Summary
WithSonic X Shadow Generationsreleasing sometime in fall, the fan-favorite anniversary title is being remastered with an extra campaign. Just as the title implies,Sonic X Shadow Generationsbridges the gap between the original story of the game and an entirely new solo adventure starring the blue hedgehog’s rival, Shadow. While only one trailer has been revealed so far, it appears that while Classic and Modern Sonic were running around to fix time, Shadow was battling his own old nemesis Black Doom.
It’s understandable as to why players are excited for the upcoming rerelease ofSonic Generations, even if the base game’s remaster isn’t changing much. Though Shadow the Hedgehog has had more of a chance to shine compared to Tails, Knuckles,and Amy in recent years, the new story for his solo campaign inGenerationsseems to take notes from both the base game and one other recent release. While Shadow seems to be going through his past, he’s also allowing theSonicseries to experiment further, just asBowser’s Furydid for theSuper Mariogames.
What Bowser’s Fury Puts on the Table for Future Super Mario Adventures
Attached to a rerelease ofSuper Mario 3D Worldfor the Switch,Bowser’s Furyis almost seen as an extra “tech demo” by fans, potentially designed to test the watersfor a more open-world classicMarioexperience. Players are made to traverse a rather large environment to collect Cat Shines to free Bowser and Lake Lapcat from dangerous black sludge. While its premise is simple, the platforming challenges, expansive exploration, and new elements such as the Giga Mario and Fury Bowser battles led fans to look forward to Mario’s next 3D adventure.
Shadow’s Campaign in Sonic X Shadow Generations Might Expand Upon What Sonic Frontiers Started
Sonic X Shadow Generationsseems to understand thatSuper Mario 3D World Plus Bowser’s Furybrought two unique experiences to the table at once and is aiming to accomplish something similar. WhileSonic Generationscan easily be played on PC, other morerecent platforms such as the Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 lack the popularSonictitle. Not only does this rerelease bridge that gap, but it also offers a brand-new playable Shadow experience for his fans that Sega insists is long enough to be considered its own game.
Generationsitself takes five and a half hours to clear in terms of its own campaign, meaning that Shadow’s side of the game only has to be a similar length to back up Sega’s words thatSonic x Shadow Generationsis two experiencesin one. Plus, if one looks closely at the trailer forSonic x Shadow Generations, it seems that this experience starring the black hedgehog has more to it than just extra levels.
It’s hard to say exactly how different Shadow’s new campaign is going to be currently, but what’s shown seems to imply a few key changes. While there’s plenty of room for Shadow to use the boost mechanic, the use of Chaos Spear and Chaos Control during combat imply more dedicated controls that takes cues from themore recentSonic Frontiers. Other important shot, such as the way Shadow kicks a missile and fights the Biolizard, certainly make a case that “Shadow Generations” is taking advantage of whatFrontiersadded to the series over a decade later.
This bodes well for fans, as even the smallest changes to Shadow’s controls could be seen as Sonic Team teasing a future playable Shadow control scheme for the series' new open-world formula, just like the playstyles for Tails, Knuckles, and Amy were shown off in the Final Horizon expansion late last year. On top of that, Shadow’s new campaign seems to be serving as a recap of his character arc in every game up toGenerations, possibly fixing it to tie-in with thenew direction ofSonicloreSonic Frontiersestablishedas well.
All in all,Sonic x Shadow Generationsis bringing back a game in the same waySuper Mario 3D World Plus Bowser’s Furydid, but the way it shapes the concept to make the experience personal to Shadow the Hedgehog and his fans is without a doubt exciting, as it begs the question of where theSonicseries will go after the fact.
Sonic Superstars
WHERE TO PLAY
Inspired by the franchise’s 2D heyday, Sega’s Sonic Superstars is a co-op platformer that features Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy as playable characters.
