Ok, so this is something I've never reviewed here before - an audio drama.
At the same time I am a long time fan of the old school radio dramas so the concept is pretty familiar.
You see, boys and girls, once upon a time there was a world that not only didn't have the Internet, it didn't even have TV! No videos, no DVDs or Blu-Rays. All you had was this audio only electronic medium called "radio".
And it was pretty cool.
Curiously while IRL radio is struggling to survive (not thrive or be worth listening to by and large, just survive) the Internet has allowed folks to return to the days where you told a story by telling the story. With, like, words.
Psylent Knight is the talent behind this particular audio drama. (No, that's not his "REAL" name and yes, I know what that name is. This is the name he creates under and we'll offer him that respect). As a child of the video age he picked up a challenge to take one of the heroes of his youth and render a more adult version of it. Working with other voice actors he knew or found along the way he created a story about the world of Sonic the Hedgehog. There you will find a special unit brought together to do the "saving the world" kind of stuff that Sonic does but on a larger and decidedly darker scale. Using "slider suits", high tech enhancement units that increase not the physical strength of the user but any other special abilities they have. Along the way one of their number figures out that with a little careful culling of his team mates he could end up with all their powers. The battle to confront and hopefully defeat him is the center of the action here.
(Quick note on two terms you may not know if this is as new to you as it is to me - fanfic and fandub. Fanfic is "fan fiction" and it is a huge community on the web. It pre-dates the Internet because if you ever made up a story about your favorite TV show or movie then you've created fanfic. Fanfic comes in all levels of skill and scope, including adult X-rated versions. Fandub is taking a video and dubbing over the audio. This can also have a wide range of expression. Some of it can be hysterically funny or very serious. What both fanfic and fandub have in common is that a fair part of the whole is pretty low grade. "Flashpoint" kind of sits at the crossroads of the two forms and falls way up the quality spectrum.)
While distributed via YouTube (Check out Psylent Knight's YouTube page) this is not really a fandub as there is no real video component. It's a classic title card while the audio rolls along. This is also no little project. "Flashpoint" runs 7 chapters of about 20 minutes total run time each. The chapters are often broken into smaller, more manageable segments. With multiple voices, sound effects and music to mix that's a lot of work for the 140 minutes or so the story takes.
I have two reservations about the series. One is a personal issue, the other is a professional preference. The issue is that I'm the wrong generation for this story. It assumes a certain familiarity with the characters and ficton (Ficton is the term for any fictional universe) that I simply don't have. At the same time the story is told well enough that I picked up the important personalities and relationships very quickly. I'm pretty sure I missed some inside jokes, however. My preference problem is about the mix. There are times when we have a voice (with reverb) on top of sound effects and music. If those are not managed carefully you lose the words and when you lose the words you lose the story. It didn't happen all the time (in fact most of the mix was quite good) but as the action scenes added more layers I struggled to hear what was being said. While PK's mix might be more "realistic" this is a place where story telling needs to push realism aside. The "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" allows us to believe that in the midst of chaos we can still hear the character clearly.
With those two small demerits to one side I enjoyed the adventure quite a bit. It takes me back to the classic radio dramas like "The Lone Ranger", "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Shadow" I discovered in college. The Golden Age of radio drama ended before I was born but it's nice to know that some folks are still out there creating some quality stories. This will inspire me to keep looking for more.
As always I like to be transparent about any personal involvement I have with a story. Psylent Knight is a friend of my daughter's and I was introduced to his work through her. She has a small role in this story. In the sequel "Flashpoint - The Repulse" both she and I have roles. I was excited enough by the prospect of the project that I accepted the role and recorded my lines before I'd even heard the original program.
Rating - *** Worth A Look
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