The best of both worlds

After years in which its franchise remained largely dormant, Sonic the Hedgehog appears to be in the midst of a true rebirth. The surprise announcement of Sonic X Shadow Generations during Sony's State of Play event in January 2024 meant fans were getting a third new addition Sonic game in as many years, a far cry from the 5 year gap in between Sonic mania AND Sonic frontiers. But while 2022 Sonic frontiers introduced some new ideas for 3D Sonic model and 2023 Sonic Superstars brought players back to a game reminiscent of the character's classic adventures, without even setting the world on fire, leaving players wondering where Sonic would fit in with the new collection of titles featuring “Blue Blur.”

While it may not reach the heights of the greatest games in the series, Sonic X Shadow Generations is a loving homage to all eras of Sonic's past that, for the most part, ticks all the boxes players would want from a Sonic game. Generations strikes an interesting dichotomy between its two competing halves, attracting elements from all over the world Sonic franchise to deliver an experience that feels like a carefully chosen “greatest hits.” Sonicthat's almost 35 years of history. While not without its occasional minor frustrations, Sonic X Shadow Generations is perhaps the greatest voice of the modern trio of Sonic games and a must-play for fans of the franchise.

The twin halves of Sonic X Shadow Generations take the characters on a time-traveling adventure

Startup Sonic X Shadow Generations offers players the possibility to choose between the two different halves of the game, Sonic Generations AND Shadow generations. Despite their position as separate games, however, the two titles share a story involving time travel that functions as both a plot device and justification for why both Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog are going through an actual “Hall of Fame” of levels from through the Sonic franchising. Players can choose which half of the pack to start with and jump from freely Sonic TO Shadow generations with just the press of a few buttons. For what it's worth, though, the Sonic Generations the middle does a good job of setting up the larger plot elements that help Shadowit makes much more sense.

Choose the Sonic half of Generations greets players with a scene where Sonic and his friends from across the franchise celebrate the character's birthday. Of course, the celebration is short-lived as a new villain called the “Time Eater” shows up and drags Sonic and his friends into a time anomaly. In this timeless void, Sonic has access to different locations Sonic games, with each Zone divided into two Acts. However, unlike the traditional Sonic configuration, each act adheres to a specific era of Sonic the Hedgehog game. Act 1 levels are classic-style side-scrolling levels, while each Act 2 is a fully 3D level similar to what players experienced in Sonic adventure games (including some iconic levels from both Dreamcast classics).

Connecting these levels is a stark white hub world that Sonic restores to life and color by completing zones and saving his friends. The hub is set up as a traditional 2D Sonic level, complete with rings and control panels, and players can open up more by defeating a series of well-designed boss battles. To unlock the gates of each boss, players must first complete the challenge gates for each zone that challenge the player through specific objectives.

Between the different collectibles available in each Zone (three Chao hidden in each Act and 5 Red Star Rings) and the possibility of chasing higher rankings in both the Acts and the Challenge Portals, there is a lot to delve into beyond simply proving it to the boss and clear the main story. Completing any level with a high rank earns players points, which they can spend in the new Skill Shop to unlock useful in-game skills. Sonic has 5 different loadouts that he can customize, rename, equip, and even specify for the Act 1 or Act 2 stages, creating a lot of flexibility in how players tackle levels in the Sonic half of Generations​​​​​​.

THE Shadow half of Generations it pretty much sticks to the same basic framework, with only a few notable exceptions. There are fewer zones in the Shadow portion of Generationsbut each (excluding the Final Zone) is still divided into two Acts. However, these Acts overturn the design of the phases of the Sonic half to make Act 1 more memorable Sonic adventure and Act 2 take on a more side-scrolling perspective.

Further, ShadowThe hub area of ​​takes a page from Sonic frontiers and offers players an open-world playground to explore. You still need to complete the Challenge Portals and earn Boss Keys to open up more of the world to exploration, but this is done through the acquisition of new abilities that recontextualize how Shadow traverses the main hub area. It's amazing to see a Sonic the game incorporates Metroidvania elements like skill-gating, but it works to make the simple act of moving from stage to stage more exciting than it would otherwise be and also opens up access to hidden collectibles and new challenges.

