Since its development, Sonic the hedgehog games focused on speedy blue blur jumping through loops, avoiding enemies and collecting rings. For some of us ‘retro’ gamers who enjoy a nostalgia trip, this doesn’t seem like a bad idea. But with the hedgehog’s 20th birthday just around the corner, it seems hard for the developers to revamp the fast, furious, spiky blue blur into anything but the original high-paced ’90s game.
As part of the efforts made by Sega, they have decided to try something different. With little to no promotion, “Sonic and the Black Knight” was released to an unsuspecting market. For this video game adventure, Sonic has been daringly outfitted with a talking sword and sent back to medieval times to explore the lands of Camelot and the legend of King Arthur. Bordering on the ever-popular RPG genre, with a sorceress and medieval times, Sonic embarks on an adventure to help a sorceress who is fighting an evil force trying to possess King Arthur.
The game ticks the boxes for visually pleasing and entertaining content with highly detailed backgrounds and flashy special effects. Sonic enters the screen in a path, where he can turn left or right to clear enemies, avoid obstacles, and get closer to treasure for hunting. The analog nunchuck is used to control the character’s speed, while side-to-side movement of the Wii Remote brings the sword into action.
The frantic use of the sword makes the game a bit hectic at times, plus the flashy special effects that are sure to move the player on the edge of their seat. Sonic can annihilate his enemies on the fly, adding even more speed to the game. The fact that we are seeing the hedgehog swing a sword for the first time can be very satisfying. The player also has access to a special Soul Surge homing attack, which can target their nearest enemy and allows them to spew out a merciless shower attack.
There are a total of 11 levels to explore, including castles and dungeons, forests and caves, and there’s a nice mix of baddies to beat. Sonic receives help from his friends, the red-haired Knuckles the Echidna, Shadow Hedgehog, and Miles “Tails” Prower, the golden yellow fox, one of Sonic’s best friends, who appears as Knights of the Round Table or other characters. For hardcore gamers who like to add a tournament twist, there’s a four-player versus mode, which can also add some serious game time.
The use of the controls in the use of the sword can become annoying, moving it from one place to another. But with the grand scenery, flashy special effects, speed of gameplay, and traditional styling that has made Blue Blur the hedgehog so popular, it’s sure to provide long hours of fun and enjoyment for young and old alike.
