With Sonic Mania out of the door, Sega are well and truly shifting their attention to Sonic Forces - a game we're still committed to calling Sonic Generations 2. To back that up, Casino Night Zone finally returns!
Casino Night Zone was a popular early stage in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 featuring a neon night asthetic with a Las Vegas-style skyline and plenty of slot machine/pinball mashups to literally through players through a loop.
The stage was partially recreated for the 3DS version of Sonic Generations - which leaned more heavily on 2D gameplay - while the console and PC versions only saw the classic Casino Night Zone referenced through a mini-game in a post-release DLC pack. Sonic Forces 2 fully recreates the feel of the original, and Sega's official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel has gameplay footage.
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Everything is more or less exactly as we left it. Pinball bumpers throw Sonic around like the spinball he used to be, while authentic, player-controlled flippers are matched up with slot-machine reels for players to earn some extra bonuses rather than blaze through at breakneck pace.
To match, the Casino Forest stage is loaded with rings to collect - but there's little chance of you managing to reach them all. The main difference, however, is the backdrop. Leaving Vegas, this one's more akin to an Indian casino found in the countryside with the skyline being swapped out for some greenery.
The video only gives us a glimpse of the 'Classic Sonic' gameplay, meaning there's likely a 3D version for 'Modern Sonic' to breeze through, but we're not seeing it just yet. From the sights, sounds and gameplay element, Casino Forest in Sonic Forces looks to be a top-notch homage to on of Sonic the Hedgehog's finest levels.
