Great films, books and games work because they are a coherent whole. There is a consistency to them and more often than not a single well executed idea. The great games were always built around their pillars of platforming, speed and reactions-based gameplay. Sonic and the Black Night makes some good progress, but still doesn't seem to remember quite what it was that made Sonic so popular in the first place.

Sonic and the Secret Rings came close to delivering on this, the new style and speed of the over the shoulder race-platforming gave the title a fresh feel and kept the player's focus firmly on split second decisions. Sonic Unleashed was a second attempt at the same, but by introducing the slower night time (and roundly unpopular) Werehog levels something was lost in terms of coherence.

Sonic and the Black Knight, following on from Secret Rings as the second in the Sonic storybook series, does a much better job of keeping the pacing at a level suited to the blue hedgehog. But unfortunately Sonic Team's desire to tinker and expand their ideas is again problematic. Black Knight tries a little too hard to broaden the appeal and approach of the game, whilst seemingly unable to ground the experience in solid platforming style.

What results is more of a grab-bag of interesting ideas than a refined video game experience. This is clear even from the opening cinematics which, while impressively rendered, jump between different art styles and storytelling techniques. Voice acting leaps around somewhat too, some scenes delivering solid performances while others lacking any interest in lip syncing or engaging the audience.

Setting this questionable (and unskippable) beginning aside we are rewarded with some more promising menu screens and a Knights of the Round Table theme. Here, we can choose to work through the single player or challenge up to four friends to a show down.

The multiplayer is a nice addition, although we had hoped this would be a multiplayer version of the main game. As it stands this is more of a dumbed down mode rather than a true four player version of the main game. You can choose from the classic Sonic cast (Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, Blaze, Amy, Tails, Silver, and Jet) then battle in a variety of challenges.

The main game takes a lead from its predecessor, although taking the from an Arabian to an Arthurian theme. The majority of time is happily spent charging through environments at break neck speeds as you collect, battle and hack through various challenges. This action swings between over-the-shoulder and more traditional 2D fare, with the emphasis on the newer style of the former.

Swordplay makes reasonable use of the Wiimote, much like we saw in Unleashed and Secret Rings. Movement here and in the running sections is assigned to the analogue stick. While the running controls works better than the fighting, it feels like a trick has been missed here. The limits of the Nunchuck's analogue control are soon apparent, something that would seem to lend itself better to the nuanced adjustments possible with Wiimote tilting. In swordplay the opposite is true as you are forced to grapple with rough gesture triggered attacks rather than being able to use the ideally suited A and B buttons.

The 'Knight' theme extends beyond the visuals. Through each level you encounter townspeople that can be harmed and interacted with. How well you deal with these innocents results in your Knight ranking. Deal with them well (read pressing the right buttons for the quick-time action sections) and you can donate your rings to acquire the aforementioned ranking as well as secret items.

These items introduce another element to the game - taking things is a mild role-playing direction. There are some 200 items to collect from these villager interactions, opening treasure chests or just finding them within the stages. At the end of a level you can identify any items you have won to discover their value and benefits.

Keeping on this role play track, more positive tinkering has improved the skill system. This returns from Sonic and the Secret Rings but has been overhauled to avoid the staccato effect they had on the previous game. Pacing is preserved while the player is able power up their character through a relatively comprehensive career and ability system.

The biggest heartbreak though is that there is enough fun here to see where Sonic Team were going. The removal of the slower Werehog levels, the updated skills and role play aspects as well as the Arthurian theme are all great ideas. The problem however is that these innovations are allowed to overshadow what makes Sonic games great - the purity of fast paced platforming action.

As it stands this is an interesting in the struggle to divine a way forward for the blue hedgehog. But unfortunately it's an experience that isn't nearly as much fun as it sounds.

60%

By Paul Govan