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Once again, loving the anti-slander of Sonic, it's so refreshing. I liked this game a LOT, and liking this game back then was like the definition of loneliness.
Something I referenced in the previous video’s comments, but the first level of Black Knight was actually the level that was used as a test for the first Hedgehog Engine
@@ArynBacklogDragon honestly makes me wonder….whenever Roger moves on from Sonic, will we get a swan song performance like Jason did for this game? I wanna hear Roger at his best one day. Hopefully we get good voice direction for Frontiers and in future games.
@@waypastcoolkid personally I doubt it. I feel like Roger is the only voice actor that got worse as time went on (I don't count Sonic Boom. cuz that's a different character) he was particularly insufferable in Lost World, but granted, the scripts he had to work with got progressively worse too so I can't really blame it all on him. Alas, I think Frontiers will be his chance to finally turn me around on him, with Ian writting his lines, bad writing isn't an excuse anymore, so here's hoping he can pull out all the stops with Frontiers. (and if he doesn't, well I can always switch the voices back to Japanese cuz Junichi just don't miss)
Need to call this out, the lore behind Sonic’s friends being in the books for some reason is that they aren’t actually Sonic’s friends, they just look like them. It’s a parallel universe situation. It’s not Knuckles, it’s Sinbad. It’s not Shadow, it’s Sir Lancelot. It’s not a plot hole, it’s just dumb.
@Kian wait, so let me get this straight; for example, when it is said that sir Percival is the "mightiest" (I don't remember the exact word used) of the Knights of the round table, sonic thinks of Blaze? It's not that sir Percival is blaze from a parallel universe? I am amazed. what's the source of this information?
Fun fact: With Me, the final boss theme was performed by a joint effort between Swedish metal band All Ends and for guitar, Marty Friedman of Megadeth fame. Also I'm not saying Jon is SonicUltimate20, I'm just saying no one has ever seen Jon and SonicUltimate20 in the same room together.
Honestly the story in this game slaps, especially as it ties pretty close to some of the themes and ideas modern creators can get out of traditional arthurian lore. Like putting it into perspective, one glaring things is how Merlina's hopes and wishes for an eternal Camelot (via destroying and recreating it in an endless loop) practically matches with the fully realized vision of Kinoko Nasu's Fate interpretation of Morgan le Fae in one of his multiverse's timelines, specifically FGO's Lostbelt 6 where Morgan, much like Merlina, was a depressed sorrowful character that only wished to prolong the time of Camelot by any means necessary, only to constantly fail across multiple time loops spanning millennia and each time losing those important to her along the way. What also really helps to solidify the parallels is that effectively both are witches that owe a great amount of their learning and success to being students of Merlin, so while Merlina has absolutely no traditional relation to any character in historical Arthurian mythos whatwith being original to Sonic and the Black Knight, she serves as a really great stand-in for Morgan who is in many ways, considered the penultimate villain in the myth in many modern interpretations thanks to the popularization of the later interpretations of the story in areas like France. Ultimately from a narrative standpoint, SatBK really drives home some heavy themes even if it may not be quite as dark as some aspects of SA2 and the blatantly obvious Shadow game (which also dialed the edge to 10 as well).
@@Kanethedragon I have never connected Sonic in the Black Knight with Morgan lafay from fate until just now, and all I have to say is this: Sonic in the Black Knight is a reinterpretation of lost belt 6
This remains as one of my favorite Sonic games. Everything you said about this feeling like the "end of an era" rings so true. It genuinely feels like the final chapter of what I thought to be Sonic's legacy, growing up. My first Sonic game was Heroes, so I was immediately attached to the wide array of characters that fill up the Sonic cast. After getting to know some of them a bit better in Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, it really cemented my lifelong attachment to all of them. I wound up feeling a bit underwhelmed when new Sonic games released and they only had Sonic, Tails, and Eggman in them. I missed the entire crew! So getting to have all these characters, albeit under different personas, heavily prominent throughout this game and in a drastically different tone from what we're used to felt really special to me and only added to my enjoyment of this game. And ya, the narrative takes a surprisingly dark turn for a Sonic game. But a different kind of dark from what we've seen before. It's a very blunt and serious tone that I love having showcased in this game and with these characters. Earlier on in the game, Merlina warns Sonic that there might be people who will label him a criminal if he were to succeed in slaying their king. And his response is simply "I guess I can't be the hero all the time!" It's really interesting to hear him say that, because we all view Sonic as a hero and we always believe him to be doing what's right. But in this instance, that may not be the case. And that doesn't phase him, because he's someone who always sticks to his guns. So when the twist in the end happened and he's still determined to stop Merlina from making an eternal world because he believes it would eliminate any and all purpose in the lives and the worlds he's spent HIS whole life trying to save... I simply wasn't ready to have these thoughts and discussions brought to me in a Sonic game. I know gameplay is the number one priority of... well, a GAME. But narrative and characters are what I always look forward to in the games I play. And this one brought such a mature and serious tone to a bunch of characters from my childhood who meant the world to me, as a kid. It's almost to the point where I wouldn't mind if this was the last Sonic game, just like how I wouldn't have minded if Galaxy 1 was the last Mario game. Because it feels like such a perfect end to these character's legacies and knowing that I got to see the journey and growth of these characters come to such a satisfying conclusion is incredibly appealing to me, personally. The gameplay is really fun, the sword mechanic seemed like a natural fit for Sonic, the set pieces are phenomenal, the music is stellar (With Me is flat out my favorite Sonic song), and the story is one that's stuck with me for years and that I really appreciate being tackled by a series that means so much to me. Thank you so much for highlighting this game and for striving to give it a better reputation in the modern day!
Excellently put. I was 7 years old when this game came out. I also started with Heroes, and I had a Wii with a ton of Sonic games. I truly don't know how I missed out on this game for so many years. I finally grabbed it a few months back and I've really been loving it. Such an underrated gem and truly the end of the Sonic's best era. I miss those days.
