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Review: Sonic X Shadow Generations

Sonic X Shadow Generations
Written by NPUK_Admin

3 Hedgehogs, 3 Generations, One Premium Packagegds

Back in 2011, Sonic Team released the critically acclaimed Sonic Generations, but Nintendo fans had to wait a little while longer to play it through a watered down, abridged version for the 3DS. The 3DS game was very good on its own merits, but was hardly lauded compared to the high speed thrills and unique platforming of the home console version. Fast forward to 2024, and Nintendo would finally get not just the game, but the upgraded remaster featuring Shadow, on the Nintendo Switch. Eight months later, with the beefy boost of the Switch 2, a new edition of this remaster finally puts Nintendo fans on par with their competitors. It’s nice to finally not be left in the dust, but if only it was without any hiccups.

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a game vaguely split into two games for the price of one. You get Sonic Generations Remastered, a graphically enhanced version of the game originally released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with refined graphics and content. Available from the start, you also get Shadow Generations, a ground up original adventure starring everyone’s favourite dark hedgehog antihero. It’s here where the package shines brightest, showcasing Sonic Team’s growth between the original Generations and now.

For those unaware, Sonic Generations was a fan service heavy action platformer celebrating what was at the time, 20 years of Sonic’s history. A strange monster crashes Sonic’s surprise birthday party, warping him and his friends into ‘White Space’, a void of a world where zones and baddies from the series’ history are distorted into being problems again. Thanks to time shenanigans, the round and toony classic Sonic gets to team up with his lanky, talkative modern design, with the two getting their own stages and bosses to tackle. It’s a simple setup that won’t have you jumping out of your seat with any twists or turns, but it’s in the gameplay that this game always made it mark. There are some newly recorded lines and edits in the script of this remaster, but nothing that dramatically alters the story. It’s more to add new references and nods to more classic titles, something Generations already did in spades.

Classic Sonic gets traditional, 2.5D platforming stages reminiscent of the classic games, with all their halfpipes, loops, and momentum-based glory. Modern Sonic gets high speed thrills in the boost based gameplay carried over from Sonic Colours – it’s a little more spectacle than platformy this time, but there’s a great challenge and enjoyment to be had in trying to blast through zones without dropping speed. Each zone is one from the past, recreated in high definition with remastered visuals here, making them look as clean as you remember. However, this reviewer can’t help but feel that the level design here isn’t as sparkly and exciting as it was back when this was the newest Sonic game saving the blue blur’s reputation.

This isn’t to say the stages are bad, far from it. This game is easy to learn, hard to master, whether you’re talking classic or modern, and that’s what makes it so appealing. However, there’s a few too many noticeable blemishes as compared to the recent Sonic Frontiers, something to be expected of older Sonic Team’s earlier experiments with Hedgehog Engine stages. Turns that aren’t quite fitted to your drift, enemies blindsiding you on speedy paths, a not-so-responsive and heavy feel to classic Sonic – it’s not enough to break the game or ruin the experience, but just noticeable enough to raise eyebrows. What’s important is you’re still gonna have a good time, and it’s nothing that cannot be mastered. Once you get to grips with it all, it’s a rollercoaster thrill ride that only ends when you want it to.

In terms of remastered content, some optional music and artwork has been shuffled around to include content that might have even come out after Generations itself. You’ve also got Chao hidden in each stage to find and collect. A lot of it is a novelty distraction at best. It’s nice to have, but there’s not too much incentive to go looking. The graphics here haven’t been given a crazy upgrade either – put the game side by side with the original and the difference will be clear as day, but it’s only big enough that the game looks as good as you remember it, that is if you played the home console originals.

Shadow Generations is where the game makes its biggest mark. Taking place at the exact same time as Sonic Generations, Shadow is investigating mysterious activity on the Space Colony Ark, where the mysterious monster that mashes up Sonic’s world ends up throwing Shadow into his own version of white space. More time shenanigans from here, Shadow must face the demons of his past as he tries to return the world to normal. From the fact that the game gives you an optional movie explaining Shadow’s story up to this point, things are a lot more in-depth, albeit still told in a simple and digestible way.

