.jpg 35
File:SFTrophies 46.png
Up for Any Challenge Completed all Challenge Missions.
File:PSN Trophy Silver.png
File:SF UpToAnyChallenge.jpg 50

Episode Shadow[edit | edit source]

Image Name Description Trophy Class Achievement Gamescore
File:SFEPSH Achievment 1.png
Chaos Spear! Collected all Red Star Rings in Episode Shadow.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SFEPS ChaosSpear.jpg 15
File:SFEPSH Achievment 2.png
Chaos Blast! Collected all Number Rings in Episode Shadow.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SFEPS ChaosBlast.jpg 30
File:SFEPSH Achievment 3.png
Chaos Control! Collected all Silver Moon Rings in Episode Shadow.
File:PSN Trophy Bronze.png
File:SFEPS ChaosControl.jpg 40

Promotion[edit | edit source]

File:Sonic Forces Preorder BeautyShot XB1.jpg
Sonic Forces Bonus Edition for the Xbox One.

On 31 August 2017, the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account announced the official release date of Sonic Forces, along with a physical bonus edition of the game available for pre-ordering for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch which featured special bonus content. The United States version of the bonus edition consisted of a Sonic and Infinite-themed controller skin for the game's respective console (Dualshock 4, Xbox One wireless controller, Joy-Con Grip) and the "Sega/Atlus Pack DLC".[14] The United Kingdom and Australian versions of the Bonus Editions came with four exclusive Art Cards.[91][92] Those pre-ordering the game would also receive a costume of Shadow the Hedgehog for the Avatar.[93]

For the appearance of Sonic Forces on Tokyo Game Show 2017, limited merchandise related to the game was handed out to the attendees. These included Sonic Forces posters, Sonic Forces-themed t-shirts, Sonic Mania-themed chopsticks, and Sonic Forces and Mania-themed keychains.[80][81][82] Also, on 12 September 2017, a racing mobile game tie-in to Sonic Forces entitled Sonic Forces: Speed Battle received a soft launch for iOS and Android.

On 19 September 2017, pre-orders for a digital bonus edition of the game titled Sonic Forces Digital Bonus Edition was made available. This bundle includes the full Sonic Forces game, the Shadow costume, the "Sega/Atlus" Pack, and the Episode Shadow DLC.[46]

On 22 September 2017 during the Tokyo Game Show event for Sega, they announced that there would be a Sonic Forces promotional collaboration at Hooters restaurants in Tokyo from 16 October to 10 December 2017. During this time, customers could order a chili dog meal and collect one of four specially designed coasters. These coasters were of Modern and Classic Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, Shadow and Infinite, and the official promoted wolf and cat forms of the Avatar. At dinner time, special dances were held to the main theme of Sonic Forces, "Fist Bump". They also announced a cross promotion with Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone to be held in six different locations in Japan from 7 October to 5 November 2017. Attendees of the events received Sonic Forces posters and Project DIVA Future Tone badges.[83][94] Those pre-ordering the game would also receive a costume of Shadow the Hedgehog for the Avatar.[93]

On 12 October 2017, Sega released the first issue in the Sonic Forces digital comic series, a four-issue digital comic publication featuring stories that serve as prequels to the game's events. The fourth and final issue was released on 7 November 2017, the day Sonic Forces launched.

Reception[edit | edit source]

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
Metacritic 57% (Switch)[95]
57% (PS4)[96]
62% (XONE)[97]
58% (PC)[98]
Review scores
Publication Score
Famitsu 35/40[99]
Game Informer 6.5/10 (XONE)[100]
GameSpot 5/10[101]
GamesRadar 2.5/5[102]
IGN 6.9/10[103]
Polygon 5/10[104]
GameSpew 40%[105]

Pre-release[edit | edit source]

The International Business Times praised Sega's approach of announcing and releasing the duo of Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania in the same year, stating that catering to the new fans with Forces while catering to the old-school fans with Mania could help repair the series' poor reputation with more recent releases, and in turn lead to a "Sonic renaissance" era.[106]

