Review: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Ryan Bloom | October 17, 2008
Can this speedy action star slow down for an RPG?
I begrudgingly admit I’ve never actually played a Bioware game before. Don’t get me wrong, though, because I’ve wanted to play them – I was interested in seeing Neverwinter Nights back when it debuted. The praise given to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is second only to the praise given to Mass Effect, and both games have definitely caught my eye. And then, looking back, I have friends who still speak lovingly about Bioware classics like Bauldur’s Gate and its sequel. Some may find it a little sad, then, that the first toe I dip in to the Bioware pool happens to be with Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the Nintendo DS.
The game gives a really terrible first impression; after being treated to a barely-even-Flash-movie-quality animation, you learn that it is now a time of peace; Dr. Eggman has been defeated, presumably once-and-for-all. Sonic and his friends, however, are facing a new threat, from a group calling themselves The Marauders. One of the first things you’ll notice about Sonic Chronicles is the sound design. Throughout the entire game, Sonic Chronicles is, universally, a terrible sounding game. At its best, music is tolerable and forgettable, but the further you get in to the game, the worse the music becomes. Even the so-called “remixed” tracks do little to make the music enjoyable; only ardent Sonic fans will be able to place which lesser-known games they come from and more often than not, these “remixes” feel more like somebody downloaded a Sonic MIDI off the internet, re-arranged all the instruments, and changed the tempo. The mastering quality of the music doesn’t do the game any favors either, sounding as if they were recorded using the generic Windows MIDI Synthesizer. Awful sound effects compliment the poor music, with awkward Looney-Tunes-esque “boinks” for KO-ing enemies in battle, strange grunts and moans coming out of characters when they take damage, and more.
About the time you get a chance to freely move about in the world, you’ll have to contend with the fact that nearly the entire game is controlled using the touch screen. Similar to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, putting your stylus on the touchscreen will make Sonic move towards that point. The further away the stylus is from Sonic, the faster he moves. The first and most immediate problem this presents is the fact that you have to touch the very edge of the screen to get Sonic to run up to full speed – the same edges where elements of the game’s interface reside. It was a frustratingly common occurance to accidentally open the main menu or switch to a different party member by accidentally touching part of the HUD interface, when, instead, I was simply trying to make Sonic run northwest.
Battles start out equally frustrating; not only do you have to contend with ugly character models (featuring huge, scary doe-eyes), but having to wait for the camera to adjust itself in between tapping the touch screen can be annoying; in Final Fantasy, it was easy just to hold the “confirm” button and let the game auto-target a foe. Sonic Chronicles never gives you such a luxury, asking you to hand-pick your targets for nearly every single attack in the game. The game’s version of Magic/Special Abilities, called “POW Moves”, also require detailed touch screen input. In order to execute each move successfully, you must tap or drag across specific sections of the screen in rapid succession. These can take some getting used to – especially moments that require you touch your stylus and drag it across screen. Touch detection seems to be a bit weird, as there were definitely some instances where tapping or dragging would not register properly.
As one begins to play Sonic Chronicles, however, these problems slowly matter less and less. Though they are definitely issues, I slowly realized that they were not game-breaking issues. I eventually stopped caring about the horrifying character models, I learned to play with the sound turned off, and, yes, eventually I came to grips with how the touchscreen stuff worked. Even the plot – which, for the first few hours, is full of plenty of moments that will have you rolling your eyes – eventually blossomed in to a pretty decent story with a pleasantly strong sense of continuity with past Sonic games (something SonicTeam themselves have never, ever been good at). I’ll even dare to say that the storyline is pretty clever in spots – at least for a Sonic game. Compared to the plots of games like Sonic Rush Adventure, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Sonic 2006, Sonic Chronicles might as well be Shakespeare, with sharp characterization and plenty of amusing lines of dialog. This is, of course, greatly aided by the now Bioware-staple conversation trees, which allow you to pick how Sonic responds to characters; Sonic can be as sarcastic as you want him to be.
