Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Posted 4 years ago By - Brian Edey

When BioWare and Sega announced they were teaming up to work on a Sonic Role Playing Game, I can honestly say I was very excited. Being a huge BioWare fan for many years, I knew this was a great match up with a lot of possibility. Finally the game was released and while it was not exactly like I expected it, the game is more Japanese or turn based in its roots then I would have hoped the actual gameplay is solid with some great innovations and that BioWare story we have known for years.

Sonic and his group of friends must work together to find Knuckles who has gone missing, but there is more going on then just their friend disappearing. There is a great threat to their entire world and this is where Sonic and his friends must truly band together and travel to strange places to save their home. The game is a bit cliché and starts out slow, but after a couple of hours the game pulls you in and you become truly part of the Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood experience.


BioWare has been one of the kings of the Western Role Playing Game since Baldur’s Gate first graced out PC. So it was not a big leap to think they would make Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood more of a Western Based Role Playing game then a Japanese Role Playing Game, but it seems BioWare has taken a new direction. The basics of Sonic Chronicles is a traditional turned based Japanese role playing game but with some added action elements such as sliding and hitting the touch screen at key moments when attacking or defending. Plus there are times when the enemy will run away and you must follow them and jump over obstacles by tapping the character before they hit the box and become slowed down by it and the bad guys get away.

Unlike BioWare’s other games, Sonic Chronicles is also more linear then we expected but it is so well done with the story pulling you along and the action moments the game should appeal to both Western and Japanese Role Playing Gamers.

Sonic and his friends are not just limited to some basic attacks, but they can use POW attacks which are part of the action moments I talked about above. As you level, there are chances to buy new POW attacks which can be used in combat. You can not use these POW attacks all of the time, but only if you have enough action points, which can be gained by items or by using Chao, little beasties who can be bonded with your characters for special ability boosts. Now with the POW attacks you have to pay attention especially when you have multiple characters using them because as you use the POW attack you must slide and tap the screen in certain positions very quickly and accurately to dish out top damage.

Graphically the game is every bit a Sonic game, with the bright colors and key level design choices you will recognize from the other Sonic titles. There are plenty of big loops and curvy tracks which add to the entire experience. The characters you play with such as Sonic and Tails as well as the ones you fight the robots and even the basic animals you will fight are all designed well and animated very well. The game is done so well graphically, and even if you did not know you were going to look at a Sonic Role Playing Game, you could just see a couple of screens and easily see that the game is a Sonic game through and through.

Audio wise the game is good and mediocre, with some of the audio being very good for general sound effects but I found the music to be almost scratchy with too much bass. So the music comes across as distorted, but I have to wonder if this is more of my DS speakers then the game, since the rest of the audio sounds so good. But what I do hear from the music is good and is classic Sonic for every situation from running around to full battles.


While the game is linear in nature, there is no real reason to replay the game unless you are one of those gamers who can replay linear games over and over again.

If you like BioWare, Sonic or RPG’s you will find this game worth while and enjoyable. It is well worth buying for your game collection and hopefully this is the start of more BioWare handheld games. Mass Effect? Jade Empire? Knights of the Old Republic? Baldur’s Gate?

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