# Deep Dive: Black Knight Sword of Rage PREVIEW

**Source:** Pinball Party Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-03-02  
**Duration:** 5m 14s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://pinballparty.podbean.com/e/deep-dive-black-knight-sword-of-rage-preview/

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## Analysis

Pinball Party Podcast hosts conduct a preview discussion of Black Knight: Sword of Rage, a Stern Pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie with mechanics by Harrison Drake and rules by Tim Sexton. The episode covers the game's design team, art direction by Kevin Ography, and soundtrack featuring Metalocalypse creator Brendon Small. A significant portion discusses the Pro vs. Premium edition differences, particularly the upper playfield design choice on the Premium version.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Black Knight: Sword of Rage is the third Black Knight game — _Host states 'it's the third game' when introducing Black Knight: Sword of Rage_
- [HIGH] Steve Ritchie designed Black Knight: Sword of Rage — _Host explicitly credits 'Steve Steve Ritchie' as designer_
- [HIGH] Harrison Drake handled the mechanics for Black Knight: Sword of Rage — _Host states 'Harrison Harrison Drake did the mechanics'_
- [HIGH] Tim Sexton served as lead on rules for Black Knight: Sword of Rage — _Host notes 'Tim Tim Sexton, I think this is his first lead on rules'_
- [MEDIUM] Brendon Small (Metalocalypse creator) contributed to Black Knight: Sword of Rage soundtrack but is not credited on Pinside — _Host states 'Brendon Brendon Small is also on sound but he isn't credited on Pinside and I don know why'_
- [HIGH] The Premium Edition of Black Knight: Sword of Rage features an upper playfield with a catapult for locking balls and one flipper — _Host describes 'upper playfield the catapult Mac for locking balls and one flipper' on Premium Edition_
- [HIGH] The Premium Edition upper playfield adds an additional mode/multiball to Black Knight: Sword of Rage — _Host notes the upper playfield 'does add an additional mode. I mean, a multi ball'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Brendon Small if you're unawares is the creator of Metalocalypse. And so the soundtrack really has a Metalocalypse sound to it."
> — **Host (Pinball Party Podcast)**, N/A
> _Identifies the musical influence and stylist behind the Black Knight soundtrack, providing context for the game's audio aesthetic_

> "The game is in there Bob Bob Betor shape than me. It's like totally, completely Black Water 100% okay."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, N/A
> _Confirms the game survived intact despite a personal injury incident involving falling down stairs while moving the machine_

> "This is one of those Stern 'AC/DC (Pro Vault Edition)' versus Premium Edition slash James Cameron's Avatar (Limited Edition) where the game plays differently."
> — **Host (Pinball Party Podcast)**, N/A
> _Highlights that Pro and Premium editions play fundamentally differently, a significant design decision that affects gameplay experience_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Steve Ritchie | person | Designer of Black Knight: Sword of Rage; legendary pinball designer known as 'King of Flow' |
| Harrison Drake | person | Mechanics engineer for Black Knight: Sword of Rage |
| Tim Sexton | person | Rules programmer for Black Knight: Sword of Rage; appears to be his first lead role on rules |
| Kevin Ography | person | Artist on Black Knight: Sword of Rage; described as 'old school artist who did a lot of stuff in the 80s' |
| Jerry Thompson | person | Sound designer for Black Knight: Sword of Rage |
| Scott Ian | person | Sound contributor for Black Knight: Sword of Rage |
| Brendon Small | person | Creator of Metalocalypse; contributed to Black Knight: Sword of Rage soundtrack but reportedly not credited on Pinside |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Co-host/guest on Pinball Party Podcast; sustained injury moving Black Knight: Sword of Rage but machine survived intact |
| Black Knight: Sword of Rage | game | Stern Pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie; third game in Black Knight franchise; features Pro and Premium editions with different playfield configurations |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Black Knight: Sword of Rage |
| Pinball Party Podcast | organization | Podcast where this episode aired; hosts deep-dive discussions of pinball games |
| Metalocalypse | product | Animated series created by Brendon Small; referenced as stylistic influence for Black Knight: Sword of Rage soundtrack |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Black Knight: Sword of Rage design team and credits, Pro vs. Premium edition playfield differences
- **Secondary:** Black Knight franchise history, Game soundtrack and musical influence (Metalocalypse), Upper playfield design philosophy in Stern machines
- **Mentioned:** Licensing strategy for pinball games

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Hosts express enthusiasm for the game and respect for Steve Ritchie's design legacy. The episode is framed as a 'fantastic' preview. Some critique of Premium edition upper playfield design ('it's not super exciting') but overall constructive. Personal injury anecdote adds levity rather than negativity.