Reception following the game's showing at the E3 2017 had been mixed to favorable. Heather Alexandra from Kotaku praised the game's three gameplay styles and the Egg Dragoon boss battle, though she felt that the platforming side of it was in need of some tweaking.[33] James Galizio from TechRaptor also praised the Egg Dragoon battle, calling it a "very interesting Boss Battle," but remarked that there were some slow-downs in the demo for the Nintendo Switch's handheld mode.[107] Ed McGlone of Twinfinite found the Avatar's gameplay clunky; expressing the feeling that the gravity was not so prepared in the demo, and the Avatar would instantly be pulled onto the ground after a jump. However, he found Modern Sonic's gameplay a smoother version of Sonic Generations's, with the Boosting mechanic being more refined while also praising the storyline's direction.[108] Alex Olney of Nintendo Life was more critical, thinking that the demo version of the game lacked focus and direction while also calling Modern Sonic's gameplay "dry and boring," and the Avatar stages an "afterthought".[109] Sonic Forces also earned the nomination award for Peoples Choice at Gamescom 2017 by IGN. At the end, it came in at 2nd place.[110]

The Nintendo Switch version of the demo was playable at Nintendo's E3 Booth. However, it had a couple of issues reported compared to other consoles. This includes a lower frame-rate, removal or reduction of geometry, lower-quality textures, effects and models, and lowered resolutions.[111]

Post-release[edit | edit source]

Upon launch, the game received generally mixed reception.[96][98]

Polygon gave Sonic Forces a score of 5/10, praising the game's visuals, but criticized its repetitive boss fights and felt the game did not advance the Sonic series' design. They also took issue in the ranking system, rewarding players for completing stages in a fast manner rather than exploring the stage for collectibles.[104] The four reviewers of Famitsu were more positive, giving the game a 35/40, praising the character creation system and soundtrack.[99] Heidi Kemps, reviewing Sonic Forces for IGN, faulted elements of the game's level design, indicating that "unfair-feeling traps" recurred intermittently and that the levels were relatively short and underdeveloped. In contrast to Parish, Kemps enjoyed the "quite strong" bosses, particularly one fought "among the winding coils of a giant snake," although she wished they were more plentiful. Kemps cited the game's "goofy charm" as preventing her from being "too disappointed" by it.[103]

Kotaku's Heather Alexandra wrote that Modern Sonic's gameplay was "visually dynamic" and "the most fun," but heavily automated and shallow; whereas Classic Sonic delivered a solid but unremarkable platforming experience that compared unfavorably to the more inventive Sonic Mania. Alexandra panned the Avatar stages as "disjointed and confused" due to a lack of flow and an excessive reliance on trial and error. Overall, she described Forces as fun despite a lack of polish and complimented its "infectious energy and excitement".[112] Game Informer's Brian Shea similarly regarded the game as a "fun adventure" and considered its controls and level design to be the best of any 3D Sonic entry", but concluded by saying that "3D Sonic games still aren't to where they should be after such a long time of iteration and experimentation". She called Classic Sonic the worst of the three playable characters due to poor physics that failed to emulate that of the original, two-dimensional Sonic games.[100]

John Linneman of Eurogamer found that Forces was well-optimized for the PlayStation 4, though there is no noticeable improvement when played on a PlayStation 4 Pro, whereas the Xbox One version was "slightly more responsive" but marred by screen tearing and inferior resolution. He felt that playing on Xbox One X provided the best overall experience, albeit with some "unwelcome inconsistency" caused by occasional changes in resolution, but that the Switch version had worse technical performance than Sonic Lost World on Wii U, which featured graphics of similar quality running at twice the framerate.[4] The PC version received criticism for problems related to its uneven performance and frequent crashes; Sega released a patch on launch day that fixed some of the problems.[113]

Sales[edit | edit source]

Sonic Forces debuted at fifth place on the United Kingdom's all-formats chart.[114] Sega stated in a financial report in February 2018 that the game "performed strongly".[115]

Re-releases[edit | edit source]

Image Platform Description
File:ForcesPuyoTetrisPack Pegi.jpg
Nintendo Switch Released in a compilation with Puyo Puyo Tetris as the 2 Hits Pack: Sonic Forces / Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Hits Pack in the Sega Collection. It was released on 5 January 2018.
File:ForcesManiaPlusPack PG.jpg
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Released in a compilation with Sonic Mania Plus as the Sonic Forces & Sonic Mania Plus Double Pack, as a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One double pack. It was released on November 2018.
File:SonicForces JP Switch NewPrice.jpg
File:SonicForces JP PS4 NewPrice.jpg
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 Re-released discounted as "Sonic Forces new price version".[116] If purchased through Amazon, the option for a digital version of the Sonic Forces Mini Soundtrack was available which was comprised of tracks "Fist Bump", "Sunset Heights", "Justice" and "Ghost Town". It was released only in Japan on 21 November 2019.
File:UltSonicBundleSquare.jpg
Xbox One The Ultimate Sonic Bundle, a digital bundle including Sonic Forces, Sonic Mania and Team Sonic Racing. It released 21 November 2019.

