Holy moly folks, Sega actually did it. After the disappointment of Sonic Forces, the glitchy mess of Sonic Colors Ultimate, and the divisive nature of Sonic Frontiers, the publisher has delivered what is undoubtedly the very best 3D Sonic game yet with Sonic X Shadow Generations. It gracefully revisits a beloved modern classic while introducing an extra campaign that we almost dismissed as a quaint bonus, but actually wound up being the star of the show.
Since some Nintendo fans may not have experienced the console version of 2011’s Sonic Generations (with its release limited to the 3DS), the general gist is that ‘Classic’ and ‘Modern’ versions of the Blue Blur team up to take on an entity known as ‘The Time Eater’ after it merges their timelines and traps them within the mysterious ‘White Space’. The two must revisit iconic stages from the franchise’s history, with Classic Sonic zipping along a 2D plane and Modern Sonic boosting his way across 3D environments.
The stages pay homage to the Sonic series at large and includes reliable classics from the original 2D era such as Green Hill and Sky Sanctuary, while also paying special attention to the 3D games with City Escape, Seaside Hill, and Planet Wisp. Revisiting these areas with a fresh coat of paint is a true joy, and Generations does a great job at adapting each stage for both 2D and 3D play; it’s true that Green Hill has been overused at this point, but there’s something quite magical about speeding through such a familiar environment in a new way.
Progression is a case of completing two acts from each stage before tackling several challenge levels to unlock boss keys. These challenges offer up a variety of tasks such as racing against your doppelganger, completing a stage with just one ring, and more. A few of the challenges can be a tad frustrating, but they’re largely fun, bitesize takes on the main stages that do well to flesh out what would have otherwise been a pretty short game.
As for what’s changed from the original Sonic Generations, it’s admittedly not a lot. There are a bunch of Chao hidden throughout the stages that you can collect, but if you were perhaps hoping that this might lead to an unlockable Chao Garden mode, then unfortunately our seemingly unending wait continues. Aside from that, yes, there are a few changes to the game’s dialogue and cutscenes, but it’s really nothing that should colour your overall opinion of the experience if you happen to be a Generations veteran. Main stages for Classic Sonic also make use of the Drop Dash ability, but this is removed for challenges.
We suspect, however, that the main draw for many players will be the addition of Shadow Generations, a brand new five hour campaign that runs directly alongside Sonic's. We’ll just come right out and say it: this is 3D Sonic gameplay at its absolute best. It’s clear that Sonic Team has learned a few lessons from Frontiers, delivering a tight experience with some of the best 3D stages we’ve ever seen, alongside a hub world that’s a genuine pleasure to explore.
Shadow Generations shares a lot in common with its older sibling: you’ll partake in a handful of stages based on past Sonic titles such as Radical Highway, Space Colony ARK, and Sunset Heights, with progression tied to completing full levels, challenges, and boss battles with enemies such as the Biolizard and Metal Overlord. Each stage has two acts and, much like Sonic’s campaign, these are designed to highlight both 2D and 3D gameplay.
The main difference is in how Shadow controls. Basic functions like movement and jumping are largely the same, but Shadow also has access to a growing library of ‘Doom Powers’ alongside his trusty ‘Chaos Control’ ability. The latter essentially lets you slow down time while maintaining your own speed, allowing Shadow to jump on speeding missiles, dash across crumbling stages, and more. What’s neat is that, during challenges, Chaos Control will also cause timers to freeze, giving you a much-needed boost if you’re looking to score an S-rank.
The Doom Powers, meanwhile, are attained gradually as you move through the game, with each new level including at least one instance in which their use is mandatory to succeed. Before too long, you’ll be riding waves with Doom Surf, soaring through the sky with Doom Wing, and even transforming into a bizarre squid-like creature with the Doom Morph ability, letting you traverse across completely new terrain.
Honestly, it would have been all too easy for Sonic Team to completely mess up Doom Powers, adding a handful of new abilities to a franchise that has historically worked best when its core mechanics are kept to a minimum, but we loved using Doom Powers and hope that it’s expanded upon in the future.
