Sonic was probably my first love. The Master System game was the first I got really into, and from there it was Sonic the Comic collections, Sonic sketches, Sonic stories, Sonic clothing. Ever since, I’ve always had a soft spot for the blue blur.
But, after playing a good chunk of Sonic x Shadow Generations, I think I can finally admit it: Shadow is better than Sonic.
That’s not to say Shadow hasn’t always been a great character. He was introduced in Sonic Adventure 2 as an edgy counterpart to the titular hedgehog, epitomising that dark sense of Y2K cool as gaming grew up. He’s got the speed of Sonic, but he’s aloof, mysterious, and powerful. In his own game, Shadow rides a motorbike. In the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film, he’s voiced by Keanu Reeves.
Aside from all that, though, it’s clear Sega has put a lot of care into the Shadow campaign that comes alongside this remaster of Sonic Generations. Shadow’s levels are more spectacular, his moveset is more satisfying to control, and – quite frankly – it’s more fun playing as an anti-hero.
I previously went hands-on with Sonic x Shadow Generations and came away full of nostalgia. I got to play a fresh demo at Gamescom 2024, which included a new Shadow level – Kingdom Valley – and a new boss, plus Sonic’s Chemical Plant Zone levels.
Kingdom Valley is based on the level of the same name from the ill-fated Sonic ’06. Revisiting the level in this game affords a chance for Sonic Team to right some wrongs.
As a result, it’s full of familiar stage elements – grinding on water jets, smashing through stained-glass windows, and flying assistance from a giant eagle – but they’re held together in a new level design. Just as with the previously played Space Colony level, these elements provide dazzling set pieces and great speed, all flowing together into a seamless rhythm.
One minute I’m hitting switches to grind on a corkscrew of water jets, then I’m speeding down the stone walls of the crumbling castle setting before bursting out over a waterfall. Shadow’s levels maintain a sense of constant excitement with a linear barrage of thrills, but also enough secret side routes to reward replays and experimentation. Outside of the freedom of Sonic Frontiers‘ open zone levels, Shadow’s campaign so far features some of the best level design of any 3D Sonic game I’ve played.
Shadow also controls responsively, which is something Sega has often struggled with. In part that’s due to his generous and accurate homing attack: interactable objects are clearly signified and I never had trouble aiming Shadow in the right direction. But there’s another small, yet significant, difference between controlling the two hedgehogs. Where Sonic’s jump and homing attack are on the same button, for Shadow they’re separated. This not only allows Shadow a handy double jump for some extra height or breathing room when platforming, it avoids any confusion between jumping and attacking. Playing as Shadow, I had no issues with leaping, attacking, and boosting my way through levels, so I could focus on improving my time and rank instead of fighting the controls – though admittedly, I spotted some new Sonic players struggling.
What’s more, Shadow is given unique Doom powers in this campaign that add to his abilities and provide an extra layer of thrill and experimentation. In Kingdom Valley, I had access to Doom Spear and Doom Surf: the former a missile attack against enemies and the latter allowing Shadow to surf over water rapids beneath the zone’s castle structures. Later, Shadow will acquire Doom Blast, Doom Morph and Doom Wing, which together add something extra beyond Sonic’s standard moves and prove Shadow is more than just a hedgehog clone. These are in addition to his iconic Chaos Control that allows you to slow time and – if timed correctly – can allow for new shortcuts as platforms align. With this, Shadow can additionally follow special green trails of light at hyper speed.
The Doom powers proved useful against flying enemies in Kingdom Valley: Shadow surfs over the waves in chase, fires out spears, then slows time to punch the enemies and launch upwards to new pathways. This was elaborated on further with the Metal Overlord boss (originally from Sonic Heroes), a separate level in the demo. Here Shadow chases the flying mechanical creature over seawater by surfing, flinging back explosive barrels, and grinding rails before a leaping homing attack. The linear, chase-focused nature of this battle is better-suited to the hedgehog’s speed than the previously shown Biolizard boss, though a later side scrolling section added variety too.
After playing through the Shadow levels I flipped over to try out Sonic’s Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone. They seemed quaint by comparison. Perhaps that’s in part due to my familiarity with them, but Sonic’s inconsistent homing attack, frustrating enemy placements, and drops in tempo contrasted with the high-speed rush of Shadow’s campaign. Sure, the dark hedgehog’s levels are just an add-on to the rest of the Sonic Generations package. Yet where that game was originally a celebration of Sonic’s history, Shadow shows Sonic Team has vastly improved 14 years later.