Honestly, if you grew up with a Wii, you probably remember the sheer confusion of the 2009 release of Sonic and the Black Knight. It was the second entry in the "Storybook Series," following Sonic and the Secret Rings, and it took our favorite blue hedgehog and shoved a sword in his hand. But the real kicker wasn't just the motion controls (which, let’s be real, were a bit of a workout). It was the portrayal of King Arthur.
Most of us went in expecting a classic hero-versus-villain romp. Instead, we got a narrative that flipped the Arthurian legend on its head.
The King Arthur Everyone Remembers
In the game, King Arthur starts off as the primary antagonist. He’s this hulking, intimidating figure clad in dark, ornate armor, riding a ghostly black steed. He’s basically the definition of "Black Knight" energy. The story kicks off with Merlina the Wizard summoning Sonic to the world of Camelot because the once-noble King Arthur has been corrupted.
The culprit? The Scabbard of Excalibur.
According to the lore Merlina feeds us early on, the scabbard granted Arthur immortality. But that kind of power is never free. It turned him into a tyrant who commands legions of "Underworld" monsters. You spend a good chunk of the game chasing him down, fighting his knights—who just happen to look exactly like Shadow, Knuckles, and Blaze—and trying to prove you’re a "Knight of the Wind."
The boss fights with him are cinematic but, looking back, they were surprisingly short. You’re dodging his massive sword, Deathcalibur, and trying to timing your Soul Surge just right. It felt epic at the time.
That Massive Plot Twist (Spoilers, obviously)
Here is where things get weird. After you finally beat King Arthur at Faraway Avalon, he doesn't just fall over and die. He literally vanishes into a puff of purple smoke.
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It turns out the "King Arthur" we had been fighting the whole time wasn't the real King Arthur. He was a magical illusion—a phantom construct created by Merlin (Merlina’s grandfather). The goal was to give Camelot a perfect, immortal ruler, but the magic went haywire.
This revelation shifts the entire tone of the game. Suddenly, the "Black Knight" isn't the big bad. Merlina is.
She wasn't trying to save the kingdom from a tyrant; she was trying to use the scabbard to stop the world from ending. In her mind, the Arthurian legend always ends in tragedy—war, betrayal, and the fall of the kingdom. By using the scabbard’s power, she wanted to make the world "eternal," even if it meant it stayed stuck in a dark, stagnant limbo forever.
Wait, So Who is the Real King Arthur?
This is the part that still sparks heated debates on Reddit and old Sega forums. If the guy in the black armor was a fake, where is the real one?
The game drops a bombshell in the final cutscene. After Merlina is defeated and the dust settles, the Knights of the Round Table (Lancelot, Gawain, and Percival) are all moping about because they don't have a king to follow. That's when Caliburn—the talking sword that’s been nagging Sonic the whole game—points out the obvious.
Sonic is the true King Arthur.
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It sounds like a cheesy "the real treasure was the friends we made" moment, but the game actually commits to it. The "true" King Arthur isn't a resident of that world; it's the hero who showed up, wielded the sacred sword, and taught everyone that a world that lasts forever isn't worth living in if it can't grow and change.
Some fans hate this. They feel it robs the story of a "real" legendary figure. Others think it’s one of the coolest things Sonic Team ever did. It turns Sonic from just a visitor into a fundamental part of the world’s mythos.
Why the Gameplay Didn't Match the Story
I have to be honest: the story of King Arthur in this game is way better than the act of playing it.
Wagging the Wii Remote to swing a sword felt clunky. Sonic is built for speed, and having to stop every five seconds to hack at a suit of armor felt... wrong. It’s a shame, because the art direction was peak. The cutscenes used this beautiful, painterly style that made the world feel like an old manuscript come to life.
The voice acting was also a high point. This was the era of Jason Griffith as Sonic, and he brought a certain "shonen hero" sincerity to the role. Gavin Hammon provided the voice for the King Arthur illusion, giving him that booming, regal authority you’d expect from a dark monarch.
What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that the "Black Knight" version of Arthur was just a generic evil ghost. In reality, the game's gallery and supplementary notes suggest he was a "Phantom of the Underworld."
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There's a subtle difference. An illusion is just light and mirrors. A phantom is a bodiless entity given form by magic. This explains why he could actually hit you and command armies. He was "real" enough to hurt people, even if he didn't have a soul.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to revisit this strange chapter of Sonic history, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Unlock the Last Story: You don't actually finish the game by beating King Arthur. You have to complete specific missions (look for the red icons) to unlock the "Dark Hollow" area and the true final boss.
- Check the Gallery: If you're a lore nerd, the in-game books and scrolls provide way more context on Merlin's original plan than the main cutscenes do.
- Try Battle Mode: If you collect all five "Books of Arthur's Legends," you can actually unlock King Arthur as a playable character in the multiplayer Battle Mode. He’s slow, but his reach is insane.
- Embrace the Soundtrack: Even if you hate the "waggling," the music is top-tier. "Knight of the Wind" by Crush 40 is a certified banger that perfectly captures the "Sonic as a King" vibe.
The legacy of King Arthur in this game is complicated. He wasn't the hero we expected, and he wasn't even the villain we thought he was. He was a symbol of a world trying to cling to a perfection that didn't exist. In the end, Sonic had to "slay" the legend to let the real world breathe.
It’s a surprisingly deep message for a game about a blue hedgehog with a broadsword.
To get the most out of your playthrough, focus on upgrading your "Knight Style" early on. This increases your swing speed and makes the combat feel much less like a chore and more like the high-speed action the game intended. Be sure to visit the Blacksmith (Tails' lookalike) often to refine your swords; the stat boosts are the only way to comfortably S-rank the later King Arthur encounters.