Imagine putting your heart and soul on the soundtrack and later finding out that it was used for like 15 seconds...

Dude manages to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of THIS game, what a chad

If there's one unanimous POSITIVE agreement in terms of Sonic, it's that the music rocks. And most definitely will in the years to come.

I feel like you're one of the only Sonictubers who manages to voice your issues with Forces, whilst fully appreciating the game's strengths alongside, and for that, I respect you a ton.

I'm REALLY glad that the cyberspace osts seem to be 1 minute loops at best, to match the short length of the stages. The use of arsenal pyramid in forces was a crime 😢

Fun fact, thanks to programmer oversight, you can actually listen to Red Gate Bridge during the Metal Sonic bossfight itself, if you die in the second phase of the bossfight.

I didn't know until now that the piano version of Fist Bump plays in the cutscene selection menu, the official Sonic KZfaq channel released the track as if it was going to play in a very dire moment in the game.

For me the break in the middle of Infinite's theme at the "who is gonna save you now?" part is so brutal and a great breakdown part, too metal for what I expected from Sonic. You could hear that part in the Infinite Challenge in Speed Battle.

Fun fact: apparently, according to the soundtrack commentary, Red Gate Bridge was one of the first songs composed for the Forces soundtrack. It was initally composed to try and get a feel for the tone of the what the whole soundtrack would be. It wasn't made with the intention of being in the final game, but Tomoya Ohtani liked it so much that it did, for less than 10 seconds... Based on the song, that origin story kinda makes sense. I've tried playing it on the piano, and it has an incredibly simple melody, and it makes sense that a basic composition would be made for something that wasn't intended to be any thing more than a test song. I'm glad it did make it into the final game because this song bangs

This Soundtrack promises a much more Deep, tragic, epic and longer game than what it is

5:00 Finally, some appreciation for the piano version of Fist Bump. I genuinely used to fall asleep to that song. So gorgeous.

Forces music extending way past what you actually hear in game reminds me heavily of the Big Arms remix from Generations 3DS. It has a breakdown section about 3 minutes into the song, when the boss itself is about 45 seconds long. I'm not sure which composer is going this hard on tracks that no one will ever hear in game, but I'm very glad they are and I hope Sonic Team will make stages and bosses long enough to fit the entire song in the future.

It’s rather rare when you find a KZfaqr who you almost ALWAYS agree with, Not just that, well explained criticism and enjoyment, Good and well timed jokes, and just overall really good videos. Honestly you are really a good KZfaqr.

The sonic forces reimagined mod definitely helps since it seems tp increase the stage length. Therefore letting you hear more of the songs.

3:51 I love how super sonic just bodies 4 missiles to the face like it’s nothing 😂

About Red Gate Bridge: It is one of, if not the oldest song on the Sonic Forces soundtrack. As mentioned in his commentary in the soundtrack booklet, it's a remnant of sound director Tomoya Ohtani's initial vision of the soundtrack, based on the themes given to him by the director. Regarding Battle with Mega Death Egg Robot: The two guitar solos are actually both part of the song. Both the in-game and soundtrack versions of the song are edited down. The in-game versions loops the first half of the song, while the soundtrack loops the second half. The full version of the final phase appeared on the Vinyl Cutz vinyl album release.

Okay this is a genius video idea lmao

17:01 Null Space is without a doubt my absolute favourite track that was completely wasted in the final product. In a way, it reminds me a bit like Hidden Palace Zone from Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (or track 10 in the original genesis version). A full, complete and very different yet beautiful song plays for what could essentially be a full level of mystery and somberness. In Sonic 2, Hidden Palace Zone was removed but remains in the final game as just a glitchy and unfinished mess that can only be accessed through Debug mode. In a way, I’ve always wondered if Null Space was the same case, an actual level put into development but scrapped at the last minute… however, somewhere deep in the game’s files exists a glitchy, and unfinished stage. The song however just also doesn’t feel like a traditional Sonic song. Its somber, empty, and so mature that it makes me believe that Forces wanted to be that mature Sonic story that was completely squandered. Now in post “Starfall Islands” theme world for Sonic Frontiers, it just puts into perspective that Null Space was what Eggman explained “A void where absolutely nothing exists”. Hence forth, what Sonic Forces fails to be

I absolutely ADORE Null Space and even the unused dialogue that it had. Apparently it was intended to be so much longer there was a bit more to the strip of cubes you ran on I believe, it's been awhile since I've actually seen it so I don't fully remember. I've always loved this game's soundtrack and I'm happy you brought attention to it.

