What do you think
about when you hear the name Sonic the Hedgehog? Super fast gameplay? Mario
wannabe? Engaging platform character that has been around over 10 years? Maybe
one or all of the above. With Sonic Battle, Sega has decided to try a different
approach with the blue hedgehog. Say hello to part fighting game and part robot
simulation game.
There are several
different gameplay modes in Sonic Battle: Story Mode, Battle Mode, Challenge
Mode, Mini Game, and Training Mode. The Battle Mode, and Challenge Mode are in
essence the same game, which is how most of the entire game is played out. You
control one of the casts of characters from the Sonic series and duke it out
against up to three other characters. All of the battles take place in a small
playing field, which might remind some players of a strategy RPG layout (ala
Final Fantasy Tactics). But the battles are all out action. The first
character or player that scores the most knockouts wins the battle. It’s a very
simple idea and for the most part it works. The action can get intense even for
a GBA game with all of the characters at each other relentlessly the entire
time. In Battle Mode you can compete up against three other player controlled
characters. In the Challenge Mode you compete against a certain number of
enemies that you must defeat in order to unlock the next difficulty level.
Story Mode is the
story of Hedgehog and his robot friend. You start off the Story Mode in control
of Sonic as he finds a robot on the beach. He takes the robot to Tails to be
repaired and finds out that once again that Dr. Eggman is up to no good. For
Sonic veterans it should come as no surprise that the story still revolves
around the Chaos Emeralds as well. The story is played out in simple cut scenes
where the characters in the game discuss the unfolding story before engaging in
battle. All of the battles are played out exactly the same as the Battle Mode.
But the story doesn’t revolve just around Sonic this time. After a while in
Story Mode you take over control of the robot, Emerl (short for emerald).
At first Emerl is
almost a clean slate. He doesn’t have a wide variety of moves or attacks he can
use. It’s up to you to take control of him and obtain new moves and attacks for
him to use. So now you can breed your own robot in a Sonic game! As you fight
different characters in the story mode, you’ll obtain new attacks and moves that
Emerl can use. The moves & attacks you obtain or “Capture” are represented as
cards. You can even trade the cards you captured in the game with other players
that have the game by using the link cable. What’s unique and interesting about
obtaining the new moves is you have to have enough Skill points for Emerl to use
them. Each move & attack has a certain value assigned to it and for each move
you assign to Emerl he uses Skill points. If he doesn’t have enough Skill
points, then he might be limited to use just 5 attacks instead of the 10 cards
you’ve captured. You’ll earn skill points by fighting in battles in the story
mode. If you can obtain a Chaos Emerald you’ll earn 10 skill points.
The idea of
raising Emerl is a great idea, and definitely somewhat unique for a Sonic game.
It’s similar to raising the chaos as in the Sonic Adventure games, but you have
a great deal of variety and control when setting up your moves with Emerl. But
what seems to hurt the pacing of the game is when you indeed start controlling
Emerl. At the beginning of the game you’ve had control of Sonic. Of course
Sonic is a powerful character in the game and you won’t have a problem with most
of the battles. But when you have to take control of Emerl, be prepared for the
pace of the game to slow down. It will take several battles to get Emerl to the
point where Sonic is at in the beginning of the game. Sure it’s fun building
and controlling Emerl, but it feels as if you’re starting from scratch when you
start using him. Emerl doesn’t move as fast as Sonic and he isn’t as powerful
as Sonic at first. Having to adjust to him can take a while.
The Mini Game mode
is a collection of games that you unlock as you progress in the game. The mini
games are for multiple players, which requires you to have friends with the game
and link cables. The Training mode allows you to try out the battle mode
without the computer’s retaliation. It’s a good way for players to start out
with this game, since the game is a departure from previous Sonic games.
Sonic Battle is a
good game, but a game that some Sonic fans probably won’t enjoy. It’s a novel
idea to change and invent new types of games for a legendary character. For the
most part Sonic Battle succeeds, but it might leave some players looking for the
good old blast processing days.
