Sonic RPG (InstanceTopic, 22)

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Sonic RPG is a game in the Sonic series that could have been if Alternate SEGA crafted the Neptune. It would have been the first in a trilogy, and have come between Sonic 4 and Sonic 5 on the time line. It would have been an action RPG predating Sonic Chronicles by a number of years, provided the game would have existed on the alternate timeline.

Plot

Dr. Eggman is attempting to come up with an evil scheme as usual. He stumbles upon a ruin in Death Valley Zone, in which he finds the Crystal Orb, an object told by legend to contain unfathomable power. Eggman soon learns with the orbs power, he could summon Death Bolts, lightning bolts which would kill their target on strike. Eggman, of course, sees this as the greatest advance in his plots yet, so he sets up his base in Death Valley, and challenges Sonic and Tails to stop his new plan. When Sonic arrives, Eggman kidnaps Tails and tries to eliminate Sonic, but casts the Death Bolt incorrectly, allowing Sonic to live. Thus, Eggman simply banishes him to parts unknown, and begins to use the Crystal Orb's power to construct his empire and spread it's influence. Sonic then decides the only way to counter Eggman is to collect the 7 Chaos Emeralds and gather friends far and wide in order to put an end to his elaborate scheme.

Gameplay

Gameplay is divided into 3 sections: Town maps, Zones, and Battles, with the player switching between the three over the course of the game. An overworld is used to allow the player to get into Town Maps and Zones. Battles are entered on contact with an enemy or it's attack in a zone, or after certain scenes play out (i.e. Boss battles). Transition between Zone gameplay and battle game play is nearly instantaneous.

Overworld Screen

In a manner similar to Sonic Battle and Sonic Chronicles, the overworld map is a pre-rendered or tiled background, where a cursor that represents the party can move all around. Hovering the cursor over an area of interest and pushing a button allows the player to confirm entering this area of interest, which is always a Zone or a Town Map. Character customization can be accessed with the start button through a pause menu.

Town Maps

Town Maps are rendered in a isometric style akin to Sonic 3D Blast. Sonic has free roam to talk to NPCs and enter buildings. Inside these buildings are the typical inns and equipment shops, but also NPCs who may offer useless advice. Sonic leaves a town map at an exit point on either the north, east, south, or west sides of the the map, which will take the player back to the Overworld screen. As with the overworld, character customization can be accessed.

Character Customization

When the Character Customization menu is accessed, all of the party members can be outfitted with Skill Card decks and equipment. Skill Card decks act exactly as they do in Sonic Battle, allowing the player to customize even the basic attacks of each character. This is also where they can determine the character's Ichikoro Attack, as well their special skills to use in battle. At the start, each character has 3 'inflict' slots and 1 'resist' slot for loading special skills, but as they level up, they can gain additional 'inflict' slots. The skills in the 'inflict' slots are the only ones the player can use during battle. The 'resist' slot allows the character to gain resistance to the type of attack that matches the card equipped to it. For example, if Sonic equips Sonic Wind to his defense slot, Sonic can resist all Wind-based attacks. Ichikoro Attack is the attack the character will use when their Ichikoro gauge is filled. Cards take up Skill Points when equipped, so the complexity and power of the character's deck is ultimately determined by the number of Skill Points and 'inflict' slots they have.

Zones

Zones are exactly like their counterparts in the main series, albeit with minor differences to accommodate the gameplay. Firstly, character customization is disallowed in a Zone; instead the pause screen offers to allow you to exit the zone back to the Overworld. Secondly, Sonic cannot "die", rather, falling into a pit and drowning only damage the party and send them back a few feet, and spikes and other lethal surfaces only inflict damage on contact, a "continue" screen is used when Sonic loses all his HP. Thirdly, as stated above, contact with ANY enemy or it's attacks will result in an instant transition to a battle scene against the enemy party, with extra damage or knock back if the enemy had the preemptive strike. Sonic may optionally have two AI controlled party members follow him ala Chaotix and use their abilities to help him navigate the zone or solve puzzles. All score accumulated during the Zone is translated to EXP, which is then added to the EXP gained from battles and distributed to the party after the zone is cleared. Clearing the zone the first time allows the player to progress the story. Additional runs of the zone will simply take the player back to the overworld upon clearing.

