Sonic Forces (Part 2)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

I didn’t cover much of the story in Part 1, so I’ll remedy to that today.

Answering the Call

Ohhhhh HOT HOT HOT!

When we come back to Avy (our avatar), they’re at the Prison Hall of the Death Egg, looking to rescue Sonic. We get to try their skills out a little more. Story-wise, it’s their big chance to prove themselves. Not like they need to bail Sonic out, as the villains do it for them.

Hey, couldn't Zavok turn giant in Sonic Lost World?
Yet here he is, piloting a robot bee. Laaaaaame.

Eggman considers the planet conquered, so the Resistance is barely a blip on his radar. He is ready to execute Sonic, so he sends Zavok out to bring the hedgehog to his fate. Zavok frees Sonic from his shackles; a battle ensues. Zavok pilots a large bee robot and is too high for Sonic to reach him. This battle was the first real challenge the game had for me, in part because of the small arena surrounded by endless pits and my struggles with frame rate. It’s also a tough fight because it’s counter-intuitive. Zavok will slam the ground with his robot, causing a shockwave. Usually, in games, those hurt you. Here, they’ll propel Sonic upwards, high enough to attack. But what would be your normal reaction to a ground shockwave in a boss fight? To jump and avoid it! Not a fan of that boss. At least it’s over relatively quick. Sonic defeats Zavok, who  disappears in a flurry of glitches.

I do have to give it to this game; when its abundance of
background details aren't a distraction to gameplay,
they can be friggin' GOR-GEOUS.

Sonic makes a run for it, learning that he was in outer space the whole time. This is Stage 6 and at the end of it, Sonic jumps onto a spaceship and finds himself in the hangar. This is done through a quick-time event; somewhat uncommon, they help make the game feel more cinematic at times, but it also means you have to constantly be prepared for when they’ll pop up, as they may happen when you least expect them. Thankfully, the time window you’re given to react is lenient, but still – I’m surprised QTEs are even included at all.

The Double Boost is the most prominent "QTE-like" here.
You don't need to learn how it works... yet.
Also, Avy radiates joy. He LOVES being here. Daaw.

It's a trap! ...What, the robots? Nah, those are easy to
deal with. The spinning gear platforms, however...

In the hangar, Sonic rescues Avy from more robots, then the two get on a shuttle back to the planet. All while getting info from Knuckles about Eggman’s resources. Knuckles leading the resistance is… a choice. It makes some sense as he’s the next major character after Sonic and Tails. He seems competent at first and even apologizes having to send Sonic on a mission so soon after his return. However, most of his plans boil down to “hit them fast and hard” and, against the Eggman Empire, that won't suffice. Speaking of, the new mission is Stage 7, Arsenal Pyramid, and it is the first tag team stage in which we control both Sonic and our avatar, allowing for both sets of skills to be used. Great idea, and it introduces the Double Boost mechanic, but the spinning platforms were Hell for my computer.

Yeah… if there’s any good I can say of Sonic Forces, it’s that it was the straw that broke the camel’s back and made me realize I really needed a better computer. I’m tired of blaming games with the addendum of “but maybe it’s my hardware that sucks”. Forces throws a huge spectacle at the player, there are moving parts everywhere in every stage, so it’s gorgeous but super-demanding, resources-wise. Makes it a good indicator of whether your current gear is due an update. (In fact, by the time Part 3 comes out in four days, I'll have swapped my 2015 computer for a brand new one.)

Towards Infinite!

After breaking the Arsenal Pyramid, the Resistance gets a report from Silver about the new baddie attacking Mystic Jungle. Sonic jumps in. First is a stage across the Luminous Forest. We arrive at the scene where Silver is fighting the enemy. (If you want to know why Silver is there, being from the future and all… well, an Eggman victory changes the future a lot. And if the future changes, how can he still remember his friends from the present… Look, Silver is just one damn paradox after the other.) Silver manages to knock a strange stone off of the weirdo, and Sonic tags in to end the fight.

Red Squares? Beware. Smash the masked dude on the left.

This new villain, as we already know, is Infinite. And this first battle shows exactly what kind of threat he is. Get hit by his swarms of black cubes, you take damage and wind up in an illusory dimension with traps that are harder to avoid, and just as deadly. If Infinite moved more, he wouldn’t be a sitting duck waiting for a homing attack to the face. If you get stuck in his illusions, you can Dash through them with the Wisp power and come out unscathed. He does use a few tricks, like calling fake versions of himself, but all they do is create a pathway towards him. Sonic beats up Infinite, settling the score. In the following cutscene, when Infinite seems to get the upper hand again, he just lets Sonic live and goes away. Yeah… Not particularly smart that one, huh?

My take on Infinite

Infinite… Hoo boy.

That mask looks very loose-fitting and not too comfortable.
Oh, and Infinite? If you feel the need to say you're the
biggest badass in the room, then you aren't.