Despite the welcome changes to the gameplay, however, the stages themselves are the true highlight of Shadow Generations. Each is like its own trippy rollercoaster ride, with environments often morphing around you in real-time as you make your way to the end goal. In a big change to Sonic Generations, the camera has also been moved back slightly, giving you a better view of the world around you. It sounds like a pretty inconsequential tweak in theory, but the altered view allows you to see upcoming threats from a greater distance, giving you more time to react accordingly and maintain crucial momentum.
The levels are also pretty huge and will often clock in at around five or six minutes on your first go around. Those challenges, meanwhile, can be completed in about one or two minutes, tops. Now, keep in mind that the Cyberspace levels from Sonic Frontiers could easily be beaten in less than a minute in most cases; the stages in Shadow Generations (and indeed Sonic Generations) are much longer and, in our opinion, much more interesting.
Similar to the main game, Shadow Generations also includes a ‘White Space’ environment from which you access each stage. Unlike the 2D presentation in Sonic Generations, however, this one is a Frontiers-inspired 3D space that you can explore to your heart’s content. It’s a lot smaller in scope than anything you’re likely to see in Frontiers, but it’s also a lot more dense with things to do as a result, making exploration infinitely more enjoyable. Secret pathways will lead to new areas, while locked boxes are littered throughout the world, giving you access to music and artwork from Shadow’s history with the franchise. Some have already likened it to the overworld seen in Bowser’s Fury, and we wholeheartedly agree with this comparison.
Any worries over the performance of the game on Switch can also be cast aside. Yes, both Sonic and Shadow Generations run at 30fps rather than the 60fps seen on other platforms, but it remains rock solid throughout with barely any fluctuations. Visuals are also a treat, with the egregious pop-in that plagued Frontiers completely eliminated here, making both the White Space hub world and the main stages a joy to behold. And of course, as always, the music featured throughout both games is absolutely stellar, remixing the original versions perfectly without losing their catchy essence.
Conclusion
In what can only be described as a monumental return to form for both hedgehogs, Sonic X Shadow Generations combines two excellent campaigns to create what is likely the very best 3D Sonic game so far. The remastered Generations content remains a delight, taking you through some of the series' most iconic stages, but Shadow's new chapter represents the franchise's 3D gameplay at its very best. It introduces a bunch of awesome new abilities while showcasing some of the most creative stages we've ever seen, and we're keen to keep replaying to nail those crucial S-ranks. Alas, there's still no Chao Garden, but we'll keep hoping and praying for its inclusion in the future. The future of 3D Sonic looks bright.
Comments 61
Glad to see a Sonic game running well on Switch (been a while since Sonic Mania lol). Hopefully we get either the Adventure games or Sonic Heroes remasters next!
I’m really glad to see the Switch version got a great review! I’ve been revisiting Sonic games lately and was determined to get this either way (having put it on a list for my birthday) but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was concerned about the Switch version in particular when Sega didn’t give advance review copies.
Seems I'm not enjoying Shadow Generations as much as most - while good, I think the stages pale in comparison to Sonic's stages and I think Shadow's moveset is maybe a bit too complex. Happy to see people are enjoying it though.
Having said that, having Sonic Generations on the go is amazing - and I'm really impressed with how it runs on the Switch.
My thoughts when playing the first Shadow level was that it's the most polished 3D Sonic level I've ever played and a real visual spectacle (and I'm talking about the Switch version) The game is also a dream for people like me who consider themselves fans of Shadow and his games.
As a huge fan of Sonic Adventure 2 I don't think this will be the best Sonic game for me personally, having said that it's great to see it get such a high score and I will certainly buy it after reading this.
Other Sonic games I like a lot are Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Lost World.
I agree it's really good, but worth noting there is a resolution drop in the Shadow game. I find it quite blurry in comparison to the Sonic Generations port and even on the smaller screen, there is a noticable loss of detail. I went with Switch version myself for portable play and the game is still really good overall, but I'm more drawn to replaying Sonic Generations at the moment than the new levels, just as it looks much nicer.