The soundtrack is equally if not more important than the gameplay itself. I find that even if the gameplay is lacking, the music keeps you drawn in. Good video even though I haven’t fully watched yet lol

This man could make an video of sonics schoolhouse and it would still be an banger

19:37 This part of Mortar Canyon and onwards is just so beautiful :,)

That bonus stage gameplay at 11:30... It's jaw-dropping honestly. I think you are the only person who has bothered to master this game's bonus stages, and you're making me want to try them now!

Arsenal Pyramid is my favorite song in the whole OST. It really shows the strength of Ohtani’s composing skills. The way the violin meshes so well with the guitar creates 2 melodies that empower each other. Also the piano at the beginning is so pulse pounding.

Imaging a timeline where the devs were able to get more time on working on the game, and where the levels ended up being longer, the story being more coherent, thought out, and kept that doomed wartime feel that forces was advertised to have.

Bro, you really showed me how good, no GREAT, the soundtrack is. I didn’t even know some off the music is different between the complete album and the one on Spotify. Thanks, man.

Funnily enough, Null Space is actually a part of Fist Bump's instrumental. It's at the part right before the guitar solo towards the end of the song.

The Null Space theme definitely gives me Sonic 06 - End of The World vibes (In Amy's level especially), and I freaking love that.

My favorite version of Fist Bump will always be the original with the vocals. I know the lyrics are cheesy but it fills me with so much joy

Well, a few random things I want to say here. - When I first heard this game's soundtrack back in its post-release infantry I heard only snippets of songs and thought the soundtrack was nothing special (I don't own it), but after properly hearing Aqua Road in 2021 and listening to more of the OST I now regard it as a soundtrack truly worthy of the Sonic name. - I'd heard the theatre music before but I never even knew there was a theatre. Neat. - Good _Lord_ Null Space got underused, that would've been such a cool stage theme to listen to! Honestly they could reuse it for Frontiers, I'm down. - Some elements of Mortar Canyon remind me of worship music, I'mma just say that. - I used to look at this as a truly mid Sonic game, but with Bickuri showing me what good the game can actually offer it makes me want to play it myself and give it a fair shake. - I am making so many more spelling mistakes than I used to, someone help me.

That piano version of Fist Bump has always been my absolute favorite piece of music to come from this game. It's always reminded me of the piano version of The World Adventure from Unleashed.

That Infinite's Beginning cutscene orchestral piece was god tier. And Null Space sounds like something out of Hollow Knight. The Red Gate Bridge was also a neat piece that I have to keep track of. Also LMAO no classic music.

“It’s a game about a hedgehog running in levels that last about a minute at most, don’t make the songs too long and don’t go too hard” Tomoyo and his team:

i love the spotlighting done here. i remember the hype of hearing all the extra OST stuff on the album release. big shoutouts to red gate bridge especially, i always thought it kinda sounded like a Blaze intro cutscene, like she was supposed to be in this game too or something

I honestly think if they swapped the synths out with a violin or trumpet (depending on the song) and I think this could've been one of my favorite Sonic OSTs

I keep trying to get into Forces’ music but I just cant. I like the compositions but the instrumentation and sound mixing always gives me an actual headache whenever I try and listen with headphones. There are a handful of songs I can really enjoy though.

21:00 FINALLY!!! People have been sleeping on this track, it's so Underrated!

7:10 I do remember this one in the days before Sonic Forces released. This was one of the games we could play on the show floor so I kept my ears open for any sonic bops. Removing the lead synth was a brilliant move to let the backing take over and sell the emptiness. One of my fave things to do with music. Network Terminal is my fave stage partially due to the inside song sounding like grungy song from the Sly Cooper soundtrack.

I LOVE how you synced up the gameplay with the music. So so good. Makes it all come full-circle

Honestly my personal favourite sonic ost ever. So many good songs with some exceptions being certain classic sonic songs. Glad you shined some light on an ost that needs that popularity

While I'm personally not overly fond of a lot of the lead techno instruments in the soundtrack, this definitely gave me a few songs to add to my playlist

Okay but holy crap??? 12:30 up to 14:00 THIS WAS LEGIT SO DAMN GOOD????? 😭 if only the cutscene was just as grand like oh my god the wasted potential MAN don’t even bring up the Null space music 😔 we could’ve had Sonic and the Avatar going through it with Infinite in there UGH

I've listened to the album WAY more than I have played the game itself.

