In Sonic Forces Speed Battle, you race your choice of famous Sonic characters, against each other, moving between lanes and trying to be the first to hit the finish line.
On first look, this is a pretty standard racing lane game – you move between four lanes, dodging obstacles in your path, jumping or sliding over and under them. However, Sonic Forces Speed Battle takes the genre a step further by including a myriad of power-ups, similar to Mario Kart.
Each different character has up to three different power-ups he can pick up, giving you the ability to pick characters based on what you want to achieve in each race. Some characters can gain invincibility and speed themselves up, whereas others can lay down traps or shoot fireballs at the enemy. What’s interesting is that each of these abilities is gained by the same power-ups in the lanes, meaning you end up fighting with the other players for control of the power-ups as you go through the race.[sc name=”quote” text=”What’s interesting is that each of these abilities is gained by the same power-ups in the lanes, meaning you end up fighting with the other players for control of the power-ups as you go through the race.”]
Considering Sonic Forces Speed Battle exists in a pretty populated genre of games, they do quite a good job at making it unique and interesting so as to keep it different from other, lesser games. In true Sonic fashion, collecting golden rings that are strewn about the level will give you all important gradual speed boosts, as well as encouraging you to maneuverer yourself around the map. Alongside the rings, there are speed-ups placed strategically on the ground, as well as the occasional trap or obstacle you need to overcome.
Each race has you fighting both the terrain as it tries to kill you – or even dodging the multitude of monsters that occasionally obstruct the pathways – but also the other players. Sonic Forces Speed Battle is strictly a PvP game, so you will be racing people all over the world, every single one of them somehow better than you.
The sheer pace of the game, requiring to dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge, would have Patches O’Houlihan weeping with joy. Any single moment could leave you sprawling to a halt, unable to move for a few seconds due to whamming yourself against the terrain.
On each completed match, you get rewards equal to your place in the race, either unlocking new characters to play or gaining the ability to upgrade their stats. This rewards continuous play, as the more frequently you play, the better your characters’ stats, so the better chance you win a race.[sc name=”quote” text=”This rewards continuous play, as the more frequently you play, the better your characters’ stats, so the better chance you win a race.”]
Though this system of play encourages you to lose your first several matches so as to get better, Sonic Forces Speed Battle is an enjoyable lane racer game that manages to include just enough deviations from the genre to create interesting and complex gameplay.
Sonic Forces Speed Battle is fast, furious and engaging, as well as a little bit frustrating in just the right way.
[review pros=”traditional speed lane racer with just the right amount of new content. Enjoyable power-ups and competitiveness. ” cons=”The stat system encourages you to lose your first few matches to get better.” score=9]
Sonic Forces Speed is available on iPhone and Android.
[appbox appstore id1262362476]
[appbox googleplay com.sega.sprint]
