A turn based RPG, which is a kind of game that I don’t really like. I’ve attempted a couple, but Sonic Chronicles is the only one I’ve actually completed. As far as the combat is concerned, I found it a bit more engaging due to the POW attacks, as you have to play a sort of rhythm game for full damage (and do the same to protect yourself when the enemy does one), but as I don’t really know the ins and outs of the genre, I can’t comment on the quality of it.

One thing that Sonic Chronicles does pretty well is story, it has an engaging mystery of what this mysterious group is up to, and when you enter a portal you meet some interesting entities. It feels a bit like Doctor Who in a way, as Sonic can negotiate with the people of these various worlds as they’re not the mindless brutes as they originally seem to be. The new characters introduced are rather interesting, and I would like to see some of them return. The biggest flaw with the story is that it does end with a cliffhanger ending (the main plot is, thankfully, tied up), and a sequel was never made, presumably because the developer – BioWare – became part of EA.

I also really enjoyed the dialogue. Like a lot of BioWare games, you can make dialogue choices. This doesn’t have any impact on the overall story, although if you are nice to Amy, it can lead to an additional conversation where you can set up a potential future romance between her and Sonic. The conversation options allow you to ask some questions, or if you really want to, you can just make Sonic rude and obnoxious with some funny dialogue choices.

Getting around the world I found to be a bit annoying. To access different areas, you need to have certain movement abilities in your party, so sometimes you’ll need a specific character with you, or you’ll encounter some chao eggs or rings you can’t access until you return at a later point (but not too late, there are multiple points of the game that lock you out of previous areas). To trigger this ability, you just tap an icon on the screen. I have particular trouble in the Metropolis area as I didn’t notice I could jump down a platform and searched for ages to try and find the route to get to where I was needed.

I did enjoy Sonic Chronicles overall, due to the charming writing, although some aspects were a let down (the music is just…there, and is the most forgettable music in a Sonic game), the only thing I really disliked was that it was a turn based RPG.

Enjoyed it on my first playthrough back in 2014 but looking back...yeah..yeeesh..especially sound design wise but I like the story and Shade is pretty cool, use of Sonic X art is interesting and I like how we visit Big's home...tho this didn't meant a shitload to me who didn't got that far in SA1 then lol

I picked the proper dialog options for Sonic but I wish someone would record all the asshole things you can pick to say as Sonic in this game, wonder if you can even progress like that, remember Scumbag Lee and Scumbag Clem videos for Telltale Walking Dead? Someone make Scumbag Sonic, please! Though it means you have to patience through this game and I get why that alone makes it hard for someone to do it lol. I didn't had the heart to select em at the time, why would you on first playthrough but now that I beat it....

my biggest guilty pleasure game, I know it has (lots of) flaws but there is something this game has that can keep me coming back. most likely nostalgia. I found the story to be great up until around chapter 6 after that it became absolutely convoluted. the fact you need a stylus to move is a fun gimmick until its not, would've been good to has d-pad movement. the combat also suffers from this same problem where the stylus is necessary and even one slight error causes the skill to do little damage, fail or just flat out miss the target(at least there is a chao that removes the need for stylus actions during skills). overall, you will only remotely enjoy this game if you have nostalgia for it or love bad games

I understand that it was Bioware's first handheld but this is so embarrassing.

The presentation of this game is awful, models look bad, sound effects are terrible, the music is especially gross.

This game acts like it wants to waste your time. The way to progress is usually confusing, attack animations take ten years to wait and watch happen and some cutscenes are super drawn out.

The actual battle part of this game is 50/50, sometimes it can be fun to pull off powerful moves, and figuring out the best team, POW moves and Chao can honestly be pretty fun. But the amount of missed attacks in the early game + the repetitive fights in the later half can get super boring

The best part of this game without a doubt is the dialogue. It's genuinely entertaining and funny sometimes, and the overall story is good too.

Too bad Ken Penders sued these guys, because I doubt we'll get another Sonic RPG which is a shame because Sonic makes a lot of sense to be in an RPG.

45/100

i am incredibly happy to see other pretty positive reviews here, otherwise i am not sure if i would have written this review. so thanks to you.

sonic chronicles was a big part of my childhood. i remember being stuck at certain parts, not really knowing where to go or what to do.
the generic child problems you have with games. but not once did i think this game was bad by any means - it was quite different from every other sonic game i have played since then but in the best way - combining my favorite franchise with my favorite videogame genre, rpg.
it is of course absolutely basic and restricted, but the small details are what caught my eye here. the people behind this game knew about the sonic universe and you notice that in every aspect of the game. the dialogues are sometimes nice little call backs, charming wallbreaks and reveal nice little details to each character.

gameplaywise this is as gimmicky as a nintendo ds game can be. you play with the stylus and special attacks are pretty much based on how good you perform certain actions with the stylus. the synch seems a bit off at first but you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

the soundtrack can get annoying at times but i don't think it's that bad. some battle themes even sound pretty cool to me.
storywise this is a really cool game you should not miss out on in my opinion. i miss sonic going in these brave directions.

i liked this game. have always, will always.