This right here is exactly why I'm so over the "Sonic is bad" mentality. That mentality led to me disliking games that I actually liked and also led to me skipping out on following the series for so long. Even after I said "screw it" to that mentality, I still thought that I was gonna skip certain games because they are apparently actually bad. So I was gonna skip Secret Rings and Black Knight. Now I see that that would be silly. Sonic games being bad is not some kind of Unavoidable Chin Move (TM).
I'd argue that secret rings is unashamedly bad (and I like 06), but that's mostly because my wii remote doesn't work very well at all. Black knight though was pretty decent when I tried it.
@@MustacheDLuffy yes which means that like mine, if your wii remote is underperforming, then you can't p;lay, which means its even more controller dependent than super smash bros melee.
Sonic and the black knight has my favourite version of sonic in terms of character and also one of my favourite soundtracks so I'm really grateful when someone gives this game the proper time instead off "game bad because dark age". I played this game when I was a kid and it really resonated with me. Also The track "DEEP WOODS" is my favourite in the game
Sonic and the Communist Manifesto Sonic and the Three Kingdoms (Romance of The Three Kingdoms, awesome story that inspired Dynasty Warriors) Or, Sonic and the Fifty Shades of Grey
How fitting. The game that emphasizes the importance of living in the moment and letting life run its course was the last Sonic game before the soft reboot that was Colors.
imo that game probably has one of the best sonic characterisations of modern sonic games, the voice acting is top tier and the story itself is so good, "darker" themed, plot twists, "deep" ending. I've never had the chance to play it but I believe it is quite underrated. (it also has more CGI scenes than most recent sonic games, let that sink in)
It’s not my favorite Sonic story, but I still think Black Knight has one of the more elegantly told stories in the series. It’s generally enjoyable, characterization is on point and doesn’t have too many issues that I feel like nitpicking to death. It’s just very clean.
I'd actually be interested in a Jon Sonic tier list video, I haven't played many of the Sonic games so I'd be curious to see which ones are Jon's favourites and I guess we can get mini reviews of each game which would be nice
This game is a super throwback for me. I used to watch the cgi cutscene of sonic getting his armour at the end on TH-cam all the time cause I thought it was so cool but I didn’t know how to unlock it. Once I finally did finish the end it blew my mind. All the music from this game is so nostalgic... what a crazy game
As far as you saying Sonic lives there forever, you forgot to mention the VERY last scene of the game, where Sonic is telling the events of the game to Amy, and she chases Sonic with her hammer as she assumes he made to whole thing up to forget about their date.
I remember renting this game as a kid and having to return right before I could beat the final boss. Then the rental place was going out of business and selling its entire inventory before I could rent it again. We went down to buy it but someone else had already bought it, and I haven’t played it in the 13 years since
Had a similar story with Super Mario Sunchine, I would constantly rent it from a video store to play it. Eventually they were going out of business, when finding out about it I rushed to the game section and got it. Also go Melee from that place, so all in all it was a pretty good purchase.
I remember playing the game when I was younger, and my stand out memory is every time you move through a menu, it going CLING, CHING, KLANG, CHING with sword on sword noises. I genuinely couldn't deal with it for more than a few hours
I was kinda the same about Black Knight, wondering just what in the hell was going with the sword!? I mean I was more than a little puzzled by the Werehog, but I still got it Unleashed and learned to roll with it, but Black Knight, that didn't actually happen until only a few years ago when a friend put me onto it. Looking back on it now, I wonder why I was so against it, when I've seen other shows where characters go back through time and I've never had any issue with it. Swat Kats being a key example of this, complete with its own Arthurian like sword which trapped in stone (albeit it does not talk.) I also agree with her that this is the last Sonic game where it felt like there was heart and feeling put into it with its world, its characters and its story. Then after that it becomes nostalgia city with an over reliance on 2D and Green Hill. Something we are still dealing with to this day and it makes me wonder, how hard can it be to make a fully 3D Sonic game with brand new stages from start to finish, and additional playable characters in 2022? [Merlina, now transformed as the Dark Queen, is sitting on a throne.] Dark Queen: I've been expecting you. Sonic: Just one question before we settle this. Why'd you do it? Weren't we trying to save this franchise from the underworld? Dark Queen: This franchise will fail one way or another. Such is its fate. Sonic: Huh? Dark Queen: Do you know what is to become of this franchise? Sonic: Beats me. [The Dark Queen starts to walk forward] Dark Queen: The introduction of humans and guns shall doom the franchise. Sonic is struck down by Mephiles, and is then kissed back to life by a human princess. Sonic: ... Dark Queen: This was to be our ideal world. But it will not last... Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends will end in ruin. The 3D world my grandfather Merlin created led to nothing but mistakes... But I can succeed with the power of the scabbard. Creating a 2D kingdom that never ends. [Uses a small portal to summon a Sonic The Hedgehog Mega Drive cartridge.] [A flashback of the "To the Blacksmith" scene with Merlina picking up the same Mega Drive cartridge. Sonic finally realizes what her plans are.] Sonic: What good is a world where Green Hill goes on forever!? Dark Queen: My sorrow at its ruin runs deeper than the depths of the underworld. Do you not understand? Sonic: No! And I don't want to! With Gawain threatening to kill himself, that is an actual legit thing in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, where as Sir Garnish after finding his lady lying with another knight smots off both their heads. Then due to being overcome with grief over his shameful act, Garnish ends up killing himself by throwing himself on his sword. So, yea... it may seem a little extreme, but it was a legit thing. One last thing.... With Me is AMAZING! Also how the hell did Jun get ex-Megadeth guitarist, Marty Friedman, onboard!? That is one story I would like to know!
This game's last parts are the pinnacle of gaming and storywriting, nothing after comes close but Fronteirs is shaping to be a come back to this amazing quality of games but going further.
