Sonic and the Black Knight
Encyclopedia
is a title within the Sonic the Hedgehog series, released exclusively on Wii
as the second entry in the Sonic Storybook series, following on from Sonic and the Secret Rings
. The game is directed by Tetsu Katano, who was the lead programmer of the Sonic Adventure
titles and Sonic Heroes
. Set in the world of King Arthur
, the game combines Sonic's
trademark speed with a new swordfighting system, utilizing of the Wii Remote's motion-sensing functionality. Note that series villain Eggman is absent here, making this the only Sonic game that he does not appear in.
Sonic and the Black Knight was de-listed in 2010, following on from Sega
's decision to remove all Sonic titles with average Metacritic
scores from retail stores in order to increase the value of the brand after positive reviews for Sonic 4 and Sonic Colors.
's pre-Tokyo Game Show
(TGS) 2008 press conference. Developer Sonic Team
, a subsidiary of publisher Sega
, decided to focus on combat and cinematic presentation for the game rather than the level design-oriented Sonic Unleashed
. Gameplay for Sonic and the Black Knight differs from traditional games in the Sonic series by mixing in the new element of swordplay with the traditional Sonic platforming and speed. Swordplay is implemented through the Wii Remote. Gameplay is more similar to Sonic Unleashed than Sonic and the Secret Rings
; Sonic's movement is controlled with the analog stick as he is on a set course, and gameplay is mainly 3D.
The stages feature townspeople that the player can harm and some that Sonic can interact with; these actions and the player's deeds will be judged at the end of each stage, updating his "knight ranking" accordingly. By interacting with these characters the player may do a quick-time button input. Doing so correctly will take away twenty of Sonic's rings and give them to the townsperson, and in return, he shall receive a gift at the end of the stage. In some stages, it is required to give a specific amount of rings to townspeople before reaching the goal. In stages where this is not required the townsperson will reward Sonic with an item. There are 242 items in the game, some of which can be gained by opening treasure chests in the stages. Any items collected during a stage must be identified at the end of the stage by using Sonic's "ID points" Rarer items cost more ID points than others. An online mode allows treasures to be traded between registered friends.
The game changes the traditional level items, such as springs and speed pads, into "fairies." These fairies come in varying colors; Yellow elements will be used as a group of one to twenty rings, Blue fairies will be used as speed boosts and springs, and Red will be used to fill the "Soul gauge." This gauge is filled by defeating enemies and collecting Red Fairies, and is used to unleash a powerful lock-on attack, Soul Surge. On only the first few stages, the "pearls" from the previous game, Sonic and the Secret Rings
, appear as apples.
The skill system from Sonic and the Secret Rings also returns, but has been reviewed to adjust any problems that were present in that game: the skill system is also designed so as not to interfere with the game's tempo. Each playable character has three styles to chose from. At first, only the balanced "Knight" style is available, but later, "Cavalier" and "Paladin" styles are unlocked. They deal with the aspects of speed and power, respectively. As levels are completed, the player gains a number of "Followers" that is used as Experience and as the number of followers goes up, the number of skills the player has in a certain style are increased. For other characters beside Sonic, their styles are not increased, rather, their swords have their abilities and a sword's skills get better.
Once a certain point in the story is reached, Sir Gawain (Knuckles), Sir Lancelot (Shadow), and Sir Percival (Blaze) will be playable from that point on. They each have their own characteristics; for instance, Knuckles has dual swords that double as boomerangs and has the ability to glide, Blaze can surround herself with fire and use more lunge attacks than Sonic, and Shadow can use Chaos Powers. In story mode, they can use different swords from their original swords, unlike Sonic, who can only wield Caliburn. And instead of their styles getting better, their swords get stronger.
