Classic Sonic Revisits Green Hill Zone In New Footage Of ‘Sonic Forces’

Sonic Forces is Sonic Team’s next project, which they’ve been hard at work on. The last batch of information pertaining to the anniversary game came earlier this month, and yesterday we received another boost of knowledge: we have footage and screenshots of Classic Sonic in Green Hill Zone.

GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE OF CLASSIC SONIC IN SONIC FORCES

As you may have inferred from my last Forces article, I wasn’t thrilled to see Green Hill Zone again. Now that we have a video showcasing much of the level, I can say that my fears aren’t particularly assuaged.

From what we’ve seen, the rough aspects of Classic Sonic’s Sonic Generations gameplay have returned alongside the 16-bit mascot, including physics that imperfectly represent the Genesis-era gameplay he’s supposed to be providing an homage to. Furthermore, how Sonic’s momentum doesn’t carry into the air after jumping on a Badnik is concerning, as it will ruin the flow.

Given how Sonic Mania is also releasing this year, the deficiencies in Forces’ classic-themed content will be more egregious.

Also, while this does occasionally happen, it’s always odd seeing Green Hill without its iconic theme song accompanying it. Evidently, Tomoya Ohtani composed the new track, in addition to his other duties.

On the plus side, Green Hill received some nice visual touch-ups in comparison to the build we saw in the recent Nintendo Direct. Moreover, Green Hill’s aesthetic differences have been explicitly stated to be a byproduct of Dr. Eggman’s tyrannical rule.

Regardless of my current apprehensions, Classic Sonic’s Acts were still fun in Generations, and I expect that to remain true for Forces. Furthermore, while Forces’ Green Hill might not have the most elaborate level design, neither did Generations’ incarnation. I’m willing to bet Forces‘ Zones will get progressively more complex in their layouts. Plus, the Drop Dash mechanic from Mania appears to be present, which is nice.

Are you excited to revisit Green Hill Zone as Classic Sonic?