This has always been one of my favourite games in the series. Great story, voice acting, music, graphics and presentation, levels and all around it just hits so many right spots for me. I've always thought people were needlessly harsh on it or wrote it off too early. I've loved it since 2009 and I've beaten it tonnes and tonnes of times and will keep playing it for tonnes more
10:18 love the lil' leitmotif to the final boss in such a peaceful music track. It's unlikely we would see the storytelling have such care put into it in a Sonic game ever again and that makes me sad. 19:44 Least it's a Sonic Adventure reference y'know
Honestly I found the story really cute and the message wholesome.. it wasn’t a big game but it didn’t need to be a big mainline game it was good for what it was and I really loved the music;live life is a wonderful song. The game isn’t a 10/10 but that’s ok. I really think the hate it got wasn’t deserved.
I'm not sure if you were just making a joke, but it's confirmed after the credits that Sonic returns to his own world, and also the reason he has two chilli dogs at the beginning; the other one was for Amy as he promised to take her on a date. The game ends with her wanting to clobber Sonic, thinking he made this whole adventure up as an excuse because he forgot to meet her: th-cam.com/video/qra_prvwKIQ/w-d-xo.html
Sonic and the Black Knight is just kind of okay in my opinion. It’s not as terrible as people made it out to be in 2009, but outside of the KILLER soundtrack, it doesn’t really do all that much spectacularly. The biggest problem for me are once again the on-rails level design when there’s excuse for it (seriously, areas like Titanic Plain are begging to be explored, why can I only go along a set path?). It’s just so dull and lessens replay value. Swinging the sword works okay enough, but it kills your momentum whenever you swing it, which makes no sense to me. I like the story fine, the plot twist at the midway point actually surprised me in a good way, and the writing’s pretty decent as well. Overall perfectly fine game, but I’m glad Sonic Team’s moved on from this style of gameplay.
As someone who loved to play with toy swords and lightsabers this game was my childhood dream. Swinging a sword as Sonic made me feel so cool back then 😎
Black Knight's actually my favorite Sonic game! I first played it around four years ago and have probably beaten it six or seven times by now. I love the story and its short length makes it so replayable. While its gameplay isn't my favorite in the series, Black Knight still excels in everything I love about Sonic. :)
genuinely a game that is overhated for no reason. unleashed was the same (i always did love games that had combo moves and t was very fun stringing the perfect combos as werehog) but at least now its more loved now. satbk is truly slept on and as you said it has honestly the best characterization of shadow i have seen in years since colors changed things up and gave us the new feel to the characters going forward i miss when sonic games cared about the characterization of their characters
Sonic and the Black Knight is the ultimate example of a game that people just don’t give a chance. The kind of game that is nowhere near as bad as people claim it is.
Blaze actually does have a Homing Dash. You push the button a 3rd time after double jumping. As for the Blacksmith, you can create equipment for Sonic that gives certain benefits like refilling the Soul Gauge, revival rings, etc. BEFORE the Knights become playable.
But... Sonic did go back to his world though... We can probably assume that Merlina transported Sonic back. There was a scene during the credits where Sonic explained to Amy that he was transported to another world and became a King. Amy was mad at Sonic for not showing up on their date and said it was "A lame excuse." And yes, it was a continuation from Unleashed. There was a dialogue tree with Amy at Shamar near the end of the game and you can actually say yes to a date with Amy.
Actually Sonic does go home. There's one last cutscene that I think just shows the story book itself, but you hear Amy getting angry at Sonic for missing a date with her (likely the same one players get the option of promising to do with Amy in Unleashed).
i thought when you mentioned the multiplayer you were going to mention how here there are some other playable characters with their own moveset, like tails or even silver, it personally gave me hope for more playable characters, also it feels great that someone finally gave this game some recognition other than a bad sonic game, i really liked it when it came out and it definitely has my favourite sonic story, characterization of sonic and music of almost all the sonic games!
Hi Jon i made you little ditty I hope you like it: "Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son Jon,Went to bed and played Panel De Pon ;One switch on, and the other one off, Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son Jon" *bows*
I love how everyone just sorta clowns on Knuckles’ suicide attempt 😂 it’s not like Elise’s kiss in ‘06 where it’s super controversial and infamous, everyone’s just like 🗿🗿🗿
The second King Arthur fight wrecked my ASS and I found it frusturating as hell, but I still really enjoyed the segments where you're chasing after him (it just got a lot less fun for me when you actually catch up) and the music for that fight is incredible.
I'm disappointed you didn't talk about some of the optional levels, because some of them are pretty cool. Like there's, what the game calls, Legacy levels, that replace all the medieval stuff with traditional Sonic stuff. So, rings, springs, dash pads, and even Eggman robots that are immune to your sword, so you have to kill them with your Homing Attack. There's also a rematch with Sir Lancelot that's legit the hardest fight in the game
Fun fact: Caliburn is voiced by Casey Robertson, who previously voiced Reala in _NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams_ . How is Casey not on any kind of social media? I would love to reach out to him and give him kudos for voicing Reala and Caliburn! 😊 Jewels Jaselle (the voice of NiGHTS) is on various social media platforms. Why isn’t he? EDIT: I remember him having a TH-cam account a long time ago. It’s gone now, unfortunately. 😕
Been playing this game via emulation. And I have been enjoying this game just as much as I did as a kid. And I was a little worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it now compared to when I was a kid!
I very much liked this game when I played it back then. And that theme song was always a highlight for me. I think it fixed all the problems that I had with secret rings: those terrible controls!! Thanks Jon for showing some love for this underappreciated gem!
Hot takes, I liked the story in ‘06, and I liked the Werehog parts of Unleashed BECAUSE they were slow. As someone who never goes faster than 55mph I any Sonic game because I can never see what’s ahead of me to react in time and gain speed, having a game where you actually DON’T run for half the time was a nice game changer.
I got the game back in 2009, I really enjoyed it. At first I thought it would just be wagging the controller but later fights (*cough* Lancelot rematch *cough*) actually require a lot of skill, and it helps to have upgrades. I think the premise is really silly (until you get to the end of the game and it makes more sense) and it gets picked on for "Sonic with a sword", motion controls, etc., but it's actually pretty fun. Can be frustrating at times though (dragon fight).
I'm a lil sad that Jon glossed over Sonic's speech about death because it's like the biggest takeaway Black Knight has. The game isn't the greatest but Jon's right that it is the end of an era. I talked about it last time in Secret Rings comments but Sonic hasn't felt this mature personality wise since he's literally been a preteen that you can tolerate. Unleashed and Black Knight both display Sonic's maturity and for Black Knight it definitely feels like they knew a big change was coming. Free Riders is technically the 1st game after this I believe barely ahead of Colors but there's so much that changed in Colors that you don't really realize at the time compared to the increasing blunders that followed after it. The biggest thing I still miss is Sonic just having a hint of Maturity to make you believe that this dork is actually a teenager proper and not a preteen.
It's one of those games that gets trashed on release for not being what the fans expect, but in retrospect it's actually fine. Happened to me with Tales of Symphonia 2. I hated it and its ending (if you win the final fight that is stacked against you, you get a bad ending that makes you feel like shit). Replayed it a few years ago because I wanted to complete all Tales of Platinum trophies and I quite enjoyed my time with it now that I wasn't expecting it to be the perfect sequel to one of my favorite games ever.
While at it: Did you know that SATBK has cut content? For one, Sir Galahad and Sir Lamorak were supposed to be part of the main story aka Silver & Jet would have had to do with the round table but were cut for unknown reasons (deadline?). There is also some unused audiofiles for a boss who would have used attacks called the Blitz of elemental variety. Also Caliburn was going to be female and that was apparently changed by SEGA on their own so..
While I don't think I'd enjoy playing either of these games all that much, it's been really cool see to your enthusiasm for them and hear why you enjoy them, Jon.
Fun fact for those who don’t know: Molten Mines theme is a remix of the «Action Theme» from Black Dawn. They share the same composer, so that makes enough sense, but my mind was blown when I first heard that…
Games like this and the HD version of unleashed, I’ve wanted to play for the longest time. This year I played Unleashed and no surprise, I freakin loved it, it has everything I want in a 3D Sonic game and feels like the true next step of gameplay and characterization for the character. Black Knight I still have yet to play I’m sure I’ll love it, especially the story and music. I miss how this franchise was back then, now it’s just kinda playing it safe. Maybe just nostalgia lol
Not to be a downer but, the game is 2 hours and as you say, it started to feel repetitive and outstaying its welcome by the end...after 2 hours. That is a problem. Although I agree, playing through the game is fine. I think going for 100% and doing the side missions will strip any enjoyment you had though. But that's also the overwhelming majority of content and play time. It's the main bulk of the game. Getting the highest rank relies on using the soul gauge a ton...like...as much as humanly possible. Meaning the gameplay devolves into...waggle...wait...waggle as Sonic automatically runs and locks onto enemies. That is the meta game. And you NEED to give rings to the towns people as much as possible to have a chance of the highest rank, meaning you need to constantly stop, do a little quick time game, and resume. Seriously the game is just miserable imo as soon as you step out of the base story. Whilst I feel like Secret Rings actually got more enjoyable the more time you spent with it.
I recently noticed how if you gave the character full range of control it would essentially be Sonic adventure 2 with sword combat. So remaking this game would require very little changes; give the character full range of control, map the sword swinging to a button (did it when playing it on dolphin and it works as intended) and add more elements in some stages like ropes to grind on. And just like that I think you can have a pretty solid remake of it.
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12:20, isnt this Sonics Super Smash Brawl artwork
26:25 👍
@@jakeriese4862nope 😅
Once again, loving the anti-slander of Sonic, it's so refreshing. I liked this game a LOT, and liking this game back then was like the definition of loneliness.
Probably the most underrated Sonic game. Also, "Knight of the Wind" is a certified banger.
and its great that you dont hear it over and over and over in the world map
Something I referenced in the previous video’s comments, but the first level of Black Knight was actually the level that was used as a test for the first Hedgehog Engine
I think this is Jason griffith’s best voice performance as sonic
Definitely
True. Such a nosedive in quality going from Jason here to Roger.
Without a doubt.
@@ArynBacklogDragon honestly makes me wonder….whenever Roger moves on from Sonic, will we get a swan song performance like Jason did for this game? I wanna hear Roger at his best one day. Hopefully we get good voice direction for Frontiers and in future games.
@@waypastcoolkid personally I doubt it. I feel like Roger is the only voice actor that got worse as time went on (I don't count Sonic Boom. cuz that's a different character) he was particularly insufferable in Lost World, but granted, the scripts he had to work with got progressively worse too so I can't really blame it all on him.
Alas, I think Frontiers will be his chance to finally turn me around on him, with Ian writting his lines, bad writing isn't an excuse anymore, so here's hoping he can pull out all the stops with Frontiers. (and if he doesn't, well I can always switch the voices back to Japanese cuz Junichi just don't miss)
Need to call this out, the lore behind Sonic’s friends being in the books for some reason is that they aren’t actually Sonic’s friends, they just look like them. It’s a parallel universe situation. It’s not Knuckles, it’s Sinbad. It’s not Shadow, it’s Sir Lancelot. It’s not a plot hole, it’s just dumb.
@Kian wait, so let me get this straight; for example, when it is said that sir Percival is the "mightiest" (I don't remember the exact word used) of the Knights of the round table, sonic thinks of Blaze? It's not that sir Percival is blaze from a parallel universe? I am amazed. what's the source of this information?
As I recall, it's not a book in this one, it's Sonic making up a B.S. excuse about why he was late to a date with Amy, and she calls him out on it lol
@@marinaoops7130 shadow is the mightiest caliburn said sonic was just lucky
Fun fact: With Me, the final boss theme was performed by a joint effort between Swedish metal band All Ends and for guitar, Marty Friedman of Megadeth fame.
Also I'm not saying Jon is SonicUltimate20, I'm just saying no one has ever seen Jon and SonicUltimate20 in the same room together.
Regardless on what this video says... the final boss music (With Me) is straight up incredible. Might be my favourite final boss track in the series.
fact
True!
Both versions are fantastic, the in game one sung by Emma Gelotte and Tinna Karlsdotter and the version later made by Crush 40.
My brother and I LOVED this game when we were in highschool: Sonic and the Black Knight deserve more love than it gets, especially the storytelling 🤩
Honestly the story in this game slaps, especially as it ties pretty close to some of the themes and ideas modern creators can get out of traditional arthurian lore. Like putting it into perspective, one glaring things is how Merlina's hopes and wishes for an eternal Camelot (via destroying and recreating it in an endless loop) practically matches with the fully realized vision of Kinoko Nasu's Fate interpretation of Morgan le Fae in one of his multiverse's timelines, specifically FGO's Lostbelt 6 where Morgan, much like Merlina, was a depressed sorrowful character that only wished to prolong the time of Camelot by any means necessary, only to constantly fail across multiple time loops spanning millennia and each time losing those important to her along the way. What also really helps to solidify the parallels is that effectively both are witches that owe a great amount of their learning and success to being students of Merlin, so while Merlina has absolutely no traditional relation to any character in historical Arthurian mythos whatwith being original to Sonic and the Black Knight, she serves as a really great stand-in for Morgan who is in many ways, considered the penultimate villain in the myth in many modern interpretations thanks to the popularization of the later interpretations of the story in areas like France. Ultimately from a narrative standpoint, SatBK really drives home some heavy themes even if it may not be quite as dark as some aspects of SA2 and the blatantly obvious Shadow game (which also dialed the edge to 10 as well).
@@Kanethedragon I have never connected Sonic in the Black Knight with Morgan lafay from fate until just now, and all I have to say is this: Sonic in the Black Knight is a reinterpretation of lost belt 6
This remains as one of my favorite Sonic games. Everything you said about this feeling like the "end of an era" rings so true. It genuinely feels like the final chapter of what I thought to be Sonic's legacy, growing up. My first Sonic game was Heroes, so I was immediately attached to the wide array of characters that fill up the Sonic cast. After getting to know some of them a bit better in Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, it really cemented my lifelong attachment to all of them. I wound up feeling a bit underwhelmed when new Sonic games released and they only had Sonic, Tails, and Eggman in them. I missed the entire crew! So getting to have all these characters, albeit under different personas, heavily prominent throughout this game and in a drastically different tone from what we're used to felt really special to me and only added to my enjoyment of this game.
And ya, the narrative takes a surprisingly dark turn for a Sonic game. But a different kind of dark from what we've seen before. It's a very blunt and serious tone that I love having showcased in this game and with these characters. Earlier on in the game, Merlina warns Sonic that there might be people who will label him a criminal if he were to succeed in slaying their king. And his response is simply "I guess I can't be the hero all the time!" It's really interesting to hear him say that, because we all view Sonic as a hero and we always believe him to be doing what's right. But in this instance, that may not be the case. And that doesn't phase him, because he's someone who always sticks to his guns. So when the twist in the end happened and he's still determined to stop Merlina from making an eternal world because he believes it would eliminate any and all purpose in the lives and the worlds he's spent HIS whole life trying to save... I simply wasn't ready to have these thoughts and discussions brought to me in a Sonic game.
I know gameplay is the number one priority of... well, a GAME. But narrative and characters are what I always look forward to in the games I play. And this one brought such a mature and serious tone to a bunch of characters from my childhood who meant the world to me, as a kid. It's almost to the point where I wouldn't mind if this was the last Sonic game, just like how I wouldn't have minded if Galaxy 1 was the last Mario game. Because it feels like such a perfect end to these character's legacies and knowing that I got to see the journey and growth of these characters come to such a satisfying conclusion is incredibly appealing to me, personally. The gameplay is really fun, the sword mechanic seemed like a natural fit for Sonic, the set pieces are phenomenal, the music is stellar (With Me is flat out my favorite Sonic song), and the story is one that's stuck with me for years and that I really appreciate being tackled by a series that means so much to me. Thank you so much for highlighting this game and for striving to give it a better reputation in the modern day!
Excellently put. I was 7 years old when this game came out. I also started with Heroes, and I had a Wii with a ton of Sonic games. I truly don't know how I missed out on this game for so many years. I finally grabbed it a few months back and I've really been loving it. Such an underrated gem and truly the end of the Sonic's best era. I miss those days.
@@roralize1358 me too. I miss those days
@@roralize1358 Heroes was my 1st Sonic game too I think
Heroes was my 1st Sonic game too
glad people are waking up to this gem of a game
This right here is exactly why I'm so over the "Sonic is bad" mentality. That mentality led to me disliking games that I actually liked and also led to me skipping out on following the series for so long. Even after I said "screw it" to that mentality, I still thought that I was gonna skip certain games because they are apparently actually bad. So I was gonna skip Secret Rings and Black Knight. Now I see that that would be silly. Sonic games being bad is not some kind of Unavoidable Chin Move (TM).
I'd argue that secret rings is unashamedly bad (and I like 06), but that's mostly because my wii remote doesn't work very well at all. Black knight though was pretty decent when I tried it.
@@stanzacosmi secret rings is literally sonic motion control the game
@@MustacheDLuffy yes which means that like mine, if your wii remote is underperforming, then you can't p;lay, which means its even more controller dependent than super smash bros melee.
@@stanzacosmi I was able to play it fine when I beat the game but when it stops performing Jesus Christ
@@MustacheDLuffy I'd fly in random directions when playing it sometimes
The song that plays in the Blacksmith Shop is basically the definition of pure bliss.
Sonic and the black knight has my favourite version of sonic in terms of character and also one of my favourite soundtracks so I'm really grateful when someone gives this game the proper time instead off "game bad because dark age". I played this game when I was a kid and it really resonated with me. Also The track "DEEP WOODS" is my favourite in the game
It's sad that we never got the third Sonic storybook game based off the Bible. This series deserved more!
Sonic as Jesus
the third one was going to be base of greek mythology, before it was scrapped :(
@@Onlyitsmereid he dies for our sins, and resurrection is his super form
Sonic and the Communist Manifesto
Sonic and the Three Kingdoms (Romance of The Three Kingdoms, awesome story that inspired Dynasty Warriors)
Or, Sonic and the Fifty Shades of Grey
@@inkchariot6147 oh dear, fifty shades of shadow . . .
How fitting. The game that emphasizes the importance of living in the moment and letting life run its course was the last Sonic game before the soft reboot that was Colors.
Bro put on a dress shirt and tie to talk about Sonic & The Black Knight.
Defiantly worth.
Man, I sure do love Forces jokes.
They NEVER get old.
imo that game probably has one of the best sonic characterisations of modern sonic games, the voice acting is top tier and the story itself is so good, "darker" themed, plot twists, "deep" ending. I've never had the chance to play it but I believe it is quite underrated. (it also has more CGI scenes than most recent sonic games, let that sink in)
It’s not my favorite Sonic story, but I still think Black Knight has one of the more elegantly told stories in the series. It’s generally enjoyable, characterization is on point and doesn’t have too many issues that I feel like nitpicking to death. It’s just very clean.
Sonic and the Black Knight does seem like a really good game Jon. I would like to see you cover more Sonic games in the future.
I'd actually be interested in a Jon Sonic tier list video, I haven't played many of the Sonic games so I'd be curious to see which ones are Jon's favourites and I guess we can get mini reviews of each game which would be nice
This game is a super throwback for me. I used to watch the cgi cutscene of sonic getting his armour at the end on TH-cam all the time cause I thought it was so cool but I didn’t know how to unlock it. Once I finally did finish the end it blew my mind. All the music from this game is so nostalgic... what a crazy game
As far as you saying Sonic lives there forever, you forgot to mention the VERY last scene of the game, where Sonic is telling the events of the game to Amy, and she chases Sonic with her hammer as she assumes he made to whole thing up to forget about their date.
I remember renting this game as a kid and having to return right before I could beat the final boss. Then the rental place was going out of business and selling its entire inventory before I could rent it again. We went down to buy it but someone else had already bought it, and I haven’t played it in the 13 years since
Had a similar story with Super Mario Sunchine, I would constantly rent it from a video store to play it. Eventually they were going out of business, when finding out about it I rushed to the game section and got it. Also go Melee from that place, so all in all it was a pretty good purchase.
I remember playing the game when I was younger, and my stand out memory is every time you move through a menu, it going CLING, CHING, KLANG, CHING with sword on sword noises. I genuinely couldn't deal with it for more than a few hours
I was kinda the same about Black Knight, wondering just what in the hell was going with the sword!? I mean I was more than a little puzzled by the Werehog, but I still got it Unleashed and learned to roll with it, but Black Knight, that didn't actually happen until only a few years ago when a friend put me onto it. Looking back on it now, I wonder why I was so against it, when I've seen other shows where characters go back through time and I've never had any issue with it. Swat Kats being a key example of this, complete with its own Arthurian like sword which trapped in stone (albeit it does not talk.)
I also agree with her that this is the last Sonic game where it felt like there was heart and feeling put into it with its world, its characters and its story. Then after that it becomes nostalgia city with an over reliance on 2D and Green Hill. Something we are still dealing with to this day and it makes me wonder, how hard can it be to make a fully 3D Sonic game with brand new stages from start to finish, and additional playable characters in 2022?
[Merlina, now transformed as the Dark Queen, is sitting on a throne.]
Dark Queen: I've been expecting you.
Sonic: Just one question before we settle this. Why'd you do it? Weren't we trying to save this franchise from the underworld?
Dark Queen: This franchise will fail one way or another. Such is its fate.
Sonic: Huh?
Dark Queen: Do you know what is to become of this franchise?
Sonic: Beats me.
[The Dark Queen starts to walk forward]
Dark Queen: The introduction of humans and guns shall doom the franchise. Sonic is struck down by Mephiles, and is then kissed back to life by a human princess.
Sonic: ...
Dark Queen: This was to be our ideal world. But it will not last... Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends will end in ruin. The 3D world my grandfather Merlin created led to nothing but mistakes... But I can succeed with the power of the scabbard. Creating a 2D kingdom that never ends. [Uses a small portal to summon a Sonic The Hedgehog Mega Drive cartridge.]
[A flashback of the "To the Blacksmith" scene with Merlina picking up the same Mega Drive cartridge. Sonic finally realizes what her plans are.]
Sonic: What good is a world where Green Hill goes on forever!?
Dark Queen: My sorrow at its ruin runs deeper than the depths of the underworld. Do you not understand?
Sonic: No! And I don't want to!
With Gawain threatening to kill himself, that is an actual legit thing in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, where as Sir Garnish after finding his lady lying with another knight smots off both their heads. Then due to being overcome with grief over his shameful act, Garnish ends up killing himself by throwing himself on his sword. So, yea... it may seem a little extreme, but it was a legit thing.
One last thing.... With Me is AMAZING! Also how the hell did Jun get ex-Megadeth guitarist, Marty Friedman, onboard!? That is one story I would like to know!
This game's last parts are the pinnacle of gaming and storywriting, nothing after comes close but Fronteirs is shaping to be a come back to this amazing quality of games but going further.
This has always been one of my favourite games in the series. Great story, voice acting, music, graphics and presentation, levels and all around it just hits so many right spots for me. I've always thought people were needlessly harsh on it or wrote it off too early. I've loved it since 2009 and I've beaten it tonnes and tonnes of times and will keep playing it for tonnes more
i'd love for you to talk about the history of sonic vocal songs! it seems like i have much to learn about it. thanks for the great video!
10:18 love the lil' leitmotif to the final boss in such a peaceful music track.
It's unlikely we would see the storytelling have such care put into it in a Sonic game ever again and that makes me sad.
