Sonic x Shadow Generations
Review
All Hail Shadow
by Camrin Santchi
reviewed on PC
The Chosen One
Introduced in 2001's Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow the Hedgehog quickly became a fan favorite within the Sonic series due to his dark backstory and general 2000's era edginess. This only intensified with his self-titled 2005 game Shadow the Hedgehog, which focused further on Shadow's inner darkness, including introducing the demonic aliens the Black Arms, which were revealed to be integral to his creation.
Shadow fell slightly to the wayside during the "Boost Era" with Sega's focus on Sonic himself rather than the extended cast, and with some widespread disappointment regarding 2017's Sonic Forces and its lacklustre DLC "Episode Shadow", which did little to waylay fears that Shadow would continue to be kept out of the spotlight.
When this reviewer covered Sonic Frontiers back in 2022, I stated that the game made me believe that Sega was moving forward and willing to spend more time focusing on the Adventure Era, and I don't think anything proves that more than this year being announced as the Year of Shadow. This year contains several big projects starring Shadow including December's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 where Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves, is a primary opposing force, and the topic for today Sonic X Shadow Generations, which is a combination remastering of 2011's Sonic Generations and an entirely new story starring the Ultimate Lifeform himself.
Never Turn Back
With his past being such a key factor of Shadow's story, it makes sense that his newest outing is bundled with Sonic Generations, which was a game all about looking back at the past. But where Sonic teams up with his past self to race through 'good old times' and save his friends from a Time Eating monster, Shadow instead has his past come back to haunt him thoroughly, including the return of Black Doom, the leader of the Black Arm alien species and someone Shadow thought he defeated back in Shadow the Hedgehog. Transported beyond space and time by the Time Eater, much like both Sonics in Sonic Generations, Shadow must traverse this White Void and the memories interspersed within it in order to figure out what is going on and put a stop to it.
I Am...All of Me
Along the course of Shadow Generations, Shadow's Black Arm DNA mutates rapidly, giving the already powerful Ultimate Life Form strange new powers - some enhance his pre-existing ones like the Doom Spear being a multi-target upgrade of his Chaos Spear, but some actively alter his body by granting him wings or a manta-like being used to surf on water. Shadow immediately puts these new powers to use, hoping that mastering them will allow him to defeat Black Doom once and for all. These powers open new paths both within the levels and in the White Void that acts as Shadow's hub area, and while most are situational, they provide gamers the opportunity to try and aim for better times, collectibles, or just having fun exploring and trying to find new pathways.
This Machine
This review has focused primarily on the Shadow portion of Sonic X Shadow Generations, and that is by design. Sonic Generations is a re-release that has several additions such as Chao hidden in the stages that can be located as another collectible, some animation and line changes here and there, and one of the biggest changes is the Drop Dash being added to the moveset of both Sonic characters. Originally introduced for Classic Sonic in 2017's Sonic Mania, the Drop Dash has appeared consistently in Classic Sonic's moveset within games like Sonic Superstars and Sonic Origins, with Modern Sonic first using it in Sonic Frontiers. With how consistent Sega has been in adding this to other Sonic games, it came as no surprise that it was an addition to Generations that provides an additional movement option for the Blue Blur in both his Classic and Modern variations.
That being said, the game is still Sonic Generations, which was never considered to be a bastion of storytelling for the franchise thanks to its focus being on celebrating the past rather than focusing on the present. The opposite 'problem' of sorts is present in Shadow's story, which is quite plot heavy in comparison and deals with elements of Shadow’s backstory that starkly contrast the easy-going time the Sonics are having in their portion of the game.
One of the only other complaints someone might have about Sonic X Shadow Generations would stem from owning Sonic Generations itself - but that's very minor due to the price tag being $50 USD rather than the $60 or $70 most AAA games are going for these days, add in the new additions to Sonic's side and the entirely new story, levels, music, and more from Shadow's, and any fan of Sonic or platformers will find this new addition too good to pass up. With engaging new abilities for Shadow, fun boss battles, and a celebration of the franchise's history, Sonic X Shadow Generations is a thrilling return for fans and an intriguing and compelling introduction to newcomers.
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9.5
fun score
Pros
New Shadow Outing, Fun bosses, Great 'Franchise Celebration' style of game
Cons
Sonic's story is lacking, Shadow's story is incredibly heavy by comparison