Gameplay 7.5
The actual game
depends heavily on the battles, which are a blast. The battles are always fast
paced and fierce. It’s as if the battles are a never ending, intense
button-smashing spectacle. You have the capability to pull combos during the
battles, but sometimes it felt I would have better luck performing a move by
mashing the buttons. You can even set the order and type of attack your
character will use before each battle. When you have up to three other
characters attacking you at one time, you’ll probably forget about trying to
pull off a special move and mash away. The controls are tight and responsive but
the amount of action takes away from you trying to pull of particular moves. On
the other hand, editing the settings on Emerl is deep addition to the button
mashing. As you earn more skill points you can edit Emerl’s entire move list.
You can even store all of your edits for Emerl in three different settings.
This allows for an almost limitless amount of customization for controlling
Emerl.
Graphics 7.8
The graphics for
all of the characters are excellent. The characters are detailed and mimic
their console counterparts. The characters even have their own unique and
special attacks that are animated nicely. The graphics for the battle stages
are entirely in 3D. They lack the detail of a console 3D world and seem rather
washed out and bland. The Game Boy Advance might not be a 3D powerhouse, but it
didn’t stop Sega from trying. Sometimes during a battle the characters would
almost disappear from view when they were knock out. The character would
respawn at another point on the stage, which you couldn’t see. This would
happen when you knock a character across the screen as well. It was a guess
gaming trying to figure out where the enemy went. With the 3D layout of the
stages there were a few occasions when your character would be behind a wall
that would block your view.
Sound 7.3
The sound effect
and music are well done, but nothing spectacular. The music could be described
as a cross between rock & vintage 16-Bit era game music. All of the sound
effects for the attacks came across loud and clear. All of the characters even
had their own specific phrases recorded into the game. The music and sound
effects fit the game and didn’t take away from the game.
Difficulty
Medium
The difficulty for
the Story Mode starts off easy, especially when controlling Sonic. When you
take over control of Emerl the difficulty is ramped up another level. Since
Emerl isn’t as powerful as Sonic, you’ll be faced with losing many battles in
order to earn enough skill points for Emerl. The Challenge mode offers a nice
ramping process for the difficulty. The first Challenge you have to complete is
on the easiest difficulty setting and when you finish it off, you then unlock
the next difficulty level.
Concept 8.0
While adding
pieces of an RPG game into a Sonic game isn’t a new concept; Sonic Battle still
does a good job of keeping its idea unique. The amount of settings you can
customize with Emerl is amazing and is something that can keep you playing the
game for a long time. Playing to obtain new cards for Emerl to use can become
its own game in itself. Being able to trade with other players is always a
welcome addition for Game Boy owners with a link cable. The battles, at first,
are a blast to play but after time can get repetitive. It’s what you’ll spend
the majority of time doing in the game, which will probably be too much for some
players after a while.
Multiplayer
8.3
The game was
really designed as an entertaining and enjoyable multiplayer game. Up to four
players can duke it out in the Battle Mode, as long as they have the game and a
link cable. The first player can even set Battle rules for the game, such as
the time limit, which maps to battle on and even a tag option to team up against
two other players. You even unlock Mini games that all four can compete in as
well. The multiplayer mode is a great addition to the game.
Overall 7.8
Sonic Battle is an
entertaining multiplayer game that has a unique and interesting single player
story mode. Competing against your friends is always fun and that’s what gaming
is all about, having fun. Sonic Battle’s multiplayer mode will give players a
great deal of fun, free for all, fighting action. The amount of customization
available in the story mode with Emerl is very impressive. You can spend hours
trying to get just the right setup for Emerl. But not everything in Sonic
Battle is as good as it could have been. While the battles are fun, they will
get repetitive for most gamers. Even though the controls are tight and
responsive, you’ll be left wondering why your character didn’t pull off a move
that you entered. Button mashing will probably work fine for most players,
instead of trying to work on a particular move. The stage graphics can also get
in the way while in a battle. Not being able to see the enemy or even your
character is not always a good thing. Even with its faults, Sonic Battle is a
solid, enjoyable Game Boy Advance game that will please most gamers.
