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Third Gameplay Style of Sonic Forces Revealed, Now We Can All Be Heroes

Regardless on how you feel about 3D Sonic the Hedgehog games, you can’t deny that there’s been a lot of interest in Sonic Forces. Ever since its teasing last July, speculation has run rampant as to what this game could contain. When news earlier this year confirmed that a third character would be revealed, even more speculation commenced. Now, after months of crazy theories and slight trepidation, we have finally seen who this mysterious third will be…

Well. That’s. Hey let’s hit that jump button and figure out what we just watched.

Yes indeed, Sonic Forces‘ latest CG trailer has revealed to the world the “Custom Hero,” a create-a-character who joins up with Classic and Modern Sonic while the world burns around them. Meeting this flexible hero with an awkward close-up of their teeth, the viewer is introduced to the entire concept through some fancy wireframe animation. In the end, we’re left with a wolf who is part Sonic Boom background character, part Buddy Holly cosplayer. Using his little wrist tool, he pulls together the three giant Eggman robots so both Sonic’s can hit them…something that the Sonic’s were going to already do probably.

It’s the second video released on the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel that really gives us a feel of how this character is meant to play. Being reintroduced to the previously unnamed Park Avenue, we get to see Hero use the power of the Wisps. Hearing a familiar announcer shout “Burst!,” the decked-out Wolf utilizes the alien power-up by shooting a flamethrower, certainly adding to the property damage in the city. Guess he can just blame that on Eggman, right? Called “Wispons,” time will tell what other variants of the ever-present aliens will show up, or if we’ll get any new ones.
The gameplay footage also confirms that Hero will run through levels that are a combination of 3D and 2D, adding in the same variety found in Modern Sonic’s levels. Hopefully the layouts will be different enough that it doesn’t feel like we’re playing the same areas again and again.
Like any good RPG, there are seven different kinds of characters you can make, each with their own special ability:

  • Wolf — Automatically draws in rings when near them
  • Rabbit — Has longer invincible time after receiving damage
  • Cat — Keeps one ring after being hit
  • Dog — Restarts with five rings after the player dies
  • Bear — Blows away enemies with a homing attack
  • Bird — Flies high with double jump abilities
  • Hedgehog — Collects rings when getting damaged

Beyond the species specific traits, there’s no word on if any of the accessories offer extra abilities, or they are simply there for cosmetic purposes. Fingerless gloves, Dragonball Z-esque scouters, and monocles are merely the tip of the iceberg of what can be an infinite amount of combinations. Or at least a few hundred. If you’re not happy with all those fancy objects you can throw on your avatar, new bits will be unlocked as you play through the game.
What’s funny is while every part of me screams out that a create-a-character is a bad idea, it actually doesn’t look terrible? I can’t say I’m behind the character they’re using in the CG, but what we’ve seen in the additional screenshots released point to the idea that maybe you can make something that doesn’t look entirely embarrassing. I know the biggest joke in the world of the Internet is the multitude of Sonic fan characters that exist out there, but if it’s being embraced like this, and happens to also be super fun to play? It’s crazy enough to just might work.
Might being the key word here. Really, we won’t know for certain until E3, where Sega will surely be showing off this game alongside Sonic Mania.

but wait how does he keep his glasses on his head i can barely keep mine on
[Sources:
Destructoid
IGN]

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8 Comments

  • Reply

    psssh…nothin personnel..kid…

  • Reply

    No echidnas? Well fuck you, too, SEGA.

    • Reply

      Loooool I thought of this too.

  • Reply

    Well, Sega just released Deviant Art on the Nintendo Switch.

  • Reply

    I bet Gator, Fox, Squirrel, Armadillo, Bee, Chameleon and Bobcat will end up expensive DLC later, if at all.
    Oddly enough this custom character might make the game more palatable for those are used to old Sonic physics and gameplay.
    Just pretend its not supposed to be a Sonic game and rather whatever you make your character to be and all the expectations of a Sonic game suddenly don’t matter anymore and we can judge the game as its own thing…. that happens to play like Sonic Generations.
    Especially if you remake Bubsy.
    “What could possibly go wrong?”

    • Reply

      This is the same approach I took with Silver in Sonic 06. It actually worked. It’s not a Sonic game; it’s a puzzle platforming game.

  • Reply

    “Everyone can be superheroes, everyone can be super. And when everyone’s super…noone will be…”

  • Reply

    My Sonic OC’s body is ready >:)

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