First off, let me say I'm a huge
BioWare fan. I'm also a Sega fan in general and while Sonic isn't super high on my top lists of titles or franchises, especially lately, I still enjoy the Sega Genesis titles from that series. So while you read this, keep in mind that these impressions come from someone with no particular loyalty to the series but instead, from an RPG fan, a BioWare fan and someone who doesn't get as much use out of his DS for lack of games suited to his tastes. In fact, this is the first DS game I've bought
this year.
Now I admit, I was a bit hesitant on picking this up. This is after all BioWare's first title on the DS and also it's first ever handheld title period. Sonic as a franchise seemed almost un-salvageable as a quality series and it has earned some harsh criticism due to it's overall downfall. Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to it's release, but that's as much from curiosity as it was the prospect of a DS RPG from my favorite developer. In the end it was my faith in BioWare as a developer while owning and loving every game they've made so far that convinced me to take a leap of faith and plunk down the $40.
This isn't a game that you can appreciate from the various videos, developer diaries and screenshots that have been floating around the net these past few months. The game has more depth and a surprising amount of console RPG influence than the media lets on. In this you can clearly see BioWare's trademark hand in the menu system, inventory, character management and sidequests. At the same time, it
feels like a Sonic game. They used the instantly recognizable sounds of Sonic in action, the environments are like an artistic representation faithful to the series and the writing keeps the characters familiar. Sonic is still cocky as ever, Tails is young and cautious etc etc.
So far I've only put in a few hours. From what I gather this is a 30 hour game if you finish all the side quests. The combat is fun and fortunately doesn't compose of random battles, that's something I left behind in the 1990's with Squaresoft. It's a combination of turn based strategy and timed usage of the stylus similar to Elite Beat Agents. There are lots of areas to explore, puzzles to solve, many sidequests and each team member has unique abilities that help overcome environmental obstacles.
All of that combined doesn't even begin to paint a picture of the game itself. I'm really impressed with what I've played so far and I find the game extremely addictive. Another nice thing for those of you who play BioWare games regularly, is that you can grind if you choose to. Enemies respawn and they gain levels when you go back to an area you've been to before. Usually in most of their games there is no respawning as they try and balance the game so it remains challenging. Sometimes however, I like to spend hours just grinding for loot and EXP points and this game lets me do all that. The map is quite a nice size and I can already see how someone could get 30 hours out of this game even without grinding.
One final thing I will say about this game, is that Sonic does indeed have his speed. I know there has been a lot of talk on the 'net about the game seeming slow. When you think about it, you couldn't really quest or explore going 500 miles a hour now could you? Even then Sonic has plenty of areas on the map where he lets loose on a loop or a ramp and in combat he's a blur that attacks more often per round than any other. The speed is there folks, you just don't get a measure of it in the gameplay footage.
This is a finely crafted mid-range RPG that can be played by just about anyone. Mid-range to me means hardcore RPGers and novice adventurers alike can approach this game and find something of value. Do you have to be a Sonic fan? No. Is it worth $40? So far it is.
My one sentence summary is that this is Sonic the Hedgehog's equivalent of Mario & Luigi 2: Partners in Time. Take that statement for what it's worth and make your own decision.
