Summary
Sonic X Shadow Generationsis a safe bet from Sonic Team. It’s both a remaster and a new game slapped into one, with the entirety of Sonic Generations given a facelift and paired with a brand-new campaign.
Itshouldbe an easy crowd-pleaser, and its promotional material has already gotten fans excited. But having blasted through a few levels of Sonic X Shadow Generations atGamescomwhere I played as both hedgehogs, I can’t help but feel that Shadow’s long-awaited return alone isn’t enough to justify the game’s existence, and some parts of his playable history probably ought to have stayed in the past.
During my time with the game, I got a feel for everyone’s gameplay, but immediately focused on the new hog on the block, Shadow. The stage I tried out, Space Colony Arc Act 1, was fantastic, showcasing what Sonic Team can do with the Boost Formula on modern platforms, all while making the most of the anti-hero’s Chaos Control ability.
A New Look At Sonic X Shadow Generation’s Boss Battles
But the disappointment came as I pivoted away from platforming and towards the bosses. These baddies, Biolizard and Metal Overlord, were plagued by classic ‘00s Sonic jank, making for a frustrating and unresponsive experience in areas. I wouldn’t exactly call them difficult, just more of an endurance test, which is a far cry from the expectations set for me by Space Colony Arc’s smooth level design.
Metal Overlord gets a particularly dishonourable mention from me for having attack patterns that don’t seem to line up with its animations. Dying repeatedly and memorising when I actually needed to dodge got me through a particularly gruelling segment, but I don’t believe that’s the gameplay loop Sonic X Shadow Generations is going for, when no other area of the game seems to be like this.
With that said, if Sonic X Shadow Generations can only get one thing down pat, I am glad it’s Shadow’s platforming stages. In fact, I often preferred them to what I got up to as the Blue Blur in the Generations remaster, as they’re much fresher than our tenth revisit to Chemical Plant Zone.
It also nails the presentation, both through visuals and the soundtrack, during the Shadow campaign. Our edgy boy is so back.
But this only raises another issue - the Sonic Generations portion of the game isn’t getting the same love as the Shadow campaign. Having played as Shadow first, the step down in quality between the games was immediately apparent, and I found myself drifting back to the more modern Shadow levels.
Yet Sonic Generations is, to this day, beloved by so many fans. Even if what we get here is overshadowed by the Ultimate Lifeform himself, just being able to play through the 2011 release with improved visuals will be enough for many. A whole new campaign is just the cherry on top.
Despite my disappointment with the boss levels, and my fears for what this could mean for the quality of the rest of the game, I am far from writing Sonic X Shadow Generations off as a miss. I would go as far as to say that this has the makings of a solid Sonic game. I only hope it can be elevated beyond that, as a remaster of an old favourite with Shadow thrown into the mix deserves no less.
Alas, I did not get to see any cutscenes, so I can’t say ifthe Maria segment goes as hard as it did back in the day. Here’s hoping.
If Shadow is the pull for you with Sonic X Shadow Generations, I can’t say that you won’t be disappointed, but I can say that this is one of the better games you may play him in, but that’s a low bar – he’s been in some real stinkers over the years.
Sonic X Shadow Generations isn’t enough to overwrite Shadow’s patchy platforming history, but it at least gives us a trip down memory lane, albeit one that can feel a littletoonostalgic at times. We can make boss battles good now, come on, we don’t have to keep doing this.
Sonic X Shadow Generations
WHERE TO PLAY
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a double package of a remastered version of the 2011 title Sonic Generations, alongside an all-new campaign featuring Shadow the Hedgehog and both 2D and 3D levels.