Update history[edit | edit source]

  • Version 1.0.1 (7 November 2017)[117]
    • Added support for additional content: A 3-stage prequel to the main story featuring Shadow as the protagonist
    • Added support for additional content: Transformation into Super Sonic
    • Added support for additional content: New avatar outfits
    • Improved main menu controls
    • Adjusted game balance for certain boss fights
    • Adjusted game balance for certain stages
    • Fixed player character reaction when taking damage
    • Adjusted some skill abilities
    • Test fixes
    • Minor bug fixes

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • This is one of the first games to be announced for the Nintendo Switch, as well as the second third-party title announced for the system.
    • In the original debut trailer, when the project was called Project Sonic 2017, the NX logo was instead shown, as NX was the codename for the Nintendo Switch, which had not yet been fully revealed.
    • Also, the updated debut trailer replaces the original tagline, "JOIN THE RESISTANCE," with the game logo.
      • The game's original tagline was still used as was the official tagline for the Japanese release.
  • This is the first 3D Sonic title released for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch.
  • An analysis between the console versions of Sonic Forces has noted the following differences:[4]
    • The PlayStation 4 version is rendered in 1080p/60FPS with no notable improvements on the PlayStation 4 Pro. In fact, if the player puts the system in rest mode and returns to it over a period of time, degraded performance can be seen.
    • The Xbox One version is rendered in 720p/60FPS on both the original Xbox One and Xbox One S models and due to an adaptive v-sync system, temporary screen-tearing has been noted. The graphics however, are the same as the PlayStation 4 version. When played on an Xbox One X, this game version is rendered in 1080p/60FPS and 1800p/60FPS on Xbox One X depending on the stage being played.
    • The Nintendo Switch version is rendered in 720p/30FPS (with controls apparently at 60FPS) and has reduced texture quality, simpler lighting and pared back geometry detail compared to the other console versions. This could be a result of the Switch itself not being revealed when developing the other versions.
  • This is the first Sonic title to be released in China since a compilation, titled Sonic Collectors Edition, of four games, including Sonic R, Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Sonic & Knuckles Collection and Sonic 3D Blast, which was released in 2001 by now-defunct Matrix Interactive in China and following a long game console ban imposed in the country (which was lifted in 2015).
  • This is the first main Sonic title to be co-developed by Hardlight, who previously developed mobile games.
  • This is the first Sonic the Hedgehog game that features a character creation mode.
  • The titles of numerous trophies are references to past Sonic media.
File:ResistanceGroupShotwithClassicSonic.png
Classic Sonic with the Resistance.
  • At the end of the aftermath cutscene, Classic Sonic actually reappears next to Tails with the resistance group. However, it cannot be seen without hacking because the cutscene fades out before it is shown.
  • This is the first Sonic title since Sonic Colors to have a main vocal theme song.
  • This is the first Sonic title since Sonic Generations to feature vocal themes on stages, and the first game since Sonic and the Black Knight to feature vocal themes for characters.
  • Like in Sonic Adventure 2, each playable character has a unique genre for their stages' music, provided by Tomoya Ohtani.[118]
  • This, along with Sonic Rivals 2 are so far the only existing United States cover art of a Sonic the Hedgehog series video game to not depict Sonic with either a smiling or neutral expression on the box artwork, excluding international releases.
  • The Italian and German dubs of the game are unavailable in the Nintendo Switch version for unknown reasons.
