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Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a new look for Sonic, especially since the game takes one of the fastest video game icons and stuffs him into what is probably one of the slowest genres.
Sonic Chronicles follows a brand-new Bioware-penned plot that manages to work its way into the already existing Sonic universe (well, the games anyway). Of course, this also means that Sonic’s friends are also along for the ride, but Bioware seems intent on making sure characters serve some purpose beyond adding another level type. Similar to other Bioware games, you’ll be able to choose from a number of party members who each bring something new to the party. For instance, Knuckles can climb and smash through rocks, while Shadow teleports. Each of these abilities is activated via the touch screen and, as your characters level up, their special abilities will become more powerful.
Although Sonic Chronicles is an RPG, Bioware is also adding a bit of Sonic’s trademark speed to the game. Some areas will feature loops that Sonic can dash through and combat is based completely around speed. During a turn, characters can perform a number of actions based on how fast they are. In other words, Tails can perform two actions per turn, while Sonic can perform three. In addition to normal attack moves, characters can also perform POW moves, which are the game’s equivalent to magic. The trick to POW moves is that you must perform a series of touch-based actions, like quickly sliding the stylus across the screen, in order to cast them.
Characters can also equip Chaos, which act as equipment for each character. They can do anything from upping a character’s attack power to increasing their speed. The cool thing about Chaos are that the longer a character has one equipped, the greater the bond between the two – increasing the benefits and possibly unlocking new powers.
A Sonic RPG may still sound like an odd pairing, but it didn’t hurt for Mario. Besides, with Bioware at the helm, you know you’re up for something good. |
