Preview
When it was learned that a Sonic RPG for the Nintendo DS was in development, more
than a few gamers scratched their heads on how a speedy platformer mascot could
possibly handle in the usually slow turn-based world of RPGs. Immediately, gamers
were skeptical of the notion considering the long-line of sub-par Sonic games of
recent years (I'm eyeing you, Sonic '06!). However, everybody became a bit hopeful
when they learned that RPG developer extraordinaire BioWare was helming the difficult
task of returning Sonic to his former glory.
With a track record of exactly zero bad games, BioWare, releasing hit after hit,
makes sense. If the internal studio is exhausted in trying to revitalize its fan-
favorite mascot, then outsource the development to visionaries who can make you care
about the blue blur and hits pals once again (though Sega has since shown Sonic
Unleashed, an in-house revisioning of the 3D Sonic game). If you think there's no
way you could give a damn about Big, Amy, or any one of Sonic's furry friends,
BioWare thinks you will! They're betting on Sonic Chronicles' story to tie everything
together in the massive Sonic-verse and make sense out of it all.
Whether we end up really caring about Big or not is yet to be seen, but I'm
particularly looking forward to trying out the exploration. The first half of The
Dark Brotherhood takes place with the familiar areas of Sonic's past games like Green Hill Zone to the alternate dimension BioWare has built for the second half. Here, we meet a new character, Shade, a female looking cyborg-furry-thing. With the Chaos Emeralds mysteriously disappearing, the Master Emerald in trouble, and Knuckles missing, our protagonists set off to make everything right.
Game play is split up in two forms: exploration and battle. If you have played a
Japanese-style RPG then you'll immediately understand this concept. You roam around
and explore field maps where you then run into numerous turn-based battles with menus
to select your battle options. One way The Dark Brotherhood separates itself from other RPGs is through BioWare's trademark dialog options. You'll be able to respond to other characters via on-screen options that change the outcome of how others react to you and possibly alter the outcome of many events, not unlike Knights of the Old Republic or the more recent Mass Effect.
So far the list of playable characters is as
follows:
Sonic
Tails
Knuckles
Shadow
Big
Rouge
Amy
Each character has his or her own special attacks that can be used with the FP
(Fatigue Points), similar to skill or magic points. Additionally, the player can take multiple characters in the battles to do special team-up attacks. I'm going to go ahead and assume that there will be some nasty baddies who will do this to your team as well.
Hypothesis: What I'm wondering is what kind of options are available to the player to
heal Sonic and friends? I'm not sure I'd like to see "Tails casts Heal LV1" pop up on
the screen. One could infer that we'll have healing items and that would make sense
although I'm assuming healing characters will fit into the FP system as special
moves.
With a team of 30-plus and a track record of AAA games, Sonic seems to be headed in
the right direction for the first time since his Dreamcast days. It seems as if 2008
is the year of Sonic. Stay tuned for more information on the exciting Sonic
Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. We'll be updating this very page as information
rolls in.
Yusaku