  • Upon the game's release, data-miners found a working Super Sonic and t-shirts for the Avatar that star the infamous "Sanic" meme image imprinted on them. This was later revealed to be DLC for the game.
    • The official Sonic social media had actually teased the "Sanic" design several months before the game's release with a [parody game trailer ].
  • This is one of the few main Sonic games in which the Chaos Emeralds do not play a role in the storyline. The Emeralds only appear when the Sonics turn into Super Sonic during normal gameplay. the others being Sonic Colors and Sonic Lost World.
  • This is the fourth 3D mainline Sonic game to utilize the Boost formula, following Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors, and Sonic Generations.
  • This is the seventh game in the franchise overall (and sixth in the main series) to receive an E10+ Rating by the ESRB.
  • This is the fourth main game in the franchise overall to have all four hedgehog main characters present (Sonic, Amy, Shadow, and Silver), the other games were Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Rivals, and Sonic Generations.
  • Cream the Rabbit, Cheese, and Blaze the Cat are the only characters from Sonic Generations to not appear in this game, while they, alongside Big the Cat, are the only side characters from the DS version of Sonic Colors to not appear in this game.
  • Originally players were not going to be able to pick up dropped rings and the feature was to be the special ability for the Hedgehog Avatar. However, a Day 1 patch changed the feature and as such, players can pick up dropped rings. The Hedgehog Avatar's ability was changed to having dropped rings remain longer after taking damage.
  • This is the first mainstream Sonic game (first game since Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric) to include unlimited lives.
  • This is the first time that Super Sonic is added to a game as DLC.
  • Sonic's death sound effects and the impatient falling animation where he looks at the camera are reused from Sonic Lost World.
  • This is the first mainstream Sonic game since Sonic Rush Adventure to use anthropomorphic animals as civilians, rather than humans.
  • During the cutscene where Classic Sonic appears for the first time, a remix of the main theme from Sonic Mania is heard in the background.
    • Another version of the music plays at the end of the ending movie in Sonic Origins.
  • In the cutscene after Aqua Road is cleared, Sonic says to Classic Sonic, "It's been generations since I've seen you". This is a reference to Sonic Generations, where Sonic last saw Classic Sonic.
  • In the early script for Sonic Forces, it was going to be revealed that Eggman made Phantom Copies of Mephiles the Dark and would have used them at the Eggman Empire Fortress just prior to the final boss battle.
  • Sonic Forces is the first 3D Sonic game since Sonic Generations to have in-engine cutscenes, although this only applies to the cutscenes in which the Avatar is present.
  • Episode Shadow was originally intended to be much longer, with Shadow and Rouge specifically stating dialogue from Sonic Forces: Looming Shadow. Cut content also includes Shadow making comments that implying that he was going to fight the Jackal Squad members as a boss fight, such as calling someone "a whole horde of chumps" and expressing surprise at them putting up a fight, as well as Shadow questioning whether Rouge was a Phantom Copy during the Virtual Reality level due to her giving conflicting statements as to when Omega went AWOL.[119]
  • Sonic Forces is the only Sonic game on the Nintendo Switch to not support video capture.
  • In Takashi Iizuka's opinion, Sonic Forces probably marks the only time where Eggman will be most successful in his goals.[63]
  • Sonic Forces marks the first instance in which both the Boost and the Stomp appear in a cutscene.
  • Sonic Forces is the only Boost game in the franchise to feature the ability to crouch while grinding, an ability mostly used in games without Boost, such as Sonic Adventure 2.
    • It is also the only game where it does not give the playable character speed. The lack of this trait is possibly due to Boost being more prominent in terms of gaining speed.

