The best of both worlds

After years of his franchise remaining largely dormant, Sonic the Hedgehog appears to be in the midst of a full-on renaissance. A surprising announcement Sonic X Shadow Generations during Sony's 2024 State of Play event in January meant that fans were getting a third Sound game in as many years, a far cry from the five-year gap between them Sonic Mania and Sonic Frontiers. But while the year 2022 Sonic Frontiers introduced some new ideas to 3D Sound templates and 2023 Sonic Superstars brought players back to a game reminiscent of the character's classic adventures, nor did it actually set the world on fire, leading players to wonder where Sonic X Shadow Generation s would fit in a new group of titles with “Blue Blur”.

While it may not reach the heights of the biggest games in the franchise, Sonic X Shadow Generations is a loving tribute to all the eras of Sonic's past that pretty much ticks all the boxes players would want from a game. Sound game. generations it strikes an interesting dichotomy between its two competing halves and draws elements from all over Sound franchise to provide an experience that feels like the “greatest hits” you've selected Soundhas almost 35 years of history. Although not without occasional minor frustrations, Sonic X Shadow Generations is perhaps the greatest entry into the modern trio Sound games and a must for fans of the franchise.

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

Starting up Sonic X Shadow Generations gives players a choice between two different halves of the game, Sonic Generations and Shadow generations. However, despite their status as separate games, the two titles share a time-travel story that works as both a plot and a justification for why both Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog go through a veritable “hall of fame” of stages from over Sound franchise. Players can choose one half of the deck to start with and freely jump from it Sound on Shadow generations with a few button presses. For what it's worth, though Sonic Generations half does a good job of setting up larger plot elements that help Shadowthe story makes a lot more sense.

Selection Sound half generations welcomes the player with a cutscene in which Sonic and his friends from across the franchise celebrate the character's birthday. Of course, the celebration doesn't last long as a new villain called the “Time Eater” appears and whisks Sonic and his friends away to a temporary anomaly. In this timeless void, Sonic can access locations from various locations Sound games, with each zone divided into two acts. However, unlike the traditional ones Sound setting, each law adheres to a specific era Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay. Act 1 stages are classically styled side-scrolling stages, while each Act 2 is a fully 3D level similar to what players experienced in A sound adventure games (including some iconic stages from both of these Dreamcast classics).

Connecting these stages is a world with a sharp white hub, which Sonic restores life and color to by completing zones and saving his friends. The hub is set up as traditional 2D Sound stage, complete with loops and break panels, and players can unlock more by defeating a series of well-designed boss battles. To unlock the gates for each boss, players must first complete the challenge gates for each zone, which pit the player against specific objectives.

Between the different collectibles available in each zone (three hidden Chao in each act as well as 5 Red Star rings) and the ability to chase higher ranks in both Acts and challenge gates, there's a lot to chew on beyond just assigning it to bosses . and deleting the main story. Completing any stage with a high rank earns players points to spend in the new Skill Shop to unlock useful in-game abilities. Sonic has 5 different outfits that he can modify, rename, equip and even spec for Act 1 or Act 2 stages, creating a lot of flexibility in how players approach levels in Sound half generations.

The Shadow half generations follows virtually the same basic framework, with a few notable exceptions. There are fewer zones in a zone Shadow part generationsbut each (except the last zone) is still divided into two acts. However, these laws overturn the design of the stages in Sound half to make Act 1 more reminiscent A sound adventure and Act 2 have a more side-scrolling perspective.

Other, ShadowCenter's area takes over the page Sonic Frontiers and features an open-world playground for players to explore. It's still necessary to complete Challenge Gates and obtain Boss Keys to open up more of the world to explore, but this is done through acquiring new abilities that recontextualize how Shadow traverses the main hub area. It is surprising to see a Sound The game features Metroidvania elements such as ability embedding, but works to make the simple act of moving from one stage to the next more exciting than it would otherwise be, and also opens up access to hidden collectibles and new challenges.

