Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

 DS
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Sep 30, 2008
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 128 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 128
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 128
  3. Negative: 29 out of 128
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  1. Luigibarqs
    Oct 28, 2010
    2
    As a major fan of RPG games and Sonic the Hedgehog I was expecting big things for this game, unfortunately, the game was a major disappointment to me. The RPG gameplay is very slow and rather repetitive, some enemies and playable characters are really unbalanced in comparison to others and can really break the game. Exploration is very limited and after you progress to certain points inAs a major fan of RPG games and Sonic the Hedgehog I was expecting big things for this game, unfortunately, the game was a major disappointment to me. The RPG gameplay is very slow and rather repetitive, some enemies and playable characters are really unbalanced in comparison to others and can really break the game. Exploration is very limited and after you progress to certain points in the game, you are unable to turn back and revisit those previous areas. The backgrounds and illustrations are nice to look at but the 3D character models are somewhat ugly. The story is decently written but it conflicts with many canon and non-canon Sonic storylines which can cause a large amount of confusion.The music is awful in my opinion because most of it is far below the DS's standards and sounds effects are somewhat poor quality at best. This game is filled with quite a few glitches such as getting into areas in the maps that you aren't supposed due to poor collision detection and some poorly programed fetch quest scripts than can duplicate your fetch quest items. The game to my knowledge can't be completed 100% to my knowledge due to certain Special Event Chaos being unobtainable. Overall, I was very disappointed with this game and due to its large number of flaws, I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone who is considering to buy it.… Expand
  2. Cale
    Dec 16, 2011
    1
    Normally, I'm not one for short reviews. I like being logical, creative and at least vaguely interesting. This game doesn't deserve a long review, because it's just plain awful. The controls are awful, owing completely to the fact that almost all of the DS's buttons weren't mapped at all. The battle system is one of the most monotonous and gimmicky I've ever had the displeasure of using,Normally, I'm not one for short reviews. I like being logical, creative and at least vaguely interesting. This game doesn't deserve a long review, because it's just plain awful. The controls are awful, owing completely to the fact that almost all of the DS's buttons weren't mapped at all. The battle system is one of the most monotonous and gimmicky I've ever had the displeasure of using, the worst of which lies in the chao things. They had to be made deliberately super-cute so that one wouldn't mind how annoying they are and yet an absolute necessity if you don't feel like grinding for an hour here and there. The pace seems completely off, fast where it should be slow and vice versa. The story popped in and out of canon so much I half expected to see Tails coming out as actually being female, or some other absurd plot twist that could serve as a reasonable starting point for some yiff comics. To me, only games that are legendary for being horrible such as "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" for NES or "E.T." for the Atari 2600 deserve a zero score. And if there's one thing nice I can say about this game, it is that it isn't quite that bad.… Expand
  3. David
    Feb 17, 2009
    0
    This game was the worst Sonic game I have played. RPGs are meant to be slow, and Sonic games are meant to be fast. The music was poor and the end was a ripoff.
  4. SonicUndergroun
    Nov 20, 2022
    0
    anyone responsible for this games development should be burned at the stake and/or kill themselves
  5. Aquaris475
    Jul 5, 2013
    3
    I was hyped when I first heard about a Sonic RPG. I thought it would be pretty cool, especially since it was being made by Bioware. but I had NO IDEA it would come out in this form. the story is probably one of the worst in the Sonic series. it feels like Bioware wanted to take a really bad Sonic fan fiction and turn it into a game. Heck, I’ve read Sonic fan fictions that I thought wereI was hyped when I first heard about a Sonic RPG. I thought it would be pretty cool, especially since it was being made by Bioware. but I had NO IDEA it would come out in this form. the story is probably one of the worst in the Sonic series. it feels like Bioware wanted to take a really bad Sonic fan fiction and turn it into a game. Heck, I’ve read Sonic fan fictions that I thought were miles better than this plot. the gameplay is very bland in this title. you constantly have to use the stylus in the game and it feels unnatural for a Sonic game. the combat can be downright annoying at times. the way the combat In this game is handled is seriously terrible, as you can't really plan what to do. when an attack or defense command is hit, that character must do that for each remaining turn, where items and POW moves take up one slot at a time. this makes the game seriously unbalanced with gameplay. the graphics are terrible. the character models look really clustered up, and don't fit in well with a 2D environment. the soundtrack is the absolute worst in the series, and worst part about the game. each track sounds distorted and annoying, and sounds like a terrible collection of 16-bit music. Overall, what can I say about Sonic Chronicles- the story sounds like poorly written fan fiction, the gameplay is unbalanced and unnatural, and the soundtrack will want you to turn off the game.… Expand
  6. ZXSth
    Mar 30, 2019
    1
    As a huge fan of both Sonic the Hedgehog and role-playing games, I was thrilled at the thought of playing a Sonic RPG published by Bioware. To say that both Sega and Bioware screwed the pooch here would be a gross understatement.

    I will briefly speak to the few things this game gets right, and say that I enjoyed the way this game solidified and defined the various characters in the    As a huge fan of both Sonic the Hedgehog and role-playing games, I was thrilled at the thought of playing a Sonic RPG published by Bioware. To say that both Sega and Bioware screwed the pooch here would be a gross understatement.

    I will briefly speak to the few things this game gets right, and say that I enjoyed the way this game solidified and defined the various characters in the Sonic franchise. While most are one-dimensional, it was wonderful to see them interacting in a slightly more interesting and complex way than in prior games. Foregoing voice acting, full-motion cutscenes and dynamic character models was a smart decision here, considering the laughably atrocious cutscenes and character interactions of many of the 3D Sonic games. As well, the story is marginally better than those of most Sonic games. Unfortunately, being better than those that came before it one way doesn't save this game from being a clunky, boring mess.

    Making use of the DS stylus mandatory is enough of a mistake for any game on the platform, but to punish the player for failing combos (the reasons why often seeming like the result of poor work on the part of the developers, rather than due to any error on the player's part) adds insult to injury. This would be off-putting enough on its own, but in addition, the music is uncharacteristically atrocious for a Sonic game, and the sound effects used in combat sound like stock effects ripped out of a game made a decade earlier. As if all these flaws weren't enough, dialogue choices have no direct consequences (as far as I could see, at least), and the environments look like grade-school construction paper collages.

    Both Sega and Bioware have proven that they are capable of so much more than this poor excuse for a video game. It is nothing less than an embarrassing stain upon the legacies of both companies, and even on a character with a legacy as messy as Sonic the Hedgehog's.

    Even if you're a hardcore Sonic fan, don't play this.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best DS Game of 2008
7
#7 Most Discussed DS Game of 2008
5
#5 Most Shared DS Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 55
  3. Negative: 0 out of 55
  1. 3DJuegos
    82
    At last, Sonic discovers the RPG games world in a title which disguises the blue hedgehog's universe with some of the best BioWare features. The result is probably one of the best Sonic videogames of the last years and an inevitable purchase for the fans.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer
    70
    Sonic Chronicles is undeniably a nice-looking game, and its slick presentation makes for an enticing experience to begin with. The longer you play, however, the more the cracks start to show, and what seemed like a potential minor classic is soon reduced to just "pretty good".
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Power
    80
    Sonic Chronicles may annoy you at times, but it certainly won't ever bore you. [Nov 2008, p.96]
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