Videos[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 SSF1991 (12 April 2017). Famitsu Has Released New Information On Sonic Mania & Forces, Iizuka Interview. TSSZ News. Retrieved on 12 April 2017.
  2. Sonic Official - Ep. 8 - SXSW Recap. YouTube. Sonic the Hedgehog (16 March 2017). Retrieved on 23 November 2022.
  3. Warren, Tom (20 August 2017). Here’s every game enhanced for Xbox One X. The Verge. Retrieved on 21 August 2017.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Linneman, John (7 November 2017). Sonic Forces focuses on PS4 with clear issues on other systems. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 9 November 2017.
  5. McFerran, Damien (9 October 2017). Sega confirms Sonic Forces is 720p 30fps on Nintendo Switch. Retrieved on 9 October 2017.
  6. Shun Nakamura is the producer of Sonic Forces. Nintendo Everything (16 March 2017). Retrieved on 17 March 2017.
  7. Shun Nakamura on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (11 August 2017). Retrieved on 11 August 2017. "Shun Nakamura: 今回、ストーリーは、日本でストーリー要素や流れを作り、全体をしっかり書き上げてから、アメリカにて、セリフや間をリライトしてます。日本版は、更にそこからリライト。時間がかかり、イベント班には多大な迷惑を...。"
  8. Warren Graff on Twitter. Twitter (16 April 2017). Retrieved on 17 May 2017.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 SSF1991 (16 March 2017). Sonic SXSW 2017: Vocal Theme Revealed For Sonic Forces, Tomoya Ohtani Is Sound Director, Release Still 2017. TSSZ News. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved on 17 March 2017.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Tomoya Ohtani (@Ohtanitter) on Twitter. Twitter (14 June 2017). Retrieved on 14 June 2017.
  11. Tomoya Ohtani (@Ohtanitter) on Twitter. Twitter (25 August 2017). Retrieved on 25 August 2017.
  12. Sonic Forces. Steam. Retrieved on 26 September 2020.
  13. セガを代表するアクションゲーム「ソニック」シリーズの最新作!3Dアクションゲーム『ソニックフォース』が2017年11月9日(木)に発売決定!! (Japanese). Sega. Retrieved on 3 October 2017.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) on Twitter. Twitter (31 August 2017). Retrieved on 31 August 2017.
  15. Sonic Forces receives E10+ rating. Sega Nerds. Retrieved on 16 August 2017.
  16. Pan European Game Information website. Retrieved on 26 September 2020.
  17. SSF1991 (16 March 2017). SXSW Sonic 2017: Project Sonic 2017 Is Officially Called "Sonic Forces". TSSZ News. Retrieved on 17 March 2017.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Sonic Forces - TGS 2017 Otakumode Interview. YouTube (23 September 2017). Retrieved on 24 December 2017. "Takashi Iizuka (translated by board's translator): So...last month, uh, in August was the release of a game called "Sonic Mania", and uh, it got a really warm, uhm... welcome from everyone in the community, from all the fans, specially abroad a lot of people are enjoying playing it. And, uhm... I really hope that if you play "Sonic Mania", you get to play "Sonic Forces" too... you may think those titles are unrelated, but actually, they may not be, and there might be a... (laughs). Definitely, I want you to check both titles because there is something going on between the two"
  19. 19.0 19.1 SSF1991 (23 July 2016). Sonic 25th Party: Iizuka: Sonic 2017 Project Is "Not A Sequel, A Completely New Experience". TSSZ News. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Sonic Forces (PC) English instruction booklet, "Story".
  21. Sonic Forces producers on the Avatar and story plus more, brief Sonic Mania talk (Japanese). Famitsu (14 June 2017). Retrieved on 8 August 2017.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Sonic Forces Japanese website (Japanese). Characters. Sega. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved on 11 September 2017.
  23. (in Japanese)Famitsu (Tokuma): 58. October 2017.
  24. 24.0 24.1 Sonic Forces (PC) English instruction booklet, "Characters".
  25. Sonic Forces (PC) English instruction booklet, "Dr. Eggman".
  26. 26.0 26.1 Sonic Forces (PC) English instruction booklet, "Resistance - Eggman Army".
  27. Scibetta, Nicholas (16 June 2017). Interview: Takashi Iizuka and Shun Nakamura on the state of Sonic in 2017. Gamecrate. Retrieved on 19 June 2017.
  28. 28.00 28.01 28.02 28.03 28.04 28.05 28.06 28.07 28.08 28.09 28.10 28.11 28.12 Dornbush, Jonathon (16 May 2017). Sonic Forces Character Creation Feature Announced. IGN. Retrieved on 17 May 2017.
  29. 29.0 29.1 Shea, Brian (17 March 2017). A Longer Look At Modern Sonic. Game Informer. Retrieved on 17 March 2017.
