Sonic Chronicles proves that even Sonic can make a good RPG, and that BioWare games are just as amazing on handhelds.
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Sonic Chronicles is the latest title from Canadian developer BioWare, most known for the wildly popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate franchise. So far, the developer has only created for PC and Microsoft platforms, with this title being their first foray into the handheld market. It's a strange concept to be sure, but it's nothing Mario hasn't done, and this game itself is a love letter to that series.
Gameplay: 9/10
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Being a generally action RPG-based developer, it was quite surprising to see BioWare opt for a turn-based system in their first handheld RPG. It was a sound choice, however, as this game's battles are truly fun. Like a typical turn-based game, outcomes are determined by the game's 4 base stats: Speed, Attack, Defense, and Luck(Critical Hit chance), which increase with every level, and you're also given a bonus point to distribute as well. Speed and attack tend to play the biggest role in most fights, as most tend to last less than 3 rounds, and speed actually determines how many actions a character gets to perform per round. Sonic is the fastest character, as he should be, and gets the advantage of being able to act 3 times right from the get-go, while more rounded characters like Tails and Knuckles get to act twice, and slow characters like Big and Omega get to act only once. However, each character has their own unique strengths to make up for any short-comings, specifically in the games "POW" moves, which are similar to any other RPG's magic or special moves. These moves are performed by tapping and sliding the stylus across the screen in a specific motions, making the style very similar to Super Mario RPG. However, these gestures are a bit more important than the "timed hits" and doing them wrong could possibly result in the failure to pull off a critical defense or healing move. This produces a more action packed turn-based system, that keeps the otherwise traditional fights from getting old. These moves are bought upon level up, with points you receive, you can also upgrade them 2 times, with level 1 costing 5, 2 costing 10, and 3 costing 15. Some may say that the tapping may get old, but I myself found it rather welcome that BioWare tried to make it so you weren't just watching the action. If you are having trouble with fights, they've given the player Chao that can "bond" with a character to augment the way they handle themselves in battle. For instance, if you can't just consistently pull off Cream's healing moves, then you can stick a Chao named Ferox on her, which makes all POW moves succeed without having to do the gestures. Other chao can increase damage, resistance, and luck, as well as unique effects such as boosting XP earned and giving you more items at the end of every battle.
The game also does away with the generally bland dungeons of most RPGs, and replaces them with "zones". Each zone is littered with plenty of rings(the game's currency) and Chao eggs to collect, and some require some critical thinking to grab. There are also plentiful puzzles throughout that game, that require you to use all 4 of your party members solve. These little touches made exploring these areas fun, and I found myself trying to get everything before moving on to the next.
Music: 7/10
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The music in the game, for the most part, is something you won't right home about. Some of the songs, however, stand out because they're remixes of recognizable songs in the Sonic universe such as: the final boss music from Sonic 3, Panic Puppet Zone(Sonic 3D Blast Saturn), and Tidal Tempest from Sonic CD. The battle music is also enjoyable, but most of the other songs are forgettable.
Story: 10/10
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A Sonic game...having a good story? I know, it's hard to believe, but it's mostly due to BioWare's excellent writing. The story isn't anything special by itself, but the developer injects plenty of their typical charm into the writing, and even make most of the newly added characters to be somehow tolerable. Shadow's quit being emo, and even Amy isn't annoying, which is somewhat terrifying, but welcome none-the less. The only character they couldn't fix was Big, but they thankfully don't give him much dialog. The best part about the writing, however, is how they FINALLY made Dr. Eggman a villain again. Instead of helping Sonic for kicks, he does it for his own benefit, and shows no intention of ever being "good" throughout the time you interact with him. One memorable line is when he mentions how a town isn't the same after he's terrorized it twice, and another would be him being disappointed in being unable to horribly maim the Marauders. Speaking of the Marauders, they play the role of antagonist well, unlike past Sonic non-Eggman villains, and they provide BioWare the chance to insert their typical Sci-Fi flavorings, which actually don't feel out of the place in the least. It might seem odd run into aliens in a Sonic game, but BioWare fits everything into the game well, and even throws in a few things for fans. One such involves a certain food item that Sonic loved eating in the cartoons.
Graphics: 9/10
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Make no mistake, this game is very pretty. Every background is hand drawn, heralding back to the days of PSX RPGs, and all the character models are well-rendered. The animation in battle is also solid, with each enemy and character having their own specific attack and defense animations.
Controls: 8.5/10
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The game is completely stylus controlled, and they work very well for the most part. POW moves are pretty easy to pull off, and it's easy to move Sonic around the map. The only problem comes from chasing enemies that run away, or running away yourself. You have to tap characters to make them jump over boxes, and the placement of these makes it hard to keep up sometimes.
Fun Factor/Replayability: 9/10
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The game was a blast to play, and I've already started on another play through. The battles are a blast due to the more frantic nature, due to POW moves and POW move blocking(which is done with stylus prompts as well), and the zones are fun to explore. The game even provides you with a new game plus after you finish.
Overall(not an average): 9/10
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I'm really surprised how the game turned out. I expected it to be at least decent, but never actually expected it to be AMAZING, even if it was coming from BioWare. It just goes to show that anything can make a good RPG, but we really should've known that once we saw Mario doing it. BioWare took a dash of Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, and their own games to make something truly enjoyable. Here's hoping there's a sequel.