Sonic X Shadow Generations Review – A Whole New World

Sonic X Shadow Generations Review

Sonic games can be incredibly cheesy. To be clear, this is absolutely a compliment. There’s just something about these characters that’s perfectly suited for corny lines and ridiculous plots. Shadow represents the apex of this phenomenon. As silly as Sonic can get, he’s got nothing on Shadow. Hence, the new content in Sonic X Shadow Generations is the cream of the corny crop. Plus, the actual gameplay is pretty dang good!

Like the original release, Shadow Generations is a hodgepodge of excellent stages from previous games. The whole thing is built inside a slowly expanding overworld that you eventually conquer. Getting around the white space is a challenge all it’s own, albeit a minor one. The regular stages are pretty straightforward as well. It’s the challenge stages and bosses that actually tripped me up. Although not as much as I’d expected. Actually, Sonic Generations might be harder.

Almost Too Powerful

Maybe it’s all your cool abilities, maybe I’ve just gotten better since 2010. But Shadow Generations isn’t quite as tough as the original game? I ran into plenty of tough spots throughout the game. But then I bowled right over them with a little patience. If you’re shooting for S rank, well that’s a different story. You’ll definitely have your work cut out for you then.

Shadow is set apart from Sonic by all his new skills. Chaos Control (what a name!) let’s you stop time for a bit, while the Doom Spears give you some ranged power. Other skills let you transform or even fly, which rules. Your powers feel cool as hell, though the stages are still on some tight rails. You don’t exactly feel more powerful, you’re just given more ways to zip through each level. Which is still cool! It just feels a bit restricted by the stage design.

More Like Edgehog (Complimentary)

I won’t get into the story’s finer details, but I’m fascinated by this game’s corny appeal. Shadow is both edgy and painfully sincere, but it somehow worked on me. I found myself moved by this ridiculous narrative even as my eyes rolled back in my head. All of Sonic has this mysterious power. On the other hand, the actual plot is a little thin. While the vibes are downright immaculate, it’s still a Generations title. We’re here for the greatest hits tour more than the finer points of the story. Which is fine! Thin plot aside, this is a great 3D sonic game.

You see, Sonic games (for me at least) occupy their own weird critical space. It’s pretty hard for me to judge a Sonic game unless it’s in comparison to other titles in the franchise. Doesn’t seem fair otherwise. By that restricted metric, Shadow Generations is a great game. The mechanics and the level design are rock solid, even if most of them are pretty familiar. Although if you’ve played the original release, the whole Sonic section is mostly unchanged.

Still That Same Sonic

This is about what I was expecting, to be honest. Though the visuals are cleaned up and a couple mechanical tweaks have been made, it’s mostly the same game. If you missed it back in 2010, this is a perfect time to catch up. Sonic Generations is a terrific time capsule crammed with cool stages. Again, the story is pretty basic, but that’s okay! We’re here for the action, and there’s a ton of it.

But how are the controls? I grapple with this in more or less every 3D Sonic game. Just how slippery and speedy should they be, you know? In this case, I think the devs have landed on a relatively clean balance. Yes you can still rocket past a bumper into the abyss, but this isn’t that common anymore. I was able to time my inputs pretty well, and most of the dense sequences went off without a hitch. I’m not skilled enough to nail those S-rank routes, but I never felt like that was the game’s fault. On the other hand, the Sonic section still controls (more or less) like a 2010 Sonic game. It’s not bad! But the Shadow section feels way better.

Fast But Not Frustrating 

Shadow Generations feels like a sequel. This is a pretty neat trick for an add-on bundled with a remaster. The controls are better, the graphics are crisp, and the level design is great. While the Sonic section looks awesome, it still feels like the original release. Which is normally fine for a remaster. But it pales a bit compared to the new content. On the other hand, both halves have that incredible corny energy that I love. Sonic (and Shadow) are synonymous with edgy nonsense for me, and this game truly delivers on that front. Whether you played the original or not, Sonic X Shadow Generations is a delightful double dose of high-speed fun.

***A PS5 code was provided by the publisher***