History VideoGame / SonicForces

* SkewedPriorities: Infinite decides to, with Eggman's help, use the [[ArtifactOfDoom Phantom Ruby's]] power to become a borderline [[OmnicidalManiac Omnicidal]] RealityWarper pretty much entirely because [[spoiler:Shadow had the '''audacity''' to call him "weak" after defeating him]]...

** [[spoiler:What became of Infinite and Eggman after their final defeats is unknown, as well as the fate of the ''original'' Phantom Ruby.]]

** Blue: Cube Wispon (A [[DropTheHammer hammer]])

* DropTheHammer: The Cube Wispon takes the form of a small hammer. It creates a huge shockwave when attacking that turns enemies around you into Blue Cubes, which can then be broken with a second shockwave to create Rings.

* MindScrew: [[spoiler:Almost ''everything'' that happens in Level 3, a Shadow travels through an aumented reality version of Green Hill Zone casted by Infinite.]]

''Sonic Forces'' is a 3D ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' title, released on November 7th, 2017 in the North America and Europe and November 9th, 2017 in Japan for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and PC. It is the second half of the franchise's [[MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary celebration]] (the other half being ''VideoGame/SonicMania'').

* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:At the end, Infinite and Eggman have been defeated; however, the damage they inflicted upon the world remains, causing [[LaResistance The Resistance]] to focus their efforts on fixing the world. Meanwhile, the Avatar goes off on their own for their own adventure and Classic Sonic returns to his home dimension, but Modern Sonic believes he'll see the Avatar and Classic Sonic again.]]

* AnotherDimension: As opposed to ''Generations'', in which Classic Sonic is the same Sonic as Modern Sonic, but as his past self, ''Forces'' establishes that Classic Sonic crossed dimensions to reach the world where ''Forces'' takes place. Zigzagged in that this ''is'' the same Sonic that was Sonic's younger self in ''Generations'', as both Modern Sonic and Tails recognize, but it seems perhaps he isn't ''exactly'' Sonic's younger self ''anymore'', perhaps due to the Eggmans' previous timespace screwery.

* CharacterShilling: ''Forces'' presents Sonic as an idol, he's the only hero the villains takes seriously and a symbol of hope for his [[NoNameGiven unnamed world]]. Apparently, during the six months fighting against Eggman's army and Infinite, nobody could do anything against the empire [[TheMainCharactersDoEverything until Classic Sonic and the Rookie arrived and Sonic returned]]. Keep in mind that the Resistance has characters who were a threat to Eggman in the past (Shadow, who [[WhateverHappenedToTheMouse disappeared for six months for no in-story reason]]; Silver, who suffers TheWorfEffect and can't fight Infinite), yet supposedly only Sonic could do anything against Infinite.

* CloneArmy: Using the Phantom Ruby, Infinite can create an endless amount of clones of whoever he chooses to fight for him. [[spoiler:In particular, he uses clones of Shadow, Metal Sonic, Chaos, and Zavok. Infinite himself is added to the roster once Dr. Eggman takes control of the Phantom Ruby.]]

* CutsceneBoss: [[spoiler:Shadow and Chaos are fought and taken out in a cutscene by the real Shadow and Classic Sonic, respectively. Chaos in particular takes this to its ultimate conclusion, as no actual model data of Chaos exists ingame, literally making it a cutscene boss.]]

** Classic Sonic is referred to as the "Sonic from another world", rather than another dimension. This is more similar to how Silver also refers to his time as another world.

* LaResistance: Sonic's friends, including Amy, Knuckles, Tails, the Chaotix, Silver, Rouge, and the Avatar, are the main resistance battling against Eggman in their dimension.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: [[spoiler:Plot details render it initially unclear just what the Phantom Ruby is, and what Tails discovers leads it to seemingly be that it was just a synthetic gem that had been created by Modern Eggman all along, and that the Phantom Ruby in ''Mania'' was a Prototype that got lost. Episode Shadow and the prequel comics eventually clear this up, and the original Phantom Ruby is indeed real — Eggman found it in the desert where his base was located and studied it to incorporate into his plans, creating various Prototypes. One of them warped into Mania's dimension, setting into motion that game's events.]]
* MeetYourEarlyInstallmentWeirdness: [[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Once again]], Classic Sonic joins up with his modern counterpart. [[spoiler:Unlike in ''Generations'', this Classic Sonic actually comes from the ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' universe.]]
* MissionControl: Sonic's friends serve this role again, as they did in ''Videogame/SonicGenerations''.

