Sonic x Shadow Generations review: one of the best games in series history, and Sonic Generations

Sonic x Shadow Generations bundles the original Sonic Generations and a new Shadow Generations campaign in one thrilling package. Whether you’re a fan of Sonic’s rival-turned-ally or not, his side of the game is filled with some of the best, most well-designed levels in the series’ 3D history. It’s a chunky piece of content, too, with plenty of optional challenges and unlockables to collect. In fact, Shadow Generations is so good that it makes Sonic’s half of the game look somewhat amateurish in comparison.

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Sonic x Shadow Generations is somewhat analogous to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, packaging a remaster of a beloved series game with a brand new, decently sized campaign. And it’s that campaign, Shadow Generations, that alone makes this compilation of lightning-fast platformers worth checking out.

Shadow Generations is simply phenomenal, showcasing some of the best 3D level design the series has seen since Sonic Adventure 2 way back on the Dreamcast and GameCube. You’re getting 12 levels across 6 unique stages, all wrapped up in a compact hub zone packed with collectibles and optional challenges. And of course, having even more excellent remixes of fan-favorite Sonic tracks is always going to be a welcome addition.

Shadow Generations is such a high-quality experience from start to finish - so much so that it honestly makes Sonic Generations feel relatively weak in comparison. This is no fault of the 2011 game, of course (the port here is genuinely fantastic) but I had decidedly less fun revisiting what I once considered to be one of the best Sonic games in comparison to its new sibling.

That might be down to the fact that its remaster here has seen very few changes beyond the re-recorded voiced dialogue and an overall bump in resolution and image quality. Sonic Generations is still very much worth playing, but remains dragged down by the relatively poor Classic Sonic stages and largely boring side challenges required to unlock the boss fights.

That said, you’re still getting tons of great Sonic (and Shadow) content here, especially as it's not a full-priced game. Not only does that make Sonic x Shadow Generations much easier to recommend, but I can confidently say that your time and money are worth it for the Shadow portion of the game alone.

A Shadow of myself, just who am I?

Let’s kick off with Shadow Generations, as I reckon that’s where most of you are going to start especially if you’ve already played Sonic Generations. Shadow’s campaign does take place alongside Sonic’s - instead of celebrating the blue hedgehog’s birthday, Shadow is investigating a disturbance on the Space Colony Ark from Sonic Adventure 2.

Back on Sonic’s side, the Time Eater thrusts him and his friends into a purgatorial dimensional rift as it does in the original Sonic Generations. For Shadow, the fluctuation causes him to come face to face with Black Doom, his arch-nemesis and main antagonist of 2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog. From here, Shadow attempts to escape Space Colony Ark, only to find himself in an empty hub world all of his own.

The story is fairly straightforward here and handles Shadow’s tragic past in a pretty safe and inoffensive manner. That’s not to say it’s ineffective - his reunion and closure with Maria and Gerald Robotnik is genuinely touching and the final scene is masterfully done (even getting me to well up a little bit) - but you shouldn’t go in expecting anything especially bleak. Personally, I think that’s for the best; Sonic Frontiers showed that the series can be capable of sincere, reflective storytelling, and you’ll find more of that in Shadow Generations.

All hail Shadow

If you were disappointed by the short length of stages in Sonic Forces and Sonic Frontiers' Cyberspace segments, then you’ll be happy to know Shadow Generations’ levels are much lengthier and robust. On average, a single level will take you between five to six minutes your first few times through, and each has a plethora of alternate routes to explore and a handful of collectibles to find.

The six stages in Shadow Generations are split into two acts. Act 1 is typically the more impressive one, given they are fully 3D from start to finish. Most of the Act 2 levels are broadly side-scrolling, but feel much more dynamic thanks to - once again - intricate level design and some super clever 2.5D camera work. These levels may play out in two dimensions, but they sure don’t feel like it.

Upon charging up a gauge by defeating enemies, Shadow can call upon the power of Chaos Control. This freezes time, enemies, and obstacles for around five seconds, and it can be used cleverly to reach new routes in a stage if activated at just the right time. Much of the fun in Shadow Generations comes from playing levels multiple times and learning the best moments at which to execute Chaos Control in order to discover shortcuts you had no idea were there. Level design in this regard is, overall, extremely thoughtful, and finding new paths and shortcuts is a satisfying reward.

Then there’s the open zone, known as White Space. This is a large map that Shadow can explore at any time when not in a stage, itself filled to the brim with collectibles and platforming challenges. By collecting music, artwork, and story emblems in each stage, you can spend them to unlock a treasure chest in White Space, which will in turn make a relevant piece of content available to view in the Collection Room. There are 96 of these chests to find in the overworld, giving you plenty of optional content to discover.

White Space is great fun to just run around and vibe in. While I do wish there was an option to listen to the music you unlock while exploring it, it’s nonetheless a place you’ll spend a lot of time in if you’re shooting for 100% completion. On that note, playing through all the stages for the first time will likely take you around four or five hours. But going for full completion could easily take you upwards of 10-12; there’s just that much to find and do.

Touching on Sonic Generations

If you’ve never played Sonic Generations before, then you’re getting exceptional value for money in Sonic x Shadow Generations. The entire 2011 game is present and accounted for here. If you’re unfamiliar, that’s nine stages, broken into two separate acts - one for Classic Sonic and another for Modern Sonic. The former is a side-scrolling affair, while the latter is more akin to the 3D ‘boost era’ titles of the time like Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors.

Sonic Generations now has upscaled resolution and a more stable 60fps framerate by way of the new performance mode (a 30fps quality mode is enabled by default, though I strongly recommend making the switch to performance for better responsiveness). Voiced dialogue has also been re-recorded with the current cast of Sonic voice actors, and it’s much better than what we originally had with an overall stronger direction. There is also a new collectible in each stage in the form of Chao - adorable little creatures who’ll appear in the overworld once rescued. They’ll also unlock some bonuses in the collection room, too.

Besides that (as well as the addition of the drop dash for both Classic and Modern Sonic), very little has changed in Sonic Generations. While still an excellent game in its own right, the lack of changes only exposes its flaws even more, especially when stacked up against Shadow Generations. 

Sonic Generations - then and now - simply misses the mark on numerous fronts. The Classic Sonic stages just don’t feel very good to play, with awkward physics and momentum that are a far cry from the smoothness of the original Mega Drive trilogy. Level design is also very hit-or-miss for both Classic and Modern, the latter of which also has an abundance of side-scrolling segments that do not mesh well with Sonic’s ability to boost at high speeds. As for Classic, the field of view is a little too narrow for comfort, making running into unexpected hazards a common occurrence. 

Accessibility

There aren't a ton of available accessibility settings in Sonic x Shadow Generations, aside from a fairly robust amount of options for the camera. Here, you can adjust sensitivity and distance from the player character. 

There is also an option to adjust the deceleration speed in Shadow Generations, allowing you to set the momentum to your liking. Subtitles are present, too, as well as options for voiced dialogue in a variety of languages including English, French, German, Italian, and Japanese. I think an option to better highlight enemies, obstacles and potential pathways would be really beneficial here, especially given the high-speed nature of the game.

Should I play Sonic x Shadow Generations?

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How I reviewed Sonic x Shadow Generations

I played Sonic x Shadow Generations for around 12 hours on PS5. That was enough time to finish both included games and get near to 100% completion in Shadow Generations. I also spent some time collecting Chao and filling out the collection room in Sonic Generations. I played the game with a DualSense Edge controller on my LG CX OLED TV, often making use of the JBL Quantum 910P gaming headset to listen to the game’s exceptional collection of remixed Sonic tracks.

First reviewed October 2024.