Re-mastering “Sonic Generations: White Time and Space” released in 2011, “Sonic x Shadow Generations” adds new elements, providing a fresh experience for existing fans and new players.
The Sonic x Shadow Generations package is noteworthy in particular because a completely new work, Shadow Generations, has been added.
The game is meant to be a choice between “White Space and Time” and “Shadow Generations” at the start, and the two pieces share a worldview with the same character but unfold a completely different story.
Among these, I would like to highlight the charm of “Shadow Generations” in particular.
The game isn’t part of the remaster, but it’s actually the latest in the new “Sonic” series, showing the capacity of the audacious Sonic team.
“Shadow Generations” includes quick action and synth, which are the hallmarks of the Sonic series, and provides a story focused on the character Shadow.
And the attractive new features and stage design provide players with new challenges and interests.
Developers deserve better than expected for implementing this high-quality content.
“Sonic × Shadow Generations: A Unique Shadow Action Different from Sonic.”
In “Shadow Generations,” the protagonist Shadow is an artificial life form that shares many similarities with Sonic but possesses distinct charm and unique abilities.
He was first introduced in “Sonic Adventure 2,” where his cool demeanor and unique first-person pronoun “I” garnered great popularity among fans. In 2005, he was featured as the main character in “Shadow the Hedgehog.”
Now, with ‘Shadow Generations,’ Shadow returns to the spotlight after nearly 20 years, bringing special emotional resonance for Shadow fans.
While Shadow can perform fast-paced actions like Sonic, his movements are distinct.
He features smooth skating-like movements when dashing, a double jump available from the start, and the ability to defeat enemies without jumping when boosting, showcasing unique attributes in detail.
These abilities are fundamentally implemented in a more enhanced form than Sonic.
A special element that adds particular charm to gameplay is Shadow’s special ability known as “Doom Power.”
This ability is linked to the mystery of Shadow’s origins and increases as the story progresses.
It allows him to move freely on water, climb special walls or ceilings, and ultimately grow wings for gliding.
These actions provide a sense of lightness and fun, akin to riding a manta ray.
Shadow’s abilities demonstrate that he is not merely a replacement character for Sonic, adding independent enjoyment and freshness to the game.
‘Shadow Generations’ establishes itself as a captivating experience not only for existing fans but also for new players, offering unique gameplay through Shadow’s diverse actions and an immersive storyline.
Basic construction of Sonic x Shadow Generations
Shadow Generations has a structure that learns new abilities and naturally incorporates them into the progress of the game.
The basic structure of the game is as follows.
It’s a way to learn new abilities as you progress through the stage, use this ability to expand the space you can explore in white space, and then open and clear the new stage to learn more.
During this process, intense boss battles are sometimes inserted to increase the tension and immersion of the game.
Short but intense dramas are inserted in the middle of each story, allowing you to experience Shadow’s growth and his destiny in more depth.
Especially when you get to the end, the final boss that Shadow will fight against, and the moving ending that will unfold awaits, leaving a strong impression on the player.
Interestingly, Shadow Generations is the first 3D Sonic piece since Sonic Frontiers.
As the previous work, Sonic Super Stars was a 2D side-scrolling method, it is raising high expectations for fans waiting for 3D Sonic.
In particular, “Shadow Generations” includes a variety of elements influenced by “Sonic Frontiers.”
For example, exploration through white space, three-dimensional space movement, and intense drama.
These elements take over the cheerful sense of action from the preceding work Frontier, providing players with tense gameplay.
In detail, unlike the Sonic series in the past, Shadow Generations introduced a system that can accelerate by pressing the direction button.
It goes fast, leads to tense play, and greatly increases the sense of immersion.
The challenge to achieve an “S” rating according to the time limit set for each stage provides sufficient tension.
It will be a fairly challenging goal for players seeking perfect performance.
Also, players can naturally feel nostalgic because it features stages inspired by previous works such as Chaos Island in Sonic Frontier.
Games honor Sonic games of the past and provide an engaging experience combined with new elements.
Sonic x Shadow Generations, Sonic Team’s spirit of challenge
In Shadow Generations, shadows have a variety of special abilities.
Chaos control, available from the beginning of the game, is the ability to stop the passage of time, enabling actions such as riding like a jet ski on the water or transforming into an octopus and diving.
Ultimately, it also includes the ability to raise wings, providing a variety of combat styles and modes of exploration.
These changes allow us to implement new intractable actions in the main Sonic series, and these new approaches are made possible by the characteristic of the protagonist, Shadow.
The remake is not just a reproduction of elements from existing works, but also an effort to provide fresher fun to modern players.
The combination of skills and actions provides a rich combat experience, allowing players to find new exploration fun through each armament.
However, one difficulty to point out is that we often lose direction when exploring in white space.
The map’s indicators show the next target point, but due to the complexity of the 3D space, there are often situations where “I want to go to the place I see over there, but I don’t know how to get there.”
These issues are especially evident when controlling characters, and can be more confusing for beginners.
For example, there are marks tat check the distance to a particular destination, but unexpectedly complex terrain blocks it, making it difficult to find the entrance.
In particular, if the destination is underground, you can’t remember where the entrance to the underground road is, so you can wander for an hour.
In these cases, we had to refer to the map to understand the relationship between the location of the entrance and the ground.
As one of the ways to solve the problem, it is important to look for hints on the menu screen.
You need proper exploration and understanding, as you can find out by fitting the cursor around and around your next destination.
However, this hesitancy has also occurred in Sonic Frontiers, which some players may feel is unnecessary.
For players who ultimately prefer stage clear-oriented action, offering simpler stage structures such as Sonic Generations: White Spaces can also be a good alternative.
Overall Review
“Sonic x Shadow Generations” is a piece worth introducing, especially with emphasis on the completely new “Shadow Generations” part.
The game is smaller in volume than the remastered version of Sonic Generations: White Spaces, but it’s enriching the in-game experience with new and original elements.
New stages, new actions, new bosses, and independent stories connected to past works are well organized.
There are a lot of elements I can recommend to anyone who has enjoyed “Sonic Frontiers,” which offers both classic charm and modern fun.
However, there is also a disadvantage that maps or icons are difficult to navigate and may be isolated because it is difficult to find the way.
This can be a bigger challenge for players who are bad with directions, but it can be established as an effort to get the fun of various expeditions.
Shadow is an engaging character, and the experience of knowing and playing his traits and background will be absolutely enjoyable through this game.
*Images were taken from Sonic’s website. (https://asia.sega.com/SonicXShadowGenerations/kr/)
*Farming Simulator 25, Agricultural life in larger area