As someone that likes Sonic Forces, seeing such amazing well thought out videos dedicated to it means a lot. Thank you my dude 🙏

I don’t know how you did it, but your two videos on Sonic Forces literally made me want to play it again, so I went and bought it on Steam since it was on sale, and downloaded some swanky mods (namely Forces: Reimagined) which improve the experience tenfold. So, in other words, thanks for these videos!

I never realized how much of a banger Null space them was, kind of makes me wish we had a whole level in there

This is without a doubt the most underrated Sonic soundtrack and all because the game itself messes with it

I'm very happy that you are recognizing Sonic Forces as a game. Diving into level analysis and music and it makes me so happy. I love Sonic Forces, it's my first, and will always be one of my favorites (especially because of some of the music). Also I never heard the instrumental Fist Bump for Super Sonic, and I agree this is awesome guitar. This kind of guitar I always love in music.

This is DEFINITELY one of my favorite soundtracks of the series (disregarding the classic sonic tracks because YIKES) I feel like they were trying to represent that techno-distortion vs nature and humanity vibe in the music with how it has dubstep and orchestral elements merging multiple times, which i find really cool as I don't think any other sonic ost has really been this dynamic with the games themes aside from the obvious storybook series

The song to the shadow v infinite cutscene is amazing. I love how they symbolized shadow with throw it all away and the ended it with infinites theme. Pretty cool.

Last Judgment is my favorite level theme in Forces, and it’s almost entirely due to the second half and that crazy piano. It’s not Eggmanland or Terminal Velocity, but it’s still an excellent, heavily-underrated final level theme.

Your analysis of sonic music are my fav types, keep it up 🙏🏾

Two things to note: final boss' phase 1 and 2 themes play in same tempo as Infinite's theme (140 BPM) while phase 3 theme plays in Fist Bump's tempo (217 BPM) plus you can find acapella version of Fist Bump chorus in game files so technically Fist Bump is the first Sonic song which got "official" acapella version.

Unpopular opinion but I do like the synth used in this game. Sure, it can be a bit overbearing in some tracks, but it helps give this game's OST a unique sound that most others don't have and is one of the few thematic ties between the story and gameplay that really sticks the landing.

OK 12:40 infinite theme is one I've never heard ngl, I always love your vids and how you look for the roses in the thornbush that is sonic forces, kudos

this is actually sick im someone who constancy listens to sonic forces soundtrack on Spotify so I've known some of the things you revealed but it's so cool to see you put so much effort into this good job. this also makes me happy because I actually quite like the forces soundtrack aside from some songs. now more people can experience the beauty of some of the good in this game. this is officially one of my favorite sonic videos because there are a lot of sonic forces music I didn't know was a thing.

Another thing I like about the SXSW fist bump version is that piano ending

Im so glad someone made a video on this because god damn does this game actually have some good music thats just never shown in game 😭 Red Bridge and the outside Arsenal Pyramid music are just so damn good. And so under used. This game is a crime for the most unused potential in a sonic game The sonic forces reimagined mod has much longer and more detailed levels, so you’re able to actually hear a lot of the later parts of the music. It really helps you understand what they were trying to go for, especially with how well the mods levels are designed.

As someone who grew up with the Modern era Sonic games, when I played Forces for myself, I ended up being surprised by how much I liked it. The music especially, caught my attention and its soundtrack is right there alongside Adventure 1, 2, and Unleashed's as some of my most listened to Sonic music. Thank you for highlighting these gems for people so they can hear them, too! Sadly, the general reception for Forces wasn't the best, so I doubt many people go back to it. You're a cool person, and I really do appreciate this!

i had NO idea the album had a different guitar riff for the final phase. greatest sonictuber

I'm glad that I wasn't the only person that enjoyed the Forces OST to the point of binging the entirety of each track until the end.

Excellent video! I always felt like Forces' music was underappreciated, or at the very least over-hated. I'm glad you showed off more of this game's soundtrack. One other song I'd add to this list is the piano/instrumental version of "Light Of Hope", the title screen song that plays after you beat the game. The vocal ver. of Light Of Hope gave me a lot of "Dear My Friend" vibes from Unleashed, which is another overlooked Sonic sing IMO. The title screen version of it just hits differently though. It wouldn't sound out of place in a Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy game, and that's a good thing.

It feels so relieving to see someone do this game some justice- as bareboned as Forces is, it's my favorite game because of its music- it's very inspirational, my only wish is for a day where someone releases some bass tabs for the themes... Fist Bump has got to be one of my favorite game themes. It's such an upbeat, incredible tune- its so motivating, and the guitar-dominant Super Sonic spin on it is REVELATING. I used to sit on the theater scene for hours with it playing on our television, just to listen to it loop over and over while I drew. Its an incredible rendition.