I forgot this was happening but apparently it's worth the investment...!
Sounds like a good game to save for when my mom asks me what I want for Christmas. I'll send her an Amazon link to this game.
I'm so pumped about how awesome this game is. Shadow generations is like the new best Sonic game. It's just so great I can unironically give a Sonic game my GOTY. We trult are in the best timeline right now as Sonic fans.
So, "Still no Chao Garden" should not be a con because it was never advertised for the game.
Con:
Edit: I will add; I always see reviewers giving "Cons" to features or modes not in a game. Some people, like myself, want to know about the product and what it does. Not a list of things that were never advertised for it the first place.
Just an opinion to an opinion.
They really should had just added the levels from the 3DS version to this too and it would had been the definitive version of Sonic X Shadow Generations. Kinda a miss opportunity on Sega's part but this is still good.
@REAVERZINE It can, I wrote it, I do what I want.
Considering the original was made with the Wii in mind and it's running on the same engine, it's good to know it runs fine on Switch. I don't know how Sega messed up the Colors remake as badly as they did.
And yes, Sega really needs to do Chaos Garden for the modern era, even if it's just a mobile game
Freaking yes! Thanks for the assurance k I'll be getting this on switch then!
@Olliemar28 I'll allow it, but not agree with it.
Awesome game, my only con is that it gets too blurry when Shadow is at full speed. It's understandable, but I would have loved that it wasn't so much.
Thanks for the review, so looking forward to finally playing Generations myself (have only watched others playing it) thanks to this rerelease and the Shadow campaign as well - again, not a fan of the unnecessary changes and I'll keep on calling out such things in hope for a change in the future, but there's no way I'm skipping this and other quality games just because of those!
This is a nice review that covers everything. Although I disagree with the ridiculous censorship in Sonic Generations as an owner of the original Series X version in 4K60FPS, I'm happy to see that Shadow Generations turned out fantastic. You are not the only one saying so. That said, I prefer to play it on Xbox for obvious reasons.
Sonic Frontiers got a lot of things right, but it's true that it lacks that Sonic flavour in the huge hub world and enemies. Combining the improvements made in Sonic Frontiers, namely the camera and gameplay, and the new material made for Shadow Generations, the future of Sonic is bright, indeed!
@REAVERZINE
It’s alright for people to see the Chao plastered everywhere in the marketing even put them the intro George Lucas style and expect there to be something for finding them other than absolutely nothing, it’s probably one of the most nothing things I’ve ever seen added to a port. Even some new art or music unlocks for collecting them would savaged this.
@LXP8
I’d give up 50% of the polish if that level was actually like Final Rush and focused on player expression and crazy speed running potential, so far speed runs of it are pretty dull and look nearly completely optimized already all thanks to that polish and all the gorgeous unskippable cutscenes, unless some new tech is discovered the best it will have is spamming chaos spear in the air to make slightly longer jumps.
@SalvorHardin That's fair. When it comes to collecting in a game Spider-Man 2 (XB/PS2/GC) always made me mad because when you complete a list item you get nothing from it. Not even a costume. A new Chao Garden is something we all want for sure. It's just not part of this game unfortunately.
What is this "Still no Chao Garden" Chao thing the veterans keep on bringing up?
@REAVERZINE You are entitled to your opinion in a comments section and, actually, it makes sense, although I've seen worse: "Naysayers won't change their mind", like suggesting that those that don't like a certain game are the opposite of intelligent, and many more conclusions that don't make any sense, which is why I don't take reviews very seriously these days.
@Serpenterror The 3DS version kinda sucked though
Awesome review! Glad to see the Switch version's not a compromised version like Frontiers was. Will definitely be picking this one up👍
@N8tiveT3ch You can play with various Chao in Sonic Adventure 1 + 2, on both Dreamcast and GameCube. Depending on the version. I like the GameCube Chao Graden.
