‘Sonic x Shadow Generations’ review: New content makes this remaster worth revisiting

Sonic x Shadow Generations is a remaster of the original 2011 game, Sonic Generations, and includes new content focusing on Shadow the Hedgehog. The Shadow tie-in contains roughly the same amount of content as the base game, which makes Sonic x Shadow Generations a compelling package.

The remaster also fixes the performance issues of the original Sonic Generations.

'Sonic x Shadow Generations' plot

On the Sonic Generations side, Sonic’s birthday celebration is interrupted by the Time Eater — and he has to team up with his younger self (Sonic Classic) to rescue his friends in White Space.

Shadow Generations takes place concurrently with the events of Sonic Generations and follows Shadow as he is trapped in White Space. While Shadow explores the area, he unlocks new powers and Black Doom threatens to take over the world — and Shadow has to stop him.

Let’s be honest, most of us don’t play Sonic games for the story, but both stories here are serviceable enough to set up what matters the most: gameplay.

'Sonic x Shadow Generations' characters

The interactions between classic Sonic and modern Sonic are amusing, as classic Sonic simply smiles and nods while the rest of the cast discusses the unfolding events, staying completely silent.

The lighthearted cast of Sonic Generations contrasts with the brooding atmosphere of Shadow Generations where Shadow’s edgy personality oozes charm. Again, the story and characters aren’t really the focus of these games, but there’s enough intrigue to keep going.

'Sonic x Shadow Generations' mechanics

While playing as classic Sonic, levels are strictly a 2D affair, similar to the retro Sonic games — and playing the same level as modern Sonic turns them into a mix of both 2D and 3D gameplay.

They remain virtually unchanged from the original 2011 release, and 3D Sonic mechanics didn’t necessarily age well. Modern Sonic can boost his speed, but then that puts Sonic at risk of completely falling off the stage, ruining the fast-paced momentum. It’s hard to gauge in 3D space how far platforms are, so you just have to pray and hope that you end up landing on your feet.

Shadow’s levels still have the 2D and 3D mix of modern Sonic, but are much better designed. The spacing between railings and platforms is tighter, making the levels a blast to speed through. Additionally, the levels are much more cinematic, with reality warping around Shadow like a Doctor Strange movie. Shadow also has an ability to slow down time, which comes in handy to make some tricky platforming jumps.

Shadow’s White Space is also much more fleshed out than Sonic’s. While Sonic’s White Space hub merely divides the levels, Shadow’s hub offers a range of activities, including mini coin-collecting challenges and opportunities to discover collectibles celebrating the franchise’s milestones.

'Sonic x Shadow Generations' graphics

Sonic x Shadow Generations looks great, especially Shadow’s portion.

The blue-and-white color scheme of Sonic is directly contrasted with Shadow’s black and red. The user interface has inklings of Persona 5’s impeccable style, which adds a lot of charm to the game.

'Sonic x Shadow Generations' soundtrack

Shadow’s levels have electrifying tracks, with blaring guitars that keep you excited to play more. The tracks really complements Shadow’s style — and the music selection is on par with Sonic Frontiers as one of the best in the series.

'Sonic x Shadow Generations' difficulty

Playing as classic Sonic is easier due to not having to deal with the iffy 2D and 3D gameplay mix that modern Sonic has, but you’ll need to clear stages with both characters in order to progress through the story.

Thankfully, however, you also don’t need to score high ranks on every single level to see how the story plays out. But for completionists, there’s still plenty of replayability if you want to go for S ranks on all ranks or find all collectibles.

'Sonic x Shadow Generations' performance

The performance in Sonic x Shadow Generations, played on an Xbox Series X, is perfect, which is a big difference compared to the original 2011 version. Load times are reasonable and there weren’t any framerate hiccups.

Is 'Sonic x Shadow Generations' worth getting?

Sonic x Shadow Generations is only $50 and the inclusion of the new Shadow content alone makes this remaster worth it. If you’re a Sonic fan, you’ll definitely find a lot of fun revisiting the Sonic Generations game, even if the modern Sonic controls and levels aren’t the best designed. However, the Shadow levels are a big step in the right direction for future games in the series, as they keep up the speedy momentum that you’d expect from a Sonic game.