Over the past few months (y'know, leading up to the upcoming release of Sonic Frontiers), I have found a new appreciation for Sonic Forces, despite my strong feelings regarding its initial release. In other words, as time progressed, I've been able to find even *more* ways to be highly optimistic for the future of Sonic, beyond what I first expected and imagined. _(Please note that I was already looking forward to Frontiers very much, but these recent Forces retrospective videos have only helped cement my positive feelings further.)_ Furthermore, thanks to you, Bickuribox12, I feel far less dismissive towards Forces' OST and level design, as there seems to be genuine merit in some aspects, especially considering the perplexing (and likely difficult) circumstances behind its development. Although I've known the awesomeness of the Final Boss themes, this video taught me a lot more about Forces' music. While I currently don't enjoy all of its themes (the vocal themes simply aren't my preferred style), overall, Forces has a pretty good OST. I really enjoyed listening to "Final/Last Judgement," and the interior theme of Network Terminal reminded just of Sonic Adventure 1, which greatly surprised me.

I absolutely love the Forces OST, despite what many others think about how it sucks how it's not fitting for the games blah blah blah, this video is something that while I personally knew about all of these (except the cutscene music, nice catch!) I'm glad to see others get to hear what they missed out on. Great video! Loved this one and the Forces Level one too

Hey, thanks for making a whole video on this topic! The Forces ost has always fascinated me purely because much of it is never heard in game due to either length of stage or just not being in the game I've always wanted to see a video where someone truly breaks it all down and this is just that.

I’ve always adored the soundtrack for this game. The songs for the levels are great, the songs that play when you fight infinite are superb, and Infinite’s theme is PHENOMENAL. When I listen to it, I feel like nothing can stop me. Fist Bump is a great culmination of the game itself. It’s catchy, has good lyrics, and the instruments sound great. The INSANE guitar riff in the final boss music made me ascend while playing. And my favorite song of them all: The Light of Hope. It’s a perfect ending to a Sonic game, even if it was in a pretty mid game. Everyone pulled through and they’re still here, there are still obstacles to overcome, and the heavenly piano and vocals make it one of the best ending songs in all of Sonic. This game is proof that no matter how bad the game is, it is IMPOSSIBLE for a Sonic game to have bad music, especially when Ohtani is composing it.

im so glad you brought up aqua road specifically as that's my favorite song from the entire ost also as a note, sonic forces reimagined actually redesigned arsenal pyramid and aqua road so that not only are the levels themselves better, but you get to hear the full songs and it just makes those two levels so so SO much stronger in my opinion also how does last judgement somehow sound both like lost world's final boss AND a kirby song at the same time lol

Why is it almost always like this? The quality of soundtrack completely overshadows the quality of the rest of the Sonic game. Now it feels like music is the only good thing about Sonic (even if it's not always the case).

I don't know how you did that but DID YOU SPEEDRUN THE WHOLE GAME!? mad respect to you, sir

always loved this soundtrack but it's crazy there is so many more amazing OST i never heard from this game, thanks for bringing them to my attention lol the piano fist bump is amazing

This is one of my favorite soundtracks so im glad to see you talking about it

oml i thought i had heard everything there was to hear about this soundtrack, but apparently not! this is a really neat video, and a special thank you for pointing out that one cutscene track, i never heard that throw it all away motif before, i find that genuinely really cool lol.

I wanna give this guy the utmost respect for finding things to actually enjoy out of both Lost World and Forces.

It’s been said before but the grating synth in most of these songs kills any enjoyment I might get from the actually competent compositions

Infinites theme in its entirety fucking slaps in every way possible I love it. I love it so much.

It’s surprising how many people did not know these things about the ost. Honestly I thought everybody knew most of these already

honestly ive listen to a bit of forces ost outside the game and honestly when i heard mortar canyon i loved it so much

My man's making lemonade with cantaloupe bro. A true optimist always finds the good, even in the bad. It really is a shame that so much care was really put into Forces, and yet it fails because the two most important elements (story and level design) were handled so poorly. You can really see what Iizuka saw in this project when he says he thought people would like it. This game really had the potential to be a masterpiece. If anything, I'm at least glad that some fans are editing the levels and making them longer (among other things). Maybe one day, it will be a masterpiece.

Please do a top boss fight themes, it would be fascinating to hear you discussing that.

