BioWare’s reputation is built on the success of its beloved RPGs, from the sci-fi saga ofMass Effectto the fantasy world ofDragon Age.Sega, meanwhile, is known in large part forSonic the Hedgehog,which has provided a high-speed take on platforming since the early 1990s. As disparate as these known works and studios are, they did unite once. Those who owned a Nintendo DS in the late 2000s might rememberSonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood,a turn-based RPG developed by BioWare and published by Sega starring theSonic the Hedgehogcast.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhoodis an odd title in retrospect. It didn’t just takeSonic the Hedgehoginto a different genre; it was poised to become its own spin-off franchise of further collaborations between Sega and BioWare. It also involved quite a few characters who haven’t been seen in theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise since.The upcomingSonic Frontierssounds like it will be a little more experimental with theSonicformula, which makes now a great time to reflect on games likeSonic Chroniclesthat also tried something new with Sega’s iconic cast of characters.
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Sonic Chronicles' Plot and Gameplay
As with manySonicgames,Sonic Chroniclesrevolves around the Chaos Emeralds. When the Emeralds and Knuckles go missing, Sonic and Tails go searching for them. Aside from reuniting with Knuckles and eventually teaming up with others like Rouge the Bat and Dr. Eggman, Sonic and company discover a new echidna called Shade from another reality called the Twilight Cage. This world contains a lost society of echidnas called the Nocturnus Clan, as well as a villainous leader named Imperator Ix who wants to conquer Earth. Sonic reclaims the Chaos Emeralds and defeats Ix, only to learn that Eggman has taken power again in the team’s absence, ending the game on a cliffhanger.
Like many Nintendo DS games,Sonic Chroniclesmakes heavy use of the touch screen; players explore and interact with the world using it. While exploring, players have to solve puzzles using each playable character’s unique abilities, from flight to climbing. Turn-based combat is a core component ofSonic Chronicles.Each character has special attacks called POW Moves that spend POW Points and become more powerful if players tap the screen appropriately. Team members can also team up for even stronger special attacks.
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Experimenting with the Sonic Formula
Sonic Chronicleswasn’t met with acclaim across the board, but critics still noted that Sonic did well in the RPG formula. Unfortunately, there’s probably no hope for aSonic Chroniclessaga. Shortly after the game’s release, Sega was sued bySonic the Hedgehogcomic writer Ken Penders, who claimed the Nocturnus Clan infringed upon his copyright for the Dark Legion, a similar echidna-related group that he’d created in the comics. That means although Shade the Echidna has earned some fans, she andthe rest ofSonic Chronicles' new charactersprobably don’t have a future.
Still, even ifSonic Chroniclesas a series is lost to time, Sega’s willingness to try something new in this entry is valuable. With its “open-zone” design and mysterious new setting,Sonic Frontierschannels the spirit ofSonic Chronicleswithout necessarily using its story or mechanics.Sonic the Hedgehoghas seen plenty of gameswith experimental mechanics in the past, butSonic Frontiershas the potential to be something totally unique.Even if Sega and BioWare’sSonicforay is a thing of the past, Sega can still harness the principles behind that game to power the franchise’s next ventures.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhoodreleased in 2008 for the Nintendo DS.