It’s like someone at Sonic Team sat a moody teen down and said “Now design the edgelordiest edgelord to have ever edgelorded in Sonic”. You can practically hear the tone in Infinite’s voice, a remnant of “It’s not a phase mooom!” he must’ve said a lot growing up. His fucking theme has lyrics that are the most tryhard crap a person looking to out-edge everyone in the room would say completely deadpan. Good song? Yes, and some fan-tas-tic covers of it have been made, but tryhard as Hell. That song is as much a statement of inadequacy as a new sports car would be to a middle-aged man. It’s a shame male Mobians don’t wear much clothing, ‘cause this guy could show up and be gifted a lifetime membership card at Hot Topic.

Even his illusory clones are more trouble than if he just
attacked on his own!

Infinite’s power set should make him a very interesting villain. Promotional material builds him as the new ultimate baddie, and he definitely gives off that vibe… at first. We find out it’s a ruse; the Phantom Ruby gives him the power to create illusions, and make those illusions as harmful as they appear to those they ensnare. But it’s all fakery, and someone able to evade the shadow cubes Infinite emits will encounter a bad guy who talks the talk, but face-plants when he must walk the walk. He rarely attacks by himself, and when he does, he leaves himself open for a counter. The longer you study this guy the more pathetic he becomes, I swear.

Even the game won't show us his face.
The comics, however... Well, see below!

A major issue with this villain and the game he stars in is that he isn’t given enough backstory and characterization in what is his only canon appearance ever. Peel away the edge and what you get is little more than a bully; a sadist who revels in the chaos and destruction he causes, but cannot keep that sadism in check to make smart decisions. His cruel mercy in sparing the Avatar is what leads to them joining the Resistance and, ultimately, taking him down. In the base game? That’s all. It takes Episode Shadow, a DLC chapter in which we play as Sonic’s rival, to get more info about him. Namely, that he has a pitiful inferiority complex involving Shadow, born from the hedgehog serving a crushing defeat to Infinite and his mercenaries. This took him to Doctor Eggman and the Phantom Ruby prototype that granted him all these abilities. Also led him down the path of out-edging the source of the “Ow The Edge” meme.

"Original character, do not steal"

And if you want more, then you need to seek out issues 3 and 4 of the Sonic Forces prequel digital comic, which show that even before getting his hands on the Ruby, Infinite was a messed-up jackal dreaming of reigning over a wrecked world. It’s the only time we really see him without the mask, and… well, I did mention Hot Topic for a reason. That heterochromia, those scars, and that fabulous mane? Yeah, whoever designed this character really went overboard. I wanna know this jackal’s hair care routine. In all seriousness though, I think I would have liked some of that to be in the base game. Someone just playing Forces is missing so much info, and as a result Infinite feels incomplete unless you bother to do the homework. It’s a bad trend in recent releases from major franchises to put way too much stuff in the extras, at the main oeuvre’s detriment.

…No, I take that back. Character-wise, without the supplementary material to flesh him out, Infinite doesn’t feel incomplete. He feels weak. That’s damning.

Three Days

Those aren't the 2D bosses Classic is used to.

Stage 10 is a Classic Sonic stage set in Green Hill. Pure 2D nostalgia level. After which Tails and Classic see Eggman discuss with Infinite. The jackal’s mission has been to destroy the failed Phantom Ruby prototypes the doctor created in an attempt to mimic the powers of the jewel that landed in their world, before making the successful copy on the baddie’s chest. Infinite lets it slip that he let Sonic live, which angers the doctor and gives Tails new hope, but still the villains keep going. After Infinite leaves, Classic challenges Eggman. This is Stage 11, a boss fight against Eggman's wrecking ball carrier. But this old trick is dispatched easily, so Eggman calls forth the Egg Dragoon (first seen in Sonic Unleashed), and we get a proper battle. Still, this massive robot is destroyed like all the others. Eggman is wise enough to not divulge his entire scheme in a bit of post-defeat monologuing, but he does say as he leaves that the plan he’s set in motion will destroy the Resistance in three days.

No stress!

What the world map looks like at the end of the game.
Oh? An SOS! Someone needs our help!

Another aside: The Story Mode only has 30 stages, which includes boss fights. However, the game does offer you some extra challenges in three forms. The first ones are special stages with peculiar mechanics as the focus, like disappearing platforms or cannons everywhere. The second ones are extras unlocked by collecting enough red rings throughout the adventure, starting at 25 all the way to 120. The third ones are SOS missions; they come in three flavors and are meant to represent this conflict beyond your Avatar. All three flavors can involve rental avatars from other players around the world, but you can switch back to yours at will. For the two where you can control them, that is; in the third category, the rental has been imprisoned in the stage and you have to find and rescue them.

Back to Avy, they’re sent on a mission on their own since everyone else in the Resistance is either hurt or fighting. They’re tasked with rescuing civilians at Park Avenue. Meanwhile, Tails and Classic go looking for Sonic, having heard that the hero may be in the Mystic Jungle. Thus we have Stage 13, Casino Forest… which is exactly what it says on the tin: The mandatory casino-style stage, this time with a jungle backdrop.

A casino/pinball world. Yep, classic Classic 2D Sonic.

Sure, keep annoying the guy who could fall to his death
in a single misstep, if too distracted.