@N8tiveT3ch They were a vastly overrated virtual pet simulator in the Sonic Adventure games that everyone loses their minds about for reasons I can't begin to comprehend. Honestly, I don't know why Sonic Team hasn't brought it back. A Chao Garden mobile game would be a sales juggernaut considering how much everyone has been clamoring to raise the little turds again for the past 2 decades.
@PokemonDMG @PC2 Now I know I'm not missing out on anything. Thanks y'all
@Banjo- I'm the same and it's kind of a shame. I can't tell if this 'con' is a playful one not to be taken too seriously, but if not it's just kinda...stupid? There are other good reviews that I disagree with and make valid points in their assessment (pros+cons list). But stuff like this? Yeah hard to take seriously and hints at entitlement
Welp, looks like the Switch version is what I'll get. I have the OG for Xbox, but portability wins out on this version.
@DjinnFighter Wow a Sonic game made by Dimps (maker of Sonic Pocket Adventure, Sonic Advance series, Sonic Rush series, Sonic Colors series, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 series) that finally sucks? Usually it's Sonic Team who made crappy Sonic games. I must had live at a different parallel universe then.
Damn it, the Switch is still killing my wallet! I can't believe this console has so many great games coming out yet...
Well, one day I'll get it. To the wishlist it goes.
Better than Sonic Frontiers? I thought that was the best 3D Sonic
I have my fingers crossed that Sega will see fit to roll out a version of this game for the Switch successor early in its life. Considering how people have already managed to mod Sonic Generations to run at 60fps on Switch (apparently by limiting the resolution to 720p and not 1080p? No overclocking needed) and how the Steam Deck can run even Shadow Generations at 1080p/60fps, it seems like a new port for the successor would be able to run consistently great.
@PC2 Trying to get those A ranks with Chao races in Sonic Adventure 2 on Dreamcast was such a pain. I just wanted to play the unlockable Green Hill and got lucky when I bought a 2nd hand memory card that had a save file with Green Hill unlocked. I don't think I'd ever have passed those Chao races otherwise.
I have ordered it physically for both PS4 and Switch...
Looking forward to playing it tomorrow, hopefully.. It seems Sega has finally found the right formula to make Sonic great again.. 👍
"Still no Chao Garden"
you accidentally put this in the cons column 🫣
PS - I am a repressed sonic fan who buys every game that gets glowing reviews, so this will be the second sonic game I've bought in probably 20 years 😆 thanks for the review! ✌️
This be my first Sonic since Mania. I'm actually really looking forward to it now.
This is one of those reviews that I'm like "respect, but now I know not to take this dude's opinion seriously." Or at least I believe our tastes won't align.
Man my backlog is so bad I still haven’t played Forces, Colors or Frontiers jeez! This sounds like Sega got it right though
For the people taking one of the cons a bit too seriously: the game got a 9/10, and the other con listed is a reasonable 1/10 deduction. So it's easy to see the lack of a Chao Garden didn't actually affect the score.
The chaos garden on the cons was obviously a joke.
I did love the Sonic Adventure 2 Chaos Garden as a kid though lol it was what kept the game replayable for a long time.
Didn't like any sonic games ever since though, but this one looks okay
Have they improved the controls? No input lag? The original was awful, but that might just be the PS3 version.
I was actually kind of disappointed with the level selection from Shadow Generations. One game in particular had no stage and one of the included stages was from a game that should not have been included.
People wanting the chao garden don't know what they want.
A huge part of the chao garden's fun is that it gave new meaning to replaying the action stages, hunting for secret spots, enemies and collecting rings.
How the heck are you going to do this in a game that has you constantly going forward, blasting through insignificant enemies, without any desire to stop??
All you'd be left with is a bland sim game, that has no synergy with the main game (nor the GBA games.)
@Olliemar28 @REAVERZINE I give it a 7/10 because there's still no Yoshi.
Playing on PC. Having a blast so far. Kingdom Valley Act 1 is incredible.
I'm still probably only gonna get it on a sale one day if I remember to, but it's good to know Sonic still has got what it takes.
