Sonic Generations came out on seventh-gen consoles in 2011, and since then, it has been widely considered one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games fans could hope for. The gameplay revolved around two distinct modules: “classic” 2D Sonic stages that homaged 16-bit titles and modern 3D levels. The fun was experiencing classic stages reimagined as 3D and vice versa while having HD hardware’s sleek, dazzling veneer.
The Fall of 2022 saw the release of Sonic Frontiers; the big and sprawling non-linear Sonic game. It dropped our blue hero in a massive hub world festooned with challenges, collectibles, and remixed fan-favorite stages. It was a breath of fresh air and the huge environment to dash through felt like a natural fit for Sonic.
Remastering Sonic Generations is a no-brainer, but what about expanding upon it while incorporating lessons learned from Sonic Frontiers? What is Shadow doing in Generations and how does his story fit in the grand scheme of things? Find out in this Sonic X Shadow Generations review!
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed)
Release Date: October 25, 2024
Price: $49.99
Sonic Generations is about Sonic’s legacy. The story begins with his birthday, and The Time Eater forces Sonic to meet his past self. He will have to save his friends from petrification in the White Space by completing levels based on his past adventures and thwarting Eggman, Silver, Metal Sonic, and Shadow along the way.
It’s a story wrought with shonen anime-style performances and admittedly epic battles and set pieces. Sonic and his mute past self show how far he’s come as a character. Classic Sonic is a Chaplin-esque simpleton who rolls with the punches and passively experiences the story. Modern Sonic is a lot like Goku from Dragon Ball Z; a free spirit who cares about his friends but has an uppity streak to him. All of his friends take a backseat in the story and are happy to chill out while both Sonics fix everything.
Shadow Generations is a new story that focuses on the background plot surrounding the events of Sonic Generations. When the Time Eater sends Shadow to the White Space, he encounters the alien lifeform Black Doom. Shadow was Eggman’s grandfather’s science project and used Black Doom’s DNA to endow him with enhanced abilities and the power to stop time. As if Shadow wasn’t unstable enough, he mutates in the White Space and gains new powers.
The stories in Sonic X Shadow Generations are a lot to absorb if you haven’t played a Sonic game since the Dreamcast. It can feel like being a child and wandering into the middle of a movie.
Most characters talk to each other like they already know everything and don’t bother with much exposition. It helps keep the pace moving forward and to its credit, it isn’t hard to figure out what’s going on and who’s who.
The direction is delightfully melodramatic and over the top. As a concept, Sonic is aimed at children. For a lot of kids, Sonic is their gateway to the concept of “cool.” The battles with the huge robots and monsters are full of stylish, shonen-anime-inspired poses and over-the-top action with flashy and dazzling attacks. Sonic X Shadow Generations does all of this with a completely straight face, embracing its deviantart-like cringe, which is refreshing.
Sonic and classic Sonic’s adventure has players playing respective acts to progress the story, unlocking challenges in the 2D White Space hub area. Smaller challenges take a small chunk of existing levels to earn more unlockables, but for the most part, expect to be trying to contain this hedgehog’s speed in acts one and two. There is also a surprisingly fleshed-out pinball minigame to play.
Classic Sonic stages are exactly what you’d think and play like HD remakes of 16-bit stages and 2D interpretations of 3D zones. He can spin-dash and get classic power-ups like the double jump or the bubble shield. Modern Sonic is faster paced and in 3D, relying on an auto-targeting lock-on mechanism to bop foes and to home in on bounce pads.
He can rail grind and hop to parallel rails, but for the most part, it feels like modern Sonic’s gameplay is automated. The game will do its own thing as Sonic dashes through loops as the camera moves cinematically. This happens a lot during bosses too where most of the spectacle is a deceptive cutscene and not gameplay. It does look incredible, but it’s all for show and not technically demanding.
Playing as Shadow in his game is a very different experience than the two Sonics. Shadow Generations takes cues from Sonic Frontiers, dropping the edge lord into an expanding sandbox hub. He can double jump, and freeze time, and his physics are a little slower and more manageable than his blue counterpart.
Shadow’s mutations are where he truly stands out from the rest of the Sonic cast. He won’t be using any guns this time around, but he can shoot spears and lock on to five targets. He can also traverse water by surfing on a monstrous manta ray and can transform into a demonic squid and move through sludge like an Inkling from Splatoon.
When Shadow gets the ability to glide at the end of his story, it can be used in prior stages or for exploring the White Space. He’ll need 50 rings to activate his wings like when Sonic goes Super Saiyan, but it’s more useful since going faster is usually a liability. Gliding makes the optional challenges and exploration much easier in White Space. Getting S ranks in stages is easier than expected, but this is a game aimed at kids.
Like in Sonic Generations, Shadow’s stages and bosses are a motley of the franchise’s greatest hits. Fans will gleefully clap and point at their screens, noticing they’re playing remixed stages and bosses from Sonic Heroes, Sonic Forces, Sonic Adventure 2, and even a level from Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 – you know… the bad one that everyone hates.
The new coat of paint is beautiful and some of the apocalyptic nightmarescapes Shadow travels to have some of the most creative imagery seen in a Sonic game. It’s like being in a kaleidoscope of tesseracting skyscrapers in a hurricane. For a moment it doesn’t even look like a Sonic game and resembles the ending to Akira.
Sonic X Shadow Generations’ music has an electric rock ‘n’ roll style, relying on electric guitars, drums, and synthesizers. It’s often fast-paced and energetic, reflecting the high-speed gameplay.
The lyrics are hilariously over-the-top and sound like a long-haired teenager wrote them while sitting by a window sill as it rains. While roaming in Shadow Generations‘ White Space is orchestral music and would feel right at home in an epic Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts game.
Sonic X Shadow Generations has a lot going for it. It’s an upgraded remaster and it has Shadow’s bonus game which is in some ways better than the core game. It’s not unlike the Bowser’s Fury module that was included with the Switch port of Super Mario 3D World. Gamers are also able to customize their preferred soundtracks on every stage.
However, not everything is ideal. Some of the cutscenes have had some visual gags edited out, and some lines of dialogue have been rerecorded to be more politically correct. In the original, classic Sonic rubs his rotund belly at the joke Knuckles makes about his weight. Sonic X Shadow Generations alters this to make no sense since Knuckles doesn’t make a fat joke anymore but classic Sonic still worryingly rubs his belly.
Small instances like this can be found and the effort to change them is questionable. They made the game less funny as a result and the resources could have been used to include a fishing mini-game with Big the Cat. Yes, it’s true. Big is here in Shadow’s White Space hub, but he doesn’t do much apart from standing around asking if Shadow has seen Froggy. You can’t find Froggy in the game, so don’t bother looking for him.
The action in Sonic X Shadow Generations is fast and intense. It would have been a welcomed reprieve from Black Doom’s storms if players could go fishing with Big. Instead, he just stands there teasing the player, carrying his tantalizing fishing rod. The game already recycles many elements from past Sonic titles, so why not recycle the fishing mini-game from Sonic Frontiers? It’s a shame that the developers took the time to censor the game instead of making it even better.
If you are already a Sonic fan, Sonic X Shadow Generations will be a no-brainer. It has a wealth of content and variety. Gamers who haven’t played a Sonic game in a long time will find that this is a great entry to get back into the series and become acquainted with Shadow, the franchise’s most entertaining character.
Sonic X Shadow Generations was reviewed on a PlayStation 5 using a code provided by SEGA. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Sonic X Shadow Generations is now available for PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
