The Music, Story, and Impact from both Games
Welcome back to our Gaming Critique of Sonic Mania vs. Sonic Forces. Here we are going to the third part in this series in regards to the Music, Story and Impact based on what the game's presentation and play-ability offer to me, and hopefully, to you as well. For those just recently joining in, here are the links to Part One and Part Two. The Lifeblood of Sonic Games has always been the music, followed by a basic story setup, but ultimately, the Impact is what makes the core difference in a Sonic Game. We'll start with Sonic Mania:
Sonic Mania's Music
Pass. No, not because it's bad; FAR FROM THAT. It's because I could never do that soundtrack justice on a lot of the work involved. If anything, here's a link to their soundtrack on YouTube online, buy it if you can; download it immediately if it's given to you for free from Tee Lopes and company. You're welcome.
Sonic Mania's Story
The story is straightforward as stated in the Gameplay section. They tell little bits and pieces of the overall premise. Eggman is at it again: with Egg Robos on Angel Island looking to grab an anomalous power source. Sonic and Tails arrive on the scene in the Tornado (Possibly the T2), just as time when the Egg Robos finally unearth what will later be known as 'The Phantom Ruby;' and the game wastes no time getting the gang (Knuckles included) into the start of Green Hill Zone...but not the exact same GHZ. Thus the adventure begins, facing the unique challenges from Eggman and the newly minted "Hard Boiled Heavies," traveling from old and new Zones until reaches its journey by going all the way to Eggman's new base: The Titanic Monarch Zone. Naturally, TMZ (no relation to the entertainment show company) is not the end of the game, as collecting the seven Chaos Emeralds will not only unleash your Super Form, but also the True Final Battle. Then the game treats you to a classic animation akin to Sonic CD.
Sonic Mania's Impact
This pretty much is self-explanatory. First and foremost, the previous game that came before this was the dreaded "Sonic Boom" game for the Wii U. Needless to say, that game did poorly...with the only redeeming feature being that of the Sonic V.O. Team having better acquainting themselves with each other in creating a chemistry in their dialogue. It also did not help that the reputation of Sonic's 25 years (a whole Generation, pun intended) was on the line and there was skepticism since it was a fan-backed game. To quote Videogamedunkey: "Sonic Mania is a lightning-bolt reminder, that before [Sonic's 'downfall']...SONIC. WAS. THE MAN." And this game can add another satisfied customer and follower to his long standing history of fans of this franchise.
The same, however, cannot be said so openly with Sonic Forces...
The same, however, cannot be said so openly with Sonic Forces...
Sonic Forces Music
While Sonic Forces leave something to be desired, the music of the game is...passable. Classic Sonic is not the best we've heard of in a while in a Sonic game. As of this critique, "Ghost Town" is the most memorable (as that is the first zone). Other than that, it's a poor rendition to the Genesis era of music. Next up is Modern Sonic. A lot of the songs here aren't that memorable. I'm excluding the Shadow DLC primarily in that if you didn't download it, you're not missing much. Just imagine remixes of certain Sonic Adventure 2 themes and you've nailed the basic idea. Finally...there's Original the Character. His thing is J-Pop songs. Now, the concept of J-Pop will please some people. I am not one of them. Especially since the character is going with the 'silent protagonist' cliche. Some would argue that these are to represent what Original the Character is thinking at the time, but that can be better explained via cut scenes (done properly). There have been vocals in past Sonic Games; that is not the issue. The issue here is that while Vocal Tracks and such have been used at pivotal moments in the game, this game overloads on the idea. The closest thing to this use of vocal tracks would be Sonic CD, and that was used only in certain Zones.
Sonic Forces Story
One word describes this story: contradiction. It essentially contradicts itself. For example, Sonic was thought to have 'died' in his first confrontation with Infinite...only to find out that he was actually 'tortured' for six months while in captivity....only to find out he's just fine. Another example is the 'rescue' attempt by Original the Character. First, the Rookie (as Knuckles calls him/her) infiltrates Eggman's Death Egg...somehow...and is surrounded by Badniks at the end...only to be rescued by the person that Original the Character was trying to rescue, Sonic. Then there's...oh boy...Infinite. Long and short, Infinite's backstory, 'character' progression, and conclusion to his arc can be summed up ALSO in one word: weak. For all the effort and stock they placed in this character, it was poorly executed, and the Voice Over for Infinite had his talent wasted. Finally, it just boils down to yet another Death Egg Robot battle with a rehash of the Infinite/Metal Sonic battle as a climactic 'Triple Boost' finish (with two of the three characters incapable of Boosting to start with). It's unclear to Eggman's fate after this, and the gang follows the overused 'we gotta make the world a better place' motif. And at the last, Sonic and Original the Character go their separate ways with 'One More Last Fist Bump.'
Sonic Forces Impact
Where Sonic Mania was a 'victory' in the franchise and a potential spark for further fan projects turned success stories, Sonic Forces' impact to me is one of 'disappointing expectation.' What does that even mean? Simple. Much like Sonic 06 and Sonic Boom, Sonic Forces had expectations to be great modern series games, but ended up being a disappointment. So much so that we are now conditioned as Sonic Fans to be disappointed that another Modern Sonic game would fall short, and that is now our expectation. This expectation further disappoints us as fans always want their favorite character to be good again. However, this is what we can expect from Sonic Team now...or at the very least, what we can expect of SEGA of Japan's Sonic Team. The levels themselves are more fit for a mobile platform in how short they are. The music also fits the mobile aspect in that most songs are forgettable. Finally, the lasting effect of a contradicting story and character progression leaves me with a bad taste in the mouth that can't be rid of easily. Bottom line, a disappointing expectation of a competently put together game by a team having long lost their passion for the series.
Wrapping This Up!
And with this, Part 3 is completed. Thank you all for reading this critique and will shortly come up with the final part of this exhausting Double Header; the CONCLUSION. Thanks again for sticking out for this long and I'll look forward to seeing you there.
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