### Signals

- **[announcement]** Pinball Party Podcast conducting in-depth preview of Black Knight: Sword of Rage ahead of release/availability (confidence: high) — Episode title 'Deep Dive: Black Knight Sword of Rage PREVIEW' and detailed discussion of game mechanics and design
- **[design_innovation]** Premium edition features upper playfield with catapult and multiball capability, creating gameplay distinction from Pro edition (confidence: high) — Host describes Premium Edition upper playfield features and notes 'the game plays differently' between editions
- **[product_strategy]** Stern implementing deliberate gameplay differences between Pro and Premium editions of Black Knight: Sword of Rage (confidence: high) — Host emphasizes 'this is one of those Stern 'AC/DC (Pro Vault Edition)' versus Premium Edition...where the game plays differently'
- **[personnel_signal]** Potential discrepancy in sound credits: Brendon Small reportedly contributed to soundtrack but is not credited on Pinside (confidence: medium) — Host states 'Brendon Brendon Small is also on sound but he isn credited on Pinside and I don know why'
- **[design_philosophy]** Steve Ritchie's continued design work on Black Knight franchise reflects his long-term engagement with the IP (confidence: high) — Host notes 'Steve Steve Ritchie loves it' and 'they had a' [implied previous commitment to the series]
- **[historical_signal]** Black Knight: Sword of Rage is positioned as the third game in the Black Knight line, extending a legacy franchise (confidence: high) — Host explicitly states 'it's the third game' when introducing the machine

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## Transcript

 Sup? What's up, mef? What's up, Patreon, subscribers, and everyone else who should be this week on Deep Dive. Prepare to meet your maker. Oh yeah. All right, Zach, welcome back to Deep Dive. This week, Black Knight Sword of Rage. This is a game. I'm not going to... I'll save all the stuff I'm about to say. I just want to get into it. Tell us about the game. Yeah, it's a good one. I mean, it's a stern. Steve Ritchie. So 2019, it is a licensed theme. I know people have a problem with that. But you know, it's, it's the third game. So Steve Ritchie, I think Harrison Drake did the mechanics. Tim Sexton, I think this is his first lead on rules. And then you get Kevin O Art an old school artist who did a lot of stuff in the 80s and previous fathom So old school art Jerry Thompson on sound and then Scott Ian also on sound I sure you have an opinion on Scott Ian and then Brendon Small is also on sound but he isn credited on pin side and I don know why which is pretty weird Okay. Brendon Small if you're unawares is the creator of Metalocalypse. Oh right. Yep. And so the soundtrack really has a Metalocalypse sound to it. And yeah, you know, I mean, that's kind of the background on the game. Do you have anything that you could think about like when that came out? Well, you mentioned, no, I don't. When it came out, I wasn't, I think, paying attention to all the release stuff. Like now I am like obsessively. Back then games like, oh, that game's out or that's a game. I didn't know when it came out. I'm a little foggy, so I'm having a hard time keeping on track here. I want yeah well to be fair since it a pinball related injury let me give the TLDR because you just filled me in and it pretty hilarious It not hilarious but it hilarious You just got a Jaws Premium from Flippin Out Pinball You were bringing it down your basement Standard amount of stairs I seen them Actually Black Knight is part of why I seen your stairs And your dolly failed So you fell down the fucking stairs and bashed your head against the wall and you have a big fucking bam on your face The game is fine. Jaws Premium works great. Your face is busted and you feel kind of fucked up. Is that the kind of thing? Yeah, the game is in better shape than me. It's like totally, completely 100% okay. So what do you do? You will heal. And maybe this podcast, this specific deep dive will help you heal. I emphasis more on the trim levels because to me, there's only one trim level. Oh yeah. I don't know when to say this. This is a pretty decisive or divisive opinion, right? Because the pro premium in L.E., the premium has an upper playfield, and people always like to comment how the original Black Knights, their upper playfield games. Yeah And that a really strong opinion And I do get that You know it has a it has a storied history You know that why they made another one Steve Ritchie loves it Um you know they they had a but the upper the upper playfield on the the main differences I guess to get into that first on the premium you have that that Plex see upper playfield the catapult Mac for locking balls and one flipper That's about it up there. You know, it's it's not super. It's not super exciting. No. In fact, it's the opposite. I mean, it does add, which I think this game somewhat needs. It does add an additional mode. I mean, a multiball, which is OK, cool. But. I don't know where to put this. So we'll get into our standard, you know, first impressions and all that. We'll get into that, but it just has to be said, this is one of those pro versus premium slash LE where the game plays differently. To hear the remainder of this fantastic episode and more, join the rest of the nincompoops at patreon.com slash pinballparty. See you later.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 272cc402-6640-44f6-8fba-95090849f992*