Summary
After the exciting 2022 and 2023 the series has had, Sega’sSonic the HedgehogIP began 2024 with the reveal of the next game fans can expect. After a little over ten years,Sonic X Shadow GenerationsbringsSonic Generationsto newer consoles, coming complete with a brand-new campaign for Shadow the Hedgehog. While some platforms such as Steam are still regularly selling the base game to many new players, others such as the Nintendo Switch and the PS5 will now be home to the fan favorite title throughSonic X Shadow Generations.
WhileSonic X Shadow Generationsis setting out to remaster the 2011 release for more current devices and displays, Shadow’s side story stands out for many reasons. Itaims to tie into the original story ofSonic Generationsin order to show just how the black hedgehog showed up at the right time and the right place to fight Modern Sonic. Despite the simplistic story that the two Sonics experience, Shadow seems to quite literally face his past in a way that exploresSonicgames that may be gone but certainly aren’t forgotten.
Sonic X Shadow Generations' New Story Takes Notes From 06, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Frontiers
How the ‘Shadow Generations’ Campaign Seems to Live up to Its Name
Shadow’s side toSonic x Shadow Generationsis said to be its own sizable experience, and to back that up, Sega has decided to call it ‘Shadow Generations’ in all current press releases. However, the “generations” title had a purpose in the original game that was rather important, and Shadow’s story seems to put its own spin on the name while also being just what fans might expect.
The history of Shadow the Hedgehog is rather easy to understand on a surface level, asSonic Adventure 2andShadow the Hedgehogdive deep into his backstory and motivation as an integral part of their stories. There’s more tothose twoSonicgames than their focus on Shadow, though, and that seems to be the very thing the new Shadow story seems to be using to its benefit.
Sonic Frontiers and Sonic 06 Make Shadow’s Campaign Something Entirely New
Sonic the Hedgehog(2006) is infamousas perhaps the worstSonicgame of all time, known for its glitches and incomplete state that left many players frustrated, failing to live up to expectations as one of the more ambitious Sonic Team projects at the time of its development. The negative feedback eventually led Sega to delistSonic 06, although it was relisted in 2022, just beforeSonic Frontierswas released. Interestingly, though, both games seem to be leaving their mark on ‘Shadow Generations.’ Shadow jumps between enemies similarly to how he does inSonic 06, while the use of Chaos Spear in the trailer at one point suggests more intricate and dedicated controls just like the playstyles found inSonic Frontiers.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is Bringing Shadow the Hedgehog Back From the Dead
After Shadow’s death inSA2, he suffered a lapse in memory that led to the plot ofShadow the Hedgehogas he goes on a quest to find out who he is. This coincides with the return of Black Doom, the leader of a nomad alien race whodonated his DNA to Project Shadowin return for claiming Earth in 50 years' time through a promise with Professor Gerald Robotnik.
This takes Shadow’s complicated history and makes it even harder for the alien-hybrid hedgehog to understand who or even what he is, and he ends up killing the entire alien race by the end of his solo adventure. AsSonic Generationscelebrates numerousSonicgamesthrough time travel, it appears that Shadow once again has to face his past, testing his resolve since he found out about his alien heritage. Not only is this a perfect series entry point for people who see the upcoming thirdSonicmovie in theaters, but it also serves as an excuse to solidify Shadow’s character for the now-updatedSoniclore standards established bySonic Frontiers.
Sonic Superstars
WHERE TO PLAY
Adventure through the mystical Northstar Islands in this all-new take on classic 2D Sonic high-speed action platforming. Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy and harness all-new Emerald powers to move and attack in dynamic new ways. Navigate gorgeous, never-before-seen environments solo or with up to 3 other players and stop Dr. Eggman, Fang, and a mysterious new adversary from converting the islands’ giant animals into Badniks before it’s too late!
