Review: Sonic X Shadow Generations Levels Up The Original Game By MILES

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a remaster of Sonic Generations released in 2011. The game features a new story with players the option to choose from either Sonic Generations or the new Shadow Generations. The real question is, does the remaster live up to the hype of the original title? Let’s break down the game’s details and see where it stands.

Warning: Spoilers Below! Make sure to proceed with caution. If you’re someone who’s not into spoilers and just wants to know if the game is worth it, then yes, it’s worth it. 

Story

Let’s look at Sonic Generations first. The dialogue has been rewritten to bring callbacks to previous games as well as slight animation changes to help with the new dialogue. One thing to note, however, is that Classic Sonic’s interaction with Modern Sonic’s friends remains the same which was kinda weird given the changes that were made to Modern Sonic.

One notable weird change is when you rescue Knuckles as Classic Sonic, he’ll ask where the rest of his Angel Island is with Classic responding by rubbing his belly which could hilariously mean that he ate it. I hoped to see more unique Classic Sonic interactions but sadly his part remained unchanged. Other than that, the story was fine for what it was but there was another missed opportunity I wished the devs added. I’ll discuss this below, now onto Shadow Generations.

Shadow’s story was a banger from start to end. I loved the detail where it shows that Shadow lost on purpose because he wanted to beat Sonic on equal grounds. In this new story, Shadow gains new Doom abilities like being able to fly, surf, and even morph to reach new areas. Another great aspect of the story was revisiting Maria and Dr. Gerald Robotnic and even getting to know more about them.

Moreover, it was great to see old boss battles like Mephiles the Dark making a comeback. A great continuity callback was when Shadow didn’t remember who Mephiles was as Sonic 06 erased the timeline at the end of its story. In addition, Shadow’s character is well-developed and he shows emotions when he is with Maria showing a great new side to the character that’s been missing in the previous games for quite a while.

Now, coming back to the missed opportunity part. When Shadow confronts Sonic and purposely loses to him, he swaps the fake emerald with the real one without Sonic noticing. As you progress the story, Rogue reminds Shadow to take care of his goals on time before Sonic faces off against his final boss (time eater) so she can swap the fake emerald with the real one. I just wish there could’ve been a new cutscene with the emerald swap but oh well.

Gameplay & Performance

Funny how the game is Sonic X Shadow Generations and yet here I am, talking about Shadow Generations whenever I get the chance. But can you blame me? Shadow’s gameplay is simply spectacular, to say the least, and the new doom abilities overhaul the gameplay to a whole new level. Additionally, the hub world is Shadow Generations is quite fun to explore with plenty of bonuses to unlock as you explore different areas.

I absolutely love how the level changes when Black Doom suddenly appears as you’re halfway done with a stage, completely changing the level design. A cool little bonus is opening crests and unlocking bonus artwork from previous Sonic games, as well as lore details and soundtracks. Basically, same thing as Sonic Generations, but cooler in my opinion.

Onto Sonic Generations, both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic now have drop dash ability. I still prefer playing the legacy way but it’s still a nice bonus for people new to the game. Other than that, the rest of the gameplay is fantastic and doesn’t break what made the original Generations special. No oversaturation or weird bugs like when Sonic Colors Ultimate launched.

Performance-wise, both Sonic and Shadow Generations work flawlessly. You might encounter minor bugs but it’s nothing that’ll hinder your fun with the game. I’ve played it on my PS4 and had a great time overall.

Immersion

The game is truly fast-paced like a Sonic game should be and is worth unlocking every little bonus Sonic X Shadow Generations has to offer. Finding easter eggs, interacting with other characters, and just the overall appeal of the game make this a great immersive experience for Sonic fans to enjoy.

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, Sonic X Shadow Generations is a fantastic experience that isn’t just a simple remaster. It overhauls the gameplay by adding Shadow to the formula and made me love the character even more. Heck, I would love to see Shadow in more standalone games in the future.

While the story had minor hiccups with Sonic Generations, I feel like Shadow truly carried the game and made Sonic X Shadow Generations worth buying. If you’re new to the Sonic series, I highly recommend giving this game a try.

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