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. ninja_dolphin
    Feb 6, 2013
    7
    A weird game that I am surprised I enjoyed as much as I did. It plays entirely with touch controls and this works pretty well. The battles are performed by doing rhythm game style timing challenges, which is fun if a little repetitive. The game isn't challenging when compared to RPGs like final fantasy but it is a great introductory game to the genre. The story is pretty forgettable but IA weird game that I am surprised I enjoyed as much as I did. It plays entirely with touch controls and this works pretty well. The battles are performed by doing rhythm game style timing challenges, which is fun if a little repetitive. The game isn't challenging when compared to RPGs like final fantasy but it is a great introductory game to the genre. The story is pretty forgettable but I did like that they managed to put all the annoying sonic characters like big the cat in the game without them being infuriating. The graphics are pretty decent with some nice hand drawn areas and decent character models. Overall though it's a game which I feel needs a sequel a this game has so much untouched potential, and there is a massive cliffhanger at the end.… Expand
  2. JenJen387
    Jun 13, 2013
    7
    The story was okay. I appreciate the option to choose responses and chao. I enjoy some of the humor including omega and meat bags. I probably laughed more than I should have. The idea of the making is pretty original. This game introduces Shade who I think should at least become a supporting character in future games or episodes of Sonic. Also, the cliffhanger got me pretty convinced thereThe story was okay. I appreciate the option to choose responses and chao. I enjoy some of the humor including omega and meat bags. I probably laughed more than I should have. The idea of the making is pretty original. This game introduces Shade who I think should at least become a supporting character in future games or episodes of Sonic. Also, the cliffhanger got me pretty convinced there was gonna be a sequel but sadly, there isn't, although if there was I would buy it. I've gotta admit, enemies can be really irritating. The games a bit too linear, resetting pow moves when replaying suck, and multiplayer options stink. Looking back, I don't know why I replayed the game so many times, but I guess I'll give them that. It was a decent rpg game. Though I wouldn't recommend it. There are better Sonic/rpg's out there.… Expand
  3. GTKatz
    Mar 29, 2014
    6
    I can't help but want to like this game. Note I said "want to like", but the truth is, this game really was a mixed bag for me. To keep it simple, I'll list the pros and cons that I believe hold the game back.
    Pros
    - Story and script. Whether canon or not, I don't care, but the story does have interesting moments and follows through with its narrative pretty fairly. Mind you, the premise    I can't help but want to like this game. Note I said "want to like", but the truth is, this game really was a mixed bag for me. To keep it simple, I'll list the pros and cons that I believe hold the game back.
    Pros
    - Story and script. Whether canon or not, I don't care, but the story does have interesting moments and follows through with its narrative pretty fairly. Mind you, the premise is a bit hackneyed, but this is Sonic, tropes in the franchise have been to death, often by the desire of fans, so no big deal.
    - Art Style. At first, I wasn't too keen on the art style Sonic Chronicles had, but as I played, and eventually got into the later game acts, the design choices began to make more aesthetic sense to me. The character designs and backdrops were nicely rendered, and meshed well with the cartoony feel the game was going for.
    - Conversational Freedom. The fact that you could make Sonic reply to people's statements in either a passive, aggressive, sarcastic, or crass manner made me smile. And with BioWare aware of this trend in RPGs, I was glad it was implemented as it adds to the story, not to mention the interaction between the characters.
    - Characters. This includes enemies and NPCs. I enjoyed the fact there were a multitude of people to talk to, including other Sonic characters, such as GUN Commander and Vector.

    Cons
    - Sprite Textures. OMG were these things ugly. I mean, it'd be one thing to have used the models from Sonic R, which were simple polygons and well done for the hardware, or even to go full-on 2D sprites. First off, the models had this annoying charcoal grey outline that was, I guess, to look like a hard inked line seen in 2D artwork. Not to mention, the models were clunky and jarring. Simpler models or even 2D sprites would have sufficed.
    - Music. Central City theme and the battle music. Central City's theme, a detuned, broken down remix of Diamond Dust Zone for 3D Blast, was terrible in the sense it wasn't calming, it wasn't very town sounding, and seemed to be more fitting for an abandoned amusement park. The battle themes leave something to be desired, as much of them start to sound more and more similar as time goes on. Though the sound is very electronic and gritty, it almost feels as if there's no structure, no beat to get pumped for a fight. Now, not to try and compare it to Final Fantasy, but I will, which had the same intro for the first six games, all varied their own battle themes in some way or another so that they could be easily discernible from one another. It's not that I don't like that kind of music, as it seemed to have worked in the Adventure series, but it just doesn't feel right in the setting. Now in the chase scenes, it seemed more appropriate, but not in the battles, where so many are used to a driving bass riff to start off.
