Sonic X Shadow Generations comes at a similar time. While Sonic Frontiers is certainly no Sonic '06, and Superstars is leaps and bounds better than Sonic the Hedgehog 4, it feels like Sonic is 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 a PS3 and Xbox 360 fan favorite. And it might seem easy to say that Sonic Generations is still good, but the new content featuring Shadow makes this package really pop.
But the draw of Sonic X Shadow Generations is the Ultimate Lifeform himself. Shadow plays fairly differently to Sonic – his homing attack is more like a teleport, and is activated with a different button. Shadow's dash isn't powered up by collecting rings. And he also has some unique attacks and available to him, depending on the level.
Both stages we played were based on scenarios from Sonic Adventure 2. The first level is titled Space Colony Ark, a location all too familiar to those of us who've played the Dreamcast or GameCube game. It's an amalgamation of the many space-based levels from SA2 such as Crazy Gadget and Final Chase. Bombastic grind rails hanging above space and gravity-shifting walls where you can run along ceilings, all while hanging upside down above planet Earth, capture the over-the-top essence of SA2.
Overall, Space Colony Ark is fantastic, full of the same GUN robots and weird space aliens from SA2. It sells Shadow's scenario – at least what we've seen – as a love letter to Sonic Adventure 2. But it's also full of more than just the Dreamcast game's lore. Doom's Eye is a prominent presence, and Shadow has to chase him through the level. Not before punching a huge missile, though. It's clear that Sonic X Shadow Generations is fully embracing the shadow-y hedgehog in all of its edgy glory.
The boss has been adapted perfectly to fit the Generations template with plenty of callback to Bioizard's attack patterns in the Dreamcast battle. It'll start by shuffling its head or tail towards Shadow, snapping its toothless jaw at you, or flapping its huge fin-like tail. Then, once it's tired, you can grind up to the core and attack it to deal damage. In the second phase, Biolizard changes it up by generating pink bubbly wings that you need to avoid taking damage from before they disperse and you can homing attack up to the core again.
But Chaos Spear, a brand new attack for Shadow, becomes available during the fight, which allows Shadow to throw an unlimited amount of spears for a set amount of time. All of these elements really help Shadow's levels and scenario feel like a worthwhile investment, and we're excited to see what other levels we'll be able to explore.
In the build we played, however, we can't deny that some of Shadow's movements and level design felt a little…clunky. At first, it was almost charming, reminding us of the janky days of the Dreamcast, but particularly in the Biolizard fight, some of the more homing attack-based sections felt particularly frustrating. We also struggled to get the Biolizard to even attack us at the start of the fight, having to walk right up to him to trigger the confrontation. It gave us virtually no time to escape from damage.
The main takeaway is this, though: Sonic X Shadow Generations is all about the black and red hedgehog. It's giving the fan-favorite character some well-deserved time in the spotlight ahead of his movie debut later this year, and also serves as a reminder of his janky past. And luckily, Shadow's levels are separate, so even if you don't want to check out the Space Colony Ark and beyond, then Sonic's own fantastic base game is still here. Let's hope more 3DS levels are included.
Sonic X Shadow Generations launches on Switch on 25th October 2024. Are you ready to use Chaos Control with the Ultimate Lifeform? Let us know down below.
