Not the greatest RPG out there. Neither good nor bad. It may help Sonic fanfiction, but not much else.
"Act 1" and "Act 2" were let downs by far. When the initial announcements were released, many a-Sonic fans believed that this RPG would still play in a way recognizable to a regular Sonic game, with acts and the like. Let me save you the time- it doesn't. "Act 1" is more like "Part 1", and Act 2 is Part 2. The story itself is nothing to write home about. I equate it to fluff that could've been passed off as a Sonic X arc. A better name for the game would have been "Sonic X: The Dark Brotherhood." Actually no, for there is no Dark Brotherhood to speak of! It's not a Chronicles typed deal, there is no evil brotherhood, and that leaves it down to just playing as Sonic and friends and letting them beat up random robots, crazed animals, and ancient techno-echidnas.
I love modern and classic Sonic, and I love his friends. Crucify me for that. But I do. And the cast is perfect for an RPG. People complained for years that the cast is too large- what may be too large in a casual Sonic game might actually be too *small* for an RPG! And the set-up: ancient echidnas, the Nocturne, rivals to Knuckles's clan (aptly named The Knuckles Clan), invade Sonic's world with a thirst for power. It was the Sonic heroes, aided by the military organization GUN, versus Eggman vs the Nocturne and their megalomaniacal leader, Ix. It was a recipe for epic success.
Instead of the epic toon dramedy that could have been, the great BioWare- who just blessed us with Mass Effect 3 AND The Old Republic- crapped out this cheap as all hell excuse of a Sonic RPG that -while playable, don't get me wrong- is underwhelming and- pardon my French- LAME. Yes, Sonic. I just called you lame. Eggman is only playable for a single short chapter despite having some of the best attacks. You are forced to use one the franchises's more despised characters- Big- at several moments when most fans with a brain really wouldn't care for it (and his stats aren't too impressive either). It almost feels as if they were trying to sully any chances of future role-playing-Sonic-games.
It's not without its occasional interests- the touch screen combat can be engaging, but it's sometimes tiresome and can leave you scratching your head, pondering "Was that really necessary?" at times. And for the really hardcore Sonic fans who don't want their beloved hedgehog to go down the path of Dragonball Z, the lighter shades really brighten the moods at times, not to mention that the art style is top notch. However those same lighter shades are mired in utterly uninteresting and unimportant side missions and main missions that feel even more unimportant than side missions (there are some challenges you have to do that you don't even realize you needed to do to advance the game until well after you've done it, thus there line between main mission and side mission in the game is a bit blurry).
The cliffhanger did not leave me guessing one bit. I almost cheered and closed the DS right then and there. If there won't be any sequels, the so be it. I probably wouldn't buy it any way if it was nothing more than a more polished version of this game. I don't want a more polished Dark Brotherhood if that's what you read, I want a Dark Brotherhood that's fun and interesting. Simply polishing it won't help. Major things would have to be changed, starting with character choice. I don't disagree with the picks, but for starters, you have absolutely no choice but to play as Sonic at all times. I want to feel that rush, that relief that one feels when, after five chapters they finally get their hero back in their hands. Two, make it less linear. Especially apparent during Act Two, Sonic Chronicles tries to act like it's deep and immersive with winding levels and cryptic clues when, in fact, it's just plain confusing.
The music is the worst aspect of it all. Sonic games are known for their top-notch and individualistic soundtracks. Some BGM could actually be considered music classics. For Sonic Chronicles, it sounds more as if someone downloaded a shady freeware on the Internet and used it to make something that's trying to sound like music.
Really, this game is nothing more than glorified fanfiction. BioWare, the same company that many of us fans believed would aid in the comeback of Sonic, really did nothing more than to aid in the critter's prolonged suffering. It was foreshadowing to Sonic Unleashed- a game we all hoped would be amazing but turned out to be a flop. I know Sonic's a franchise about cute furry critters fighting off an egg shaped madman and his army of gawky and awkward robots, but that's no excuse for this waste of time. The fact they are such characters actually leaves the franchise open to immense possibilities. Being a talking forest rodent doesn't mean you have to speak in a cheerful tone all day and point out the blatantly obvious to an audience of children.
Good for Sonic Fanfiction of which it pretty much copied the story of half the fanfics there, good to get into RPGs if you're young and overwhelmed by the classics on the Playstation, 2, and old PCs, good if you're trying to collect every Sonic game, good for nothing else.