    - Platforming and QTEs. I'm sorry, but having to stop, tap the icon, and then perform the action just to reach a platform is ridiculous to me. But this wasn't just a flaw with Sonic Chronicles, many RPGs on the DS suffered this dilemma of relying on the touch screen for motion and platforming. Now if it were implemented well, then yeah, maybe, but no. It's jarring, it's ugly, and it just kills any pace any level of player has. Also, on a similar note, the quick-time events for battle, a nice idea, trying hard to utilize the concept Mario RPG started in 1995, but just falls short into aiding in delivering a enjoyable playing experience. How come? Because the actions become too complicated too quickly, and the fact it requires the utmost precision to perform, on a system damned for its imprecision. One pixel off, or two frames late, too bad, the action has failed. And thankfully, QTEs were only special attacks and chase scenes, because though I'd have liked to see Normal Attacks utilize QTEs for damage boosts, the way they were implemented here in Chronicles makes me glad they weren't.
    - Experience curve. Experience curve so sharp, even Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance is like, "Ouch." Instead of steadily diminishing with each level gained or just an increase in required EXP, what happens? After a level or two, an enemy that dropped 100 XP will then drop only 10 XP after the next level up. Understandably, there is a limited amount of levels to aspire to, but that doesn't mean there should be a sheer cliff or roller coaster ride with XP. Not to mention, most of the time you actually have to grind for a long while to just to increase a level, like an hour at some points.
    - Status Allocation. Not as loathed as some of the other cons, but still a negative feature overall, mostly just because it's poorly utilized. Even though the points are defined as to what they improve, the flexibility to improve a character in a general direction and terms are not accurate as to what they actually are. Your attack, defense, and special are improved automatically, and what you improve is your accuracy, evasion, and luck. RPGs are should be flexible. Period.    … Expand
  4. Sonicphoto
    Sep 15, 2010
    6
    Sonic Chronicles is perhaps the most disappointing sonic game I have played. Granted, as an RPG is not a bad game, but it doesn't offer a truly unique experience from the rest of the RPGs I have played. I like the fact that they included many characters of the franchise in the story, but I personally just see no reason to put Sonic the RPG realm. I still decided to check it out because itSonic Chronicles is perhaps the most disappointing sonic game I have played. Granted, as an RPG is not a bad game, but it doesn't offer a truly unique experience from the rest of the RPGs I have played. I like the fact that they included many characters of the franchise in the story, but I personally just see no reason to put Sonic the RPG realm. I still decided to check it out because it was made by Bioware, the creators of the great Knights of the Old Republic. But it looks like they are not so great working on portable games.Still, you should give it a rent and see if you can accept this new gameplay.… Expand
  5. ashketchum
    Jul 18, 2017
    7
    Sonic Chronicles. The first Sonic RPG game. Exclusively made for DS, it seems to be at least a little inspired by the Mario RPG series. Chronicles is actually a pretty good game. It has a wide selection of available characters, each with their own special movesets and types, that reflect their personalities and abilities seen in other Sonic games. Many of the abilities also use the DSSonic Chronicles. The first Sonic RPG game. Exclusively made for DS, it seems to be at least a little inspired by the Mario RPG series. Chronicles is actually a pretty good game. It has a wide selection of available characters, each with their own special movesets and types, that reflect their personalities and abilities seen in other Sonic games. Many of the abilities also use the DS touchpad pretty well. The story tries to be something more, but ends up a pretty standard story. However, the exploring sections are weak in comparison to the battles, as the worlds all have pretty similar layouts and overall designs, and felt uselessly long. Despite this, it's a game that has a lot of potential.… Expand
  6. Criti-Wise
    Jul 4, 2019
    6
    I'm pretty sure people into RPGs will find this as amusing because of the decent story and nice controls, but this doesn't feel like a Sonic game. This game just seemed so forgettable that I just don't bother picking it up to play anymore.
  7. E102Gamma
    Aug 8, 2023
    5
    This was my very first RPG. I've completed it three times since first getting it in middle school and it's fine. I'm no expert on RPGs so I won't talk about this for long. I don't remember the story very well as each playthrough lasted over the course of years taking frequent and long breaks along the way. The ending was very underwhelming and it did cause a series of legal battles for aThis was my very first RPG. I've completed it three times since first getting it in middle school and it's fine. I'm no expert on RPGs so I won't talk about this for long. I don't remember the story very well as each playthrough lasted over the course of years taking frequent and long breaks along the way. The ending was very underwhelming and it did cause a series of legal battles for a couple years so there's that.… Expand
  8. Kdog152
    Dec 19, 2022
    6
    Tbh, this game isn't bad. It can be fun at times, but most of the time, it's boring. Tue story is decent but the soundtrack is awful. I can't get over the fact that this is basically a Pokémon game, but with sonic instead and I'm not a big Pokémon fan. I do like how there are multiple playable characters though. However, I won't deny that there is still fun to have and I did enjoy it sometimes.

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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