The actual RPG portion of Sonic Chronicles is handled pretty well, as should probably be expected from Bioware’s pedigree. As you gain experience points after each battle, your characters will eventually level up and when they level up, in addition to the usual increases in strength and health, you can put various attribute points in to four specific stats: Speed, Attack, Defense, and Luck. Unfortunately, the game is never quite clear what some of these really ever do. Even more confusing is when you start buying weapons and armor, you’ll often run across something that will, for example, lower defense but increase armor. Even by the end of the game, I was never really given an explanation as to the difference between “Defense” and “Armor” or why one was more important than the other. Status effects can also be hard to discern sometimes; though an icon representing a brick wall obviously translates to higher defense, flashing dots around a character’s head aren’t as easy to understand. Like everything else, though, these never really ruin the game, and it’s easy to get through fights even if you don’t understand what status effects are doing, especially given status effects are instantly cured once the battle is won. Chao, from the first two Sonic Adventure games, can now be “bonded” to a character to give further effects and bonuses, like regenerating health, increased luck, and the ability to imbue attacks with elemental effects.
Unfortunately, there are some problems that are harder to ignore. Every character in Sonic Chronicles has specific “field abilities” that they can use in the overworld. Sonic, for example, can “Dash”, which allows him to run around loops and down ramps. Tails can obviously “Fly”, which allows him to clear gaps. There’s some overlap between field abilities, as well – both Amy and Knuckles can use the “Smash” ability, which gets rid of crates that are blocking the way. As characters level up, their field abilities also level up, and though there is overlap, each character usually specializes at one ability the best – only Tails can use “Fly Level 3″, for example. The problem in all of this is that using field abilities is not very intuitive; generally you have to stand on a very specific part of the overworld for the icon to appear, and it can be tricky to hunt out a specific spot to stand in order to get the icon to come up. The other big problem with this method is in regards to how illogical it can feel; in particular, there are so many situations where Tails could simply just fly over something, but can’t, because the game doesn’t let him. I recall a specific situation where there was a stream I could cross simply flying across to the other side, but the game forced me to find a bridge instead. It can get downright insulting to jump large gaps in earlier locations only to be forced to use “flight” to cross a small crevice.
But the biggest, most heinous crime this game commits, is the ending. For those of you sweating spoiler material, you have no worries. I’m not going to say what happens in the ending; it’s the type of ending that bothers me. If even knowing this small detail bothers you, I suppose you could consider this a minor spoiler warning regarding the very end of the game and just skip to the last paragraph – but you may want to read onwards anyway, as this may have a serious impact on your enjoyment of the game. Essentially, the ending to Sonic Chronicles is what I consider one of the great game design sins: the cliffhanger ending. Though Sonic Chronicles wraps up the immediate events of this specific game, the whole thing ends on pretty large plot twist – the ramifications of which are left as a question mark. To rub further salt in to the wound, after you see this cliffhanger ending, the game cuts to Sonic and Tails, who promptly break the fourth wall and pretty much address the player directly, teasing them about “having to wait until the next episode” to see the conclusion. The pair then proceed to chat up Bioware themselves, listing by name everybody who works at the company and what they did for the game. The whole thing is full of cheese-ball humor and uncharacteristically poor grammar.
At that moment, all the good-will Sonic Chronicles had built up with its story, all the enjoyment I had from its gameplay, was almost completely washed away. Any effort the game had to immerse me in its world had evaporated in the face of one of the worst endings to a videogame I’ve seen in over ten years.
