Back in 2011. Sonic Generations felt like an attempt to win back longtime Sonic fans. Whether they grew up with 2D Sonic or 3D adventures, both sides of the fanbase grew frustrated with the attempts at experimentation and the perceived abandonment of what made Sonic great – fast, frantic, fluid action.
Sonic X Shadow Generations comes at a similar time. Whereas Sonic Frontiers certainly isn’t Sonic ’06and Superstars is so much better than Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Sonic seems to be missing something. So why not go back to what many fans consider one of the best 3D Sonic games of all time?
At Summer Game Fest, we spent 30 minutes with this rejuvenated version of the PS3 and Xbox 360 fan favorite. And it might seem easy to say that Sonic Generations is still good, but the new content that includes Shadow makes this pack really popular.
The demo consisted of four levels – two Sonic levels (one classic, one modern) and two new Shadow levels. As far as we can tell, Sonic plays exactly the same as it did 13 years ago. The 2D levels are more about platforming, while the 3D levels see Sonic progressing through them at lightning speed. Disappointingly, the Sonic levels were both Green Hill Zone, looks better than ever on PS5, but we were quickly reminded how good Sonic Generations is at making those classic levels so different. Yes, even playing Green Hill Zone as Classic Sonic with the added momentum and speed feels magical, and the level layout of Green Hill Zone is quite different from the original Mega Drive stage.
But Sonic X Shadow Generations is drawn to the Ultimate Lifeform itself. Shadow plays quite differently from Sonic – his homing attack is more like a teleport and is activated by a different button. Shadow’s dash is not boosted by collecting rings. He also has some unique attacks available to him depending on the level.
Both stages we played were based on scenarios from Sonic Adventure 2. The first level is called the Space Colony Ark, a location all too familiar to those of us who played the Dreamcast or GameCube game. It is an amalgamation of many of the space levels from SA2 such as Crazy Gadget and Final Chase. Bombastic rails hanging above space and gravity-shifting walls you can run across ceilings, all while hanging upside down above planet Earth, capture the indescribable essence of SA2.
One thing we liked was how Shadow’s Chaos Control was implemented into the game. To use chaos control, you need to collect a certain number of rings to boost the meter. You can then use it to free up time for five seconds, leaving enemies vulnerable or allowing you to walk past traps or solve puzzles. It’s a simple addition, but it helps differentiate Shadow from Sonic even more.
Overall, Space Colony Ark is fantastic, full of the same GUN robots and weird space aliens from SA2. It sells Shadow’s script—at least what we’ve seen—as a love letter to Sonic Adventure 2. But it’s also much more than a Dreamcast game lore. Doom’s Eye is a prominent presence, and Shadow must hunt it down throughout the level. But not before he fires a large missile. It’s clear that Sonic X Shadow Generations fully embraces the shadow-y hedgehog in all its edgy glory.
The second phase based on Shadow was very different, but still showed the same care and respect for Shadow’s history. It’s a boss battle against one of the most legendary bosses from SA2, Biolizard, who is also the boss for Sonic in the 3DS version of Sonic Generations. The creature terrified this writer as a child, and seeing it again – huge, drooling and vicious, in full HD – was no less terrifying.
The boss is perfectly tailored to fit the Generations template with many callbacks to Bioizard’s Dreamcast battle patterns. It will start by moving its head or tail towards Shadow, snapping its toothless jaws at you, or flailing its huge tail like a fin. Then, after he gets tired, you can grind to the core and attack him to deal damage. In the second phase, the Biolizard changes this by generating pink bubble wings that you must avoid taking damage from before they dissipate and you can attack to the core again.
In the final phase, the Biolizard clings to the wall and attacks Shadow from a distance, and again it’s a waiting game until you start killing. There are elements from every section of the original Dreamcast boss in this new iteration, but there are also plenty of new surprises to match Generations’ boost and Shadow’s control of chaos.
But the Chaos Spear, a brand new attack for Shadow, becomes available during combat, allowing Shadow to throw an unlimited amount of spears over a period of time. All of these elements really help make Shadow’s levels and scenario feel like a worthwhile investment, and we’re excited to see what other levels we get to explore.
However, in the build we played, we can’t deny that some of Shadow’s movements and level design felt a bit…clunky. It was almost charming at first, reminding us of the janky days of the Dreamcast, but especially in the Biolizard fight, some of the more homing attack-based parts felt particularly frustrating. We also struggled to get the Biolizard to attack us at all at the start of the fight, we had to walk right up to him to initiate the engagement. This gave us practically no time to escape the damage.
But the game looks fantastic, and sounds even better – the diegetic music used in Sonic Generations is present here, where the soundtrack will change to match the tone of the environment or progress through a boss or level. And if all of Sonic’s levels are as high quality as the original release, then at least it’ll be as good as it was. As we’ve only played the PS5 version, we’re concerned about how the game will look and run on the Switch, but it sure looks nice on the console.
However, the bottom line is this: Sonic X Shadow Generations is all about the black and red hedgehog. It gives the fan-favorite character some well-deserved time in the spotlight ahead of his film debut later this year, while also serving as a reminder of his wacky past. And luckily, Shadow’s levels are separate, so even if you don’t want to check out Space Colony Ark and beyond, then Sonic’s own fantastic core gameplay is still there. Hopefully more 3DS levels are included.
Sonic X Shadow Generations launches on Switch on October 25, 2024. Are you ready to use Chaos Control with Ultimate Lifeform? Let us know below.
