Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
2008 video game
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a 2008 role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Sega for the Nintendo DS. It is a part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and is its only RPG entry. Sonic Chronicles initially focuses on the events surrounding the kidnapping of Knuckles and the disappearance of the Chaos Emeralds after the defeat of Doctor Eggman, before moving on to follow the cast of characters across two dimensions as they encounter a new ally, Shade the Echidna, and seek to stop the invasion of their world by Ix, the leader of Shade's tribe, the Nocturnus. The game is mainly played using the DS stylus, with players either exploring the overworld, or attacking with multiple characters in combat.
Development began in 2006 as BioWare's first handheld project, who were normally used to the long development cycles of video games; the game eventually transitioned to a Sonic project with over 30 people involved, with many of BioWare's developers being big fans of the series and wanting to further expand on its world. The design progress for gameplay was based on four "activity pillars", while the graphical style was primarily based on the earlier Sonic games, being colorful and anime-like. It released in Australia, Europe, and North America in September 2008, and then in Japan the following year as Invaders from the Dark Dimension.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood was met with mixed reviews from critics, who appreciated both the graphics and environments, as well as Sonic's overall transition to the role-playing genre, while the music and story were received with mixed reactions, as were some gameplay elements such as the combat system. The game also garnered controversy after former Archie Comics writer Ken Penders sued Sega and BioWare for alleged copyright infringement, claiming that the Nocturnus Clan were too similar to his Dark Legion echidna characters, whom he had claimed copyright for. Although intended as the first in a series of Sonic RPGs, plans were scrapped after Electronic Arts acquired BioWare shortly after its release and Chronicles sold below expectations, becoming a one-off game.
Gameplay
Sonic Chronicles is a turn-based role-playing game, with rhythm and timing elements.
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