Release Date: Out Now
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Bioware

Age Rating: 7+

It was only a short while ago that FastFeet Media were given an exclusive chance to play test Chronicles (Read about it here) and we left with very high hopes for Chronicles. Recently Sonic the Hedgehog’s portable outings have been met with warm welcomes throughout the gaming community. Take for example Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure; both these titles have received very high scores all round due to the fact that both games somewhat brought traditional elements back to the series by keeping the gameplay largely 2D.

Sonic Chronicles is Sonics latest adventure on the DS and initially it shows a lot of promise due to the fact that Chronicles is the first ever Sonic the Hedgehog RPG game. It’s also been crafted by renowned developer and huge Sonic fans Bioware, so what happens when you put Sonic, the RPG genre and Bioware together? Sonic Chronicles begins after Sonic returns from one of his many holidays (which no doubt started after the end of the last game!) to discover that Green Hill Zone is looking a little out of character and that Knuckles has been kidnapped too. Initially everyone suspects Eggman of course but it doesn’t take long to find out there is another villain behind all of this.

The story behind the entire game is a well written one and certainly adheres to the needs of Sonic fans, I won’t spoil it but Chronicles certainly feels like a missing chapter from the Sonic series. In order to control the game all you will need is your DS stylus as the game is entirely touch screen controlled. Essentially the gameplay behind Chronicles consists of exploring environments, discussion between characters and battles like any good RPG. Environments are quite large and take some time to fully explore as you’ll encounter crates, chao eggs, enemies and even people in need of a helping hand, they might even reward you with a special something too. Locations both old and new have been implemented into the game not only have they been well made but they tend to fit it quite nicely with the story as well.

Throughout the game you’ll need to talk to several of Sonics friends to figure out what to do next. The game has received notable criticism regarding the lack of voice acting in the game which I completely disagree with, for a start most RPG’s tend to work very well when accompanied by written dialogue as opposed to spoken. You don’t miss anything and a lot of players tend to dislike the voices used in Sonid games anyway.

Sonic games since they were introduced in Sonic Adventure. Above all it makes way for an excellent opportunity to throw in multiple choices when talking to other characters, admittedly it doesn’t change your path throughout the game but can provide you with some very useful information or back story from the series that you wouldn’t have known otherwise. But whilst walking and talking are important to progress through the game the battles are at the core of the gameplay.

To defeat enemies Bioware have equipped each character with their own unique attack as well as a set of ‘POW moves’, essentially your special moves that will really send your enemies running. POW moves are obtained by levelling up and then purchasing them. Without POW moves you’ll struggle your way through the game so it pays off to know which ones work best. POW moves also make use of the DS’s touch screen requiring you to use the stylus to follow sequenced moves in order to inflict as much damage as possible on your foe; this is a commendable feature for an RPG and certainly works better than leaving it up to the AI to decide how much damage is inflicted.

Of course you always have the option of defence and the option to use items to your benefit, from items to boost your HP and PP (POW) points to items to boost your attack strength temporarily. The only thing that could have been emphasised more in battles is the use of elements, which is quite a heavily used theme in almost every RPG. There are enemies that are weak to fire or earth attacks for example but it seems to make so little difference it doesn’t seem worth using any elemental attacks. If the battle takes a turn for the worse you always have a last resort in a RPG game: run. If anything that’s what Sonic is good at, so you have the option to flee most of the time in battles.

Rather than just leg it, Bioware have added a mini game each time you decide to flee your party will run in the opposite direction and avoid getting caught by the enemy, again this is an excellent adaption of RPG traditions. So where do the chao come into the game? Well this time they actually have a good use instead of being cute and generally useless; by equipping characters with chao before a battle they will assist your progress by replenishing health or POW points for example at the end of every round whilst in battle.

But of course there are a lot of different chao to collect throughout the game so their effects can vary. This is just one of the ways Chronicles has merged the RPG genre with the Sonic series and it works out quite nicely. Moving onto the sound used in the game it is one of my favourite things used in the game. It seems that around 50% of the music has been originally composed, whilst the other 50% has been drafted in from previous games. If you’re a Sonic fan you’ll just melt with pleasure when you hear the soundtrack, they’ve used the right tracks in the right places and all carry a slight remix of the original.

Overall it provides a good mix of electronica, rock and techno throughout the game and makes very comfortable listening when playing the game. Whilst the music is good the sound effects are equally satisfying. Many sounds have been originally crafted whilst a lot of sound effects make a welcome return; one which really stuck out was a sound effect from the original Sonic the Hedgehogs special stage, surprisingly that hasn’t been used since the original! The only thing that frustrates me about the audio is the quality.

I know this is running off of a Nintendo DS but surely if we can get the likes of the Sonic Rush games sounding awesome why not with Chronicles? Overall the effort and use of music involved is top notch, it’s just a shame the music lacks quality in places. Sonic Chronicles throws in a mix of visuals. The main gameplay is always provided in reasonable rendered 3D models whilst some environments, cut scenes, FMV’s and other areas such as dialogue sit within their 2D boundaries.

Overall it’s a nice mix; you’ll always be playing the game in 3D in some form or another and the game is always a visual treat, especially when you consider how much of Sonics world they have had to create, I was certainly quite impressed by the effort that has gone into the detail. But again, like the sound the graphics could have done with looking less grainy in places along with say a higher polygon count in the models. So it’s not all good but the one thing that will surely not disappoint is the artwork used in the game, it’s always looked good in previous games but Bioware have outdone themselves.

Artwork is used to represent the chapters in the game as well as the animated comic book style cut scenes that are used briefly but add that all important extra polish. But whilst most people playing an RPG game will expect the game to last up to a good 30 – 40 hours’ worth of gameplay, Chronicles falls short of this. Whilst the game does have several redeemable elements such as the chao garden, POW moves, inventories and several side quests to plough through the main story could have been a bit longer. Between the story and the RPG elements in the game there’s certainly a lot to keep you interested but once it’s completed its quite unlikely you’ll want to go back and play the entire thing again. Sonic Chronicles could have had quite a bit of potential for multiplayer options and although the game does allow you to make use of the Wi Fi connection by trading chaos, there could have been the option of playing through the game online as a party, now that would have been quite interesting.

But perhaps it’s still a little early for DS games to be including options like these right now, something to improve upon in the future maybe? From what I was expecting of Sonic Chronicles this is an excellent attempt at a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG. Chronicles is a neatly balanced and enjoyable experience to play; although Sonic fans will love this game to bits other gamers may not take to it as easily.

Whilst there are some nice adaptions of traditional RPG elements, some have been completely overlooked. Consider this an RPG for beginners with a spiky twist if you will, but the one thing which has made Chronicles a truly great game is the story and the use of the gameplay. Both items tie in with each other really well and it has been a long time since a Sonic game has had a well written story, why couldn’t have Sonic Team done this? Overall Chronicles is a little rough around the edges but by no means does that make it a bad game, this is another title which will sit very comfortably in Sonic the Hedgehogs portfolio.

Gameplay: 90%
Graphics: 82%
Sound: 86%
Longevity: 75%

FastFeet Media Rating: 85%