Final Judgement (ラストジャッジメント, Rasutojajjimento^?, lit. "Last Judgement") is the twenty-ninth and penultimate stage in Sonic Forces, and the fourth and final stage in the game to use the Tag Team gameplay style.

Situated below the Eggman Empire Fortress, this stage features a shaft leading straight down to the (decoy) reactor for the Phantom Ruby. During the events of the game, Sonic and the Avatar came here in order to destroy the reactor for the Resistance.

Description[]

Final Judgement is basically a high-tech metallic shaft leading straight to the reactor core. Running down through the entirety of the shaft is a vertical pillar that the characters run down along. On this pillar is a road with tall rails on the sides. The shaft itself is lit up by lights on the walls, which include hexagonal-shaped lights, green power lines, and green power conduits.

On the bottom of the shaft lies a purple and green room which holds the reactor. The reactor itself is incorporated into the base of the shaft's pillar, which narrows in around the reactor. In the center of the reactor lies a structure resembling a nucleic acid double helix, which is covered by metal plates. This structure is surrounded by a circular platform, which have three tubes, each one containing Phantom Ruby prototypes, on it. The reactor also has a ring around it with laser drones attached to it, which only start shooting as the tubes are destroyed in this order: half after one tube, all after two, and then deactivating once all three are destroyed.

Story[]

Thanks to Classic Sonic finding a way into the Central Tower, Sonic the Hedgehog and the Avatar make their way towards the area's reactor for the Phantom Ruby so they can put an end to Dr. Eggman's plans for good and end the War to Take Back the Planet in favor of the Resistance. Along the way, they are contacted by Tails via radio, who reveals that Infinite's Phantom Ruby copy is heading for the reactor, and urges them to hurry. Amy also warns them of the reactor defense system that awaits them, but Sonic is certain that they can handle it.

Closer to the reactor, Tails notices that it was here Eggman made Infinite who he was, which Amy feels is a sad place to be brought into the world. Regardless, Sonic and the Avatar manage to reach the reactor, much to Knuckles' amazement, and are able to destroy it, which triggers a massive explosion inside the fortress. Using the Double Boost however, Sonic and the Avatar are able to outrun the explosion and rejoin their friends on the outside.

Gameplay[]

Along the running routes of Final Judgement are giant wheels with saw blades that rotate in stationary positions. If the characters touch these wheels, they will be killed immediately. At one point, there are also three Grind Rails whose middle and outer rails switch between getting electrified. Should the player touch these rails while they get electrified, they will receive damage. A second before a rail gets electrified however, it will turn orange, giving the player a chance to switch rails to avoid being shocked and injured when it discharges.

Like in other Tag stages, the player controls both Sonic the Hedgehog and the Avatar at the same time here, with the lead character switching to Sonic when Boosting and to the Avatar when using the Wispon. To accommodate the different characters, the stage has mechanics for both of them. For Sonic, the stage has Wisp Capsules with White Wisps along the way so the player can charge their Boost Gauge. For the Avatar, the stage has Wire Targets for the player to swing around on using the Wire Attack.

Overview[]

When the stage begins, Sonic and the Avatar will be running down the main path. Immediately after, five Egg Chasers will appear and attack by shooting lasers down the lanes the player uses. After that, the Egg Chasers will leave, giving way for giant fortress doors to open up for the characters. Past them, the player must avoid the stage's giant saw-wheels. The best way to avoid them is to not use Sonic's Boost as it could prevent use of the Quick Step to avoid hitting the saw-wheels if approaching them too fast. After this obstacle section, the player will then encounter more open fortress doors before facing more Egg Chasers. Once the Egg Chasers leave, the player will enter the electrified rail section. After getting past this section, the player will then enter another running section where they must avoid both another set of Egg Chasers and saw-wheels.

At the end of the running section, the player will arrive on the circular platform around the reactor. Here, the player's objective is to destroy the three Phantom Ruby prototype tubes around the reactor. These tubes take multiple hits to be destroyed, although Super Sonic can do so in one hit by boosting into them. They will also occasionally surround themselves in electric force-fields that will inflict damage on the characters if they physically touch them while the fields are up. Every time a tube is destroyed, the reactor will blow up a little. Also, around the reactor is a ring that will sweep the circular platform with damage-inducing lasers. These lasers can be dodged by jumping over them. However, it is not until the first tube is destroyed that the ring starts firing lasers. The number of lasers will also double after the second tube is destroyed.

After destroying all three tubes, Sonic and the Avatar will enter a narrow tunnel section that will lead towards the exit out of the exploding reactor. At this point, the player is prompted to activate the Double Boost, which will allow the player to outrun the exploding reactor and reach the exit (and the goal).

Ranking[]

The following are the suggested clear points for achieving a high enough score to achieve each Rank:

Trivia[]

• Of all the stages in Sonic Forces where the Avatar is playable, Final Judgement is the only one where the Wispons' special abilities cannot be used.
• According to the early game script, "experimental culture pools with cloned bodies of Infinite floating in them" can be seen around the shaft.
• Weirdly, one of Tails lines in the stage is "So, this is where Eggman built Infinite", which contradicts the fact that Infinite is a mercenary and was not built by Eggman. It is possible that Tails and the other Resistance members only assumed Eggman created Infinite and do not know of his true origins.

Gallery[]

Level map[]

Miscellaneous[]

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