Shadow Generations’ progression is the same as Sonic Generations, but the aforementioned years of experience between then and now makes this the clear winner of the package. Shadow’s white space is entirely in 3D, yet easy to navigate with tight controls that can be freely adjusted to your liking. Although there is no classic Shadow, each zone, once again being reimagining’s from previous games Shadow played a role in, has a fully 3D act 1 and a 2.5D act 2. Unlike Generations, stages are lengthy, stylish, and will have you using all four face buttons and then some thanks to Shadow’s new Doom Powers. Spectacle and quick time events merely add to fast-paced, action filled frenzy as stages are adorned with alternate, risky shortcuts and other time saving tricks for you to master.

Clearing both acts of a few zones will unlock a boss stage, which requires you to complete side missions to collect keys to access. Here, these feel more like Frontiers’ cyberspace stages in that they’re short time trials with little objectives, as opposed to gimmicky add ons designed to make the game longer like they were in Generation. None are frustrating, but they’re tricky enough that the S ranks may require a try or three. They also all lead to extra goodies like additional music and artwork, so you’ve got plenty to go back to and unlock here.

This Switch 2 version of Shadow Generations adds selectable graphics options, being performance mode and quality mode. Performance mode shaves off some graphical details in order to ensure the game plays at a stable 60fps, even in handheld mode. Truth to be told, I couldn’t tell you exactly what gets scaled back here, just that performance mode is the way to go. The game looks phenomenal even compared to its Switch 1 port, which was already impressive – gone are the heavy blur effects, in are the bright colours and detailed textures, and somehow, nothing is lost in handheld mode. This game looks amazing on the go, and its impressively short load times and gameplay first focus makes it a joy to play for those short train rides.

Turn on quality mode however, and something falls apart. The game drops to an unstable 30fps which seems to blur even further once things get fast, which is almost all the time in a game like this. Even on a large TV, it becomes difficult to tell what’s going on when the game’s animations become so choppy. I played only two stages like this in order to test the option, and can very confidently say performance mode is the clear winner.

Verdict

Shadow Generations would make this remaster a worthy purchase on its own. It’s a solid but short 3D action platformer with plenty of love, polish, and replay value, but it being coupled with one of the best sonic games of the 2010s makes it a confident recommendation for anyone considering checking out Sonic’s modern outings. If you haven’t already experienced it, then this Switch 2 version is the one to get – it’s on par with the other versions, if not better due to how amazingly it handles in handheld play. All this is if you haven’t already gotten it.

It needs to be mentioned that the price is the major hiccup hinted at earlier in this review. The price itself is fine, but if you already brought the game on Switch 1, you’re totally out of luck. Technical logistics aside, SEGA’s decision not to offer any sort of discount or upgrade path for early adopters is nothing short of baffling, considering this Switch 2 version really doesn’t have anything over the Switch 1 version except for its graphics bump. It’s enough of an upgrade that you should absolutely go for Switch 2 over Switch 1 if you don’t own the game. Even weirder is the game requiring a Game Key cart while the Switch 1 fit just fine on a cartridge. You even have to pay for the DLC again – it all just feels stingy for no reason.

The games themselves are perfectly fine and highly recommended, but only if you haven’t already bought them, which is a common sentiment sadly shared between SEGA’s current Switch 2 line-up. Even if you have the money, there’s not enough of a reason to double dip here. If you are lucky enough for Sonic X Shadow Generations to be new to you, then boost right in. This is the definitive way to play two of Sonic’s best 3D adventures, one old and one new, and there are no real caveats about that.

Where to Buy

#AffiliateLinks – Prices correct at time of publishing.

Credits

Written by Sheldon Greenaway

Edited by Mark McAllister and Jen Griffiths

Graphic Template by Paul L. Russell

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for this review.