** When Classic Sonic appears in the trailer, he strikes a pose that matches [[http://i.imgur.com/LSE5BYP.jpg artwork found in the]] ''History of Sonic the Hedgehog'' book and [[spoiler:the pose Sonic strikes at the end of ''VideoGame/SonicMania'']].

* NeverSayDie: Zigzagged; especially with Infinite. However, he manages to be no less intimidating whenever he plays it straight or subverts it.
-->'''Infinite:''' "Are you willing to fight and die here?"\\
'''Infinite:''' "I will teach you fear, then pain, and then...well, at least the fear and pain will end."

** As with the current string of mainline ''Sonic'' games, boosting returns for Modern Sonic. However, ''Forces'' uses the ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' iteration of the Boost mechanic in which Sonic collects White Wisps to fill the Boost Gauge. Classic Sonic is also seen using the Boost in the teaser.

* PlayingTennisWithTheBoss: Some of Classic Sonic's bosses will toss rocks at him, which he'll have to attack to bounce back to its attacker. [[spoiler:The Death Egg Robot plays this straighter than the Egg Dragoon, as Sonic can repeatedly bounce the same rock back and forth.]]

* {{Retcon}}: In ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', Classic Sonic was simply Sonic's past self. In this game, this was changed to him being from an alternate universe. According to WordOfSaintPaul, this is because Sega of Japan mandated that Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic be separated characters altogether rather than from different times.
* {{Retraux}}: The music used in Classic Sonic's stages use synthesizers that are very similar to those of the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, in contrast to ''Generations'' (which had music that was remixed with electronic and techno beats) and ''Mania'' (which had NewJackSwing and Dance music in the style of ''Sonic CD'').

* SequelHook: Possibly implied, as [[spoiler:Silver states that [[LaResistance The Resistance]] is still needed to repair the damage Infinite and Eggman inflicted upon the world and Modern Sonic believes he'll see the Avatar and Classic Sonic again, who went separate ways. Also, the whereabouts of Infinite, Eggman, and the Phantom Ruby are unrevealed.]]

** [[spoiler:Played subtly. In this game, Silver (as shown in the prequels) came back to stop the world from being brought to ruin. He actually ''succeeds'' without even realizing it by knocking the Phantom Ruby Prototype off of Infinite during their fight, which is ultimately what allows the heroes to stop Eggman's virtual sun plan. So without even him realizing it, Silver managed to do what he came back to do.]]

* TacticalSuicideBoss: In addition to some of Classic Sonic's bosses [[PlayingTennisWithTheBoss throwing rocks at him that he can bounce right back]], Zavok fights Modern Sonic atop a large Buzz Bomber and sits too high for Sonic to reach. He'd remain untouchable if Zavok could resist the urge to directly sting Sonic with the Buzz Bomber, tipping the platform Sonic is standing on and providing Sonic the vertical momentum he needs to reach Zavok.

* TakeOverTheWorld: Eggman managed to conquer most of it after [[spoiler:Sonic is defeated by the villains and taken aboard to the Death Egg]], leaving no opposition strong enough that is present or interested enough to stop Eggman.
* TeamSpirit: The Tag Team Stages features the Avatar working with Sonic on the field, allowing them to combine their abilities and perform new moves such as [[CombinationAttack Double]] [[NitroBoost Boost]].
* {{Techno}}: In comparison to previous games, which focused largely on lighthearted and ambient music, ''Forces'' takes a hard U-turn stylistically and prominently features techno music in its levels, with added vocals for the Avatar.

* TonightSomeoneDies: An interview has the developers saying such. All we know is that this "someone" is not going to be Tails. [[spoiler:The two closest instances we see are Classic Sonic, who disappears upon returning to the dimension he came from, and Infinite, who meets his UncertainDoom.]]

* ViolationOfCommonSense: How can the Avatar even run at high-speed with scuba flippers when they're obviously one of the worst choices for moving on land???

* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: [[http://www.gameinformer.com/games/sonic_forces/b/playstation4/archive/2017/03/17/sonic-forces-extended-gameplay-reveal-demo.aspx According to a Game Informer preview,]] Sonic's supporting cast keeps in touch with him and his classic counterpart via radio.

** Oddly enough there's no humans in this game save for Eggman. What characters we do see are all anthropomorphic animals. This is rather weird considering the story focuses on Eggman taking over the world and Team Dark still working together when they're suppose to be under the employ of GUN, a very ''human'' run organization, who likewise never get a mention.

* TheWorfEffect:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn6uqp_mr98 Infinite's trailer]] contains a scene of him wiping the floor with Sonic.
** Chaos Zero also goes down in a quick spin attack from Classic Sonic when it attacks Tails, while [[spoiler:the other Infinite illusions require full boss battles - besides the Shadow illusion, who may also suffer from the effect in this case too.]]
* WorldOfFunnyAnimals: ''Forces'' is the first main series game (that is, not counting the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' subseries) to show nameless anthropomorphic animals outside of the core cast. This reverses a certain convention regarding Sonic's world: while previous games such as ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Adventure]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed Unleashed]]'' established a general populace of humans with the core cast of anthros inexplicably living among them, ''Forces'' establishes a general populace of anthros, with Eggman inexplicably living among them.

* TheCameo: [[http://web.archive.org/web/20200315043932/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/gwC9Zxp8e7kAXPoe_Qeshs8IGSHc-p2-41fpU81GNpYbUZRzQu2VmPavq_2qCrmCc7-KbEgL0UsYnlu1KzRu_LsSGlObtTyhB4LGGrRdLLgwsTbDMaiMM-y0HkbZvOBktq7ssvUgsg=s1600 Sally and Bunnie]] appears in a picture next to Knuckles in Rouge's office in ''Issue Three: Looming Shadow''.

* DoomedByCanon: Given Omega's state in the main game, Shadow fails to help Omega and [[FaceHeelTurn changes sides]][[note]]until it was revealed that the Shadow that aided Eggman is [[spoiler:a fake]][[/note]].

** Though the "Anarchy Beryl" reference was unintentional, since Ian Flynn, the writer of this comic and the Archie comic, had stated in his Twitter account [[http://www.twitter.com/IanFlynnBKC/status/928004632848338944 that he kind of forgot that he used the reference before.]] Not that fans of that comic didn't appreciate the shout out.

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Silver arrives to warn Knuckles that something has changed in the past during ''Issue Two: Stress Test'', something that "brings the world to ruin".

* TheWorfEffect: ''Issue Three: Looming Shadow'' contains a scene of Infinite wiping the floor with Omega.

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: [[spoiler:For Infinite, Shadow's beatdown of him and BreakingSpeech shaped much of his life and turned him into what he is now. For Shadow, it was just another mission and another raid on an Eggman facility. Predictably when Infinite confronts him to take revenge, Shadow doesn't even remember him.]]
* ContinuityNod: The music for all of Shadow's stages and the level select screen are remixes of music from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog''.

* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Tails loses it when he sees Sonic defeated, believing him along with the other members of [[LaResistance The Resistance]] [[OurHeroIsDead to be dead]].]]

*** "Way Past Cool"[[note]]have all of the accessory slots on your custom character filled[[/note]] references Sonic's old {{catchphrase}} from ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' and ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''.

** Rouge tells Shadow to "Do it to it" at the beginning of the DLC, one of Sonic's {{catchphrase}}s in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM''.

** Some of the customization options for the Avatar are references to other franchises. For example, the eyewear pieces include a [[Franchise/DragonBall Scouter]] and [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina's shades]]. Of all things, even [[{{Franchise/Doom}} Doomguy's]] [[http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1255481-sonic-the-hedgehog helmet]] is available to wear.
** In the trailer for the Custom Hero, the grappling hook and the way they use it against the robots is very reminiscent of Franchise/SpiderMan's web shooters. They even activate it in a similar manner to how Spidey does.

