Sonic and the Black Knight - First Scans, Details

-Developed by the same people as Sonic and the Secret Rings

-"This time, a sorceress named Merlina summons Sonic to the mythical realm of King Arthur, but it seems the fabled monarch has somehow been corrupted and now rules the land as the tyranical Black Knight."

-Uses a similar storybook device as Secret Rings

-"As Sonic runs along, a simple flick of the Wii remote will execute a basic slash, which is enough to dispatch most low-level grunts."

-More advanced swordplay consists of the ability to thrust, parry, and even pull off a buzz-saw maneuver midjump.

-"During out demo, we saw the hedgehog leap from a high precipice, then thrust the blade into a wall to slow his decent, sparks flying impressivly as steel cut through brick"

-"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"

-Sonic is controlled with the Control Stick.

-"Our hero begins his quest as a mere knave. Only by becoming a full-fledged knight will he have any hope of defeating King Arthur."

-"his sword, a talking blade named Calibur, serves as a mentor"

-If you help civilian townfolk in need of assistance, you'll earn points toward knighthood. If you smite one of those civilians, your reputation will take a hit.

-"At the end of each stage, the game tallies your good and not-so-good deeds and updates your rank accordingly.

-You can purchase items from residents. "Sonic can aquire everything from gauntlets to magical tomes to new swords, and when equipped, each article bestows him with a unique benefit."

-About 200 items in all, with some being able to be combined with others to make new ones.

-You have the option to go online and trade items with friends.

-Rings come in burlap sacks instead of monitors.

-Sonic uses magic elementals to help him do various things, such as a bounce pad or a speed boost. They look like chao heads. The red ones give him a jump and the blue give Sonic a speed boost.

-Sonic can cross large gaps by firing a ballista and grinding the rope to the other side.

-"On the audio side, veteran composer Jen Senoue is taking a smiliar approach, injecting familiar Sonic themes with a Celtic flavor."

-"Each stage has multiple branching paths and searching for townsfolk and treasure chests provides an element of exploration that recalls Sonic's early Genesis days."

-"the camera will occasionally pan to a side-scrolling perspective for a quick dose of classic 2-D action"

-SBK Bringing back the skill system from Secret Rings, but they're trying not to have the skill system interfere with the game's tempo this time around.

-The mission structure also returns but the developers hope to make it less arduous.

-"And there will be no dinosaur eggs!"

-"Just as they subbed in for such characters as Ali Baba and Aladdin in Sonic and the Secret Rings, a number of familiar faces will assume Arthurian personas in SBK."

-Other characters beside Sonic are playable, but it is entirely optional to play as them.

-Knuckles, who can hold two swords at once, and Shadow have been confirmed so far.

-A new special guage 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."

-The team knows of the faults of the recent series and are hoping to fix it with this game.

Sonic returns to the Wii™ on a wild ride through a storybook world of Arthurian legend in his all-new adventure, Sonic and the Black Knight™. Designed exclusively for the Wii, Sonic and the Black Knight brings a new twist to Sonic gameplay by combining Sonic's legendary speed with frenetic swordplay action that makes full use of the unique Wii control system.

In this strange, enchanted medieval world, Sonic wields a sword in his effort to save the day. Encountering many friends and foes along the way, Sonic shows them what it takes to be a true hero and the ultimate knight. Master the sword and unravel the mystery behind this intriguing adventure…

Check out the September issue of Nintendo Power for the full scoop on Sonic and the Black Knight!