  30. 30.0 30.1 Sonic Forces: Custom Hero Trailer. YouTube. Sega (16 May 2017). Retrieved on 16 May 2017.
  31. SSF1991 (12 June 2017). E3 2017: IGN Sonic Forces Interview With Aaron Webber, New Gameplay. TSSZ News. Retrieved on 13 June 2017.
  32. Sonic Paradox News (12 June 2017). Sonic Forces results screen!. Twitter. Retrieved on 13 June 2017.
  33. 33.0 33.1 Alexandra, Heather (14 June 2017). Sonic Forces Impressions: Great When It Sticks To Its Roots. Kotaku. Retrieved on 16 June 2017.
  34. Shun Nakamura on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (5 July 2017). Retrieved on 25 August 2017. "Shun Nakamura: ゲームオーバー?➡︎ないよ。"
  35. 35.0 35.1 Sonic Forces - First Modern Sonic Gameplay. YouTube. Sega (17 March 2017). Retrieved on 17 March 2017.
  36. 36.0 36.1 SSF1991 (16 March 2017). SXSW Sonic 2017: Sonic Forces Gameplay Shown, Hedgehog Engine 2 Confirmed. TSSZ News. Retrieved on 17 March 2017.
  37. Sonic Official - 14 - Hero Side Episode. YouTube. Sega (25 March 2017). Retrieved on 26 March 2017.
  38. XtaZe (22 August 2017). Aperçu Gamescom 2017 - Sonic Forces : la force du hérisson (French). Revue Multimédia. Retrieved on 23 August 2017.
  39. E3 on Twitch: Show Live (1PM) - Xbox (2PM) - Gameplay & Reveals (4PM) - Bethesda (9PM) #E3DT. Twitch. E3 2017 (12 June 2017). Retrieved on 12 June 2017.
  40. 『ソニックフォース』プロモーション映像 (Japanese). YouTube. Sega (13 September 2017). Retrieved on 14 September 2017.
  41. 41.0 41.1 Sonic Forces - E3 Trailer. YouTube. Sega (13 June 2017). Retrieved on 13 June 2017.
  42. Dornbush, Jonathon (17 March 2017). Sonic Forces Gameplay Eyes-On Impressions. IGN. Retrieved on 18 March 2017.
  43. Sonic Forces - Episode Shadow Gameplay. YouTube. Sega (19 September 2017). Retrieved on 19 September 2017. "A first look at gameplay of Sonic Forces' Episode Shadow add-on! A prequel to the main storyline of Sonic Forces, this add-on content explores Shadow's allegiance, the fate of Team Dark, and the origin of the mysterious villain, Infinite"
  44. 『ソニックフォース』ゲーム紹介映像 (Japanese). YouTube. Sega (20 October 2017). Retrieved on 20 October 2017.
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 Sonic Forces will let you play as Shadow the Hedgehog. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 19 September 2017.
  46. 46.0 46.1 Sonic Forces Kicks Off Pre-Orders for the Digital Bonus Edition Today. Gamasutra (19 September 2017). Retrieved on 19 September 2017.
  47. ; Sega Sonic Forces - Episode Shadow Gameplay. YouTube. Alphabet. Retrieved on 30 October 2017.
  48. 48.0 48.1 Sonic Forces - Episode Shadow Gameplay. YouTube. Sonic the Hedgehog on YouTube. Retrieved on 19 September 2017.
  49. Whitehead, Thomas . Shadow to be Playable in Free 'Episode Shadow' DLC for Sonic Forces. Nintendo Life. Retrieved on 30 October 2017.
  50. 50.0 50.1 Robinson, Martin . Sonic Mania and its impact on the future of the Sonic series. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 30 October 2017.
  51. Frank, Allegra . Shadow is playable in Sonic Forces DLC. Polygon. Retrieved on 30 October 2017.
  52. Shea, Brian . Free Day One DLC Adds Shadow As Playable Character. Game Informer. Retrieved on 30 October 2017.
  53. アバターパーツ Sanic Tシャツ (Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved on 27 April 2018.
  54. SANIC T-SHIRTS. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved on 27 April 2018.
  55. Sonic Forces: SANIC T-SHIRTS. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved on 27 April 2018.
  56. Sonic the Hedgehog on Twitter. Twitter (21 December 2017). Retrieved on 22 December 2017.
  57. Sonic the Hedgehog on Twitter. Twitter (24 January 2018). Retrieved on 24 January 2018.
  58. Iizuka Confirms Sonic 25th San Diego Party Livestream + “New Sonic Project” Info, & Fire & Ice/M&S Being Only 2016 Titles. TSSZ News (23 July 2016). Retrieved on 23 July 2016.
  59. Whitehead, Thomas (23 July 2016). Project Sonic 2017 Confirmed for Nintendo NX Release. Nintendo Life.
