Tokyo Game Show 2024

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a Return to Form and Left Me Wanting More

Sonic is back with his edgelord rival Shadow in Sonic X Shadow Generations.

I'm a lapsed and casual Sonic fan in that I've played some levels from the older Sonic games, namely Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, and Sonic: Adventure, about once every 3-5 years, and I have a blast every time. But I generally stick with the titular character, Sonic, and sometimes dabble with his partner Tails. Hence, I'm not all that familiar with the entire Sonic family of characters and what I know is limited. But when it was announced Sonic X Shadow Generations would be demoed at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2024, my curiosity was piqued. And after getting my hands on the game, it's just as fun as any other Sonic game I've played.

When I look at a game like Sonic X Shadow Generations, the one question I have is, will it satiate my want to play Sonic games for the next few years. The simple answer is yes for the Sonic sections. The TGS 2024 demo starts off strong with a showing of two iconic Sonic levels with Green Hill Zone and Chemical plant as 2.5D remakes and full-on 3D conversions. While I've seen this done with the original Sonic Generations, playing the levels in Sonic X Shadow Generations is a great reminder of why those levels are fun to begin with.

The remake of Green Hill Zone is a fantastic opener for the demo. It helps new, and in this case returning, players learn the basic mechanics of the game while providing some fast-paced running. Conversely, the remake of Chemical Plant showcased the types of branching paths and obstacles players will see throughout the game. Then when we're thrown into the 3D remakes of the levels, we get those same concepts, but in a new environment. It's exceptionally fun, keeps the speed and action flowing throughout, and is perfect for lapsed and casual fans, like me.

But what about the Shadow content from the perspective of someone who doesn't know much about the character? While the TGS 2024 demo had a selection of Shadow levels, I only had time to try Space Station. Although the level has an interesting theme and design to it, there was something about the timing with some of the commands that threw me for a loop - the window in which Shadow locked on to an enemy for an attack or to jump to a grind rail felt shorter than with Sonic. It led to several deaths that felt unfair and even a bit frustrating. However, I'm sure if I had far more time to learn the timing outside of the 10-minute demo, I would have gotten it.

What made the experience a little tolerable, though, is how Sonic and Shadow's base controls are similar for the 3D sections. It made getting into the Shadow content that much easier since I wasn't learning a new control scheme. But this was also a kind of double-edge sword. When the two titular characters of Sonic and Shadow play nearly identically, I was left wanting to play more Sonic content. Of course, I'm not going to get Shadow's full back story or lore from a 10-minute demo, but more something to differentiate the two characters' gameplay in the 3D parts would have been nice.

Still, for me, Sonic X Shadow Generations looks like another hit Sonic game.