same dev team as Secret Rings

“This time, a sorceress named Merlina summons Sonic to the mythical realm of King Arthur, but it seems the fabled monarch has somehow been corrupted and now rules the land as the tyranical Black Knight.”

storybook telling like Secret Rings

– “As Sonic runs along, a simple flick of the Wii remote will execute a basic slash, which is enough to dispatch most low-level grunts.”

– thrust, parry, and buzz-saw-like moves for the sword

– “During our demo, we saw the hedgehog leap from a high precipice, then thrust the blade into a wall to slow his decent, sparks flying impressively as steel cut through brick.”

– “Combat is integrated in such a way that most of the time you can slice through any who stand in your path without even slowing down.”

– Control Sonic via joystick

– “Our hero begins his quest as a mere knave. Only by becoming a full-fledged knight will he have any hope of defeating King Arthur.”

– “his sword, a talking blade named Calibur, serves as a mentor.”

– “If you help civilian townfolk in need of assistance, you’ll earn points toward knighthood. If you smite one of those civilians, your reputation will take a hit.”

– “At the end of each stage, the game tallies your good and not-so-good deeds and updates your rank accordingly.”

– “Sonic can aquire everything from gauntlets to magical tomes to new swords, and when equipped, each article bestows him with a unique benefit.”

– “On the audio side, veteran composer Jen Senoue is taking a smiliar approach, injecting familiar Sonic themes with a Celtic flavor.”

– Magic used to give Sonic extra powers. It looks as if Choas float around Sonic when magic is used

– 200 items, some can be combined with others

– go online to trade items

– Rings no longer appear in computer monitors, but instead, sacks

– skill system from Secret Rings returns, but it will not interrupt the gameplay

– mission structure returns

– “Each stage has multiple branching paths and searching for townsfolk and treasure chests provides an element of exploration that recalls Sonic’s early Genesis days.”

– “The camera will occasionally pan to a side-scrolling perspective for a quick dose of classic 2-D action.”

– “And there will be no dinosaur eggs!”

– ”When people see that Sonic is wielding a sword, they’ll probably have certain expectations of the multipler mode. And all I can say is that we’re thinking along those same lines.”

– “Just as they subbed in for such characters as Ali Baba and Aladdin in Sonic and the Secret Rings, a number of familiar faces will assume Arthurian personas in SBK.”

– “This time, however, some of Sonic’s friends will be playable. Each hero will boast unique abilities, and though the team isn’t ready to divulge the full cast just yet, we do know the identities of two playable comrades: Knuckles, who brandishes two swords at once, and Shadow.”

– there will be other characters, but you don’t have to play as them if you don’t want

– “While the old gauges from Secret Rings are gone, a new special gauge will “bestow him with similarly impressive powers. The meter fills gradually whenever Sonic vanquishes an enemy or snags a purple elemental, and when it reaches a certain point you can unleash a powerful combination attack capable of tearing through multiple foes in quick succession. You simply press the B button to lock onto the nearest enemy, flick the remote to strike him down, then press B again to move onto the next unfortunate soul. If you chain together enough smitings before the gauge is depleted, Sonic will receive a speed burst at the end of the string.”

– “the team behind Sonic and the Black Knight is keenly aware of the franchise’s past missteps, and their enthusiasm for doing right by the series is infections.”

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