One of the most beloved games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series has been given new life in the form of Sonic X Shadow Generations. Sonic Generations originally made a name for itself by celebrating the 20th anniversary of the blue hedgehog’s adventures by serving as an interactive history museum of sorts and allowing all kinds of players to experience a “best of” collection of iconic stages. In Sonic X Shadow Generations, as the title implies, Shadow the Hedgehog is taken along for the ride and made to re-experience his own past in the same way as his rival.
The black hedgehog’s past isn’t at all as bright and sunny as Sonic’s, though. With stages serving to represent his creation and his memory loss, along with three prominent characters returning to serve as further reminders, Shadow Generations takes the series into a tonal shift that matches Sonic Frontiers rather than the other half of the Generations collection. Of course, that’s to be expected with a title that forces Shadow to face his past rather literally after he has done his best to put it behind him. Shadow Generations pulls no punches as to what the Ultimate Lifeform has to do to achieve his goals, and that changes everything about Sonic X Shadow Generations as a result.
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Shadow Generations Makes Sonic Generations’ Ending More Bitter Than Sweet
While Shadow Generations does a great job at embodying and reminding players of just who Shadow is, it’s safe to say that many of his fans walked into the game with an idea of how it would end due to that very same character arc. Players have to watch Shadow share a heart-wrenching goodbye with Maria Robotnik after seeing her again against all odds and time itself, rushing off in tears to assist Sonic with the final boss of his own game, the Time Eater. This puts Shadow Generations‘ ending before Sonic Generations‘ conclusion, which ultimately entwines their messages together.
Sonic Generations may be seen as a celebration of the series, especially as an anniversary title, but Shadow Generations is most certainly not a celebration of everything Shadow is for the black hedgehog as much as it is for his fans. Shadow was able to reunite with Professor Gerald and Maria, and Sonic and Tails teamed up with their younger selves, Classic Sonic and Classic Tails. As Shadow deals with being haunted by parts of himself he would end up finally being able to leave behind, Sonic goes through his adventure in a way that could easily have been taken as childish compared to Shadow’s serious grip on the reality he’s being forced to face. Sonic’s ending is hardly changed from the original game, yet it carries a different tone entirely within the context of Shadow’s side of the story.
Sonic’s Ending Feels Almost Unfair After Shadow’s Ending
No matter what order fans beat Sonic X Shadow Generations in, there’s an undeniable truth to be found in the order their stories conclude. Sonic gets to celebrate his birthday with his younger self as long as he likes, while Shadow has seconds remaining to say goodbye to two of the most important people in his life just before. Some fans may wonder why Shadow didn’t get the same privilege, especially since the black hedgehog can be seen watching on as Sonic says his goodbyes in the background of Sonic Generations‘ ending.
While it’s highly likely that Shadow watching the two Sonics say goodbye was left in from the original ending, fans still have the right to interpret it alongside the newer storyline’s context.
These two endings together create a sense of finality when it comes to what both hedgehogs went through in White Space. Sonic may have had a fun adventure embracing his past, but Shadow had to let it go for the sake of those he cares about, including himself. Considering how Sonic Generations is such a fan-favorite title, adding new context to it that brings in nuance that undermines its original celebratory tone is quite a bold move. Between Shadow Generations and Sonic Frontiers, it seems more hard-hitting stories are going to leave fans with a lot to think about in the newest era of the franchise.
- Released
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October 25, 2024
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
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