By now, we can all agree that Sonic’s gaming history has had a few bumps. While Frontiers reimagined the formula and hit the right spot for Sonic fans, subsequent releases have been hit or miss. Fortunately, Sonic x Shadow Generations is here to floor it and not stop anytime soon. With a brand-new standalone story featuring everyone’s favorite anti-hero and a remaster of one of the most beloved Sonic games, this is the ultimate way to bounce, dash, and surf as the industry’s two favorite anthropomorphic hedgehogs.
Sonic x Shadow Generations includes two games. First, you have the remaster of the 2011 classic Sonic Generations. Secondly, Shadow Generations brings the best we’ve seen of Shadow in a completely original storyline. While both are terrific in their own way, Shadow’s standalone game is perfection incarnate. It has a fantastic story, which we haven’t seen in the franchise for a while, the best levels of the series with a plethora of branching paths and things to find, and the most epic boss fights Shadow has been a part of.
A Tale of Two Hedgehogs
Sonic x Shadow Generations puts two, or rather, three hedgehogs at the plot’s forefront. For the 2011 remaster, we have Classic and Modern Sonic. After the latter is about to enjoy his birthday party, an entity called Time Eater sucks everyone into a vortex, sending them to a colorless place called the White Space. Like many other Sonic games, you have to rescue your friends who are trapped in a temporal anomaly. Thus, both Sonics band together to take a trip down memory lane in some of the franchise’s best levels. All of this is to recover the Chaos Emeralds and stop the timeline-tampering baddie.
Sonic Generations‘ story is surprisingly good, but it serves more as a fan-service-fueled ride, which isn’t bad at all. It certainly has many callbacks, and despite the timeline shenanigans, it handles that topic much better than other media trying to mess with time-traveling stuff. Looking at you, Marvel. Still, it doesn’t reach the heights that Shadow Generations does.
Now, moving on to the brand-new plot, which is what many will want to try, let me start by saying this: it is perfect. Shadow’s story has always been one of suffering, revenge, and edginess in perfect doses. Naturally, Sonic x Shadow Generations makes use of that to create a compelling narrative with everyone’s favorite tsundere. I really don’t want to spoil anything about it because it is so good you must experience it without me ruining it for you, but I can talk about the broader aspects.
In short, Shadow Generations begins with the titular Blue Blur investigating an anomaly at the Space Colony ARK. After investigating it and realizing Doom’s Eye might be behind it, the Time Eater appears to also suck Shadow into a White Space of his own, similar to that of Sonic Generations. Contrary to Sonic, Shadow faces the ghosts of his past in one of the most emotional and compelling stories featuring this anti-hero. Again, I won’t go into details, but it is one of the best plots I’ve experienced in this fast-paced franchise.
The Best of Every World
The biggest selling point of Sonic x Shadow Generations is its gameplay. Like before, allow me to begin with Sonic Generations, which many might be familiar with already. If not, it brings the side-scrolling and dimension-swapping gameplay that is so iconic to the franchise. As Classic Sonic, you can play the former. All the stages this old hedgehog is part of have that retro feeling of the series with a 2.5D perspective. In a way, it captures the feeling of Sonic’s original beginnings.
On the other hand, Modern Sonic aligns more with the new stages we’ve seen. Modern Sonic levels swap between 2.5D and full 3D environments, with the camera adjusting accordingly. Frankly, I liked these much more as they are highly dynamic. While I have nothing against the nostalgic side-scrolling of Classic Sonic, nothing beats the rush of swapping perspectives as you bounce around platforms or grind on the never-ending rails of these stages. Also, the Modern levels are a bit more complex, and I enjoy the added challenge.
Shadow Generations, however, has the best of Sonic Generations combined with the modern additions of Frontiers. All Shadow levels take the 2.5D and 3D swapping approach. As expected, there are branching paths, collectibles to find, and some of the most impressive setpieces in the franchise. Plus, Shadow unlocks new skills as he progresses through the story, which just adds a new layer of frenzied fun to the mix. For example, you can unlock a melee combo that lets you pummel an enemy, launch it in the air, and then teleport to it. Doing this, combined with the fast-paced gameplay of the franchise, hits that sweet spot that characterizes the series so much.
Still, the feature that takes the spiky-haired cake is the boss encounters. When I reviewed Sonic Frontiers, I mentioned how, despite its shortcomings, it had fantastic boss fights. Well, they don’t reach the levels of epicness that Shadow Generations has. Take the Metal Overlord encounter, for example. It starts with Shadow surfing while knocking back missiles to see him grind on a rail, jump in the air to reach the Overlord’s core, punch it, and then return to the water. And that’s just the first phase. The second one includes a vortex and even more explosives. Yeah, that’s how epic it gets.
Beyond the Stage
Aside from the intricate branching stages, there’s a lot more to do in Sonic x Shadow Generations, mainly in the Shadow part. Say what you want about Sonic Frontiers, but the open-world formula was great. It changed the game’s feel while keeping the speedy action we like. In a way, that’s what Shadow Generations tries to do with its White Space. In Sonic Generations, you explore this time bubble in a side-scrolling manner. You can explore other areas, but only from this perspective. In Shadow Generations, you have a semi-open-world area, which is quite enjoyable to explore.
In truth, I enjoyed this a lot, especially since the game’s story is quite short. You can literally dash through it in less than eight hours, counting both games, so having optional things was great. My favorite one was the abovementioned White Space. Since it follows the open-world-like design of Frontiers, you can find different paths that lead to chests containing collectibles. However, some are locked behind the main story, as they need specific abilities. Still, it was fun to reach these hidden areas as they added even more elaborate mini-levels that you can tackle freely. Plus, there are timed challenges, hidden currency, and more activities for you to discover.
However, if there’s one thing I found just a bit frustrating, it’s some of the Challenge Stages. Before unlocking a new boss, you must acquire certain boss keys. You get said keys by completing Challenge Stages, which, while intricate, can be a bit stressful. I know some will tell me it’s just a “skill issue,” as kids these days say, but some truly are a bit too convoluted. Fortunately, you can acquire the key by reaching a low rank, but completionists will need a lot of patience to reach rank S in each one.
The Perfect Duo
Undoubtedly, Sonic x Shadow Generations is the ultimate fast-paced platformer experience. In all my years following this eclectic cast of characters, I’ve never had more fun than when playing these stages. All of them are highly dynamic and full of secret paths that add to the replayability factor. Plus, it’s great to see new and old stages that have become cornerstones of the franchise under a modern spotlight.
While the Shadow portion of the bundle takes the crown, Sonic’s adventure is enjoyable, too, albeit with a few camera issues. In many stages, I felt it was a bit clunky, but nothing game-breaking. Still, Shadow Generations is one of the best games we’ve seen in years. The story is fantastic, the levels are jaw-dropping, and it features some of the best boss fights in the series. Despite its length, I can see myself and many more fans spending many hours dashing and bouncing as gaming’s favorite hedgehogs.
Sonic x Shadow Generations (PC Reviewed)
Sonic x Shadow Generations is the ultimate way to play any of the hedgehogs' adventures. While the Shadow standalone story eclipses that of the Blue hero, both are terrific in terms of gameplay and genuinely feel like some of the best games the legendary franchise has to offer.
Pros
- Some of the best levels in the whole franchise
- Shadow's standalone story is top-notch
- Great boss fights
Cons
- The camera can feel a bit clunky in certain levels
- Getting S ranks in Challenge Stages can be a little frustrating
