Back in 2011, the Sonic series was celebrating its 20th anniversary with a fusion of both new and old Sonic games in Sonic Generations, where the two would come together and you could get the best (or worst) of both worlds.
It quickly became a fan favourite thanks to its nostalgia of Sonic’s origins and free-form style that combined traditional platform gameplay with added missions, time trials and boss fights that helped this feel like a breath of fresh air. 12 years later, the classic is back with a full remaster for modern platforms, with a whole additional game starring Shadow the Hedgehog.
Classic Story, New Spin
Sonic X Shadow Generations is similar to its original counterpart, in that it has all the same content with a few neat additions for fans. There are extra Chao to collect in this version and Sonic even gets access to the drop dash move enhancing gameplay as you spin, dash and run through each act to collect as much as you can and reach the finish line. Swapping between modern and classic Sonics switches up the general design of each level and allows for a different way to explore.
After you play through both classic and modern levels, you unlock one of Sonic’s friends trapped inside. Then you can take on various time trials, ring-collecting challenges and various other missions through locked doors to obtain a key. These keys then allow you to confront the boss for that level and unlock the next area. There is a lot of freedom given here to explore and only do what you want to get the key.
By contrast, Shadow’s portion of the experience is a completely different story. You control the anti-hero hedgehog, as you travel through a variety of re-imagined levels from Shadow’s past appearances in other games. In the first level, you are travelling through a portal-esque level that keeps transforming in and out of different realities.
It is only a six-hour story, but it is completely separate from the Sonic Generations segment and they don’t cross over. Shadow’s levels also have 2 different versions of each world to play before taking on similar time trials and challenges in the Sonic version before confronting a boss fight.
Fresh Moves
While the content is the same, there are a few new moves for each character. Sonic gets the aforementioned drop dash move helps to make combos and attacks more fluid. This sounds great in theory, but in practice, it only worked some of the time.
There were many moments when the game would just come to a complete stop causing Sonic to lose all his rings and interrupting the action. Shadow has a move called Chaos Control. It allows for the whole game to freeze and Shadow to destroy anything flying at him or jump around on platforms that usually speed by. This also allows you to access areas you would not have been able to reach previously.
The remasters on the Sonic levels are great and do make it look fitting with the current-gen consoles. Each level is colourful and detailed, with 2D and 3D showcasing a different side of the world. Shadow’s outing on the other hand is where all the neat and newer design is.
Shadow’s character model looks beautifully detailed and the levels that have been designed from Shadow’s previous appearances like in Sonic Adventure 2 look spectacular. The slight speed that Shadow travels through each level allows you to take in the detail put into each world.
Dipping In and Out
Performance-wise it can be a bit up and down, particularly in Sonic’s half of the game. The frame rate usually dips depending on how much is on the screen. It does attempt to deliver a solid 60FPS on current consoles and for the most part, this is the case. It is important to note if you are playing on PS4 or PS4 Pro you will still get that full 60FPS experience at reduced resolutions.
The PS5 however, can thankfully deliver this with a 4K experience in mind. The cut scenes have all been re-recorded in English and redone to look spectacular, so definitely don’t skip these.
As with all Sonic games, the soundtrack is another stand-out in Sonic X Shadow Generations. The familiar tracks from the Rail Canyon theme in Sonic Heroes to All Hail Shadow are absolute earworms. One of the biggest surprises was the Space Colony Ark’s return.
You can unlock music tracks the more you play and play these in each stage and challenge. As a music aficionado for Sonic games, trying to find the missions to collect music became a large part of my enjoyment of this game.
Final Thoughts
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a love letter to the original game. It keeps all of the original charm that made the game such a classic 12 years ago. It has been completely redone including the cut scenes and gameplay to showcase the best of both modern and classic Sonic on newer consoles.
The addition of the Shadow content is what truly enhances this game. Using all of his appearances in previous games (and being voiced by Keanu Reeves no less!) to fuse some unique worlds and boss fights that put Shadow back in the gaming spotlight.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fantastic gameplay; Remastered perfectly, Additional content enhances the game
Lowlights: Performance mode frame rate dips
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a release code provided by the publisher.