Each zone in both halves Sonic X Shadow Generations is an iconic place from around the world Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and are beautifully recreated here with 3D visuals that dynamically switch between 2D and 3D planes of perspective. Even these visits to past locations are not simple recreations of their original layouts, even the classic Green Hill and Chemical Plant zones Sonic 2 brings a whole new excitement to the most experienced Sound fan.

And it wouldn't be a Sound a game without the overwhelming sense of speed that Sonic X Shadow Generations dutifully delivers in both halves of the experience. That said, in the more classically styled side-scrolling stages, there were times when the sense of speed was so overwhelming that it was common for the camera to lose sight of Sonic, resulting in an unfair death or off-screen hit and lost rings. However, in the end, the feeling of speed and speed in the Shadow stage serves as a reminder that few studios understand how to create smooth, lightning-fast arcade thrills the way Sega does.

The controls and physics are an unfortunate jump in speed on the thrill ride of Sonic X Shadow Generations

Both halves Sonic X Shadow Generations are crowded to the top Sound gameplay, but that also means they're unfortunately subject to the same minor frustrations that have plagued the series for years. For a franchise built on speed and momentum versus precision platforming, it's a shame to report Sonic X Shadow Generations it has some moving physics and minor control issues that detract from an otherwise great experience. The biggest culprit in this regard is the somewhat clunky target detection, which results in a non-trivial number of unfair deaths when trying to jump from one lock-on to another at incredibly high speeds.

The same gripe applies to boss battles. Both Sonic and Shadow's half generations they feature some excellent boss fights that rank as possibly the best in the series, but clunky hit detection and fluid physics often lead to these encounters devolving into trial and error. In these cases, what should feel like a triumphant victory over a fun and challenging boss battle instead feels like the relief of never having to try again. Factor in the need to complete some really difficult Challenge Gates to even attempt boss fights, and it's clear that further fine-tuning of how both Sonic and Shadow move and control would go a long way to smoothing out some of the weak points. points in an otherwise excellent Sound game.

Sonic X Shadow Generations offers a lot of bang for the buck

Minor mechanical gripes aside, Sonic X Shadow Generations offers one of the most valuable offerings of any major AAA release in 2024. With two full games in one single package, there are hundreds of collectibles to seek out and earn, optional Challenge gates to complete beyond what's needed to get the necessary boss keys , an S rating to chase in every stage and challenge gate, and other secrets and activities that will keep players busy in the central worlds of both games long after the main story credits roll. Beyond that, each stage is so well designed and fun that it deserves to be played and replayed well beyond what is required to beat each half of the game.

After completing both halves
Sonic X Shadow Generations

my total playtime reached 19 hours according to the PlayStation 5's “Hours Played” tracker, and that's with a significant amount of time spent trying to catch up on collectibles and S Ranks on some of my favorite scenes. The
Shadow
half
generations
is slightly shorter than
Sound
half and took roughly 8 hours to complete, p
Sound
half takes a little more time due to the fact that it contains more stages and more bosses to challenge, including excellent surprise cameo bosses necessary to collect all the Chaos Emeralds.

Sega could have easily released each half Sonic X Shadow Generations as its own standalone title, but having both experiences in one product makes it a clear cut Sound fans. An initial playthrough will take anyone 15-20 hours, not factoring in the potential of the additional dozens of hours necessary to acquire all the collectibles and reach the highest rank in each stage, challenge gate, and boss battle.

Last year Sonic Superstars had the misfortune of being released the same week as Super Mario Wonderthe franchise's newest entry is quickly becoming overshadowed by its oldest competitor. Sonic X Shadow Generations has a similarly unfavorable release position following Asobi's team Astro Botbegging the question of how the two biggest platformers of the year stack up against each other. Even in the post –Astro Bot world, Sonic X Shadow Generations serves as an epic reminder of just 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 its lack of a flawless experience. .