Sonic the Hedgehog has many friends, but Shadow the Hedgehog manages to be a consistently popular character for a reason. Players tend to either love him for his dark and edgy demeanor, or appreciate the nuance to his tragic backstory dealing with Maria Robotnik’s death. Sonic X Shadow Generations puts both on display in Shadow’s new solo campaign, aiming to help introduce newer fans to everything that makes the black hedgehog special. Despite that, though, Sonic X Shadow Generations delivers on a story that breaks Shadow’s consistent status quo after 24 years.
It could easily be said that Shadow goes through consistent character development throughout many of his prominent games and appearances. However, they all deal with the same core concepts about his past, creation, and connection to Maria. Sonic Adventure 2 marks his first appearance and shows him realizing Maria’s wish against what he was programmed to believe when Professor Gerald Robotnik went insane. Sonic Heroes reveals that Shadow lost his memory after his fall at the end of the previous game, not knowing if he’s the real Shadow or an android created by Eggman. Shadow the Hedgehog sees him search for the answer to that question, learning of his Black Arms heritage, and vowing to put all of it behind him. Sonic X Shadow Generations forces him to honor that promise in full.
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Shadow Generations Throws Shadow’s Past in His Face to Help Him Finally Move on From It
Sonic X Shadow Generations Embraces Everything About Shadow the Hedgehog
After the Sonic series tried to be as loose with its continuity as possible, a new lore team that took shape during Sonic Frontiers‘ development has brought back the history of the franchise in a big way. Shadow Generations marks the return of Black Doom from Shadow the Hedgehog, and practically every other plot thread with Shadow is mentioned. Gerald’s journal goes out of its way to make Shadow’s origins consistent and believable.
The story elements from Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow the Hedgehog, and even Sonic Battle are either made clearer than they were before or expanded on to be a key part of Shadow Generations‘ story itself. For the first time since their posthumous introduction in Sonic Adventure 2, Professor Gerald and Maria are pulled from the ARK before the tragedy, and sole survivor Shadow has the chance to interact with them. After the ending of Shadow the Hedgehog sees him throw a picture of them away to move on, Sonic X Shadow Generations Dark Beginnings makes it very clear that Shadow still has plenty of healing to do. He may have resolved to put his past behind him in his last solo title, but Shadow Generations lets everything about his past haunt him to give him closure to finally put it to rest.
Shadow Generations Marks a New Beginning for Sonic’s Rival
With Shadow Generations, fans get to help the black hedgehog cut ties with his alien heritage through Black Doom. However, players also have to watch as Shadow humors the idea of saving the professor and Maria only to have them both tell him to let them go. Shadow, in the end, respects their wishes and makes the decision to carry on without them. This effectively ends his storyline that began in Sonic Adventure 2 when he wanted revenge for Maria’s death, ending it with Maria telling Shadow goodbye by saying she’ll always remain in his heart. Shadow Generations makes it clear that the black hedgehog made this choice for himself, along with those he cares about, and the somber ending points to an entirely new future ahead of him.
Everything about Shadow’s past is officially behind him, which gives him a clean slate full of new unknowns. Not only does Shadow Generations establish all of his previous adventures as a cohesive, overarching story, but it also resolves all of them.
There’s a strong chance that Shadow’s next major role in a Sonic story won’t dive into Maria, Gerald, or Black Doom at all as a result. Shadow Generations may tell new and old fans alike just who Shadow the Hedgehog is, but his next appearance will likely show entirely new sides to him. Even though the Year of Shadow may be over, Sega has made it clear that Shadow isn’t going anywhere. It won’t take long for fans to see what’s next for the Ultimate Lifeform now that he can finally move on.
- Released
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October 25, 2024
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence