Can Sonic reclaim his former glory? (Part 2)
By Brian on January 4th, 10 under RPG, NDS,
When we last left our blue hedgehog, I posited the hope that Sonic's first foray into the RPG genre would be good. With Bioware at the helm of this game, I hoped that I was in for a good game. At this point, I was hoping that this wouldn't be just another game that lent itself to more humiliation. Sonic's suffered enough. So here, finally, after a couple of months of delay, here's the second and final installment of this review.
So the result was Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, released on the Nintendo DS. It opens up light-hearted enough, with Sonic returning from a vacation用robably to get away from all the bad games he was forced to star in. However, he is made aware by Tails that Knuckles has gone missing預 problem if Knuckles is the guardian of the Chaos Emeralds, including the Master Emerald. From there, the story develops, and you're taken on a comical romp through various Sonic levels (with some new ones as well), acquiring characters (Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, amongst others) to add to your party, each with their own unique abilities that have use either on the world map or in battle.
Battles themselves are nothing too dramatic葉hey're standard turn-based battles; you enter commands for the party, and watch the round play out. You do have some element of strategy熔n the top screen, you can see the order in which your characters will go. However, you don't see where an enemy is going to cut in line, so there's also a small element of guesswork. If a character is running low on HP, do you want to wait further down the lineup to throw out that potion, or use it immediately and forgo using a powerful attack? Also, you have the option (and if you have skill as well) of not initiating combat. Enemies are seen on the map, and if you're spotted, the enemy will make some sort of extremely annoying sound that gets old quickly, especially if you're dashing through a section of the map with an abundance of enemies. Nothing like hearing sharp, shrill shrieks or the sounds of your DS constantly making farty, burpy noises to let you know that battle's going to ensue if you're caught. Another downer is that while enemies can be seen, they are also challenging to avoid. Often times, I found myself being pursued by two or three enemies, only to be caught by one, battle, win, then immediately get caught by the enemy just behind him before I can even use my stylus to move Sonic...it reminded me of Final Fantasy games of old, where battles often occurred one step after returning to the world map.
Also, the initiating of powerful moves (and the blocking of powerful moves unleashed by the enemy) require skilled timing of the stylus. By tapping the stylus in sequence on various locations of the bottom screen, you can determine whether an attack or block will be effective. Nail each tap perfectly, and you're guaranteed a hit or block, unless a special status dictates otherwise. You can even unleash powerful moves by tag-teaming with other characters in your party葉o the point where you could utilize all four characters in your current party in one massive, destructive attack. The more complex the attack, the quicker your stylus reflexes will have to be.
In fact, this is the first DS game I've played that uses the stylus exclusively. This game does not use any of the buttons for anything葉he stylus is used for every function of the game, from moving your characters on the world map, to menu navigation, to battling. And surprisingly, it does it well. I found it very easy to pick up and work my way through without remembering any sort of button configuration, and for that, it's a definite plus.
The script itself is definitely amusing at points, and campy in others. At various points of dialogue, you (as Sonic) will be given some choices on how to answer a question, usually with a nice response, a snarky, sarcastic response, or indifference. No voice-acting here; it's all reading. As for extras, you can find Chao scattered amongst the world葉hese Chao can be equipped to party members to provide additional support, be it a boost to individual stats, an increase to some form of elemental resistance, an increased chance of finding rare items or getting extra EXP from battle用lenty of Chao to go around. If you utilize the game's wi-fi connectivity, you can trade Chao for extremely rare ones.
Finally, one major plus for this game葉his game contains a feature I wish more games, particularly the long, epic, RPGs, had: the ability to save your game anytime, anywhere. This fact alone makes the game that much more enjoyable. Too many times I play a long game like the later Final Fantasy games and find myself having to go two hours in between save points, only to die during a battle and lose all that progress. Here, no need to worry. The only time you can't save is in mid-battle, obviously.
While overall, a decent game, it's not the type to blow you away. The game's story is a bit predictable, for one, and I found the game way too easy. Of the 25 or so hours I spent on it, I only died once in the early part of the game. Also, there's no real replay value, unless you're a completist and want to get every ring and every item and every Chao in each of the game's levels. There's no multiplayer or other online activity other than Chao trading, and only one ending. Once you've finished it, I really doubt you'll play it again. However, these don't really detract too much from the overall game. While certainly not a shining, amazing first attempt at a Sonic RPG, I enjoyed it, and would play a sequel. As it's called Sonic Chronicles, one hopes that there will be more than just one. With some modifications, primarily in plot, perhaps a great sequel might be in store. However, I don't see this game being memorable and classic--even though I enjoyed the game, it's already starting to make its way into bargain bins in game stores. For now, though, Mario still wins.