  60. Osborn, Alex (25 June 2016). Sonic Team's New Project Releasing in 2017. IGN. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  61. Sonic Forces - TGS 2017 Otakumode Interview (24:56). YouTube (23 September 2017). Retrieved on 24 September 2017. "Takashi Iizuka (translated by board's translator): The, uh, the idea behind the beginning of Sonic Forces was really to bring back a... ah... a modern 3D Sonic made by Sonic Team because it had been quite a while since we, uh, we ourselves made a 3D Sonic so, uh, we really wanted to, uhm, to have people discover a classic 3D Sonic, but also, uhm, wanting to offer as much content as possible, bringing back all the characters that everyone loves, and also, uh, some good 2D experiences as well, so it is basically, eh, trying to give you, uh, a fuller package with everything you love about Sonic [...] And, uh, so uhm, we definitely, uhm, had a lot of feedback of people wanting to create their own character in the Sonic world or trying to, you know, ah live the adventure through the original character so we decided to implement an Avatar system so people actually get to create their own Sonic universe character and, uh, join Sonic in their adventure"
  62. 62.0 62.1 KitKat (27 October 2017). A long Sonic Forces interview with Iizuka and Nakamura. Sonic United. Retrieved on 4 November 2017.
  63. 63.0 63.1 Sonic Frontiers: 123 Rapid-Fire Questions With Takashi Iizuka. YouTube. Game Informer (12 July 2022). Retrieved on 13 July 2022.
  64. 64.0 64.1 Yoshiaki Miura (17 November 2017). 第1回 背景デザイン アートディレクター 三浦 義貴. Sonic Channel. Retrieved on 17 November 2017.
  65. 65.0 65.1 65.2 絵と音から魅力を紐解く『ソニックフォース』:設定画公開編(2018年2月号より) (Japanese). Nintendo Dream (24 November 2019). Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved on 4 October 2020.
  66. Wallace, Kimberley (5 October 2017). Sonic Forces Producer Discusses Changes To Ring System And Darker World. Game Informer. Retrieved on 6 October 2017.
  67. Nelva, Giuseppe (8 October 2017). Sonic Forces on Nintendo Switch: Devs Talk Development, Challenges, Resolution, Frame Rate and More. Dualshockers. Retrieved on 17 February 2018.
  68. McWhertor, Michael (23 July 2016). 'Project Sonic' coming to Nintendo NX, PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2017. Polygon. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  69. Duwell, Ron (26 July 2016). SEGA confirms two new Sonic games, a retro-throwback and a Sonic Generations sequel. TechnoBuffalo. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  70. Nunneley, Stephany (23 July 2016). Project Sonic out holiday 2017 for PC, NX, PS4, Xbox One – watch the reveal trailer here. VG247. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  71. Fahey, Mike (23 July 2016). And This Is Basically Sonic Generations 2. Kotaku. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  72. Plessas, Nick (25 July 2016). Sonic the Hedgehog making a triumphant return to 3D—this time for real. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  73. SEGA: "Project 2017 Planned To Include Classic 2D & Modern 3D Stages, In Addition To That There Will Be New Component". TSSZ News (28 October 2016). Retrieved on 28 October 2016.
  74. SEGA: "We Have Plans To Introduce A Completely New Character In Sonic Project 2017". TSSZ News (28 October 2016). Retrieved on 28 October 2016.
  75. Brad (13 February 2017). SONIC MANIA, PROJECT 2017 REVEALS COMING TO SXSW 2017. Sonic Stadium.
  76. New Project Sonic 2017 information confirms villain, multiplayer status and genre. Nintendo Dream Magazine. Sega Bits (14 February 2017).
  77. SEGA® Releases New Sonic Forces™ Trailer and Key Art. Gamasutra (13 June 2017). Retrieved on 14 June 2017.
  78. rawmeatcowboy (15 June 2017). Chao will not be featured in Sonic Forces. GoNintendo. Retrieved on 16 June 2017.
  79. Goldfarb, Andrew (25 August 2017). Gamescom 2017: Teaming Up in Sonic Forces. IGN. Retrieved on 25 August 2017.
  80. 80.0 80.1 ソニックフォース (Japanese). Tokyo Game Show. Retrieved on 8 September 2017.
  81. 81.0 81.1 ソニック委員会 (@sonic20th) on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (8 September 2017). Retrieved on 8 September 2017. "つづいて『ソニックマニア』のスマホケースとキーホルダー、箸も登場!"
  82. 82.0 82.1 ソニック委員会 (@sonic20th) on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (8 September 2017). Retrieved on 8 September 2017.
  83. 83.0 83.1 TGS2017セガゲームス生放送!DAY3(9/23)【TGS2017】. YouTube. Sega (22 September 2017). Retrieved on 23 September 2017.
  84. Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) on Twitter. Twitter (1 November 2017). Retrieved on 23 November 2017. "Sonic the Hedgehog: Bonus points for proper usage of this meme. Yes– we have a patch with various updates going live day of launch. Thank you for being patient!"
  85. Come Join the Eggman Empire!. YouTube. Sega (2 November 2017). Retrieved on 3 November 2017.
