2024 has been a stacked year for games, with many having a viable chance to be crowned Game of the Year. Games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Black Myth: Wukong, Astro Bot, and even the recently released Dragon Age: The Veilguard all could be taking out gaming’s top prize. But they won’t because this year marked the release of the game of the decade, no, the generation, and that game is Sonic X Shadow Generations.
You may think that I’m being facetious in saying this. You’re probably even asking yourself, “How could you possibly claim that a Sonic game of all things will be Game of the Year?” Well, it’s quite simple, really: Sonic X Shadow Generations is the most fun I’ve had with a game this entire year, and I’m going to tell you why it’s the true Game of the Year for 2024.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is split into two campaigns. The first is the remastered Sonic Generations, and the other is the all-new Shadow Generations. I’ll circle back to Sonic Generations later and dive head-first into Shadow’s story. Set at the same time as Sonic Generations, Shadow is on the ARK after tracking an unknown signal to the abandoned space station. After some exploring, he runs into his once-dead enemy, Black Doom, and chases him throughout the stations. When Black Doom escapes, the Time Eater from Sonic Generations appears and transports Shadow into white space. Shadow must now traverse through his past and future to stop Black Doom, but can he make the tough decisions to take him down?
This story was excellent. As a big fan of all the lore surrounding Shadow, I was grinning ear to ear the entire time. The fact they brought back Black Doom from Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 already excited me, but I was a bit sceptical about how far they would lean into Shadow’s history with the alien. But those worries were quickly tossed aside with all the tiny references and lines of dialogue that made this feel like a proper sequel to Shadow the Hedgehog. I won’t spoil anything here because I don’t want to ruin the surprise for anyone (there are a few big ones), but suffice it to say, I was having a blast picking up on all the past story beats.
This story isn’t just references and dialogue that makes you go “remember this past game”. There’s also a very strong emotional core to this story, which is found in Shadow and his relationships. The journey Shadow takes in this game, while brief, serves as the perfect next step for his character and sets him up to take a bigger role in future games. I also really enjoyed the interactions between Shadow and the other characters, such as Black Doom, Rouge, Maria, Gerald Robotnik, and even Big the Cat (he’s an odd inclusion but was pretty funny).
Kirk Thornton also nailed the role of Shadow here, and I’m ecstatic that he seems to be finally making the role his own. There was even a moment at the end of the game that made me start to cry a little. The fact that a game about an edgy Hedgehog fighting an intergalactic demon made me cry says a lot about the quality of this story, writing, and characters. Ian Flynn (the head writer for this game) did a masterful job, and I can’t wait to see him do more with Shadow.
Arguably, the most important aspect of a Sonic/Shadow game to nail is the gameplay, and Shadow Generations is the best this series has felt in a long time. Shadow feels fantastic to control and makes blasting through levels all the more satisfying. You have full control over every movement, including in the air, which makes the platforming sections feel like you are making awesome jumps or crazy shortcuts instead of just boosting over gaps while hoping for the best. This is also true when you are roaming around the white space hub world, filled with challenges and collectables for you to complete and grab. Think Sonic Frontiers‘ open-world design, and that’s basically what white space is.
Gameplay additions such as Chaos Control and the Doom Powers also help to make this an amazing experience to play, giving you more options to traverse each stage. Chaos Control lets you stop time (including the stage timer to help with those S Ranks) and allows you to get creative with what objects can be used as platforms (like missiles, for example). The Doom Powers open the door to a variety of new gameplay styles for Shadow, such as the Doom Surf, which lets you traverse water; Doom Morph, which turns you into an alien squid with Spider-Man powers; and the Doom Wings, which let you soar over everything in sight. It’s just pure fun to use all these abilities to their full effect in each stage.
Speaking of stages, they are some of the best-designed 3D stages in franchise history, and I’m not just saying that because they put Rail Canyon in from Sonic Heroes. Each stage is meticulously crafted to ensure that you never have to stop moving and that there is always another pathway for you to go. The Rail Canyon stages were definitely some of my favourites (and only partially because of nostalgia), but the Radical Highway stages really put my skills to the test. Getting an S Rank on Radical Highway was one of the most frustrating but ultimately rewarding experiences I’ve had in recent years. The boss fights are also amazing and make great use of Shadow’s various abilities. I’ll always be biased towards the Metal Overlord fight, but the final boss is a spectacle to behold.
Sonic X Shadow Generations looks and runs perfectly. Every character, every stage, every particle effect is top tier. The game runs on the same engine as Sonic Frontiers, and you can tell that the team now has a full grasp of how to bring out its full potential. Load times are next to non-existent, especially when you’re restarting a stage for the millionth time going for that perfect run. The lack of downtime between each attempt or returning to the hub world maintains that flow feeling the game has throughout.
I would also be remiss not to mention the godly soundtrack. This may be because I grew up in the 2000s (when most of Shadow’s games were released), but I think this is a better soundtrack than OG Sonic Generations. My ears were in nostalgia heaven listening to all the bops from my childhood. What I’m Made Of, Egg Fleet, This Machine, and All Hail Shadow are all certified bangers, and I loved playing through the stages with new music every time.
I’ve been gushing about the Shadow half of this game, but there’s a whole other game included here: Sonic Generations. If you played Sonic Generations when it was released back in 2011, you’ve pretty much played this. They’ve gone in and reduced the load times, updated the textures, redone some of the dialogue, and had one or two voice actor recasts. The jank from the OG release is still present, mostly with some of the 3D platforming (that could just be a skill issue), and the underwhelming final boss remains untouched. They have added Chao as collectables for each stage, so there is something new for returning players to dig their teeth into. They unlock additional bonus materials and chill around the stage gate once you find them, which is pretty cute. At the end of the day, it’s the same game with a few tweaks and a fun bonus when paired with Shadow Generations.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is pure perfection. The gameplay is the best it’s ever been, the stages are excellent, the visuals are amazing, and the soundtrack kicks ass. Throw in the added bonus of a remastered Sonic Generations, and you have the ultimate Sonic package. Even the few issues I have with the OG Generations have no impact on my enjoyment with the game as a whole.
With how well they handled this game, I think Sonic Team should have three main branches of Sonic going forward. Classic Sonic will be your 2D games, such as Sonic Mania and Sonic Superstars. Modern Sonic can lean into the gameplay from Sonic Frontiers and expand on those ideas. And the boost gameplay can become the basis for future Shadow games. Regardless of the future, you should go and play Sonic X Shadow Generations right now! You don’t want to miss out on the true Game of the Year for 2024.
Have you played Sonic X Shadow Generations? What did you think? Which campaign was your favourite? Let us know in the comments where we can all agree that Shadow deserves more games.
