GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 10/10/2008
- Released on: 09/30/2008
- Originally published on GameSpot: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (DS) Review
Sonic the Hedgehog might not be on the tip of your tongue when you think of role-playing games, but esteemed developer BioWare has blended the two in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Shallow fetch quests, an uninteresting plot, and a tiring battle system can leave you bored out of your mind at times, but the game capitalizes on the Sonic universe by including a variety of the franchise's famous characters and makes refreshing use of the touch screen.
BioWare has done a nice job utilizing series lore to re-create Sonic's world. The game opens with the rambunctious Sonic exploring a new land when Tails informs him that Knuckles has disappeared along with the chaos emeralds. Never one to pass up the action, Sonic embarks on a journey to locate Knuckles and collect those pesky emeralds. Along the way you'll meet up with such mainstays as Amy and Shadow, as well as experience BioWare's signature dialogue branches with a fresh Sonic twist. Regrettably, the storyline is distressingly dull and the dialogue options don't impact the gameplay, which is more than mildly disappointing.
Dark Brotherhood's gameplay is very player-friendly, making it a great introduction to the genre. The top screen houses a map marked with stage objectives while tutorials are activated for nearly every gameplay mechanic. Maneuvering Sonic is easily done by touching the screen a short distance in front of him and dragging the stylus to make Sonic run in that direction; however, the controls are slightly less responsive when you're trying to dodge opponents on the field. Those who expect to pair interesting objectives with the game's simplicity will be dissatisfied with its monotonous, effortless fetch quests; even the primary objectives are a cinch. They amount to nothing more than a handful of fights, a switch, and a boss encounter, leaving nothing but touch-screen mastery for a mild challenge.
Much of the gameplay is focused on traversing movement-based puzzles on the field; these puzzles require you to use character-specific movement abilities, like Tails' flight, which is perfect for crossing gaps. This encourages you to cycle through party members to access their different movement abilities; however, you can only do this at your base. This is highly frustrating because it's not always convenient for you to return to base just to exchange party members. You'll also make frequent trips back to base to restore your party because the limited coins you'll encounter on the field force you to conserve expensive healing items and save for gear. You should expect plenty of irksome backtracking in your quest for health points and coinage.
A unique battle system distinguishes Dark Brotherhood from its competition. Rather than utilize the stylus for just menu navigating or field maneuvering, the game incorporates touch-screen prompts for special power move attacks along with a healthy variety of power moves for maintaining interest. Each power move contains several prompt segments that have you tap or follow circles across the screen; and while the prompts initially feel a little strange, you'll quickly find yourself mastering the system. Additionally, enemies with elemental weaknesses add welcome complexity by emphasizing strategic play; you'll have to use the right elemental power moves against foes protected from certain elements.
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