Be a cat or a bear or a bird or a…
Sonic Forceswill feature a lot of the familiar faces you’d expect (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, etc.) but it’ll also include a newcomer of sorts, a variable among a bunch of traditional constants. For the first time inSonichistory, Sega’s giving players the freedom to create customizable playable characters.
As shown in the reveal trailer that’s embedded above, these new hero characters can be customized from head to toe. Upper headgear, middle headgear, lower headgear, gloves, footwear, body, bodysuit, and skin color are the categories that we’re shown in the video. Although the details can be tweaked, the characters have to be one of seven pre-chosen animals. They are (with their special abilities):
Wolf — Automatically draws in rings when near them
Rabbit — Has longer invincible time after receiving damage
Cat — Keeps one ring after being hit
Dog — Restarts with five rings after the player dies
Bear — Blows away enemies with a homing attack
Bird — Flies high with double jump abilities
Hedgehog — Collects rings when getting damaged
In addition to their abilities, these heroes also have “wispons” which are essentially unique gadgets that help make up for the fact that they aren’t Sonic. Sega calls them “an evolution of the Color Powers fromSonic Colors.” The customizable characters are also equipped with a grappling hook. We took a trip to Sega’s offices earlier this year and played as a red wolf with a flamethrower.
Back in October, beforeSonic Forceswas even named, Sega said that this game would have three different gameplay styles. They were: modern Sonic, classic Sonic, and a third unrevealed style. This is the third one, a mode that’s separate from what Sonic does on his own time. Finally, a way forSonicfans to express themselves.
