If Sonic were to try another game in the RPG genre, how would you like it to happen?

[PublicEnemy1]

We all know how the disaster that is Sonjc Chronicles went, but I think it's about time SEGA tried to make another Sonic RPG again, since Chronicles still had a few neat ideas.

I personally hope it's more action-oriented, similar to Tales or TWEWY, since it fits with the more fast-paced nature of the franchise. It could also be the perfect opportunity to properly introduce the IDW cast into the games, since this genre can last for more enough time to give them some breathing room and catch up on their role in the maimline stories.

Any other ideas that you guys have?

Edited January 8 by PublicEnemy1
Typos

[Salamander]

I re-experienced Sonic Chronicles a while back via watching a let's play, and was shocked to realise that I actually thought a lot of the gameplay concepts were fundamentally sound; just poorly executed.  I found myself thinking of all sorts of little tweaks which would have made it immensely more enjoyable, or at the very least tolerable.  But the well's been poisoned now.  It would almost certainly have to be an action RPG... but as someone who doesn't play a lot of those, I'm not hugely sure how exactly that would differ from what Frontiers is doing (also didn't play).  Additional party members, more combat and less platforming?  Equipment?

[juiceDpunk983]

I just wish they could've just continued the Chronicles story, it sounded decent with what they had planned in the deleted sequel. I hate how this game isn't canon, I know why it isn't but come on, this story explained the Gizoids and gave us cool advanced Echidnas and Shade. All that is now irrelevant. Plus, I bet you that the sequel, plot wise would be better than Forces.

The gameplay was alright tbh, just touch it up with today's standards. I know it won't happen but shhh let me dream haha.

Whatever, I'll just head canon it and say it takes place in the future, in the Sonic X timeline.

[Kazhnuz]

I think a lot of the gameplay of Chronicles could be improved by not trying to shoehorn touch gameplay inside the game:

- Having the character move and react with their real capacity instead of "click here to climb/fly/etc". Movement have always been a part of Sonic, so I feel it would be better if the character would actually move.

- Replace the overly long touch based touch-based QTE by quick actions that feels connected to the gameplay, or simple enough that they're aren't annoying. I would even say : takes notes of Yakuza Like A Dragon battle system (or maybe even Infinite Wealth's that seems to be even better), which is very dynamic and lively.

 

I also think that for a Sonic RPG, going a little bit "style over substance" on the gameplay depth wouldn't be a bad idea for once :

- Use a real and easy to understand stats. No "defense is in reality your evasion". Have just a set of a few stats. A Sonic RPG should be a bit dumb, because it'll have to attract people that aren't huge RPG nerds.

- Have some kind of concept of style inside the gameplay. Reward being flashy, not using always the same move, doing combo of attacks and using special moves, doing well on the QTEs.

I also would remove the semi-openworld big area maps to go more toward the semi-linear world design that a old pokemon had : I feel it give an emphasis on movement by making the "route" some kind of semi-level to go through. Also use a bit of metroidvania-esque design to block some area, reusing stuff like the upgrade of Sonic Adventure (basically, you finish a dungeon it gives you the light dash and OH THIS ISLAND HAD A TRAIL OF RING).

[castell-neath]

Be cool if they spun it on its head and made eggman the main character battling sonic etc using a range of badniks and mechs as boosters

[Salamander]

15 hours ago, Kazhnuz said:

- Replace the overly long touch based touch-based QTE by quick actions that feels connected to the gameplay, or simple enough that they're aren't annoying. I would even say : takes notes of Yakuza Like A Dragon battle system (or maybe even Infinite Wealth's that seems to be even better), which is very dynamic and lively.

What I was thinking on this front was to connect the QTEs to the fact that each move (as I recall it) has three levels, with the second and third levels having to be purchased with skill points.  I was picturing that a base-level skill would have one QTE, at second level it would add a second, and at third it would add a third.  But messing up any one of the QTEs doesn't flub the whole skill as it does right now; instead, it would just get you the next-lowest tier of skill.  So attempting a level three skill but messing up one of the QTEs would output the level two version.  This would be a much more forgiving system, would mean moves were far less likely to be completely wasted, and would train you in the easier levels of a skill before you unlocked the later levels.