I’m glad you made a video like this, hell, I was going to do a similar one myself. While I wouldn’t say I’m a massive fan of the Forces soundtrack, I think it’s got some REALLY good gems sprinkled in there. I’ve always been a fan of the orchestral pieces in the soundtrack, like the Theme Of The Resistance, This Is Our World and others. Personally, if the whole soundtrack tried to sound more cinematic like those ones (or mixed that style with others), I’d probably like the OST a lot more. Glad you gave the rest of the soundtrack some spotlight, there’s some great talent on display that some I didn’t even notice! Nice one.

bikuribox12 making me into a forces fan just by how infectious his passion for the game and franchise is.

Null Space and it's music just really gives me "Dreams Deep" vibes from Mario & Luigi. They even use similar warped purple effects and empty but beautiful music.

one thing sonic will never disappoint in is music and this has never been more clear to me than now

If you guys want to hear the full ourside track to Arsenal Pyramid, try the reimagined stage mod. The stage has been extensively lengthened at the beginning, while the interior has brand new sections and additional details (like some allied NPCs running behind you at the end of the stage.) Multiple stages has had that same treatment, Aqua Road and Sunset Heights notably being impressive, so look them up when you get the chance.

I was utterly shocked when I heard the full arsenal pyramid theme in Forces Reimagined. This games soundtrack really does not get enough credit. (Speaking of, have you played that mod yet? Seriously some good stuff.)

I think for the final boss phase 3 guitar differences, it could definitely have been done to transition better into the Triple Boost, it flows a lot more naturally with that build up. Personally I would’ve had that as part of a loopback on the soundtrack (first is the in game version, then the loop back is the soundtrack version leading into triple boost)

The bleak part of Arsenal Pyramid has always been one of those bits I often went back to listen to. I feel like it's one of the few times where the game really does sound like the world is in despair from the doctor's rule.

Holy SHIT, some of these tracks actually go fucking crazy. That walk guitar in Network Terminal and the ending in Final Judgement made my jaw drop. The second half of Metropolitan Highway just straight up sounds like a PS1 era MMX stage theme which is the biggest praise I could give any game. And that beautifully orchestrated and mixed cutscene music?? Hello?? All of this makes the ridiculously short stage lengths all the more infuriating. They do not only the gameplay but also the OST SUCH a huge disservice. Much bigger than previously thought if we're talking about the latter, wow.

yeah forces music definitely grew on me but one thing I'll NEVER understand is that they mademusic twice as long as the stages. like why?

21:57 I remember discovering this on the soundtrack and falling in love with it. Like imagining characters fighting with in the background obsession

The weirdest thing about this game’s soundtrack to me is that the final boss is called the Mega Death Egg Robot in the soundtrack, but in-game it’s just called the Death Egg Robot

I'd love to here your thoughts on that new Sonic Forces Reimagined mod that just got an update. The expanded levels fix the common problem of a lot of songs being cut short, particularly Arsenal Pyramid.

Wow, hats off to you for putting in this much work to notice so many small details! Fantastic video.

I’ve loved this full soundtrack since 2017. Nice to see someone appreciate these underrated tracks as well

I LOVE YOU I AM SUCH A BIG FAN OF YOUR CHANNEL this is an absolute GEM of a video it's so wholesome to see someone actually appreciating sonic forces without being blindly defensive of it. It's just an unfortunate game, but there's lots of stuff to love about it! I'd like to pose a question, at the risk of sounding dumb perhaps, but is your name a pun with the term "big curry box"? Thanks dude! Keep making awesome awesome perfectly edited vids :)

Man, seeing these usually unheard portions of songs overlaid on top of relevant gameplay REALLY makes me wish we got to visit these stages longer. Even as someone who has listened to a lot of the official soundtrack, I definitely learned a few things here. Never listened the whole way through Network Terminal Interoir or heard the different guitar riffs in the final boss. Awesome appreciation video. As a side a note, do you think the Infinite Monster things in Capital City are reused assets from an unfinished Chaos fight? Every time I see those dudes, I can't help but think of that lol.

Sonic Forces really is just a really good instrumental rock album that had a game with a bunch of little tastes of the music in it to make you wanna buy the music huh?

Extremely glad I found your channel, this stuff ROCKS That alternate final boss riff is INSANELY cool in it's own unique chaotic way I love it

Holy cow some of these tracks are just beautiful. I only listened to about 3 or 4 of them thank you for bringing these others to everyone’s attention I’ll have to delve deeper into the ost sometime.