Each zone in both halves of Sonic X Shadow Generations it is an iconic venue throughout the world Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and they are beautifully recreated here using 3D images that dynamically change between a 2D and 3D perspective plane. These reimaginings of past locations aren't simply rehashes of their original layouts either, with even the classic Green Hill and Chemical Plant Zones by Sonic 2 giving new emotions to the more experienced Sonic fan.

And it wouldn't be a Sonic game without a tremendous sense of speed, which Sonic X Shadow Generations dutifully offers both halves of the experience. That said, there were moments in the more classic-style side-scrolling levels where the sense of speed was so overwhelming that it was common for the camera to lose sight of Sonic and result in an unfair death or an off-screen hit and lost rings . Ultimately, though, the sense of speed and speed in the Shadow stage serves as a reminder that few studios know how to create arcade-style thrills as fast and seamlessly as Sega does.

Controls and physics are an unfortunate speed bump in Sonic X Shadow Generations' Thrill Ride

Both halves Sonic X Shadow Generations they are chock full of spikes Sonic gameplay, but that also means they're unfortunately subject to the same little frustrations that have plagued the series for years. For a franchise built on speed and momentum over precision platforming, it's a shame to point this out Sonic X Shadow Generations it has fluctuating physics and minor control issues that hinder an otherwise excellent experience. The biggest culprit in this regard is the somewhat wonky target tracking, which results in a non-trivial number of unfair deaths when trying to jump from lock-on to lock-on at incredibly high speeds.

The same complaint applies to the boss battles as well. Both Sonic and Shadow's half Generations they feature some excellent boss fights that are perhaps the best in the series, but wonky hit detection and fluctuating physics often mean these encounters come down to trial and error. In these cases, what should feel like a triumphant victory over a fun and challenging boss battle instead feels like a relief that you'll never need to try again. Factor in the need to complete some really difficult Challenge Gates to even attempt to fight the bosses, and it's obvious that a little more fine-tuning to how both Sonic and Shadow move and control would have gone a long way to ironing out some of the few points weak points in an otherwise first-rate Sonic game.

Sonic X Shadow Generations offers great value for money

Aside from minor mechanical issues, Sonic X Shadow Generations offers one of the best value propositions of any major AAA release in 2024. With two complete games in one package, there are hundreds of collectibles to search for and obtain, optional challenge portals to complete what's needed outside to obtain the necessary Boss Keys, S-Ranks to chase in each stage and Challenge Portal, and additional secrets and activities to keep players busy in both games' hub worlds long after the main story's credits roll. Additionally, each level is so well designed and fun that it deserves to be played and replayed well beyond what is necessary to complete each half of the game.

After completing both halves
Sonic X Shadow Generations

my total playtime was 19 hours according to the PlayStation 5's “Hours Played” tracker, and that's with a fair amount of time spent trying to chase down collectibles and S ranks on some of my favorite levels. THE
Shadow
half of
Generations
it's a little shorter than
Sonic
half and took about 8 hours to complete, with the
Sonic
the half takes a little longer thanks to there being more levels and more bosses to challenge, including some excellent surprise cameo bosses needed to collect all the Chaos Emeralds.

Sega could have easily released each half Sonic X Shadow Generations as a standalone title, but the fact that both experiences are contained in one product makes it a no-brainer Sonic fans. An initial playthrough will take 15-20 hours, not counting the potential for dozens of additional hours needed to obtain all collectibles and reach the highest rank in each level, Challenge Gate, and boss battle.

Last year's Sonic Superstars had the unfortunate luck of coming out the same week as Super Mario Wonderthe latest installment in the franchise was quickly overshadowed by its older competitor. Sonic X Shadow Generations has a similarly unfavorable release position in the wake of Team Asobi Astrobotsraising the question of how the two biggest platformers of the year compare. Even in a post-Astrobots world, Sonic X Shadow Generations serves as an epic reminder of how untouchable both Sonic and Sega can be when firing on all cylinders, and its treasure trove of content and top-notch presentation make it an easy recommendation, regardless of whether it's an experience lacking in imperfections. .