Genre Platform game | Initial release date 2017 | |
Similar Sonic the Hedgehog games, Sega games, Platform games | ||
Sonic forces first modern sonic gameplay
Sonic Forces is an upcoming platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. First announced as Project Sonic 2017 in July 2016, the game is scheduled for a worldwide release in late 2017.
Contents
Premise
Like Sonic Generations, the game will contain two variants of Sonic the Hedgehog: Classic Sonic, the design featured more prominently in Sega's Sonic games for the Sega Genesis, and Modern Sonic, his revised form in the years after that was first introduced in Sonic Adventure. In the game's story, series antagonist Doctor Eggman has successfully conquered the world, with his giant robotic sentries laying waste to cities to further his conquest, and the two Sonics must unite to end Eggman's reign. Other characters, such as Tails, Knuckles, Amy and the Chaotix, will make non-playable appearances in supporting roles, offering support and advice to Sonic via radio communication.
Sonic Forces features similar gameplay to that of Sonic Generations: Modern Sonic's stages are based around three-dimensional movement like that of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, with Sonic capable of using techniques such as boosting and the homing attack. However, Classic Sonic's gameplay has yet to be revealed by Sega and is implied to be slightly different from his original strictly 2D style from Sonic Generations. Sega has also confirmed the presence of a third playable character with their own unique gameplay style.
Development
Sonic Forces was announced at Sega's 25th anniversary of the series at San Diego Comic-Con on July 22, 2016, where it was announced alongside Sonic Mania. The game will be developed by Sonic Team, the same team that had previously developed Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, and will be headed by Sonic series veteran Takashi Iizuka. The presence of both Classic and Modern Sonic lead some journalists to believe it was a sequel to Sonic Generations, but Iizuka later clarified that it was not a sequel, but a separate title. The game will be released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in late 2017. Sonic Forces will run on the "Hedgehog Engine 2", a refined version of the game engine used in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Generations. The game's soundtrack is being composed by series sound director, Tomoya Ohtani.
Reception
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's poor reputation with more recent releases, and in turn lead to a "Sonic renaissance".