A lot of other things are just matters of polish.  Making sure QTEs feel connected to the actions they represent, as you suggest, is important.  I think the way characters can have multiple actions per round depending on how fast they are is an interesting system, but as it stands I can't remember if it feels remotely balanced...  Probably fast characters should do less damage per action but perhaps also have decent support moves available?  Sonic as a jack-of-all-trades feels right to me.  Slow characters get only one move but are better at making it count.  On that note, the evasion system I think is worth a try but needs to be very clearly labelled - in a better RPG, having a fragile speedster character who can dodgetank would be a pretty fun risk-reward system, versus slower characters who can sustain direct damage.  (Place less emphasis on that for enemies as enemies outright dodging attacks all the time feels terrible.)  Real broad-strokes stuff - like you say, this is going to be a lot of players' first RPG, everything needs to be intuitive.

The fundamentals are all there for a novel gateway RPG.  So frustrating.

[EmTiven01]

Considering how much the music in Chronicles sucked (which is unacceptable for a Sonic game), who do you think should be the composer for a Sonic RPG? Here's some choices of mine:

• Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy)
• Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Mario & Luigi)
• Shoji Meguro (Persona)
• Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Shadow Hearts)

Edited January 11 by EmTiven01

[PublicEnemy1]

6 hours ago, EmTiven01 said:

Considering how much the music in Chronicles sucked (which is unacceptable for a Sonic game), who do you think should be the composer for a Sonic RPG? Here's some choices of mine:

• Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy)
• Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Mario & Luigi)
• Shoji Meguro (Persona)
• Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Shadow Hearts)

I think Meguro would fit the most with Sonic's vibe anf I'd kill to see him and Crush 40/Kellin Quinn

[StreetSonic2022]

7 hours ago, EmTiven01 said:

Considering how much the music in Chronicles sucked (which is unacceptable for a Sonic game), who do you think should be the composer for a Sonic RPG? Here's some choices of mine:

• Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy)
• Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Mario & Luigi)
• Shoji Meguro (Persona)
• Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Shadow Hearts)

Honestly, just stick with the composers we have today that had worked on the franchise.

Anyways, I really wish a Sonic RPG would be similar to Super Mario RPG as that was fun, just instead of turn-based, something like the Tales of series (especially with the recent Arise as we can change characters during battles) or immediate-action like Kingdom Hearts as those games can help the movement and controlling the characters. We can also add the platformer elements. One thing I did like in Chronicles was the usage of the Chao to help with the stats or gameplay changes (Ferox was a godsend for those input elements, especially for Cream). 

[Maple Syrup]

On 1/8/2024 at 4:17 PM, castell-neath said:

Be cool if they spun it on its head and made eggman the main character battling sonic etc using a range of badniks and mechs as boosters

That will actually make a great game!

[Salamander]

16 hours ago, StreetSonic2022 said:

One thing I did like in Chronicles was the usage of the Chao to help with the stats or gameplay changes (Ferox was a godsend for those input elements, especially for Cream). 

I thought it was a good use for Chao; it's nice to have some sort of a trinket or mod system in general, and they didn't have to be Chao but it was a way of making these accessories that bit more fun and interesting.  Still room for improvement, though; some of the Chao were duds and I didn't like the way you could get duplicates, so I would keep the randomness but make it so that you only ever get one of each Chao, so you'll always be getting something new out of them.  Maybe make it a weighted randomness system so that there are common Chao and rare ones, so you're likely to have cleared out the common list collecting them in the early game and be getting only the really interesting ones in the endgame, but you still have a chance of getting something crazy really early on.

[alicemichelle297]

23 hours ago, EmTiven01 said:

Considering how much the music in Chronicles sucked (which is unacceptable for a Sonic game), who do you think should be the composer for a Sonic RPG? Here's some choices of mine:

• Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy)
• Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Mario & Luigi)
• Shoji Meguro (Persona)
• Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Shadow Hearts)

I mean, if we're going moon-shot with no concern for realism here, I'd have to go for Masayoshi Soken (Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16). The man just knocks it out of the park.

[EmTiven01]

Given the variety of music she composed for the Mario & Luigi games, I think Yoko Shimomura would be a great choice for a Sonic RPG.

Yasunori Mitsuda also seems like he could do the job.

Regarding how I'd like a Sonic RPG to be like in general, I would love one with real time action combat akin to Kingdom Hearts. Which makes Square Enix a prime candidate for developer in my opinion.

[Salamander]

19 hours ago, EmTiven01 said:

Regarding how I'd like a Sonic RPG to be like in general, I would love one with real time action combat akin to Kingdom Hearts. Which makes Square Enix a prime candidate for developer in my opinion.

Oh, this took me back to playing Dream Drop Distance, years ago.  As soon as I started using flowmotion, I was instantly convinced that it was perfect for Sonic.

[Vlad the Vampire]

A new SONIC RPG?!...
Then it needs ancient civilizations, of course!!...

[EmTiven01]

Just for the hell of it, what if Nobuo Uematsu is the composer, and one of the tracks sounds like this: