Very playable, and Nothing to Laugh At
Since the transition from 2D to 3D, Sonic the Hedgehog was just not the same. After starting off on the wrong foot in Sonic 360, several "good, not great games" came after, and people are now talking about Sonic being on life support. Therefore, BioWare was now in charge of making the first Sonic RPG, and the end result is Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Although the game has some rough edges, the game is very playable, and it is a solid startup for other Sonic RPGs in the future.
This game takes place a few years after Sonic and co. defeated Dr. Eggman. So the team disbanded and went off in their own directions. However, they came back when they realized that Knuckles was kidnapped by a powerful clan. Led by Lord Ix, the clan decided to use the Chaos Emeralds to return their outer space home to Earth. However, Lord Ix is evil, so Sonic and co. must stop him. The story of this game is creative, but not RPG material. In an RPG, there has to be some character development, and I could only see a few. It would have helped greatly if there were more conversations between characters talking about anything besides the mission in hand.
In the game, you would traverse large multiple worlds collecting rings, goodies, fighting enemies and doing side-quests. You do so by only using the Stylus and pointing to Sonic and others where to go. Also, you could interact with certain areas with different abilities EG. Sonic could run through loops, Tails can fly, Amy can smash open crates etc. You could shop around if there is a shop, fight enemies if you see them, or take on the many side quests. The side quests are pretty simple, just a couple of fetch-quests. I have no issue with the navigation in the game. The controls are responsive, although you could experience frustration when you don't have to characters to cross an area (You could carry 4 characters at a time).
Other than moving around the open world and talking, you would initiate combat with animals, aliens and so on. The combat is also simple. Attack, POW moves, defend, use item and run away. POW moves are the main attraction, and they do damage or benefit your team alot. They are diverse, also fun to pull off by doing some clicking and dragging on the screen, and there are alot of patterns to follow. You could unleash a 1-man POW, or you could even have all 4 guys doing one POW (they are so devastating)! The enemies are very diverse, and you usually need different strategies to beat each of them. All this sounds pretty good, and the only complaint I have is that the battles could last a bit long, and it could drag out your interest.
The constant complaint I heard about this game is that the game is too simple, but I personally am not frustrated about it. Of course the haters have a point: Only 4 abilities to level up, a limited type of equipment, simple fetch-quests and simple puzzles. There are advantages to add depth, but there are also advantages to keep things simple, particularly when there are going to be sequels. BioWare could build on the already existing concepts and then make something that could remind people of top RPGs like Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, and Phantasy Star.
While everybody is complaining about the game, no one could complain about the game's presentation. The graphics are awesome with BioWare's hand-drawn models. The worlds are huge and the character models are as good as they could be on the NDS. The music is recycled from previous Sonic games, and they definitely fit the mood and the atmosphere, though they are not catchy.
The main story mode lasts really long (maybe 12 hours?), but most of the worlds were built to be reexplored so you could find more loot and more Chao. The Chao are interesting upgrades which benefits your characters ie. heal, give fire damage to the character etc. You could trade the Chao with other people who has the same game. And of course, you could replay the entire game again so you could collect all the Chao and complete all the side-quests.
So overall, Sonic Chronicles is a good game, especially to casual gamers and Sonic fans. However, people who want a deep RPG will not find what they want. But because this is a first effort , we can only wonder what would the second game be like. To me, if BioWare doesn't screw up the next time, Sonic Chronicles 2 is going to be an absolute beast!
Mario? Final Fantasy? Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is coming your way and is here to stay!
So now the recap:
Story: 3/5
Creative, but little character development. People won't care about the character (except Sonic fans, that is).
Gameplay: 4/5
Surprisingly good and simple. Responsive controls (rare in a Sonic game nowadays) and generally enjoyable navigation and battle sequences.
Presentation: 4/5
Worlds and characters look great. Music and soundtrack are passable.
BARs (Bonuses, alternatives and Replay Value): 4/5
A long campaign that spans many 12 hours, with a lot of side quests and Chao-collecting that add more replay value.
Overall: 15/20 (3.75 stars, or 4 stars)
For Sonic fans, casual gamers and people who want an intro to the RPG genre. Die-hard RPG players might feel let down.
