I just got done with some of the 'tutorial' levels, and already I can say this is a step up from Secret Rings.
No longer are you constantly in motion, you can stop and take your time and backtrack if you so wish with out it being awkward. You move by pressing up on the 'chuck'. I was a bit confused that it needed both Wiimote/nunchuck this time around. But after doing some sword play, I can see why. The sword controls are done with 'teh waggle', but its tastefully done IMO. Jumping is thankfully relegated to buttons. Strafing left/right is a bit stiff as I started it out, maybe this is remedied later on a la Secret Rings.
At the end of the level, you're rated, and level up by getting followers. Each level has a limit of followers you can get through replays (the first few levels had a max of 100 for example), so you can't just spam levels over and over. Also, you pick up items that need to be identified, but cost ID points that you also get at the end of a stage. These items are then put in a gallery, more on that later.
The 'Soul Surge' system is excellent from what I've played so far. It serves as a way to make combat more silky smooth. When its at least 1/4 full, you press B and wave and boom, instant takedown. Hold down B, a lock-on moves to the next enemy, boom, get that one, and so on until your Soul Surge depletes.
The manual mentions 3 'styles' of play so to speak. The first style by default is a mix of combat/speed. Later you pick up a 'heavy' style where you're more efficient at busting heads, at the expense of speed. The 'light' style is ideal for zipping through levels, at the expense of being less combative.
From what I've played, the good old 'if you have one ring and can still grab it after being hit,you're ok' is gone. When hit, you lose rings in groups of 20, so you have to watch where you're going. There also civilians in some levels, and slashing them to bits is not recommended.
Also, this uses Wi-Fi for level challenges, as well as trading items in the gallery you picked up and identified at the end of single player. What's the purpose of trading, that remains to be seen. And yes, it has its own friend code, so hopefully the NWR staff will get a thread going for it soon.
All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised. I say ignore the sh*#*y reviews, its better than Secret Rings from the outset. If that's what you waited to hear in order for you to cop it, then yeah, do it. If not, rent it and see how much mileage you get.
Topic: Sonic & The Black Knight (Read 44259 times)
