Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Review

A review of the first and only Sonic RPG game. Rank will be posted at the end.

Summary:

 Although it can be tedious (especially in the beginning), this DS game proves interesting and entertaining.

Gameplay

• Yeah, not a fan. 
• Most of the game centers around battles that are hard to get the hang of. The biggest problem is the touch screen, I believe, because if the moves are not copied exactly, they don't have any weight. And the DS touch-screen isn't that good to begin with. I'm guessing it's impossible without a stylist.  
• I also think the "touch it like this and follow it like this" instructions are misleading. 
• In the beginning of the story, these fights are really annoying and tiresome. It's better towards the end, when the characters have more stats and better, POW-restoring chao. It can actually be fun, and the POW moves are cool, too. However I prefer the fights in Sonic Battle because they were straight-forward and not as lengthy.
• In some cases, the player has the chance to run. This is also annoying. If I don't want to fight, I should be able to opt out without wasting time and health. It's a little demeaning too, isn't it? But the enemies are so hard to avoid, it's the only way out of a fight. 
• There is nothing cool about it; it's running away and jumping over boxes.     
• I liked exploring the map (getting rings, etc), but at some points the depth was confusing. This was aided by the annoyingly constant population of enemies roaming the area, trying to start a fight. With less enemies, this could have been a lot better.         

Characters and Dialogue

• Sonic
• The player has the option of choosing how Sonic talks, which is an amusing feature that can result in different outcomes. 
• Although this is a neat feature and he has a fast dash, Sonic's attacks and defense seem rather weak for being the main, constant character. 
• Amy
• I think it's pretty cool that Sonic can either develop his relationship with Amy or completely reject her. 
• Rouge
• Rouge is the real star of this game. Not in gameplay--her words. Sarcastic, flirtatious, and brutally honest, Rouge's comments are priceless.   
• Tails
• Tails has grown up a little, but he still seems naive. 
• I feel like most of Tails' moves are worthless and it's kind of annoying how main of a character he is.  
• Big
• Big's comments are randomly funny. 
• His gameplay is probably better than his other appearances, but...
• NORTON. 
• I tracked down, what? Three random frogs... 
• Knuckles
• Knuckles makes a great entrance. Although the beginning revolved around rescuing him, Knuckles was prepared to rescue himself. 
• Knux is alright, but even though this is supposed to be a big game for him, he feels kinda' bland.  
• Cream (optional)
• Cream is a nice addition. Literally, she acts nice, as usual. 
• At first I thought her moves were worthless, but I found that they're very valuable and that she's the best support character. 
• Eggman
• I don't think anyone (save Tails) bought the whole "I'm reformed" act, so I wish they would have focused more on "the Muraders are more important." 
• Shadow
• Like with Knux, I kinda' expected more from Shadow. It was nice to hear how he cares about Omega, though.  
• Omega (optional)
• Similar to Knux, Omega is first "missing," and like the Echidna he makes it clear he's up for a fight. A move for the better, Omega's destructive personality is enhanced.  
• Shade
• The new character, Shade, has often been associated with "Juli-Su." Not that I know a lot about Juli-su anyway, but Shade seems more like a copy off of Blaze--at least personality-wise. Although she doesn't seem to be an introvert like lone-cat, Blaze, both are calm and respectful when they speak unless threatened. Shade also shares similarities Shadow, and her tough side with Knuckles. Overall Shade was a interesting mix of those characters, and it would be cool to see her again (but we likely never will).  
• The Leech Blade was an cool weapon, and her armored outfit and echidna design is unique.      
• Imperior IX
• Eh, he's kinda' lame. Like the Erazor Djinn, he think's he's all that and then pays for it. Not especially unique. 
• Other
• It would have been nice to see more of the Marauder's point of view. Were they mislead, like Shade, or are they just as malicious?
• The aliens and the whole "Twilight Cage" history was fascinating. 
• Pirates were also funny and made sense...sort of. 

Plot

• Early Chapters
• It starts rather slow despite an interesting premise. 
• I like the amount of characters, even the non-playable ones like the Commander. 
• However the "quests" or "side-missions" are disappointing.  
• Middle Chapters 
• Adding in more characters made the plot stronger without overwhelming it, but some feel used more than others. 
• The story picks up a bit in Metropolis and on Angel Island. 
• I feel like there should be more of a warning before going on to the other zones, but, well, there is a warning...
• More Middle Chapters
• I feel like things really heat up once the group crashes in the Twilight Cage.
• I like the background behind the aliens and how they all have to work together. It reminds me of Star Trek. 
• The missions slightly better.  
• Saving the game is important, though, because sometimes there's not a warning before a fight, and with the Kron and Zoah, things could get nasty.  
• Ending Chapters
• It felt like a lot of build up, so Super Sonic is a relief. 
• The story ends on a never resolved cliffhanger, and it's a real shame. 
• In Total
• Matching the RPG style, the Story was as fast or as complex as it could be. I personally found the background info fascinating. I wish there were more opportunities for the characters to talk to each other, though. 
• I can see this game being set later because of characters acting more mature.
• Although the whole "more echidna" plot is a big part of the game, it didn't felt like there was a lot more to it than that. For most of the game, even after Shade's reveal, the Marauders simply stay hidden behind amour, not that different from a robot.  

Music/Sound Effects

• Music
• I enjoyed the remixes that played in the different zones. 
• The battle music/running music/etc got annoying fast.
• Sound Effects
• I liked the inclusion of "Classic Sonic" sound effects, like the jump for example. 
• However the rest SUCKED. Generic, annoying, and I'm not sure what those voice-grunts were, but that's not the usual cast. They were the same for every character, too. Couldn't they have reused from Sonic Rush or Rivals or something? 

Graphic/Design

yikes

• I liked the art work and even the backgrounds. The little cutscenes were simple but good for a DS game I suppose. 
• The 3-D characters were ugly and not that great. 
• The attack's animation was fine, though. 

Final Thoughts

• The similarities with the comics don't seem that bad or obvious to me. I'm really not an expert on that stage of the comics, so it's hard to judge. But I don't think anyone was planning to "steal" the story, just reference it. If Penders wanted credit for creating or inspiring certain characters, that's one thing. Wanting to own and get paid for characters/stories created under licensed material is something else. And, yes, the lawsuit devastated the comics. But no one seems to remember it ruined the chance for a Sonic Chronicles sequel. 
• I think a sequel could have been good. A chance to fix the mistakes. They could have resolved it in a quick comic, at least.  
• Honestly, they could use Silver or the Chaos Emeralds instead of bringing back the Twilight Cage/Argus mystery. Then they could have Shade and resolve the cliffhanger without even mentioning the marauders, but it sounds like they are afraid of Penders. 
• And it's not like the comics didn't take inspiration from other things. The Twilight Cage is a similar to/a "copy" of the comic's "Twilight Zone," yet just look at that name. Rod Sterling, anyone?      
• And now, ten years later, sadly I think the Chronicles are gone for good. It didn't deserve that. 

Final Ranking (S is the best, F is the worst): C

The characters and story make this game very likable, but the gameplay does not.