So it's a tour de force of classic 2D and 3D Sonic games, and Shadow, with originality thrown in for good measure. I missed Sonic Generations the first time, but it seems like it was worth the wait, so I'll be sure to play it.
Cheers for the review. A good write up. I've actually already been playing it and can confirm it sits alongside Sonic Mania Plus as the return to the golden age standard Sonic IMO. Really quite enjoyable.
@PikminMarioKirby Yes! Loved Heroes as a kid.
This might be the first Sonic game I'll get for Switch after Mania...
@Serpenterror I know it's made by Dimps and what they made. Did you just insinuate that Sonic 4 was good?
No Chao garden? No deal.
@Ristar24 Exactly! I wouldn't mind the chao gardens so much if it wasn't required to raise a chao to unlock Green Hill Zone, which was totally bogus for those like me who thought it was dull and uninteresting.
@PC2 If I recall, they eventually gave in and let you download a Chao from their Dreamcast severs to help unlock Green Hill
@Banjo-
yeah while i feel like the "still no chao garden" con was more a playful thing and not like they are lowering the score but the whole "suggesting that those that don't like a certain game are the opposite of intelligent, " reminds me of issues like when people claim that others only dislike something because they are "haters" or dismissing criticism as "whining" in general it feels like there's a big issue with removing the agency of others takes.
i guess its partially similar to how the sheer number of takes on the internet often lead to either one persons take being applied to a whole group or a multitude of different conflicting opinions being applied to the same group, an example being the whole "sonic fans dont know what they want" statement when in reality its more that a large fanbase combined with a series which has undergone a lot of changes over the years leads to it being much harder to build a general "consensus" its a similar case with the final fantasy series.
though thats enough semi off-topic rambling from me, so to bring things back towards this game, overall i loved it, i already really enjoyed sonic generations and found the shadow campaign even better.
plus the switch version turned out well (was concerned initially due to how we didnt get to see footage of said version prerelease with even the pre-release footage on nintendos channel having a disclaimer)
@Mgalens It's always nice having a notification from you. You are completely right. It's like some people have reached the conclusion that if people don't agree with them or like the same things, they are wrong. It could be because they have no real communication in their lives. It's also lack of empathy and respect.
Back to Sonic, I really enjoyed it on Series X and it was a pleasure for my senses as it got upgraded to 4K60FPS. It took me a while unlocking 100% of the game, so I'm not sure if I'd do the same, because it's more fun just rushing through the stages. In any case, I will get this new version just for Shadow's campaign.
I know that many people criticised Sonic Superstars (did you like it?), but I also enjoyed that one, except for the unnecessarily long boss battles. I hope we get a sequel, now that they finally got the physics right using Retro Engine and they know that boss battles should be short. I'm also looking forward to Sonic's next 3D game, considering how smooth the camera and controls in Sonic Frontiers are and that the level design for this new campaign was a success. It's like both 2D and 3D are finally fine.
@Banjo-
i remember having a similar experience with sonic superstars in which i overall had fun though the boss battles did tend to drag, im not too bothered with long final bosses in sonic games but for the regular bosses for me i think sonic 3k did it well in that you could make them a lot faster through having the right shield or through good use of the insta-shield (thats an ability i never used much of as a kid but going back to the game nowadays its an invaluable tool in lots of places)
in regards to sonic x shadow i feel like one of the only odd omissions is a stage from shadows own game (like sky troops, Circus park or digital circuit) but overall i liked the choices they used, and while a frontiers stage was an odd choice i ended up really enjoying that stage, it has a great atmosphere imo.
@Mgalens I was also a kid when I played Sonic 3 & Knuckles for the first time, and it's my favourite Sonic game. Like you said, boss battles are a bit more complex than previously and the shields and different characters introduce a lot of variety in the game.
Something calls to me something calls to me something calls to me something calls to me something calls to me something calls to me something calls to me something calls to me.
10/10 best Shadow experience ever.
This reads like a 10/10 review. I don't understand how "challenged levels can be frustrating " is a critique.
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