, summons Sonic to help free the mystical realm of King Arthur
, who has been possessed by an unknown evil that comes from Excalibur
's scabbard
, and is now ruling the realm as the tyrannical Black Knight
. Sonic's speed alone will not end The Black Knight's reign, so he must take up the talking sword, Caliburn, in order to break Arthur's curse and save the kingdom. Sonic must also collect the blades of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table and Excalibur itself if he is to restore King Arthur's sanity and return him to a benevolent ruler. Sonic is assisted in his travels by a kind blacksmith
and the legendary Lady of the Lake
. Facing dragon
s, King Arthur's warriors from the Underworld
and the Knights of the Round Table (who bear similarities to Shadow the Hedgehog
, Knuckles the Echidna
, and Blaze the Cat), Sonic collects the blades and enters a showdown against the Black Knight. However, when the dust settles, it is revealed that King Arthur was merely an illusion, and that Merlina was using Sonic so that she could become all-powerful and make the kingdom last forever. Sonic fights her, but takes a severe beating the first time and Caliburn is destroyed. Sonic's resolve to stop the witch, however, is great, and with this resolve (as well as the Knights' blades), Caliburn is restored and revealed to be the true Excalibur and Sonic is turned into Excalibur-Sonic (a variation of Super Sonic). With their new power, they fight Merlina (who has become the Dark Queen) and convince her that, although her world may be ending, she needs to live life to the fullest. With the fight over, the Knights of the Round Table are about to disband (due to King Arthur's death), but Caliburn says that he is the one who chooses the king, who is Sonic (since only the true king could have pulled Excalibur from the stone). After the credits, Sonic tries to tell Amy of his adventure, but she thinks he missed her date on purpose. The game ends in a fashion similar to Sonic and the Secret Rings
, with the book "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" changing to "Sonic and the Black Knight".
as brand new bonus tracks created especially for the album.
Tales of Knighthood: Sonic and the Black Knight Original Soundtrax is the licensed soundtrack of the 2009 video game Sonic and the Black Knight. It was released by Wave Music Entertainment on April 8, 2009 in Japan's Sega Direct Stores only.
This was also the last game that had the Sonic X
voice cast.
Molten Mine's background music is a rearranged version of the "Action Theme" from Black Dawn
, an old (and completely unrelated to the Sonic universe) PlayStation
and Sega Saturn
videogame released in 1996. The music itself was originally made by Tommy Tallarico
.
Nintendo Power gave the game a 8/10, stating the gameplay is "pulled off in a fine fashion", but also said the main story is "fairly short". In the 2009 Nintendo Power Awards, it was voted the "Best Action Game" by the voters.
IGN
gave the game a 3.9/10, praising the game's visuals and the overall presentation, but went on to state that the gameplay was "broken" and cited the controls as "unresponsive". Famitsu gave the game a 26/40, composed of two sevens and two sixes. GameDaily
gave the game a 7/10, citing that "repetitive combat, easy missions and limited controls keep it from greatness," but acknowledged its "attractive presentation, decent combat and bonus content."
The British Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game 78%, praising the games visuals and soundtrack, but criticizing the sword play mechanics and multiplayer element. GameSpot also notes that while the sword is useful slashing through enemies, there is a noticeable delay from the time swinging the Wii Remote and the time Sonic actually swings.
The game was voted the Worst Wii Game of 2009 by the ScrewAttack
community.
However, in the 2009 Nintendo Power Awards, it was voted the "Best Action Game" by the voters.
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
as the second entry in the Sonic Storybook series, following on from Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released exclusively for the Wii on February 20, 2007 in North America; March 2 in Europe; and March 15 in Japan. It is the first Sonic game for the console, released in place of an...
. The game is directed by Tetsu Katano, who was the lead programmer of the Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure
is a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
titles and Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
is a 2004 platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in...
. Set in the world of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, the game combines Sonic's
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
trademark speed with a new swordfighting system, utilizing of the Wii Remote's motion-sensing functionality. Note that series villain Eggman is absent here, making this the only Sonic game that he does not appear in.
Sonic and the Black Knight was de-listed in 2010, following on from Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's decision to remove all Sonic titles with average Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
scores from retail stores in order to increase the value of the brand after positive reviews for Sonic 4 and Sonic Colors.
Gameplay
Sonic and the Black Knight was first revealed at NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's pre-Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
(TGS) 2008 press conference. Developer Sonic Team
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
, a subsidiary of publisher Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, decided to focus on combat and cinematic presentation for the game rather than the level design-oriented Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed , is a video game and the 11th installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for multiple platforms...
. Gameplay for Sonic and the Black Knight differs from traditional games in the Sonic series by mixing in the new element of swordplay with the traditional Sonic platforming and speed. Swordplay is implemented through the Wii Remote. Gameplay is more similar to Sonic Unleashed than Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released exclusively for the Wii on February 20, 2007 in North America; March 2 in Europe; and March 15 in Japan. It is the first Sonic game for the console, released in place of an...