* ForWantOfANail:
** [[https://clips.twitch.tv/BoxyCoyConsoleSmoocherZ Aaron Webber has stated]] (though probably jokingly) that Big the Cat's absence from the game is one of the major reasons why Eggman was able to gain so much power due to his loyalty and being the most physically powerful character in the ''Sonic'' canon, and that he's probably off on a fishing trip with Froggy somewhere during the events of the game.
** Played straight with Silver's involvement. [[spoiler:Due to his future being brought to ruin by Eggman, he went back to Sonic's time to help the Resistance. Although his role [[SmallRoleBigImpact seems minor]], he ultimately forces Infinite to drop the last synthetic Phantom Ruby prototype, allowing the Avatar to take it and spoil Eggman's plan to eliminate the Reisistance.]]

* HateSink: [[TheHeavy Infinite]] is one of the franchise's biggest (and most deplorable) examples. He is a Psychopathic Manchild with a nasty [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]] streak, and while he may appear to be a competent warlord at first, he's gradually revealed to be nothing but a superpowered bully whose [[StupidEvil lack of foresight]] and [[AxCrazy penchant for needless violence]] [[spoiler:cause Eggman's plans to fall apart]].

* BullyingADragon: Eggman shows no problem with chewing out or talking back to Infinite despite being his ultimate weapon and immensely powerful. [[spoiler:{{Justified}}, as Eggman proves capable of disposing of the jackal whenever he pleases and using the Phantom Ruby himself, so he never had anything to fear from him.]]

''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'' takes place in an AlternateContinuity which follows the BroadStrokes of this game [[note]]Similar to how ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' did with ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM''[[/note]], and serves as a continuation of the story.

''Forces'' was the last mainline game involving writers Creator/KenPontac and Creator/WarrenGraff, who retired from the series after ''Videogame/TeamSonicRacing''. They worked in the game as part of the localization script, with the original Japanese script being written by Makoto Goya. ''Episode Shadow'' was instead helmed by longtime Creator/SonicTeam employee Creator/EitaroToyoda, the Sonic series' character supervisor from ''[[VideoGame/SonicRiders Free Riders]]'' onward, and the writer and artist behind the 2015-16 ''Webcomic/SonicComic''.

[[folder: Main Game]]

** Just like ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', the Wisps' presence isn't commented and there's no explanation why they're still trapped in pods.[[note]]While not explained in any mainline game, during the storyline of the now defunct iOS and Android game ''[[VideoGame/SonicRunners Sonic Runners]]'' [[https://i.imgur.com/LS9Ok1p.png it is stated that some Wisps stayed behind on Sonic's world]] after ''[[VideoGame/SonicColors Sonic Colors]]''.[[/note]]

* BaitAndSwitch: Classic Sonic's first boss in Green Hill is a variant of the classic [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 wrecking-ball bot]]… until Eggman gets serious and switches to the ''[[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed Egg Dragoon]]''.

-->''I am the tallest of mountains, and don't you ever forget it''
-->''If you step in the ring, then you're gonna regret it!''

* CharacterShilling: ''Forces'' presents Sonic as an idol, he's the only hero the villains takes seriously and a symbol of hope for his [[NoNameGiven unnamed world]]. Appearantly, during the six months fighting against Eggman's army and Infinite, nobody could do anything against the empire [[TheMainCharactersDoEverything until Classic Sonic and the Rookie arrived and Sonic returned]]. Keep in mind that the Resistance has characters who were a threat to Eggman in the past (Shadow, who [[WhateverHappenedToTheMouse disappeared for six months for no in-story reason]]; Silver, who suffers TheWorfEffect and can't fight Infinite), yet supposedly only Sonic could do anything against Infinite.
--> '''Infinite, while talking to [[UltimateLifeForm Shadow]]''': Haha... Oh, this power before we even turned it! Just as I thought, it is unrivaled! Not even Sonic will be able to stand against me now! [[EvilLaugh Hahahahaha!]]
--> '''Tails during the FinalBoss''': Give it your all, Sonic! You'll always be our shining hope!

