Gather around gamers as I enlighten you on the great console wars of the early 90’s. Growing up, you were either a Sega or a Nintendo kid, and friendships and bonds were forged or lost depending on which side you were on. We would see this war happen again with Playstation and Nintendo 64, but for a while there it seemed like Mario and Sonic would forever be locked into an eternal battle for your love and affection. Thankfully these days, gamers are a mostly united bunch, and Mario and Sonic have even taken on the Olympics together on the Nintendo Switch. Sonic X Shadow Generations for me was a surprise release, and when I saw it come out I ducked out to grab a copy to see how Sonic… and Shadow, of course, are going. What’s it Like? Put on your sneakers, tighten those laces, and prepare to go fast as we review Sonic X Shadow Generations on Nintendo Switch.
For those who don’t know, Sonic X Shadow Generations is actually two great games in one package. Sonic Generations originally dropped in 2011 and paid tribute to Sonic’s origins by playing as the original Sonic, and a more modern one, each with their own gameplay style in 2D and 3D respectively. Sonic X Shadow Generations is a completely new campaign that follows the fan favourite Shadow the Hedgehog, who will no doubt be further pushed into the spotlight this year when Keanu Reeves voices him in the upcoming Sonic 3 movie. Sonic X Shadow Generations also has both 2D and 3D levels and handles that transition in a separate way from the original Sonic Generations. There’s a surprising amount of lore in both games, with Sonic X Shadow Generations following Shadow as he is aboard the Space Ark while his friends get sucked into a vortex on Earth. I don’t want to spoil too much, but in a really great departure from the original Sonic Generations, Sonic X Shadow Generations has an exceptionally well-written narrative that’s equal parts over the top, downright silly, and surprisingly emotional.
Progression in both games is handled via the “White Zone,” an overworld to explore with its own secrets to explore. Once you complete a certain amount of acts, you will unlock challenge gates which act almost like a skill check that offers challenges on particular moves or abilities that you must master to unlock keys to progress further. This is used liberally in Sonic X Shadow as you will learn new moves and abilities as you progress through the story, including Dark Powers like being able to temporarily stop time to navigate hazards and using a chaos spear to stun or defeat enemies. There are also a lot of unlockables and collectables to find in the White Zone which rewards players with concept art and music tracks which can be viewed in an interactive collection area. It’s fantastic fan service and also moves into game preservation territory with what’s on offer.
As mentioned before, the gameplay is split into both 2D and 3D platforming levels offering a bit of variety in each act. While 2D truly takes you back to the days of Sonic on MegaDrive, it is the 3D sections in my opinion that shine with over-the-top set pieces, wild course design, and a fantastic sense of speed… until you hit something. The strength of the gameplay lies in the sense of speed and technicality of your movement. Do it well and you truly feel like you are travelling at supersonic speeds, have a bad run however, and you spend your time awkwardly trying to get back into a rhythm to reach the end of the course. You will grind, fly, glide, surf, and run all over the place in a very stylish fashion, and these over-the-top sections have a tendency to play themselves, sometimes snapping you back to attention when you run face-first into an enemy, or simply fall off a cliff. In both games, the worlds are lovingly designed from the classic Green Hill Zone in Generations to the robotic warzone of Sunset Heights in Sonic X Shadow, and they have such a grandiose sense of scale with a lot of environmental events happening in the background. The 2D sections do their best to emulate this sense of scale, and while they are still great by all means, this gamer couldn’t wait to see what the next 3D act had in store for me.
Sonic X Shadow Generations looks amazing on the Switch utilising a bright colour palette and stellar level design. The characters look sharp and are well-animated, there’s a great sense of speed, and there’s an array of unique and interesting enemies. The story is moved along with well-animated cutscenes, as well as remastered ones for the original Generations. Speaking of which, the original Generations while having a slight touch-up, doesn’t have the same visual fidelity as Sonic X Shadow Generations, but this doesn’t detract at all from the experience, and really is a testament to the engine holding up all these years later. It’s subtle, not jarring. There are some mind-blowing effects that were reminiscent of the Marvel movie Dr Strange where levels would meld and warp to your situation which looks visually impressive and the framerate performs consistently well in both docked and handheld mode which lends to the sense of speed you get especially in 3D levels. All of this is backed by a heavy rock soundtrack that matches the action happening on screen. For my hedgehogs looking into accessibility, there aren’t any specific options to speak of, so I recommend doing further research to find out if Sonic X Shadow Generations suits your needs.
All in all Sonic X Shadow Generations is a formidable package with two fantastic adventures packed onto one cartridge. Its fast, fun, and action-packed platforming will keep you engaged from start to finish and Sonic X Shadow Generations will charm you with its over-the-top yet surprisingly deep narrative. There’s a lot to do in both games, offering about 10 hours of gameplay for those looking to zoom through the story, and completionists could easily double that time finding all unlockables and chaos hidden throughout the worlds. Sonic X Shadow Generations is the love letter to Sonic fans that Generations tried to be back in 2011, only this time it’s bigger, bolder, and better in every way, shape and form.
So, What’s It Like? Sonic X Shadow Generations is like Classic Sonic, with the best parts of Sonic Adventure.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a What’s It Like Certified Exceptional game.
