Sonic Forces – Running Battle

First Impression

I’ll be honest—when I downloaded Sonic Forces – Running Battle last Tuesday night, I wasn’t expecting much. Mobile games based on big franchises are usually cash grabs with ugly menus and laggy controls. And the first fifteen minutes? Yeah, I almost deleted it. The tutorial dragged on forever, and it kept trying to push me toward the shop before I’d even finished a single race. But I stuck with it because I needed something quick to kill time during my bus commute to work. Once I actually got into a real match against another player, something clicked. The speed felt right, the music was pumping, and I actually felt like Sonic for a minute. That moment saved the app from the trash bin.

What It Does Well

The multiplayer running battles are the real draw here. When you race against another player in real-time, the game syncs up surprisingly well for a mobile title. I tested it on my Samsung Galaxy A54 on 4G LTE, and I rarely saw any major desync issues. The character roster is decent—Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Shadow all play differently enough that you’ll find a main. I’ve been maining Shadow because his boost feels faster, but Amy’s hammer attack wrecks enemies in crowded sections. The customization options for your avatar are also better than I expected. I spent a solid hour mixing outfits just to look ridiculous while winning races. The daily and weekly missions actually give decent rewards too—I unlocked a new runner avatar by Saturday without spending a cent. For a free game, that’s rare.

Where It Falls Short

Okay, let’s talk about the bugs. I’m a power user, so I notice things most people miss. On Wednesday evening, the game crashed three times in a row during a boss level. I lost all my progress from that run. Then, on Friday, the leaderboard glitched and showed me at rank 1,000,001 even though I’d just won five matches in a row. That stuff kills the momentum. The in-app purchases are also aggressive. You can earn rings and red star rings by playing, but the grind gets ridiculous after about level 15. Want a new character? That’s 100 red star rings—or you can buy them for real money. And the power-ups? They’re clearly balanced to make you want to buy boosters. The controls are mostly responsive, but I’ve had moments where my swipe didn’t register during a jump, and I slammed into a wall. That’s frustrating when you’re trying to beat a friend’s high score.

Is It Worth the Price?

It’s free, so yes—but you’ll probably hit a paywall if you get competitive. I’ve been playing for three days, and I already feel the game nudging me toward spending money. The daily missions help, but they’re not enough to keep up with players who drop $5 on a booster pack. If you’re okay with casual play, you’ll get plenty of fun without opening your wallet. But if you’re like me and you want to climb the leaderboard or unlock everything, be prepared to either grind hours a day or spend some cash. I haven’t paid yet, and I’m still having fun, but I can see myself getting annoyed next week when I can’t afford the next character upgrade. So, worth it for free. Not worth spending more than $10 on.

Developer & Support

I contacted support once because my game wouldn’t load after an update on Thursday. I submitted a ticket through the app’s help menu. The response took three days—I got an email on Sunday morning. That’s slow for a mobile game in 2024. But the reply was actually helpful. They told me to clear the cache and restart my phone, and that fixed it. No generic copy-paste nonsense, just a clear step-by-step from a real person named “Mia.” I appreciated that. Still, if you’re used to getting help within hours, prepare to be patient. For a free game, it’s acceptable—but not great.

Privacy & Safety

The app asks for a lot of permissions. It wanted access to my storage, microphone, and camera. I denied the microphone and camera permissions, and the game still ran fine. The privacy policy is your typical wall of text, but I skimmed it—SEGA says they collect device info, gameplay data, and crash logs. They also share data with third-party ad networks. That’s standard for free games, but it’s worth knowing if you’re privacy-conscious. I didn’t see any shady behavior like tracking my location or reading my contacts. Just be careful with the social features—if you connect a Facebook account, your friends can see your scores. I kept mine offline and had no issues.