Sonic and the Black Knight details revealed.

Well Sonic has been given a weapon. If history has taught us anything, hedgehogs and weapons are a dangerous mix. Recently, this new Sonic and the Secret Rings sequel was revealed entitled "Sonic and the Black Knight", and as we feared Sega are trying to once again add a new twist to the series by giving the spiky blue blur a sword. Yes, Sonic will be running around huge stages defeating enemies with his trusty blade. Since next to no details about the game were revealed, we instantly started to assume that this game would be an "EPIC FAIL." But there may still be hope, the first details and scans direct from Nintendo Power have been revealed. Take a read, you might learn something.

For starters, the game will play very much like Secret Rings does. Sonic runs automatically and you can pick certain routes in each level. Sonic will be able to acquire over 200 power ups to help him clear missions, and you can also trade them with people over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Also as you can tell from the images, the game does seem to look pretty.

“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.”

“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,” writes Nintendo Power. “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.”

Nintendo Power confirmed that the "Speed Break" gauge has been replaced by a new one :

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.”

More interestingly was the ending quote of the article, which stated that the "Sonic and the Black Knight development team is aware of the franchise’s previous mishaps, and that they are enthusiastic about doing the right thing this time around." Hopefully, we see results.

Also for those wondering, this game is NOT a "Wii-substitute" to Sonic Unleashed. Both Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic Unleashed will be appearing on the Wii. Sonic and the Black Knight will be released early next year.

Source: Nintendic Sonic and the Black Knight - new details, first scans