➤ The fastest in the world - Sonic Forces: Speed Battle review 🎮

Hardlight Studios has long been committed to the mobile games dedicated to Sonic: the English team, owned by SEGA, has in fact made the various episodes of Sonic Jump and Sonic Dash in recent years, so it is not surprising at all that it has also dealt with by Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.

Beyond the name, the game actually has little to do with the ultimate blue hedgehog adventure for PC and consoles. Launched the application and completed a short tutorial, you find yourself in front of an endless runner at Temple Run, therefore with a third-person view, characterized however by four different lanes on which to move to avoid obstacles along the way, avoidable even by jumping or by sliding. Why four lanes instead of the traditional three? It is easy to say: the experience developed by Hardlight is completely based on competitive multiplayer, which means that in every match four real players will be placed in the same speed race, with the aim of course to cross the finish line first. The formula is therefore very simple and immediate, but at the same time interesting: the large roster of unlockable characters guarantees many different skills that can be used during matches to slow down opponents, whether they are in front or behind us, and this aspect of the game somehow recalls the frantic battles of Mario Kart. Spheres of fire? Loose cannons? Electric discharges? Nothing is missing, but above all there is a fairly clear distinction between the protagonists that leads to choose their avatar based on the approach we prefer, focused on the offensive or on speed.

Porcupines in the race

Beyond some inevitable hiccups, due to the fluctuating quality of the connection of the users you will be dealing with, Sonic Forces: Speed Battle matches play smoothly and convincingly, without any particular problems and offering spectacular sequences, which by changing the view make it even more difficult to avoid obstacles and therefore keep your advantage or climb an uphill race.

Collecting the inevitable rings allows us to accelerate, as does the traditional speed ramps, but the key to success clearly lies in precision and quick reflexes, because any impact can slow us down just enough to lose. At the end of each race, points are collected to rise in the global ranking and thus unlock new scenarios, in a way similar to what was seen in the blockbuster Clash Royale. This means that devoting more time to the game we will be rewarded with a greater variety of settings, in addition to the aforementioned unlocking of new characters, all upgradeable using the rings collected and some cards obtainable through the chests. The freemium aspects of this production manifest themselves precisely in the waiting times for the opening of the loot boxes, but also and above all in the advertising trailers that start automatically at the end of each game, which can be skipped only after a few seconds. In short, the experience offered by Sonic Forces: Speed Battle is fun and all in all original, at least from a structural point of view; accompanied by a technical department of excellent workmanship, able to make the speed that we would expect from the blue porcupine and its friends well.

Comment

Tested version iPhone (1.0.4) Digital Delivery App Store Price Free Resources4Gaming.com

7.5

Readers (5)

7.4

Your vote

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle is a different running game than usual, based on competitive multiplayer and equipped with a structure capable of guaranteeing a long progression between characters, upgrades and scenarios to be unlocked. The mechanisms that regulate the gameplay are particularly inflated, but their "alternative" use opens the way to interesting situations, supported by a well-made, fast and fairly stable matchmaking. The problem only arises if you have spent so many hours on titles at Temple Run that even considering immersing yourself again in that kind of situation causes you a sense of boredom and discomfort. However, if you still have a good tolerance towards endless runners and you are a fan of Sonic, the download is a must.