Waking up at the crack of 12pm, I found something very interesting waiting for me on the Internet: according to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, there is a Sonic RPG, called Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, on the horizon for the Nintendo DS. From what videogame website and community NeoGAF summarized about Nintendo Power's article, the game takes after the same stylus-controlled adventure the Zelda: Phantom Hourglass showed us last year. Sonic RPG departs from Sonic's traditionally bright, well-defined graphics and goes for a more of a watercolor, hand-drawn effect. Bioware Corp., the same developer that brought Neverwinter Nights and the award-winning Mass Effect, will be producing the game. If Mass Effect was any indication of what Bioware can do, this will be a very interesting ride.
The gameplay combines several aspects of play from other games, but I think what surprises me the most (or maybe this isn't so surprising considering this is a handheld system) is the turn-based battle system. RPGs on pretty much every platform have moved away from traditional turn-based fighting because real-time fighting is considered to be more fun and taking advantage of the advanced gaming technologies we have now. Of course, in line with other gaming trends, there is more than one game genre intertwined with the game-play. Sonic RPG will have rhythm-based special attacks (think Elite Beat Agents or Ontamarama) and also team attacks (like in Crono Trigger), according to NeoGAF.
Eleven characters will be available for play, but so far, we've only had seven characters confirmed: Sonic, Tales, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Rouge, Shadow, and the Big Cat. Each character will have their own unique out-of-battle ability (for example, Tales can float over obstacles). You can have up to four characters at a time on your party, and choose which stats to increase when you level up. You can also buy and level up special attacks. Some instances in the game will call for you to split up the party to complete separate missions (always a fun, nerve-wracking RPG element).
And even though Sonic is transcending genres (as popular videogame characters often do), some aspects of the game are making sure he's still in touch with his roots: remixed classic Sonic tunes, the typical Act 1/Act 2 level set-up that hearkens back to the oldest of Sonic games, and Rings, which act not as an extra-life giver, but as money. By looking at the last screenshot below, you can see Sonic still has his super-speedy loop-the-loop abilities.
Not a whole lot is known about the storyline, but it does involve Sonic's archnemesis Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik), Knuckle's getting kidnapped and the 6 Chaos Emeralds going missing. What is particularly mysterious is that Eggman is not the main villain and there is a "twist on something between Sonic and Eggman that goes back to the earlier games." These hints make me think there might be some darker aspects to this Sonic storlyline, especially since the second half of levels "take part in a darker world."
If there ever was a time to get excited about a Sonic game released since the 90s, this is it (because let's face it, those 3D Sonic adventures with awkward hedgehog voiceovers just don't cut it). There are some really interesting elements of this game that are very promising, as long as they don't get tangled up and trip over each other in gameplay. A reputable franchise in the hands of a reputable developer? I have some high hopes for this game, but mostly just a hope that Sonic can return to Nintendo with a game that won't flop (*not-so-conspicuous ahem at Olympic Games*).
Here are some screenshots/scans from the Internets:
These graphics are super-enticing to me. The scenery is reminiscent of Odin Sphere's art style, but toned down to portable dimensions.
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