  86. Frank, Allegra (6 July 2017). Sonic Forces recruits Hoobastank for its perfectly on-brand theme song. Polygon. Retrieved on 6 July 2017.
  87. Sonic Forces OST - Theme of Infinite. YouTube (20 June 2017). Retrieved on 20 June 2017. ""Infinite" - Sonic Forces OST. Raps by Tyler Smyth (Dangerkids). All vocals and lyrics by Tyler Smyth and Andy Bane (Dangerkids). Composed & Arranged by Tomoya Ohtani. Guitars: Jun Senoue"
  88. Behind the Scenes: Sonic Forces Orchestra Theme. YouTube (24 September 2017). Retrieved on 24 September 2017.
  89. Sega on YouTube (Japanese) (23 September 2017). Retrieved on 24 September 2017.
  90. Shun Nakamura on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (25 September 2017). Retrieved on 25 September 2017. "Shun Nakamura: オーケストラは、タイトルやワールドマップなど重みを強調する部分で使われます。勇ましい感じがして、私は非常にお気に入りです。頻繁に聞く音楽なので、こちらもお楽しみいただければと思います。"
  91. Sonic Forces PS4. Smyth's Toys. Retrieved on 8 September 2017.
  92. Sonic Forces. Retrieved on 8 September 2017.
  93. 93.0 93.1 Sonic Forces Bonus Edition. EB Games. Retrieved on 1 September 2017.
  94. 『ソニックフォース』とHOOTERSのコラボレーションイベントが10月16日(月)から開始! (Japanese). Sonic Channel. Sega. Retrieved on 14 October 2017.
  95. Sonic Forces for Switch Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 15 November 2017.
  96. 96.0 96.1 Sonic Forces for PlayStation 4 Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 15 November 2017.
  97. Sonic Forces for Xbox One Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 15 November 2017.
  98. 98.0 98.1 Sonic Forces for PC Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 15 November 2017.
  99. 99.0 99.1 NintenMau5 (5 November 2017). Famitsu: Here Are The Full Review Details For Sonic Forces. My Nintendo News. Retrieved on 6 November 2017.
  100. 100.0 100.1 Running A Familiar Route - Sonic Forces - Xbox One (8 November 2017). Retrieved on 15 November 2017.
  101. Espineli, Matt (10 November 2017). Sonic Forces Review. GameSpot. Retrieved on 1 October 2019.
  102. Andrews, Stuart (8 November 2017). Sonic Forces review: 'A short game of short levels, yet desperately short of real ideas'. GamesRadar. Retrieved on 8 November 2017.
  103. 103.0 103.1 Kemps, Heidi (10 November 2017). Sonic Forces Review. IGN. Retrieved on 10 November 2017.
  104. 104.0 104.1 Parish, Jeremy (6 November 2017). Sonic Forces review. Polygon. Retrieved on 5 November 2017.
  105. Seagrave, Richard (17 November 2017). Sonic Forces Review: More Like Sonic Farces. IGN. Retrieved on 14 February 2018.
  106. Skipper, Ben (25 July 2016). Sega announces retro Sonic Mania and post-apocalyptic Project Sonic for 2017. International Business Times. Retrieved on 17 September 2016.
  107. Galizio, James (14 June 2017). E3 2017 – Sonic Forces Hands On Impressions. Kotaku. Retrieved on 16 June 2017.
  108. McGlone, Ed (14 June 2017). Sonic Forces Embraces Modern Characters Like Shadow and Will Be Fuel for Fanfics. Twinfinite. Retrieved on 16 June 2017.
  109. Olney, Alex (5 July 2017). First Impressions: Running Scared from Sonic Forces. Nintendo Life. Retrieved on 6 July 2017.
  110. FIFA 18 (29 August 2017). FIFA 18 Wins Gamescom People's Choice Award. IGN. Retrieved on 29 August 2017.
  111. Peal, Alexander (16 June 2017). Sonic Forces on Nintendo Switch E3 Impressions. Sonic Stadium. Retrieved on 27 June 2017.
  112. Alexandra, Heather . Sonic Forces: The Kotaku Review. Kotaku. Retrieved on 8 November 2017.
  113. Glagowski, Peter . PSA: Sonic Forces' PC port is a hot mess. Destructoid. Retrieved on 7 November 2017.
  114. Whitehead, Thomas . Sonic Forces on Switch Has Solid UK Launch as DOOM Moves Up the Charts. Nintendo Life. Retrieved on 23 November 2017.
  115. FY Ending March 2018 3rd Quarter Results Presentation (PDF). Sega Sammy Holdings (7 February 2018).
  116. 新価格版『ソニックフォース』本日発売! (Japanese). Sonic Channel. Sega.
  117. CUSA05637: SONIC FORCES. ORBISPatches.com (26 September 2017). Retrieved on 25 November 2022.
  118. Sonic Forces Wispon, Storyline and Music Detailed. PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved on 5 October 2017.
  119. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h0-rpCPgt0

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Forces info

Sonic the Hedgehog console mainline games

de:Sonic Forces es:Sonic Forces fr:Sonic Forces it:Sonic Forces lt:Sonic Forces nl:Sonic Forces pl:Sonic Forces pt:Sonic Forces pt-br:Sonic Forces ru:Sonic Forces uk:Sonic Forces zh:索尼克力量