In the end, I’m hesitant to admit I enjoyed Sonic Chronicles. The game as a whole has a very amateur, almost home-brewed feel to it – like the game was created by a bunch of high school students. The game has a lot of minor problems that never really do anything to ruin the game on their own, but combined, and with the terrible ending, you end up with a product that I’m having a really hard time recommending anybody pay full price for. In all honesty, if you can stomach the game’s numerous little faults, it can be somewhat enjoyable. That being said, the only people I expect to tolerate these shortcomings are die-hard Sonic fans or people who are just really, really starved for a portable RPG. If you do not fall in to either of those categories, I’d suggest you stay away from this game; and even if you are one of the two types of people I mentioned, err on the side of caution and rent the game first.
Filed Under Review Slew, Sega, Sonic Chronicles, Sonic Scene
*Too lazy to read long passage at the moment*
Yep, not even Bioware can do it.
See ya, Sonic. You’re officially dead.
I don’t think you can call the franchise “dead” on a game that wasn’t good or bad, just simply mediocre.
Especially when Unleashed looks so good too!
I did not like this game.
Very disappointing – I actually returned it the day after I bought it.
I don’t think some RPG can kill sonic….
Wow. You guys hated it? I loved it. Very few faults, IMO.
I’m actually kinda thankful. For a second I was worrying significantly about Sonic Team’s skill…
And now I realise that BioWare can’t really make a great Sonic game too. The franchise must be cursed.
I will say though, that out of all the reviews I’ve read for this game, this one seems to be the most unbiased. I wondered whether a lot of critics decided that BioWare = good no matter what.
God I love your last paragragh. It just shouts what I think out aloud on a page.
I loved that game! I considered the ending plot twist to be a nice touch, now BioWare can make a sequel and iron out all the wrinkles.
@ NintendoBrad: Did you play the entire thing? The game doesn’t have too good a start but it gets brilliant as it goes along. The fact that you have to go into battle constantly is a bit tedious, but fun if your doing it right. I had no problem with the battle system, and this was both my first RPG and first DS game. The game is more of a “you have to play it a second time after you’ve won to really enjoy it.”
@Paul: Drop the freaking hope, man. All Sonic games look awesome when experiencing it ‘from the outside’, but when you actually play it, it’s shittier than a pig sty…
Well i still like SC but i agree that the biggest problems of the game made it feel rushed and not like a real Sonic game and the ending IMO was the worst part. Something epic was just getting started and BAM the game ends there,wtf Bioware?(though i did like the whole credits thing with Sonic and Tails,didn’t make up for the ending but it was fun)
i really think SC should have been a Action Rpg in the first place,sure there’s no guarantee it would have been better then what it is now but at least it fits more for Sonic when he is going the Rpg way.
Don’t be so dramatic, Kits’Okami. ;P
Here’s the only bad things I had to say:
Omega doesn’t get invulnarable 3
)
Knuckles doesn’t get Smash 3
(Hey guys, Cream gets fly 3, too
The moans were a bit tedious, but, music was enjoyable
You can’t runaway from underwater battles
Cream & Omrga are optional…
The Chaotix were, and weren’t there. Seriously, where’d they go?
Ix still has the Master Emerald
Final art of final battle only takes a few seconds. I was hoping for some epic, climatic battle that takes forever
Game’s pretty short. Seriously, I’ve beat it 100% 3 times in 2 weeks… -.-;
Just about all of those are very minor faults that really don’t make mch of a difference.
GUYS, DON’T TAKE ANYONE’S WORD. IF YOU HAVE DOUBTS, RENT IT FIRST
SLJCOAAATR / Soul, you sir, have proven a valid point to those who keep bitching about Sonic games *cough*.
Seriously, though, rent it if you’re not sure. That’s something everyone should know when thinking about a new game. And even if you haven’t played it, don’t automatically say it’s bad, because you’re being prejudice. Being prejudice isn’t a good thing, either. You could miss out on something really good.
Every game has it’s flaws (And I know someone here is going to say “Not as much as Sonic, he should just retire and SEGA should dig hid grave for him.”), and no game is perfect, but it depends on the person’s opinion.
Like Sonic ‘06. I know a few of us here disliked it a great deal, but I know there are those who enjoyed it, like SLJ. There are those who love Halo like it was the next Messiah, and there are those who think it’s just another FPS like all the others out there, like me.
