Sonic X Shadow Generations is a delightful treat for die-hard fans of the series. Not only does its new campaign center around Shadow the Hedgehog, the second most popular character in Sonic, but it serves as a reintroduction to the character that re-establishes his role in the lore and world at large after many of the franchise's missteps.
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Packaged with one of the series' most fan-favorite titles, Shadow Generations celebrates Shadow's history by making him face the demons of his past through stages from Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, Sonic Forces, and Sonic Frontiers. Sonic X Shadow Generations ties the experiences together through established lore, continuing Frontiers' new standard of making sure all the stories are consistent, and that leads to a story about Shadow that covers everything fans know and love about him. Shadow even gets some interesting new dark powers of his own to wield, all while twisting Sonic gameplay patterns with his trademark Chaos Control technique.
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Sonic X Shadow Generations Review: The Best of Both Worlds
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a loving homage to all eras of Sonic and a reminder why both the character and his games continue to endure.
Chaos Control Works as Shadow's Unique Playstyle, But There's a Catch
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Chaos Control Could Be Shadow's Defining Gameplay Mechanic
Sonic and his friends thrive on the concept of platformers using particular movesets to differentiate their playable characters. It's commonly known that Miles "Tails" Prower can fly, Knuckles can climb and glide, Amy has her hammer, and Sonic has recently been given the Lightspeed Dash and Drop Dash as his unique abilities. Now that Sonic X Shadow Generations allows Shadow to take the spotlight for the first time in the most recent era of the games, it seems that Chaos Control is what sets him apart from the rest.
Shadow Generations may give Shadow an entire arsenal of new abilities that are uniquely his, but Chaos Control is the showstopper that's been captivating many of the experts at Sonic's iconic speedy platforming. True to the ability's reputation in franchise history, when players activate Chaos Control, time is completely halted, allowing Shadow to "warp" ala Sonic Adventure 2 by making it from Point A to Point B within five seconds - but those five seconds are completely ignored in-game as all clocks stop from the in-game timer, challenge timers, and even the cut-off time for S Ranks.
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The campaign takes advantage of this time-stopping mechanic by featuring challenge stages where players are encouraged to use Chaos Control to make what would normally be a 2-minute stage have a less-than-30-second in-game result. It's an interesting in-game cheat that inspires players to find the most unorthodox ways to get farther within 5 seconds to shave off time, and it has plenty of potential as a feature in future titles, even if Shadow isn't the one using it.
The Future of Sonic Gameplay Featuring Chaos Control
Both Sonic and Shadow are known for using the Chaos Emeralds to their advantage. It's an important technique that connects the two hedgehogs together, considering Sonic learned the ability from just watching Shadow in Sonic Adventure 2. If Sonic Team truly thinks that Chaos Control has a place in mainline Sonic titles, and if it doesn't see a reason to include Shadow in a certain adventure, then there's no reason the Blue Blur can't utilize Chaos Control in his own stages. However, making it something that both Sonic and Shadow can utilize as they run through their world once again makes their gameplay styles similar between one or two moves, and Shadow has more of a right to keep the move in his arsenal than Sonic.
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Playing as Shadow With Chaos Control Just Makes Sense
At the end of the day, Shadow's powers of Chaos Control are a bigger part of his identity than they ever were part of Sonic's. The last time the blue hedgehog used the ability was in Sonic 06, and it seems that while even Shadow Generations alludes to him being able to use Chaos Control, the fact that Sonic Team does want to do more with playable characters seems to suggest that Shadow will keep the ability to warp to himself. It might upset fans who enjoyed Sonic and Shadow's dynamic through the miraculous fact that they could both use Chaos Control, but as they're equal in every other way, it's about time Shadow finally had a playstyle that set the two apart.
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9.3/10
Sonic X Shadow Generations
THE RETURN OF SHADOW
In this new standalone campaign, Shadow's nemesis, Black Doom, has reemerged and threatens to take over the world once again. Shadow must journey into his past, confront his painful memories, and unlock new dark powers to save the world.
SHADOW EVOLVED
Harness Shadow's new Doom Powers to battle hordes of enemies and tackle platforming challenges like never before. Surf on water, fly over obstacles, and stop time with the return of Chaos Control!
A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AND DIMENSIONS
Experience the ultimate showdown between Shadow and Black Doom in a new boss battle that will test your skills and reflexes. Use all of Shadow's abilities to defeat Black Doom and save the world!
EXPLORE THE NEW WHITE SPACE
Stretch your legs in an all-new hub world inspired by the open-zone gameplay of Sonic Frontiers. As Shadow gains new powers, he can explore further and uncover the secrets hidden throughout!
Platformer
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:80/100 Critics Recommend:87%
- Franchise
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch , PC , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
- Engine
- Hedgehog Engine 2
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 25, 2024