19:44 Least it's a Sonic Adventure reference y'know
Honestly I found the story really cute and the message wholesome.. it wasn’t a big game but it didn’t need to be a big mainline game it was good for what it was and I really loved the music;live life is a wonderful song. The game isn’t a 10/10 but that’s ok. I really think the hate it got wasn’t deserved.
I'm not sure if you were just making a joke, but it's confirmed after the credits that Sonic returns to his own world, and also the reason he has two chilli dogs at the beginning; the other one was for Amy as he promised to take her on a date. The game ends with her wanting to clobber Sonic, thinking he made this whole adventure up as an excuse because he forgot to meet her: th-cam.com/video/qra_prvwKIQ/w-d-xo.html
The sequel that was more long awaited than Minions Rise of Gru
Sonic and the Black Knight is just kind of okay in my opinion. It’s not as terrible as people made it out to be in 2009, but outside of the KILLER soundtrack, it doesn’t really do all that much spectacularly. The biggest problem for me are once again the on-rails level design when there’s excuse for it (seriously, areas like Titanic Plain are begging to be explored, why can I only go along a set path?). It’s just so dull and lessens replay value. Swinging the sword works okay enough, but it kills your momentum whenever you swing it, which makes no sense to me. I like the story fine, the plot twist at the midway point actually surprised me in a good way, and the writing’s pretty decent as well. Overall perfectly fine game, but I’m glad Sonic Team’s moved on from this style of gameplay.
There is a scene after the credits that shows that sonic did go back home as he was on a date with Amy
As someone who loved to play with toy swords and lightsabers this game was my childhood dream. Swinging a sword as Sonic made me feel so cool back then 😎
I always loved the look of black knight and honestly kinda worked. Did not enjoy secret rings but this one struck me differently.
Black Knight's actually my favorite Sonic game! I first played it around four years ago and have probably beaten it six or seven times by now. I love the story and its short length makes it so replayable. While its gameplay isn't my favorite in the series, Black Knight still excels in everything I love about Sonic. :)
Beat this recently and it was so much better than i expected.
genuinely a game that is overhated for no reason. unleashed was the same (i always did love games that had combo moves and t was very fun stringing the perfect combos as werehog) but at least now its more loved now. satbk is truly slept on and as you said it has honestly the best characterization of shadow i have seen in years since colors changed things up and gave us the new feel to the characters going forward
i miss when sonic games cared about the characterization of their characters
This game, in my opinion, has the best final boss theme in the entire franchise.
It is so incredibly good, I listen to it frequently.
Did you not see the post credit scene with Amy
Last Sonic Game with good characters and story
I never did play it but I guess… Sonic and the Black Knight was pretty good.
Sonic and the Black Knight is the ultimate example of a game that people just don’t give a chance. The kind of game that is nowhere near as bad as people claim it is.
Crush 40 said they cried when recording Live Life, and I can see why. It’s one of my favorite Crush 40 songs
Blaze actually does have a Homing Dash. You push the button a 3rd time after double jumping. As for the Blacksmith, you can create equipment for Sonic that gives certain benefits like refilling the Soul Gauge, revival rings, etc. BEFORE the Knights become playable.
Thank you for saying nice things about sonic unleashed
But... Sonic did go back to his world though... We can probably assume that Merlina transported Sonic back. There was a scene during the credits where Sonic explained to Amy that he was transported to another world and became a King. Amy was mad at Sonic for not showing up on their date and said it was "A lame excuse." And yes, it was a continuation from Unleashed. There was a dialogue tree with Amy at Shamar near the end of the game and you can actually say yes to a date with Amy.
Actually Sonic does go home.
There's one last cutscene that I think just shows the story book itself, but you hear Amy getting angry at Sonic for missing a date with her (likely the same one players get the option of promising to do with Amy in Unleashed).
thanks. Black Knight is one of my faves
Love seeing this game get the attention it deserves.
The knight of the craziness!
completely agree i found this game so cool as a kid and playing it again a few years ago still had such a blast.
I got this for £5 in 2013 was extremely happy with it
You say misunderstood, I say
UNAVOIDABLE CHIN MOVE
i thought when you mentioned the multiplayer you were going to mention how here there are some other playable characters with their own moveset, like tails or even silver, it personally gave me hope for more playable characters, also it feels great that someone finally gave this game some recognition other than a bad sonic game, i really liked it when it came out and it definitely has my favourite sonic story, characterization of sonic and music of almost all the sonic games!
LIKE A SWORD, I RUN
Hi Jon i made you little ditty I hope you like it: "Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son Jon,Went to bed and played Panel De Pon ;One switch on, and the other one off, Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son Jon" *bows*
Shadow "I challenge you to a duel"...getting strong Yugioh vibes from that.
Fans enjoy most sonic games. Sonic fans have ability to enjoy games if it is from sonic franchise. We are Truly Blessed
damn, you really are a true Sonic game making this video
This game is special, has problems but has charm to it.
I love how everyone just sorta clowns on Knuckles’ suicide attempt 😂 it’s not like Elise’s kiss in ‘06 where it’s super controversial and infamous, everyone’s just like 🗿🗿🗿
Fanart Gallery - It Doesn't Matter is one of the peaks of Sonic music
The second King Arthur fight wrecked my ASS and I found it frusturating as hell, but I still really enjoyed the segments where you're chasing after him (it just got a lot less fun for me when you actually catch up) and the music for that fight is incredible.
Great video i respect so much how fairly you look at all these mostly in some ways overlooked games
Jon always looking dapper in that there tie.
12:20, isnt this Sonics Super Smash Brawl artwork
I'm disappointed you didn't talk about some of the optional levels, because some of them are pretty cool.
Like there's, what the game calls, Legacy levels, that replace all the medieval stuff with traditional Sonic stuff. So, rings, springs, dash pads, and even Eggman robots that are immune to your sword, so you have to kill them with your Homing Attack.
There's also a rematch with Sir Lancelot that's legit the hardest fight in the game
Fun fact: Caliburn is voiced by Casey Robertson, who previously voiced Reala in _NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams_ .
