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Sonic and the Black Knight
Release Date: March 3, 2009 (North America), April 3, 2009 (Europe), July 31, 2008 (Japan)
Available On: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ - Fantasy Violence
PEGI Rating: 12+ - Violence
OFLC Rating: PG - Mild Violence
Intro:
It’s hard for those of us Sonic fans who once stood up for the Blue Hedgehog during the height of the Sega versus Nintendo wars to have to go through what can only be described as perpetual disappointment with a half dozen horrible 3D games hosted under the banner of one, Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s hard for Sonic fans to have to go through what can only be described as perpetual disappointment. To date, there have already been a quarter dozen horrible 3D games hosted under the banner of Sonic the Hedgehog, and it’s safe to say that the entire series has met nothing but failure ever since it attempted to go 3D. Sonic & The Black Knight does try to rejuvenate the series by introducing a medieval theme into an otherwise anthropomorphic fantasy world, however the main focus of this game is something that most of us would have considered blasphemy back in the pinnacle of Sonic’s fame: A weapon. Now armed with a sword and a slew of new special abilities, Sonic speeds, spins and sprockets his way through numerous linear levels lined up with dozens, if not hundreds of enemies. No, this is no ordinary Sonic game. This is Sonic & The Black Knight.
Sonic probably feels like a circus act after all this tightrope walking.
Story:
You’d be hard up for any clue as to what is going on through out half of the game. This is because, we, like Sonic, are thrown into an entirely new world with very little background information, foreshadowing or character development whatsoever. For those of us not familiar with previous Sonic Games, or his Fox Kids television series, we’d think he were nothing more than a sarcastic Blue Hedgehog who happens to have a creepy loving relationship with Chili Cheese Dogs. Then again, maybe that’s all he is; these games aren’t really well known for their back-stories.
Nevertheless, Sonic is summoned to this world by what can only be described as a cheesy female counterpart to the classic King Arthur book’s Merlin. To make this groaner joke even more painful, they made her vastly younger than her namesake, and try to gloss it over with a cute voice and a sweet smile. Obviously this is to make us feel connected to the poor girl’s plight in an attempt to save the now corrupted Kingdom of Camelot from a King Arthur who has turned mad with power from the corrupting touch of Excalibur. Wait, wasn’t Excalibur a holy sword? Obviously it’s not in this Saturday morning cartoon mash-up of history’s classic literature. Later down the road you can expect to see all of your Sonic sub-cast favorites like Shadow, Knuckles and Ruby. Of course, they take up the roles of each and every one of King Arthur’s knights. Around the end you’ll eventually be able to piece together precisely who Merlina is, why Sonic was summoned in the first place, and how Camelot really ended up as messed up as it is. The only problem with this style of transition is, you probably stopped caring to piece together the plot long before you got this far. I know I did.
You'll be flailing around like a madman with your Wiimote, because these fights can get intense.
Graphics:
For a Wii game, Sonic & The Black Knight stands out. Much like its 3D predecessors on the , the scenery is beautiful, and everything renders extremely well in spite of the obscenely fast pace of the action. There is relatively very little slowdown, which, unlike some of the other Sonic Games, is nothing short of a miracle given the limitations of Nintendo’s hardware.
Still, there are some issues regarding clipping. Often times Sonic will find himself stuck in the many objects found along the way. While most objects can be broken in Sonic & The Black Knight, treasure chests that are inexplicably unbreakable are the most annoying of the bunch. I’ve been forced to restart a stage once or twice as a result of this particularly annoying glitch.
Sonic & The Black Knight also features many cut-scenes in an attempt to convey the only real story you’ll get out of this game. They’re particularly well done, made up to imitate the cartoon show. Often times I had forgotten just how good a FMV, or Anime-like cut-scene can be.
Sonic's supporting cast literally shines in this game.
Audio:
There are times when the sound will irritate even the hardiest of hardcore players. This is primarily because most of the sound effects will be replayed about a thousand times per stage. However, the background music, and the voice acting are top notch. Sega clearly went out of it’s way to make the player feel as if they were playing a classic Sonic game from the Genesis days by giving us equally catchy music playing while we’re zipping through the stages. They also went to great lengths to give us voice actors who can truly capture the laid-back arrogance of Sonic the Hedgehog and his rag-tag band of friends.
It's dangerous to go alone! Take this.
Controls:
I will go so far as to say that the highlight of this game is its control scheme. For the most part, three-dimensional Sonic games have always suffered from over-sensitivity. You can tell that Sega has learned from previous mistakes, seeing as they no longer force the difficulty up exponentially by throwing in a bunch of arbitrary pitfalls that are nothing short of impossible to avoid when using Sonic’s speed. Considering Sonic’s speed is what makes him unique, forcing us to snail-pace our way around each and every danger often ruined previous games. Sure, there are still a few pitfalls to be found, but for the most part this game focuses on the enemies that march your way in waves. Don’t fret though, while you can still plow through enemies using Sonic’s traditional somersaults and rolls, you’re also given a gigantic sword by the name of Calibrum, a particularly useful tool to slice and dice your way through a barricade of bodies.
There are also special maneuvers that you can pull off once you collect a power source highlighted by red orbs. Once executed, you’ll be put in a freeze frame sequence, where a gigantic Red Bullseye will appear on the nearest enemy. This allows you to pick and choose your targets – for once this freeze frame is utilized with a simple wrist motion, you’ll find Sonic performing a very powerful and very fast attack that makes short work of all but the most powerful of creatures.
The graphics are pretty impressive for a Wii game.
Gameplay:
It’s Sonic with swords in a three-dimensional environment. What more do you need to know? You should expect, quite literally, the same type of gameplay as you got in every other Nintendo Wii Sonic title. That means linear stages, plenty of rings to collect and an onslaught of gargantuan mini-bosses from beginning to end. Of course, what makes this title different from its predecessors is the constant waves of enemies that will flood your screen in-between boss battles, and the lack of annoying pitfalls. Then there is the fact that you are guaranteed to look like a complete fool while flailing your arms around in a pithy attempt to kill every single creature using Sonic’s massive repertoire of special attacks, spins and cumulative combinations.
Between stages, you’ll be given a large world map that allows you to move around from stage-to-stage to be able to do pseudo-quests where you’re expected to defeat certain enemies, or to make it to the end of a stage in a certain time allotment. Doing so will give you special items or equipment that can all be used or equipped prior to entering a stage. Some items will have in-stage-based effects that have to be activated in a certain manner. There are even some special and rare items out there that have a certain game-breaking feel to them, which is a reason to do the mini-quests, or to replay stages in an attempt to hunt for items.
Summary:
I could sum up Sonic & The Black Knight in four words: I didn’t hate it. I actually finished this title, something I haven't done on a Sonic game since the days of the Genesis. After multiple disappointments, it’s refreshing to see a positive step in the right direction from Sega. While Sonic & The Black Knight is anything but polished, it is however fun enough to warrant at least a single play through. I might have a hard time telling you to swallow a $50 pill, but I can easily recommend this game as a solid rental. You should give Sonic & The Black Knight a try, if only for the love of Sonic.
Story: 5/10
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 8/10
Controls: 10/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 7.4/10
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 8/10
Controls: 10/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 7.4/10
All scores are averaged out to make the final score. All scores are rounded up to the nearest tenth.
Fun random facts:
The list of 3D Sonic Games include: -
Dreamcast/Gamecube: Adventure/DX; Adventure 2/Battles; Heroes; Shadow
Wii: Secret Rings; Unleashed; Black Knight
~Dairuka Sutain