* ForgotAboutHisPowers: There is an internal-logic problem in ''Forces'' regarding its use of characters. While the game suffers from [[ShowDontTell not showing much of its story]], meaning we don't know how the supporting cast handles the fight against Eggman army besides the final cutscene, but even then, the characters show a severe lack of action regarding their powers.
** From the Resistance, the game never shows Tails' abilities as a great engineer and mechanical genius. This is especially baffling as he [[Videogame/SonicAdventure2 fought Eggman himself with a walker version of his Tornado]], [[Videogame/SonicBattle fought with weapons like a mega buster]], and [[Videogame/SonicChronicles had robots that could heal people]]. You could HandWave saying these were destroyed off-screen or Tails lost all means to create these machines, but the game never implies such a thing.
** From the side of Eggman's army, none of Infinite clones show the abilities of the original. [[InformedAttribute The game tells you they have the same powers]], but this isn't [[ShowDontTell shown]]. The false Shadow doesn't use any of the original Chaos powers like [[Videogame/ShadowTheHedgehog Chaos Control or Chaos Blast]]; Metal Sonic doesn't show any [[Videogame/SonicHeroes power copying]]; Zavok doesn't use his power [[Videogame/SonicLostWorld to turn a giant]]. In the case of Chaos, he is adapted fairly accurately due to being Chaos 0, the weakest version of the character. Since Chaos turns more powerful the more Chaos Emeralds he consume, and due to being a clone he is controllable, it makes you wonder why Eggman didn't look for the emeralds to give it to the fascimile and have Perfect Chaos as his living weapon.

** When Classic Sonic appears in the trailer, he strikes a pose that matches [[http://i.imgur.com/LSE5BYP.jpg artwork found in the]] ''History of Sonic the Hedgehog'' book and [[spoiler:the pose Sonic strikes at the end of ''Videogame/SonicMania'']].

*** "Sonic and the Secret Stages"[[note]]clear all secret stages[[/note]] references ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Secret Rings]]''.

-->'''Infinite''': "Are you willing to fight and die here?"
-->'''Infinite''': "I will teach you fear, then pain, and then...well, at least the fear and pain will end."

-->'''Infinite:''' "We move forward with the plan?"
-->'''Eggman:''' "Of course! When it's complete, the Resistance will be erased. The world will be nothing but ashes, from which a glorious Eggman Empire will rise!"

* {{Retcon}}: In'' VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', Classic Sonic was simply Sonic's past self. In this game, this was changed to him being from an alternate universe. According to WordOfSaintPaul, this is because SEGA of Japan mandated that Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic be separated characters altogether rather than from different times.

* SandWorm: The giant worm creatures from the deserts of [[Videogame/SonicLostWorld Lost Hex]] have found a new home in desertified Green Hill. One of them appears in the background of Lost Valley, burrowing and resurfacing in the sand while following Sonic around.

-->'''Eggman''': What!? It can't be! It's impossible to [[spoiler:get out of the Phantom Ruby's null space]]!\\
'''Sonic''': Maybe by myself, but [[ThePowerOfFriendship I had a little help from my friend]]. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Something you wouldn't understand]], since you don't have any friends!

[[folder: Comic]]
!! The comic tie-in contains the following tropes:

[[folder: ''Episode Shadow'']]
!! The DLC prequel contains the following examples:

* WhosLaughingNow: [[spoiler: As it turns out Infinite's drive to serve as the vessel for the Phantom Ruby was to get back at Shadow for physically and verbally demolishing him and his squad. This whole mission is essentially Shadow ([[ButForMeItWasTuesday who doesn't even remember that day]]) trying to fight off one MindScrew of a revenge ambush.]]

One more last fist bump…''

** Ivory: Lightning Wispon (An [[ShockAndAwe electric]] [[WhipItGood whip]])

* LightningLash: The Ivory Wispon allows the Avatar to attack enemies with a lightning whip.

* WhipItGood: The Ivory Wisp's Wispon attack creates a massive electric whip that the Avatar swings to hit multiple enemies at once.

** [[spoiler:Eggman's last appearance in the story is in the cutscene right before the final boss fight, where he's shown piloting his Death Egg Robot, taunting the heroes. Unusually, he is ''completely silent'' during the actual boss fight, and inside the Death Egg Robot [[MatryoshkaObject is another robot]] which is fought during the last phase of the fight, which later explodes upon defeat. It's unclear which robot Eggman was even piloting, or even where he went after the fight, as he makes no appearance. It's unlikely that the series main antagonist will be gone for good, especially with no fanfare, but his lack of prescence during the final boss fight is quite abnormal for the normally bombastic Eggman.]]

* InformedAttribute: Tails is stated to have "lost it" after Sonic's supposed demise (actually capture). Next time we see him, he's no worse for wear except for maybe calling out for an already supposedly deceased Sonic to save him from Chaos.