How is Casey not on any kind of social media? I would love to reach out to him and give him kudos for voicing Reala and Caliburn! 😊 Jewels Jaselle (the voice of NiGHTS) is on various social media platforms. Why isn’t he?
EDIT: I remember him having a TH-cam account a long time ago. It’s gone now, unfortunately. 😕
Been playing this game via emulation. And I have been enjoying this game just as much as I did as a kid. And I was a little worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it now compared to when I was a kid!
I very much liked this game when I played it back then. And that theme song was always a highlight for me. I think it fixed all the problems that I had with secret rings: those terrible controls!!
Thanks Jon for showing some love for this underappreciated gem!
Hot takes, I liked the story in ‘06, and I liked the Werehog parts of Unleashed BECAUSE they were slow. As someone who never goes faster than 55mph I any Sonic game because I can never see what’s ahead of me to react in time and gain speed, having a game where you actually DON’T run for half the time was a nice game changer.
I got the game back in 2009, I really enjoyed it. At first I thought it would just be wagging the controller but later fights (*cough* Lancelot rematch *cough*) actually require a lot of skill, and it helps to have upgrades. I think the premise is really silly (until you get to the end of the game and it makes more sense) and it gets picked on for "Sonic with a sword", motion controls, etc., but it's actually pretty fun. Can be frustrating at times though (dragon fight).
I'm a lil sad that Jon glossed over Sonic's speech about death because it's like the biggest takeaway Black Knight has. The game isn't the greatest but Jon's right that it is the end of an era. I talked about it last time in Secret Rings comments but Sonic hasn't felt this mature personality wise since he's literally been a preteen that you can tolerate. Unleashed and Black Knight both display Sonic's maturity and for Black Knight it definitely feels like they knew a big change was coming. Free Riders is technically the 1st game after this I believe barely ahead of Colors but there's so much that changed in Colors that you don't really realize at the time compared to the increasing blunders that followed after it. The biggest thing I still miss is Sonic just having a hint of Maturity to make you believe that this dork is actually a teenager proper and not a preteen.
Caliburn is an underrated character
It's one of those games that gets trashed on release for not being what the fans expect, but in retrospect it's actually fine.
Happened to me with Tales of Symphonia 2. I hated it and its ending (if you win the final fight that is stacked against you, you get a bad ending that makes you feel like shit).
Replayed it a few years ago because I wanted to complete all Tales of Platinum trophies and I quite enjoyed my time with it now that I wasn't expecting it to be the perfect sequel to one of my favorite games ever.
Great video! I got it day one when it came out and loved it! Really did feel like the end of an era for sonic considering what came next!
While at it: Did you know that SATBK has cut content? For one, Sir Galahad and Sir Lamorak were supposed to be part of the main story aka Silver & Jet would have had to do with the round table but were cut for unknown reasons (deadline?). There is also some unused audiofiles for a boss who would have used attacks called the Blitz of elemental variety.
Also Caliburn was going to be female and that was apparently changed by SEGA on their own so..
While I don't think I'd enjoy playing either of these games all that much, it's been really cool see to your enthusiasm for them and hear why you enjoy them, Jon.
Knight of the Wind is one of the best Sonic themes and I will not be taking questions at this time.
This was my first Sonic game, and man do I have a soft spot for it still
Fun fact for those who don’t know: Molten Mines theme is a remix of the «Action Theme» from Black Dawn. They share the same composer, so that makes enough sense, but my mind was blown when I first heard that…
I knew that. Pretty cool how they did that
Sonic has a s-sword o-oh oh no! I’m so scared right now!
This game could easily be expanded and have 13 members
If you listen to Knight's Passage, it's a sped up version of Cryptic Castle, just like Death Ruins was put into Mystic Haunt's theme.
YOU CAN BLOCK ON THE RAILS!?
The Dora the Explorer moment! 🤣🤣🤣
Games like this and the HD version of unleashed, I’ve wanted to play for the longest time. This year I played Unleashed and no surprise, I freakin loved it, it has everything I want in a 3D Sonic game and feels like the true next step of gameplay and characterization for the character. Black Knight I still have yet to play I’m sure I’ll love it, especially the story and music. I miss how this franchise was back then, now it’s just kinda playing it safe. Maybe just nostalgia lol
This game aged like fine wine, you learn to appreciate as more as the years went on we never got anything like it ever since...
Blaze actually have a airdash that make her glide over obstacles like Knuckles, but also kill enemies while doing so
Not to be a downer but, the game is 2 hours and as you say, it started to feel repetitive and outstaying its welcome by the end...after 2 hours. That is a problem.
Although I agree, playing through the game is fine. I think going for 100% and doing the side missions will strip any enjoyment you had though. But that's also the overwhelming majority of content and play time. It's the main bulk of the game. Getting the highest rank relies on using the soul gauge a ton...like...as much as humanly possible. Meaning the gameplay devolves into...waggle...wait...waggle as Sonic automatically runs and locks onto enemies. That is the meta game. And you NEED to give rings to the towns people as much as possible to have a chance of the highest rank, meaning you need to constantly stop, do a little quick time game, and resume. Seriously the game is just miserable imo as soon as you step out of the base story. Whilst I feel like Secret Rings actually got more enjoyable the more time you spent with it.
My top 2 songs in Spotify last year were the two boss themes. Even though I never finished the game, the soundtrack is top tier.
He wrote that review and you can't tell me different.
I recently noticed how if you gave the character full range of control it would essentially be Sonic adventure 2 with sword combat.
So remaking this game would require very little changes; give the character full range of control, map the sword swinging to a button (did it when playing it on dolphin and it works as intended) and add more elements in some stages like ropes to grind on. And just like that I think you can have a pretty solid remake of it.
Sonic and the Black Knight isn't a Must Play, but it is a You'll Probably Have A Good Time If You Do Play. S'not bad.
All I remember is that unavoidable….chin move
thanks Jon!