Now, I’m not trying to change opinions here, but some of us here take it a little to seriously. It’s just a game, and the point of a game is to have fun with it. Don’t go by someone’s opinion, and try it out for yourself and then you can say how much you hate/love it. Stop bitching before you give it a f**cking chance, you get what I’m saying here, guys and gals?
Thank you, General. I appreciate it. I hate when people judge games/movies/etc. just by another persons opinions. We all have different tastes. I mean, I’ve done alt of Unleashed dissing, but, I’m still giving it a chance. I thought I’d hate ZG, but, had some fun with it. I normaly enjoy most Sonic games, and look past a few far exagerated faults. So, guys, do everyone a favor, and rent a game before fully judging it. Thank you.
I’m glad you see my point, SJL.
SJL? That’s a new one… -.-;
SLJCOAAATR / Soul and Soap Scum:you two make very good points,renting a Sonic game and then say their opinions is something fans should do more(and so should i too instead of mostly doing the opposite).
Ever since Shadow i have almost always rent a new Sonic game and see if i like it or not. Same thing with Chronicles,i rented it a few days after it was released and didn’t listen to any other reviewers and their opinions. I was having a fun time with Chronicles and then i bought it and was enjoying it even more despite its biggest problems.
Good for you, Rob! I always do ignore reviewers until I’ve played a game too. I’m worried that they may change my mind. Though, I usualy get a Sonic game as soon as it comes out. Chronicles wasn’t the case. My Gamestop was too lazy to give my pre-order, and thus everyday, for four days, I had to back yelling at them to open the box saying Sonic Chronicles that was on the floor.
Thanks you so much Robert. I’m glad you see our point! I feel like I accomplished something this weekend! ^^
I would give this Game a more posetive review. The game is awsome! I think it’s wrong to listen to reweivs. Ok, if the game have two levels and it’s very easy you should listen to a reveiw. I would give this game 8 out of 10! But if you only play games wih war and blood you won’t like this game. XD
i think this game is a very good game, even with all the minor problems.There are a couple things that i hate about this game though. First, i didn’t get omega and now i never will! next, after you beat ix, you can’t continue that file because it immediatly makes you start a new game! you can save that game to a different, but if you go to your completed file you have to start from the last time you saved! you can’t just continue your old file and roam around to get all the chao eggs and rings you missed.
I actually found it entertaining. It made full use of the touch screen, conversations were hilarious, overall it wasn’t bad for Bioware’s first attempt at a handheld. Even for the DS no less.
I rather liked the game. It was a pretty good “introductory RPG” for those new to the genre. No grinding, anime styling, or anything else that might scare off someone new to RPG’s.
I got used to the POW move touch screen thing, but it was annoying because my character could be completely KO’d, or my expensive attack could fail if I wasn’t paying attention and missed the cues.
I do agree that it felt unfinished, what with the MIDI-type music, crappy sounds, and weird models.
Also, I was really mad that BioWare couldn’t have done what they did for KOTOR and Mass Effect, with good conversation branches. The different response options did absolutely nothing, having zero effect on Sonic’s relationship with other characters or the plot. And I, unlike a lot of retro purists, like seeing an interesting plot and character developments in a Sonic game. The plot really wasn’t too bad, but it could have been much better. And the “cutscenes” were just embarrassing.
And it was really annoying sticking a character in your party because you remember that he has a certain power, only to realize that he only has a Level 2 version of the power, and then you have to go all the way back to your ship to get a character with a Level 3 power. Speaking of your party, I hated how they forced you to have certain characters just because they have a certain power, but are generally useless otherwise (Cream and Big for example, when you could have a much better character like Omega.)
And the puzzles seemed kind of under-developed, and could have been pulled off better. Despite all these complaints, I did enjoy the game. It actually got pretty addicting after a while.