This article has a talk page!This page details pre-release information and/or media for Sonic Forces.
The development for Sonic Forces began in 2013, although the first few years of development were focused on the creation of Hedgehog Engine 2. The game was intended to have a darker tone compared to prior titles, and also introduced the Avatar system due to Sonic Team's desire to let players create their own character.
The game's reception was mixed among critics and fans. While the visuals, music, and character customization were praised, it was also criticized for its short length (with simpler level design compared to past titles) and questionable story (particularly with the usage of Infinite). It did not help that the game came off the heels of the acclaimed Sonic Mania earlier that year. The game's reception would end up influencing the development of Sonic Frontiers and the franchise's overall direction.
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Development Images#
While testing Hedgehog Engine 2, Sonic and the Death Egg Robot from Sonic Generations were used to test various lighting setups. The backgrounds are from various places, possibly near Sega's Tokyo headquarters.
(Source: Uncle Windii's Brownie Hideout)
SXSW Livestream#
During a SXSW livestream in March 2017, a short snippet of early gameplay footage was shown, with a few notable differences.
- There's no HUD, and none of the stage's dialogue is present.
- There are more fire effects in the stage.
- Sonic's startup from walking to running is much faster, similar to Sonic Generations.
- Additionally, an earlier version of the game's theme song, "Fist Bump" was played during the livestream. A guitar is used in place of the lyrics (like a certain other demo) and is just overall unfinished at this point.