The narrative is easily the best Sonic narrative since Black Knight. Granted, that isn't hard to accomplish since Black Knight was the last game to actually try, but Forces does have an enjoyable narrative. The writing overall is very good, and the characters are portrayed in character and the dialogue is witty and snappy. It isn't pretentious like '06, it knows its a Sonic game and the characters still have plenty of spunk despite the more serious premise. There's also in-jokes and stuff strewn about. That being said, there are some points the game glosses over that I think would have been worth fleshing out more. Overall, the plot moves at a brisk pace which is mostly a good thing, but sometimes I wish it would slow down a bit to expand on certain points. Classic Sonic feels like a complete afterthought though in terms of the story. He doesn't even interact with the Avatar at all. A few things also go unresolved but I need to wait for Episode Shadow to release before I say anything there, and the online manual alludes to more DLC too. Some characters did feel really underutilised though.
Length wise, the game is about Colours/Generations length. It's pretty standard Modern Sonic, as far as just beating the story goes. Although, the game should easily creep into like, 30 hours if you want to 100% it, maybe more. However, all of the unlockables are for the Avatar, so if you don't care for the Avatar much, then you aren't gonna have a reason to 100% the game.
Controls are generally pretty good, I mean there's not much to say. Classic Sonic could be better, especially coming off Mania. Modern Sonic and the Avatar feel fine, no changes from what I thought of the demo. Those weird automation restrictions that pop up sometimes don't need to be there though, and there is the odd Homing Attack snaffu I've had.
Level design isn't as good as Generations or Unleashed on the whole, but it's better than Colours. There are a few really good ones towards the end, but unfortunately the earlier ones are just too easy. I also wish there was more 3D sections for Modern Sonic and the Avatar. There are some really memorable set pieces though.
The graphics look great all around. I played it on my PS4 Pro, but I don't know what the Pro support is for this game. Didn't really have any issues either way, it was a smooth 60 FPS throughout and the environments are gorgeous. The lighting is fantastic too. The animation is really solid. It's not as good as Unleashed, but it's better than Generations, Colours and Lost World, which IMO had very stiff and basic cutscene animations. Forces has a lot more action scenes than those games and even scenes where characters are just talking have more nuanced animation, like Unleashed.
Music is really great IMO. I really liked the final boss and credits themes in particular. The Classic Sonic songs are a bit weird but I still liked the compositions at least. Everything else is very energetic and gets you pumped. I also really like the orchestral pieces for stuff like the World Map. VA work is the best it's been in the games since Black Knight, again. The actors seem to have gotten some experience from Sonic Boom, so their performances are more natural now. Shadow stuck out to me as Kirk Thornton took a MUCH more reserved approach to his role here, and it works really well for this game. He almost sounds like Jason Griffith. While I like his more hammed up Shadow for comedic stuff like the Twitter takeover and Sonic Boom, that really wouldn't have worked here and I'm glad Kirk Thornton recognised that and gave a more reserved portrayal here.
Sound effects...I don't have much to say honestly. It's a loud game I guess, since there is a lot going on. Also the Stomp sound effects are incorrectly placed but that's about it. Nothing else of note.
Again, it has notable flaws, but I am having fun with the game. Mania is probably better overall but it's nice to have a main series 3D Sonic game to enjoy again.
