Sonic Generations had its issues, but it was largely a return to form for 3D Sonic games as it blended together the modern gameplay with some throwback. It was also largely a nostalgia trip, as it recreated levels from the series’ past. There’s only so many nostalgia plays a series can do before it starts seeing a diminishing return, and I was looking forward to seeing something new after Sonic Mania failed to captivate.
The gameplay in Sonic Forces is very familiar to Sonic Generations, as players will run forward in heavily scripted 3D spaces. Mechanically, it’s not the most gripping game, and there’s a totally fair complaint to be made about a lot of the levels feeling like they’re on-rails (sometimes quite literally), but there’s typically enough pitfalls and jumps that the player has to make for the stages to be engaging. There’s a positive trade-off here, though, as the game is filled with Uncharted-like scripted sequences where all sorts of destruction and spectacle are happening around Sonic running really freaking fast. Heck, early on there’s even a sequence where Sonic is riding on top of a spaceship, dodging laser fire. It gets ridiculous rather quickly, and every stage has a moment or two that really stand out. The biggest gameplay addition is that there’s a playable character that isn’t Sonic. No, it’s not Big the Cat or any of the many different friends of Sonic, but players get to create ...