; Sonic's movement is controlled with the analog stick as he is on a set course, and gameplay is mainly 3D.
The stages feature townspeople that the player can harm and some that Sonic can interact with; these actions and the player's deeds will be judged at the end of each stage, updating his "knight ranking" accordingly. By interacting with these characters the player may do a quick-time button input. Doing so correctly will take away twenty of Sonic's rings and give them to the townsperson, and in return, he shall receive a gift at the end of the stage. In some stages, it is required to give a specific amount of rings to townspeople before reaching the goal. In stages where this is not required the townsperson will reward Sonic with an item. There are 242 items in the game, some of which can be gained by opening treasure chests in the stages. Any items collected during a stage must be identified at the end of the stage by using Sonic's "ID points" Rarer items cost more ID points than others. An online mode allows treasures to be traded between registered friends.
The game changes the traditional level items, such as springs and speed pads, into "fairies." These fairies come in varying colors; Yellow elements will be used as a group of one to twenty rings, Blue fairies will be used as speed boosts and springs, and Red will be used to fill the "Soul gauge." This gauge is filled by defeating enemies and collecting Red Fairies, and is used to unleash a powerful lock-on attack, Soul Surge. On only the first few stages, the "pearls" from the previous game, Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released exclusively for the Wii on February 20, 2007 in North America; March 2 in Europe; and March 15 in Japan. It is the first Sonic game for the console, released in place of an...
, appear as apples.
The skill system from Sonic and the Secret Rings also returns, but has been reviewed to adjust any problems that were present in that game: the skill system is also designed so as not to interfere with the game's tempo. Each playable character has three styles to chose from. At first, only the balanced "Knight" style is available, but later, "Cavalier" and "Paladin" styles are unlocked. They deal with the aspects of speed and power, respectively. As levels are completed, the player gains a number of "Followers" that is used as Experience and as the number of followers goes up, the number of skills the player has in a certain style are increased. For other characters beside Sonic, their styles are not increased, rather, their swords have their abilities and a sword's skills get better.
Once a certain point in the story is reached, Sir Gawain (Knuckles), Sir Lancelot (Shadow), and Sir Percival (Blaze) will be playable from that point on. They each have their own characteristics; for instance, Knuckles has dual swords that double as boomerangs and has the ability to glide, Blaze can surround herself with fire and use more lunge attacks than Sonic, and Shadow can use Chaos Powers. In story mode, they can use different swords from their original swords, unlike Sonic, who can only wield Caliburn. And instead of their styles getting better, their swords get stronger.
Multiplayer
Up to four players can play, choosing between one of 12 characters to partake in a number of different kinds of battles. Characters include Sonic, Lancelot (Shadow), Gawain (Knuckles), Percival (Blaze), Blacksmith (Tails), The Lady of the Lake (Amy) , Galahad (Silver), Lamorack (Jet),Plot
A sorceress named Merlina, granddaughter of the original MerlinMerlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, summons Sonic to help free the mystical realm of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, who has been possessed by an unknown evil that comes from Excalibur
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
's scabbard
Scabbard
A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. Scabbards have been made of many materials over the millennia, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel.-Types of scabbards:...
, and is now ruling the realm as the tyrannical Black Knight
Black Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character, often contrasted with the white knight. The character famously appeared in Arthurian literature and has been adapted and adopted by various authors, in cinema and popular culture...
. Sonic's speed alone will not end The Black Knight's reign, so he must take up the talking sword, Caliburn, in order to break Arthur's curse and save the kingdom. Sonic must also collect the blades of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table and Excalibur itself if he is to restore King Arthur's sanity and return him to a benevolent ruler. Sonic is assisted in his travels by a kind blacksmith
Miles "Tails" Prower
, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
and the legendary Lady of the Lake
Amy Rose
, known earlier as Rosy the Rascal, is a video game character who appears in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games developed by Sega's Sonic Team, debuting in Sonic CD as the third recurring protagonist. Amy Rose was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino and based on one of Kenji Terada's...
. Facing dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s, King Arthur's warriors from the Underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
and the Knights of the Round Table (who bear similarities to Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Shadow is an artificially-created life form. His trademark hover shoes propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic, and with a Chaos Emerald he has the ability to distort time and space using "Chaos Control." Often referred to as being...
, Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
, and Blaze the Cat), Sonic collects the blades and enters a showdown against the Black Knight. However, when the dust settles, it is revealed that King Arthur was merely an illusion, and that Merlina was using Sonic so that she could become all-powerful and make the kingdom last forever. Sonic fights her, but takes a severe beating the first time and Caliburn is destroyed. Sonic's resolve to stop the witch, however, is great, and with this resolve (as well as the Knights' blades), Caliburn is restored and revealed to be the true Excalibur and Sonic is turned into Excalibur-Sonic (a variation of Super Sonic). With their new power, they fight Merlina (who has become the Dark Queen) and convince her that, although her world may be ending, she needs to live life to the fullest. With the fight over, the Knights of the Round Table are about to disband (due to King Arthur's death), but Caliburn says that he is the one who chooses the king, who is Sonic (since only the true king could have pulled Excalibur from the stone). After the credits, Sonic tries to tell Amy of his adventure, but she thinks he missed her date on purpose. The game ends in a fashion similar to Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released exclusively for the Wii on February 20, 2007 in North America; March 2 in Europe; and March 15 in Japan. It is the first Sonic game for the console, released in place of an...
, with the book "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" changing to "Sonic and the Black Knight".
Audio
Face to Faith is the official vocal songs soundtrack for the video game Sonic and the Black Knight that was released on April 8, 2009 in Sega Direct Stores in Japan. It features five vocal tracks that were featured in the game, with "Seven Rings in Hand ~Fairytales in Trance~" by Bentley Jones and "With Me ~Massive Power Mix~" by Crush 40Crush 40
Crush 40, formerly known as Sons of Angels, is a Japanese-American hard rock band formed in 1997 that is best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of several video games, predominantly the Sonic the Hedgehog series...
as brand new bonus tracks created especially for the album.
Tales of Knighthood: Sonic and the Black Knight Original Soundtrax is the licensed soundtrack of the 2009 video game Sonic and the Black Knight. It was released by Wave Music Entertainment on April 8, 2009 in Japan's Sega Direct Stores only.
This was also the last game that had the Sonic X
Sonic X
is an anime series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It was produced in Japan by TMS Entertainment with the partnership of Sega and was created by Sonic Team and Sonic Project. In the United States, 4Kids currently owns and manages copyright and branding of the series.- Series 1 ...
voice cast.
Molten Mine's background music is a rearranged version of the "Action Theme" from Black Dawn
Black Dawn (video game)
Black Dawn is a helicopter-combat simulation, published by Virgin Interactive. It was released on the PlayStation in 1996, and the Sega Saturn in 1997.-Story:...
, an old (and completely unrelated to the Sonic universe) PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
videogame released in 1996. The music itself was originally made by Tommy Tallarico
Tommy Tallarico
Tommy Tallarico is an American video game music composer and musician. He is best known as the co-creator of the concert series Video Games Live...
.
Reception
Sonic and the Black Knight has received mostly mixed reviews, with a Metacritic average of 54 out of 100, based on 51 reviews, and a GameRankings average of 55.67%, based on 42 reviews. The game entered the Japanese sales chart at thirtieth place, and the North American Wii charts at tenth.Nintendo Power gave the game a 8/10, stating the gameplay is "pulled off in a fine fashion", but also said the main story is "fairly short". In the 2009 Nintendo Power Awards, it was voted the "Best Action Game" by the voters.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 3.9/10, praising the game's visuals and the overall presentation, but went on to state that the gameplay was "broken" and cited the controls as "unresponsive". Famitsu gave the game a 26/40, composed of two sevens and two sixes. GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
gave the game a 7/10, citing that "repetitive combat, easy missions and limited controls keep it from greatness," but acknowledged its "attractive presentation, decent combat and bonus content."
The British Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game 78%, praising the games visuals and soundtrack, but criticizing the sword play mechanics and multiplayer element. GameSpot also notes that while the sword is useful slashing through enemies, there is a noticeable delay from the time swinging the Wii Remote and the time Sonic actually swings.
The game was voted the Worst Wii Game of 2009 by the ScrewAttack
ScrewAttack
ScrewAttack . is a video game-related website that showcases original entertainment for an audience of video game enthusiasts. Its content is also shown on GameTrailers and IGN...
community.
However, in the 2009 Nintendo Power Awards, it was voted the "Best Action Game" by the voters.