Sonic Forces: Tikal Review

The best part about Sonic Forces in my eyes is the variety that comes with each of the available runners. While the basic attribution of a throwing object, boost, and obstacle are always there, each character has their own unique way of employing these skills. Typically, however, they always rely on strength overall in order to trip up other runners, making their skill sets more about the brawn than the brains. Tikal, however, is a fresh addition to the game as of earlier this month, bringing with her a variety of skills that help to spice up each race. This is mostly because, while many other characters can rely on their strength in order to beat out faster runners or simply players that are ahead of them, using Tikal requires a bit of strategy because of what she brings to the table.

Firstly, Tikal's speed is what makes it easy to get ahead of other players once you collect enough rings. At 100 rings, Tikal can blast by the competition, especially when she uses her boost. While her acceleration isn't much--sitting at 6 as compared to higher numbers held by other units--the addition of her perfect speed makes her a very quick character once you've collected a large amount of rings. It makes it easy to stay ahead once you're in first place, as other racers won't have as easy a time flying ahead of her. So long as you stay on your toes, with Tikal in the lead, it's very difficult for her to be beat. Especially given the skills that she exhibits.

While I'm going out of order by talking about the boost first, I brought it up in the last section, so I might as well elaborate here. Thanks to her speed, Tikal's boost leaves a long, speedy trail of purple that knocks aside any runners in her way. Not only is the animation very appealing to the eye, but the amount of power you feel like you have when running through multiple runners at once is almost liberating. Tikal can go from being in 4th to 1st in the blink of an eye, her strong speed-based stats coupled with her powerful boost to make any rival unable to move for a good few seconds. Winning with Tikal is easy because of this. But it isn't just the boost that makes her a fast, satisfying unit to use. Her other skills also come in handy during speed battles.

Tossing Chao Guardians at enemies can leave them in a daze, just like other throwing objects granted to other units. Wielding Chaos as throwing devices even holds some familiarity, as Cream's Chao Attack works in the same way. You toss the Chao at your opponent in front of you, after which it boomerangs back to hit anyone else that may be coming up behind you on the path. This is, in effect, a double whammy to other players. First and foremost, it can be a way to stun an enemy for a few seconds and sprint ahead. But, secondly, it can act as a deterrent to other players to run behind Tikal, for fear that a Chao may come out of nowhere and knock them down. While not unique to Tikal herself, Chao-tossing is something that makes each race easier given its dexterity. But what makes Chao Guardians so special is the possibility of it spawning more than one Chao when thrown. This can stun enemies for longer periods of time, making getting ahead of them all the easier.

This is even further built upon through Tikal's obstacle, Captive Light. Unlike other obstacle abilities, Captive Light does not stun an enemy for more than a second or so. It's easy for one to get their footing back after running into the obstacle. However, there are two attributes to Captive Light that make it unique to Tikal. The first is that, while the obstacle doesn't stun enemies for an elongated period of time, it does cause a blinding light to encompass the impacted player's screen. This makes it so the player has to be cautious as they continue forward, losing precious seconds as they try and navigate through a now lit-up track. What makes this even more powerful and helpful for Tikal is the fact that, when the item is placed down while she is in first place, it will spawn in front of players behind her on the track. This can deal a devastating blow to players just about to catch up to her, as they are caught off-guard by blinding radiance.

But that is also where the slight negativity sets in when it comes to Tikal. Because while I found her easy to control, powerful, and all-around a great character to play as, she is overpowered to the point of it being laughable. This is only from my perspective, though, so take it with a grain of salt. But, playing as Tikal across over two dozen races thus far, not once did I end up in anything below second place. Even as low as level 3, I was able to beat players triple, sometimes quadruple my level by spamming my attacks, obstacles and boosts whenever I got them. Now that she's level 6, every battle is a breeze for me. I can't even imagine how much dust I'll be able to leave behind when she inevitably gets to max level down the road (as she is a Super Rare character, meaning she is a permanent part of the game's makeup now). Had she been an event character like Longclaw or the upcoming (now current) Baseball-themed Sonic and Amy, I could understand. But her residence as a permanent part of the game while being so powerful means her on the track changes the landscape entirely.

At the same time, however, playing against Tikal mains had its own fair share of fun to it. It would be interesting to try and see how well I could avoid the onslaught of incoming attacks and obstacles from them. It wasn't easy, but I was able to surpass Tikal more than a few times with some level 12-13 Common characters. So while her overpowered nature doesn't break the game when she's on the playing field, it makes it so players will have to act smarter and more aware of their surroundings throughout. It isn't a guarantee of anything, though; after all, many of her attacks end up as surprises, which makes it all the more difficult to time just what she throws at you.

Be that as it may, Tikal is a wonderful addition to Sonic Forces. Her unique obstacle, solid stats, and a re-worked take on an already existing throwing object make her one of the more interesting characters to use. While she does make the track a more difficult, dangerous place to navigate, fighting against her proves difficult enough to add an exciting challenge to the game. I hope to open more chests with her cards in them in the future, as I think she'll be one of the first Super Rare characters I prioritize maxing out. If you have Tikal, use her to your advantage. If not, then just keep playing under you manage to garner the power that comes with this brave little echidna.