This game retains Sonic's speed and charm and is a great "Sonic" game.
Note that series villain Eggman is absent here, making this the only Sonic game that he does not appear in.
In Sonic's long way in the history of the gaming world this blue hedgehog travelled to lots of weird places and saved the world many times but it is the first time for Sonic to go to the world of true knights - Camelot itself. Is it real or is Sonic just dreaming - discover for yourself. Gameplay retains all of Sonic's charm by maintaining great speed and challenges together with simple controls and what is most important - not many bugs actually when compared to other Sonic games in 3D, which were available at that time. It sure differs from traditional games in the Sonic series by mixing in the new element of swordplay with the traditional Sonic platforming and speed. 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.
First thing that the player will notice - why the hell Sonic needs a sword? That may seem weird at first simple because we used to see "other" Sonic. But that doesn't mean he is not the chosen one... ehem. Caliburn... Excalibur... True Kind Arthur... I said too much already... hehe. So basically you repeat the legend of Camelot in a very unusual way... Sonic way. Sword controls are smooth. Not as smooth as in "Zelda: Skyward sword" for example (Zelda SW uses Motion Plus and this Sonic game doesn't) but still quite good and it doesn't interrupt the gameplay while providing a great way to utilise your Wii controllers like they should be used. Sonic's movement is controlled with the analog stick as he is on a set course, swordplay is done with Wii remote and this makes the controls very easy and smooth.
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 towns person, 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. Though most items are useless it adds an RPG-like feature and as some items are very useful in the particular stages (like anti-poison for example), it helps a lot.
Soundtrack in this game deserves a separate praise. In addition to a great main soundtrack made by many famous game composers this game also has beautiful songs made by Crush40 which can really give a player the needed "drive" to battle a foe. Also there is a little nostalgic surprise for the people who played an old game called "Black Dawn" on either Saturn or Sony Playstation (It was a helicopter sim). 2 levels of the game immediately will get a "Oh Snap" reaction from the people who played "Black Dawn" back in times. They contain remixes from the best themes of "Black Dawn", which were written by Tommy Tallarico and really fit into the game atmosphere and it is a beauty to hear them after all these years.
Once the "Knight's Quest" part of the story is reached, Sir Gawain (Knuckles), Sir Lancelot (Shadow), and Sir Percival (Blaze) will be playable from that point on. Each has their own characteristics; for instance, Knuckles wields 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 than their own swords, unlike Sonic, who can only wield Caliburn. This adds a lot of replay value to the game. Player might think at first that with the first credits screen the game is finished... THINK AGAIN... NOT. Game continues and the plot begins to have a new turn which will be a surprise and a satisfaction too since it is not over. There is still much to do in the universe. Actually even after completing the main story itself player can access the variety of challenges and also can level up together with obtaining some new items. So the replayability of the game is at a very good level since there are 242 items in the game (and yes I know I said about it before...)
Multiplayer adds a lot of party value to the game. 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), Amy Rose (Original), Galahad (Silver), Lamorack (Jet), regular Shadow, regular Knuckles, regular Blaze, and King Arthur.
You can notice some allusions in this game which are kinda nice to know about: King Arthur: The whole game is based on the legend of King Arthur. Dragon's Lair: The event where Sonic has to enter a dragon's lair and fight a dragon may be based off the 1983 interactive movie, Dragon's Lair. Dave the Barbarian: In Sonic and the Black Knight, Sonic goes around with a talking sword. Dave the Barbarian also had a talking sword. Saint Seiya: When Sonic becomes Excalibur Sonic, the armor adheres to his body. So this game is a worthy successor to Sonic series? Try it for yourself and find out. Sometimes under the pile of crap there is a true gem...
RESULT:
Good: Awesome gameplay, which is true to Sonic roots, great soundtrack, awesome story, almost bug free, true high-speed action, seamless RPG elements, nice mix of swordplay and speed.
BAD: Sonic with a sword seems weird