Sonic X Shadow Generations is racing onto modern consoles

With the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise mining a lot of nostalgia from its history with recent retro-inspired entries such as Sonic Superstars, it was perhaps just a matter of time before Sega brought back Sonic Generations. This has finally happened with Sonic X Shadow Generations, a remaster with a twist, bringing the acclaimed 2011 platformer to modern platforms along with an all-new additional campaign centred around Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic Generations was a sort of “greatest hits” compilation of the most memorable levels and boss fights from both Sonic the Hedgehog’s 2D and 3D eras, even featuring representation from…let’s say “less beloved” entries such as Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Players controlled both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic, each with their own unique control styles, movement physics and abilities.

The main new addition to this Sonic X Shadow Generations remaster is the inclusion of a whole new side campaign focused around Sonic’s angsty rival, Shadow the Hedgehog. While the footage shown off in the trailer seems to evoke Shadow’s divisive spin-off game from 2005, based on the lack of Shadow wielding guns, it seems like the gameplay will be more in line with how the other hedgehogs are controlled.

“With Sonic x Shadow Generations, we wanted to bring Sonic Generations to PS5 and PS4 while pairing a brand-new Shadow storyline to crossover with the original story,” states Takashi Iizuka, Creative Officer at Sonic Team. “With Shadow’s portion of the title, players will get to know him more as a character and understand his motivations. It will create the ultimate celebration of Classic Sonic, Modern Sonic, and Shadow gameplay that all fans will surely enjoy.”

It’s as good a time as any for a Shadow the Hedgehog-focused game to come out, with a third live action Sonic the Hedgehog film prominently featuring Shadow set to release on December 20th of this year. Sonic X Shadow Generations is set to come out later this year on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.