Sonic X Shadow Generations review: mach-speed masterpiece

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a re-written love letter to Sonic history, now with a PS note for his one true rival, Shadow The Hedgehog.

As far as video game characters go, Shadow The Hedgehog is one of my all-time favourites. I’ve been enamoured with him since seeing his debut in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle as a child, and I was unbelievably hyped to see him get the spotlight again in Sonic X Shadow Generations.

During Summer Game Fest earlier this year, I spoke with Sonic Team director Takashi Iizuka on Sonic X Shadow Generations, and what it was like to remaster Sonic’s history again

Sonic Generations is already one of my favourite Sonic games, as it felt like a true celebration of the best, and worst, in Sonic’s long-standing history as a gaming icon. It’s one I’ve regularly gone back to so I was excited to play it again with enhanced visuals and a smoother framerate.

It was well and truly a blast, and it offered more extra content than I’d originally expected. Aside from the graphical stuff, the game actually features rewritten and re recorded dialogue. Something that never quite sat right with me during the finale to Sonic Generations was the generic, corny dialogue that came spewing out of Sonic’s friends’ mouths when encouraging the pair to keep fighting. Shadow’s infamous “you got this Sonic” has lived in my head rent-free for years, so I was thrilled to see it rewritten to something more in-line with Shadow’s character in the remaster. It’s a small change, but one I appreciated immensely and I’m sure other fans will too.

The other big change is a new collectible, Chao, three of which will be hidden throughout each level in need of saving. Now I’m thrilled to see them return, but was a tad disappointed to see they don’t actually reward you with anything once you’ve saved them. Red Star Rings are a returning collectible, and grabbing those rewards you with artwork and music so they’re worth grabbing when possible. The Chao on the other hand offered nothing more than a few extra hours of collecting, though I’m at least happy to see Sonic Team haven’t forgotten them and I’m hoping this means a new Chao Garden is on the cards for future games.

That’s about it for Sonic Generations, on to the real bread and butter of this title: Shadow Generations.

SEGA

This is, by no exaggeration, some of the best Sonic media I’ve enjoyed since Sonic Mania. It elevates the character of Shadow The Hedgehog to new heights, whilst celebrating the character’s headache of a history in beautiful fashion.

The new story sees Shadow aboard the Space Colony Ark, on the hunt for Black Doom whom we haven’t seen since Shadow The Hedgehog (2005). Doom emerges with Shadow in pursuit, before he’s pulled into the White Space by the same Time Eater monster that Sonic and Classic Sonic battle in their game. The events of both stories are happening simultaneously, and yes it does address why Shadow appears as a boss battle in Sonic’s part of the story.

Despite being packaged with Sonic Generations, Shadow Generations is a completely different animal. It plays more like Sonic Frontiers with its physics and visuals, but each level is masterful in its design and I’ve already got favourites I could replay again and again. First though is the White Space hub world, which can be explored in 3D as opposed to Sonic Generations’ 2D. Like Sonic Frontiers there’s an assortment of enemies, rails, springs, collectables and more for Shadow to mess around with, with more of the world becoming explorable as you advance the story.

Shadow’s levels can be found in this hub world, and come from games Shadow himself was part of, with one exception. The nostalgia was real here, but taking off the rose-tinted glasses they were just genuinely well-designed. Again the gameplay differed to Sonic Generations, they weren’t just Modern Sonic stages with Shadow slapped in, they felt purposefully designed with him in mind.

SEGA

Instead of the homing attack Shadow teleports and kicks his enemies, and can use Chaos Spear to stun them at long-range. Shadow can also utilise Chao Control, which freezes time temporarily to make platforming easier, unlock new paths of progression, and take down enemies with no resistance.

Chaos Control was my favourite part of Shadow’s gameplay, and I loved finding new and intuitive ways to use it to shave a few seconds off my personal best time in levels. Doom Powers are also unlocked as you progress the story, like his Doom Wings that let him glide short distances and destroy whatever he comes into contact with. The levels also boasted cinematic quick-time events, like Shadow beating the hell out of an enormous missile but sending it careening off into the distance with a powerful kick. Again this added flair distinguishes Shadow Generations from Sonic Generations. While Sonic is more likely to parkour his way through danger with a smirk and some style, Shadow would rather obliterate anything standing between him and his goal.

Bosses also reflected this, as Shadow is haunted by several enemies from his past. Each fight felt unique and took advantage of the new gameplay mechanics, whilst still paying homage to the original battle and what players needed to do in order to defeat them last time they fought. While it was a little strange to see Shadow take on Neo Metal Sonic without the need of Chaos Emeralds, it can easily be explained when you consider how much stronger Shadow, and Sonic, have become over the years.

SEGA

Challenge Gates also makes a return from Sonic Generations, and must be played in order to unlock Boss Keys. They’re not too difficult though and hold replay value, as like the main levels you’re scored based on how long it took you to complete each challenge, and trying to get an S rank on every one of them isn’t going to be a cake walk by any means.

However the best part of Shadow Generations, and something I was particularly nervous about as I went in blind, was the story. Shadow The Hedgehog as a character has always been at the mercy of the writer. His character arc from Sonic Adventure 2 to Sonic The Hedgehog (2006) was near-flawless, but in following games he somewhat regressed to an overly aggressive edgelord, with Sonic Boom being the biggest offender. In Shadow Generations he’s going through a lot of turmoil. Black Doom is back from the dead and causing trouble, Shadow’s being haunted by ghosts from the past, and unlike Sonic he’s enduring all of it by himself, for the most part.

Yet by the end he’s in a great place character-wise, and I can only hope this development is continued in future games if he’s to get any more spin-off titles. I’m also still amazed that Black Doom was revisited after so many years, and after Shadow’s first spin-off garnered such a negative response from fans at the time. Overall Shadow’s new story was handled remarkably well, and should be used as a template going forward for his future appearances.

In terms of additional content there’s a wealth of bonus material to comb through for those with an interest in art, music and lore. Medallions unlocked in the levels can be used to open chests in the White Space, which will contain either artwork, a new song that can be played during levels, or a page of Dr Gerald Robotnik’s diary. All of this can be viewed in a collection room at any time, so if you’re a completionist you’ll want to fill this room up pretty quickly.

SEGA

Sonic X Shadow Generations lovingly remasters an already great Sonic title, a celebration of the blue blur and his triumphs over the years, It also goes a step further and celebrates a character just as important to the Sonic canon as the hero himself. Shadow Generations elevates the overall package to new heights, and both games combined make for a masterful journey through one of SEGA’s richest world histories, for long-time fans and newcomers alike.

Back in 2013 I dreamed of the day Sonic Generations got a sequel featuring levels from Sonic’s history that didn’t make it into the final game, and even further back in 2005 I hoped SEGA would give Shadow another chance to shine following a frankly messy spin-off. Sonic X Shadow Generations has turned those hopes and dreams into reality, and I’m ever so thankful for it.

Pros: Lovingly remastered visuals and more collectables for Sonic Generations, Shadow's story is handled well and does wonders for his character, White Space exploration is enjoyable, new levels and Doom powers make for a completely unique experience

Cons: Sonic Generations could have done with a little bit more than just Chao

For fans of: Sonic The Hedgehog, Super Mario, Astro Bot

9/10: Exceptional

Sonic X Shadow Generations is due to be released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (version tested), PC and Nintendo Switch on 25th October. Review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.