Back in 2011, the Sonic series celebrated its 20th anniversary, and with Sonic Generations, a fusion of old and new Sonic games, we got two games in one and got the best (or worst) of both worlds. Ta.
An instant fan favorite thanks to its nostalgia for Sonic’s origins and free-form style that combines traditional platform gameplay with additional missions, time trials, and boss battles that feel like a breath of new air. It has become. Twelve years later, this classic is back, fully remastered for modern platforms and with an entire game starring Shadow the Hedgehog.
A classic story, a new spin
Sonic X Shadow Generations is similar to the original version in that it features all the same content with some nice additions for fans. Additional Chao can be collected in this version, and Sonic also has access to the Drop Dash move, which enhances gameplay by spinning, dashing, and running through each act, collecting as many Chao as possible to reach the finish line. reach. Switching between Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic switches up the overall design of each level, allowing you to explore it in different ways.
Playing both the classic and modern levels will unlock one of Sonic’s friends who is trapped inside. You can then go through locked doors and complete different time trials, ring collecting challenges, and various other missions to get keys. These keys will allow you to face the boss of that level and unlock the next area. Here you have a lot of freedom to explore and do just what you want to get your keys.
In contrast, the Shadow part of the experience is a completely different story. You control the anti-hero hedgehog and travel through various levels reimagined from Shadow’s past appearances in other games. In the first level, you travel through portal-like levels that keep changing in and out of different realities.
It’s only a six-hour story, but it’s completely separate from the Sonic Generations segments, and they never intersect. Shadow’s levels also allow you to play through two different versions of each world, before facing boss battles and taking on similar time trials and challenges in the Sonic version.
fresh movement
The content is the same, but each character has some new moves. Sonic gets the aforementioned drop dash move, which helps make his combos and attacks more fluid. This sounds great in theory, but in practice it only worked part of the time.
There were many moments where the game stopped completely, Sonic lost all of his rings, and the action was interrupted. Shadow has a technique called Chaos Control. This freezes the entire game, allowing Shadow to destroy anything that flies at him or fly over platforms that would normally pass him by at speed. This allows you to access areas that were previously inaccessible.
The Sonic level remaster is fantastic and made to fit perfectly on current generation consoles. Each level is colorful and detailed, with 2D and 3D showing different aspects of the world. Meanwhile, Shadow on the go has a clean new design all in one.
Shadow’s character model looks beautifully detailed, and the levels designed from Shadow’s previous appearances like Sonic Adventure 2 look spectacular. The slight speed at which Shadow moves through each level allows you to appreciate the details that go into each world.
Soak or soak
Performance-wise, it can be a bit up and down, especially during half of Sonic’s games. Frame rates typically decrease depending on the amount of content on the screen. We’re trying to achieve a stable 60FPS on current consoles, and this is the case most of the time. Note that if you’re playing on PS4 or PS4 Pro, you can lower the resolution and still get the full 60FPS experience.
However, the PS5 can thankfully offer this with a 4K experience in mind. All deleted scenes have been re-recorded in English and re-edited to make them even more spectacular, so don’t skip them!
As with all Sonic games, the soundtrack also stands out in Sonic X Shadow Generations. Familiar tracks from Sonic Heroes’ Rail Canyon theme to All Hail Shadows are absolutely memorable. One of the biggest surprises was the return of the Space Colony Ark.
The more you play, the more music tracks you unlock, allowing you to play and challenge each stage. As a music lover of Sonic games, finding missions to collect music was a big part of the fun of this game.
final thoughts
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a love letter to the original game. It retains all the original charm that made this game a classic 12 years ago. Completely redone, including deleted scenes and gameplay, to showcase the best of both modern and classic Sonic on new consoles.
The addition of Shadow content is what truly enhances this game. Using all of his appearances from past games (and voiced by Keanu Reeves!), blending some unique worlds and boss fights, it brings Shadow back into the gaming spotlight. Masu.
4 stars (out of 5)
Highlight: Great gameplay. Perfectly remastered and additional content enhances the game
Highlight: Performance mode frame rate reduction
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch
Available: Currently
Review was conducted on PlayStation 5 using a release code provided by the publisher.