Meanwhile, our avatar is sent to investigate in the same area, as the Resistance has spotted two life forms there. A good chunk of Stage 14, Aqua Road, is spent going down a waterslide. Three issues here. One, my frame rate issues screwed me over multiple times. Two, there’s a lot of enemy robots also sliding down and exploding, so we have those hazards to worry about as well. Three, the members of the Resistance, whom we’re always in contact with, won’t. Shut. Up. They keep being a distraction, especially in a stage like this where our attention is needed. It’s the first time where that issue is especially noticeable. And every time you die, sometimes because of them, you have to hear the same dialogue. Over and over. Can’t we make them shut up? Please? “Watch out! The current is pretty strong!” …No shit, Amy! “Well look at you, Rookie. Having fun in the water?” Knux, can you shut your yap and let me focus, I’m trying to not die here!

At the end of this stage, Avy finds the stone dropped by Infinite earlier; one of the aforementioned Phantom Ruby prototypes. He also meets the two life forms: Tails and Classic, who are reunited with the remainder of the Resistance. A happy reunion all around, until Tails quotes the doctor’s three-day ultimatum. To win this war, there’s no more time to waste.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Crosses dimensions, breaks fourth walls.

Fakers

Through their efforts and heroics, the Resistance has liberated the Mystic Jungle. The tide is turning. Gotta keep it up. Rise up, be counted, stand strong and unite!

Boss! Fight! Boss! Fight! Boss! Fight!
....What? No boss fight? Buzzkill!

We control Sonic in the next stage, Sunset Heights. There have been sightings of Shadow over the city. The hero investigates and meets the dark hedgehog. They’re about to fight when another Shadow appears: The real one, who kicks the faker away, defeating him in one hit. Y’know, for illusions said to be as real and as dangerous as the real deals, Infinite’s clones sure go down easily. Zavok didn’t turn giant, Chaos and Shadow were dealt with in cutscenes… So much for that so-called threat! Shadow explains the source of Infinite’s power and that he can create these fakes at will, even entire armies of them.

Oh, so the hand doesn't even come from the giant humanoid.
Yeah, this is creepy as Hell. Awesome visuals.

Meanwhile, strong of the recent victory, Knuckles is getting imprudent. He hears that Eggman’s forces aren’t as prevalent in Metropolis, so he devises a new plan à la Leeroy Jenkins to take back that sector, sending most of the troops as well as Avy there. However, the heroes' communications are hijacked by Eggman, who sends in Infinite. The jackal releases a Phantom wave engulfing the city, trapping everyone into the illusions. The Resistance loses most of their troops in the ensuing chaos. As for the stage itself… it’s a trip. Infinite messes with gravity, and also has giant illusory versions of himself tearing the city apart. This stage represents everything Sonic Forces could be, screwing with our senses, and making full use of the new villain’s abilities. Shame it’s only really present here, in the boss battles against him, and in cutscenes; the idea has so much potential, there should have been more stages like this.

You know what the ex-scaredy cat says?
Get rekt, Infinite!

Avy barely makes it out alive. He is noticed by Infinite, who confronts him. At first trembling against this enemy who scares him so much, the new hero remembers Sonic’s encouraging words and fights their fear. Stage 17 is a major step in their character arc and a climactic boss battle. Infinite has his illusions, and he stays out of reach … well, until he gets bored and homes in for a more direct blow, which we respond to with a smack of our grappling hook. Classic platformer villain stupidity. It’s only after getting his ass handed to him that Infinite recognizes his current opponent as that kid who ran away from him before. He summons cannons and shoots, but Avy, who held on to the Ruby prototype they found, sees the illusions dispel. At first puzzled, Infinite decides not to bother and REPEATS THE SAME DAMN MISTAKE of leaving his enemy alive.

Jesus tap-dancing Christ, how dumb is he? It’s not that I want to see the bad guy win, it’s that it’s such an obvious mistake! …Yeah, Infinite is little more than a bully putting on a show, but DAMN. What an idiot. Wow. It's such bad writing.

"Well, look at you, Classic. Having fun in the water?"
....Did Knuckles just hijack my transmission?

The rebels lost a major fight, but the war isn’t over. The gang splits up to find a way to beat Infinite. Tails goes with Classic to the Chemical Plant owned by Eggman to look for info in the doctor’s database. Ah, a 2D level with underwater segments where Classic needs to seek out air bubbles. Oh, how I didn’t miss those. On the plus side, this allows Tails to find a file on the Phantom Ruby’s abilities, also learning that before creating the model his lackey uses, Eggman made prototypes with a weakness: Only the person who activates one can use its abilities.

Let's kick that shiny metal butt!

And now, Metal Sonic, the last remaining fake, has been spotted at the Red Gate Bridge. #19 is presented as a tag team stage, but aside from a short platforming intro with QTEs, most of it is a boss battle against the robot duplicate… er… duplicate. This clone is dealt with through a combination of Avy and Sonic’s abilities, and vanishes upon defeat. Things are looking up!

This has been going on long enough, how about we finish in Part 3?