Of the many curiosities in the Blue Blur’s history, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is one of the most curious — a DS RPG developed by Bioware with a plot more akin to Sonic comics than other games. Apparently the game had a super slick, stylized 2D animated intro that was inexplicably cut, and now for the first time the full sequence has been posted online.
Sonic Chronicles (2008) unreleased 2D intro cinematic. This has never been shown before in its entirety. pic.twitter.com/T7wgxKqmb6
— Jonathan Cooper (@GameAnim) December 21, 2021
The passion project of artist Joel MacMillan and animator Nick DiLiberto, the animation is smear-heavy and oozing with a rough, fluid sensibility. Several Twitter commentators compare it to Newgrounds animation (both favorably and unfavorably) and the style might be why it was cut — we certainly have no other explanation. It’s a shame, because I personally think the finished project is gorgeous. Chronicles probably wouldn’t have been tons better for it, but it would’ve been something to stick with players instead of the banal gameplay intro we did get.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
