Sega has unveiled its much anticipated third playstyle for its upcoming 3D Sonic game, Sonic Forces. Called “Hero Mode”, the all-new playstyle allows players to create custom characters from scratch.
Speaking with Twinfinite back at EGX in March, product manager Jim Dyer told us that Sega’s imperative with Forces was based on its review of the Sonic fanbase. The Hero Mode, he said, was “about looking at the community and facilitating something that they would want.” He went on to state “We (Sega Europe) are expecting the reaction to custom characters to be brilliant.”
Boasting what was described to us as a “ton of variety”, Hero Mode gives players a chance to design both the aesthetic appearance of their characters as well as the abilities they possess. Hero Mode sees the introduction of “wispons” (weapons/wisps) — elemental weaponry that doubles as a gadget to produce unique effects. Wisps, which make a return in Sonic Forces, serve as extra boost for Sonic, but in Hero Mode are accumulated in an orange gauge to be used for attacks.
During a behind-close-doors demo at EGX, Twinfinite saw a Fox-like custom character wielding a wispon called “Burst”. Similar in effect to a flamethrower, Burst could be used not only as an attack but by holding triangle, facilitated traversal, too. There will be seven characters types to choose from in total which can be decked out with different clothing options to customize appearance.
The full list of characters is as follows:
- Bear — homing attack
- Bird — double jump ability
- Wolf — Attacks rings when near
- Rabbit — Longer invincible time after taking damage
- Hedgehog — Collects rings when getting damaged
- Cat — Keeps one ring after being hit
- Dog — Restarts with five rings after the player dies
Notably, characters in Hero Mode also benefit from the use of a grappling hook, which gives them an ability to platform to distant areas of the map unreachable by Sonic.
For a full review of everything we learned at EGX about Sonic Forces, check out our breakdown. You can check out the trailer below.
Sonic Forces is scheduled to launch this holiday on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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