Battle scenes

In battle scenes, The lead character (Usually Sonic), the other party members (up to 3 AI controlled partners), and the enemies appear on a 3D plane. Just as in Sonic Battle, they can move freely, including being able to Jump or Block with the press of a button. A different button allows them to use their standard attack combo, as well as other attack techniques. A menu in the bottom left displays the skills the character has equipped in their "inflict" slots. The skills can be browsed on the fly with the Left Shoulder (Or the D-Pad if using a Dreamcast controller), and the highlighted (middle) skill can be used with a fourth button. Once an inflict skill is used, the menu scrolls to the next one, and the skill that was used must wait on a "reload" charge before it can be used by the player again. The HP and Ichikoro gauges of the lead character are displayed in the top left, while Bosses HP are displayed on the top right. The Ichikoro gauge fills as the player takes damage, performs successful blocks, or is healed. When the gauge is full, the Ichikoro attack will be used the next time the player presses the skill button. If the player allows the Ichikoro gauge to remain full for 15 seconds without pressing the button, the gauge will empty. The gauge will also empty when the Ichikoro attack is used. The player can switch the character they control with the Right shoulder.

Characters

Main Party

Sonic the Hedgehog: The blue blur himself. He sets out to stop Eggman from conqouring the world, as well as endangering humanity with his newly found Death Bolt spell. His main element is Wind.
Miles "Tails" Prower: Sonic's best friend, and mechanical expert. He is initially kidnapped by Eggman, but eventually escapes to help Sonic with his Thunder based attacks.
Knuckles the Echidna: Guardian of the Master Emerald. He is the Fire character. While the Master Emerald isn't directly in danger, Angel Island is threatened by Eggman's activities, so Knuckles helps out Sonic in his quest.
Amy Rose: Sonic's self proclaimed girlfriend. She fights with her Piko Piko Hammer, and has no element tied to her. Naturally, she joins Sonic out of desire to impress him.
Cream the Rabbit: A character created to debut in this game, she is a gentle rabbit who takes care of the Chao, particularly her own Cheese. She is the Holy character, and she is rumored to be a "Pure Heart", though even she lacks knowledge of this meaning.
Big the Cat: A second party member exclusive to Sonic RPG, he is a lazy-minded cat with immense girth. His penchant for fishing lends him an affinity to Water attacks.
Bark the Polar bear: An immense polar bear with control over Ice. While he starts off initially as Eggman's lackey, he eventually goes renegade after becoming disgusted by Eggman's antics.
Bean the Dynamite Duck: A quirky duck with a penchant for throwing Bombs. While he starts off initially as Eggman's lackey, he eventually goes renegade after becoming disgusted by Eggman's antics.

Antagonists

Dr. Eggman: Eggman is up to no good again with his rotten antics. Using both his technology and the magical power of the Crystal Orb, he aspires to dominate the world with his new power.
Fang the Sniper: A bounty hunter hired by Eggman to prevent Sonic from collecting the Chaos Emeralds, although he has his own agenda with the Emeralds...
Wendy Witchcart: A crotchety old witch who wants revenge on Tails, and she's after Eggman's Crystal Orb to get it!

Other

Chao Black-Market Salesman: A sleazy Chao salesman who cloaks his face with a bandanna and spectacles. He sells rare skill cards in his black market, but is generally unfriendly.
Klause: A mysterious man cloaked in robes, his motives are mysterious, though he relentlessly pursues Cream for unknown reasons...
Old Man Owl: A loony old Owl who occasionally gives Sonic intell from the government.

Music

The music of Sonic RPG takes advantage of all 22 channels offered by the Neptune's rather capable array of sound chips.