Sonic X Shadow Generations Review — Stepping Out Of The Shadow

During my gaming life, Sonic the Hedgehog has never been a franchise I’ve embraced or wanted to embrace. I’ve always been a Mario fan through and through, so naturally, I had zero incline to play any games starring the lightning-fast blue hedgehog. So, against the odds, going against the grain of my incredulous bias and a strong distaste for Sonic, Sonic X Shadow Generations has totally broken my perception of what a Sonic game is, and dare I say, I have enjoyed playing this game immensely. Sonix X Shadow Generations is a remaster of the 2011 game and its acclaimed Shadow expansion. I can appreciate what I have been told is the strongest game in the franchise with Sonic Generations. I find myself eagerly looking forward to the future of Sonic games if they are of the same quality as Shadows.

Sonic Generations is where I started, as I had never delved into the original game. As far as remakes go this year, Generations looks and plays great! The graphical updates make it look crisp and sharp. At times, it does show its age a little, as it becomes clunky in terms of animations and 3D modelling, which was the style at the time of release, but it can be excused due to the polished gameplay.

You play the game in either 2-D or 3-D depending on which Sonic character you choose, I had no idea that it was a Sonic multiverse story, this is before the multiverse storylines became the new overused narrative of choice.  One Sonic represents the 2D games, and the other represents his 3D adventures. Along the way in your adventure, you have all your familiar Sonic characters popping throughout as you progress in your journey. It was a wild ride, albeit not the strongest part of the game, but I do know that the biggest Sonic fans do love their Sonic storylines. Even at times, it felt perplexing and absurd to me.

Each level is played out within a 2-D world map that starts off as a blank canvas and litters with colour as you complete levels and challenges, these further open up boss levels wish push the plot further onto the next set of areas. Challenges can be exceptionally difficult or simple, depending on whether you want to attain a high ranking. There are multiple branching paths on some levels and an insane number of collectibles to find and unlock. The replayability is amazing and further enriches the experience. You get a lot of bang for your buck in this title, and that’s a great incentive to hear, as the gameplay is addictive.

The Shadows content plays in an almost similar style. You replace the 2D canvas world with a 3D space that is mildly open world. This change is effective and makes it more fun to explore. Similar concepts of 2D and 3D levels are to be chosen as you tackle the story. Shadow brings its own gameplay differences that include doom powers that change his style greatly, such as water surfing, flying, and the ability to shoot projectiles. It’s such a change of pace to the Generations package that it complements it perfectly. Even if it may seem somewhat similar, there are so many differences that set it apart to suit its own identity.

There are heaps of variety to levels; some are over in moments, and others are drawn out and intricate.  It was always a fun challenge to try and beat my high scores in levels. It was the best part of the game.  The gameplay is so unique to Sonic that I can finally see the appeal in the blue hedgehog. I’m convinced that future games should always strive to be like the Shadow content as there is plenty of opportunity for growth within that space; these moments were my favourite out of this very strong package.

As I briefly mentioned, the story isn’t for me. If it’s for you, then great. But I don’t play Super Mario games for the story, and I feel like this one is even as ridiculous as anything the Mushroom Kingdom can offer. Let’s consider it: a story exploring how a hedgehog develops intricate feelings towards a human scientist (that created you in a lab) and his daughter, who just so happen to be based on the moon, all the while battling interdimensional beings chasing the ghosts of the past. Deep.

The music for the game is on point, with rock playing on the centre stage. Sonic’s music flourishes during the peak ‘fast’ moments in the game, and it’s just so much fun to smash them out. It’s an eclectic mix of music that perfectly suits the game experience. Everything felt fast, frenetic, and fast-paced. Which also controlled well. At times, things were so blisteringly quick that I never felt that I had lost any control. In fact, when it relied on precision platforming, the controls felt way sluggish, and I would often fail.

As a package, they don’t get much better than this. The sheer amount of consistent content across the games is perfect for those wanting to sink their teeth into a grand Sonic adventure. There is a great sense of history that goes with your discovery, and it feels like a perfect love letter to what has come before.  The option to unlock additional content, like art and music, really encourages you to go deeper into these titles.