Sonic X Shadow Generations

As bleak and blase a statement as this may be, I can admit that to be a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog is to know disappointment. Don't get me wrong, particular moments throughout his 33-odd years certainly buck the ever-depressing trend of 'eh, it's fine' reactions to both game and video-based mediums. Unfortunately, we know what to expect with every release, yet hope never entirely dies in our chili dog-loving hearts. Occasionally, we are rewarded with an absolute beaut of a product. The most notable, to me, of this is 2011's Sonic Generations, a game that not only celebrated the franchise's history but also set a new standard for Sonic games.

It was and continues to be a celebration of Sonic as a whole, unabashedly showing off the highest highs of everything that had come before, featuring various re-imagined tracks from 1991's original Sonic the Hedgehog up to 2010's then-Wii exclusive Sonic Colors. This is a big reason why Sonic X Shadow Generations, a re-bundling of the original with some updates and new content, so exciting.

Each level is split into two distinct parts, with one being geared around Classic Sonic's 2.5D side-scroller gameplay, with some needed modernized modifications, such as a thankfully more accessible Spin Dash mechanic, and the other being for Modern Sonic, which focuses more on an extremely fast-paced and streamlined 3D design found in both Sonic Unleashed and the aforementioned Sonic Colors. 2.5D side-scroller sections can still be found in the latter's sections, though it never forgoes the above mechanics, ensuring the design language between the two Sonics remains distinct and separate.

As you can expect from a Sonic game, the story is largely non-existent and is purely there to push you from nostalgia-induced to nostalgia-induced level. Sonic and Co. are celebrating the titular character's birthday (this game was released to honor the 20th birthday) until the Time Eater, Generations' primary antagonist, creates numerous time holes that suck his many companions through. A brief failed attempt of an attack later, Sonic finds himself unconscious and, upon coming to, finds himself in "The White Space", an area that contains copious uncolored remains of regions from other Sonic titles that act as entry points to the respective levels.

It's serviceable, if not entirely bland, but it gets the job done. Again, considering this is a Sonic game, we aren't here for the story. We're here for a bloody good time. And what a time we had all those years ago.

The most well-received game since 2011's Sonic Generations is 2017's Sonic Mania (and by extension, 2018's Sonic Mania Plus), becoming the highest-rated game in the series for 15 years, and are seen in themselves as a celebration of the classics that had come before it, too. How can the celebratory magic of Generation and Mania be recaptured whilst offering the fans something new? Sega's answer is as simple as re-releasing Generations but giving it 100% more angst, 100% more Maria, and roughly 100% more content. Don't do the math on that, please.

Sonic X Shadow Generations is the answer, featuring the original game in all its glory and essentially unchanged, bar a few lines in cutscenes to keep more in line with the Japanese translations and a much-needed uptick in both resolutions and framerate, but now with an entire game dedicated to everyone's favorite edgy spiny mammal, Shadow. Shadow's section of the game features the same formula as ye olde regular Sonic Generations but improves on almost all aspects of the original in meaningful ways.

Put simply, the level design is some of the best work across all Sonic titles, with visual spectacle after visual spectacle callously forcing an unrelenting barrage of joyous pixels into our retinas. The potential complexity of each level is carefully concealed despite each one remaining approachable for newcomers, and regardless of whichever track you choose, the flow remains impeccable.

Shadow's entire arsenal of skills is naturally present, too, including some new ones that are unlocked throughout the 5-hour campaign and utilized in new and exciting ways. Moreover, unlike the original Sonic sections, where skills are separate from the original and "new" counterparts, Shadow retains his use of Chaos Control, homing attacks, and the like, regardless of whether it's in the 2.5D or 3D section.

The general hub world is significantly different from Sonic's approach. Instead of the side-scrolling level selection, Sonic Team opted for a fully explorable 3D environment with secrets and collectibles to discover. Various collectibles from the Main Acts and the Challenge Acts can also unlock their respective Collection Box in this world, containing artwork, music, and fragments of Shadow's History. However, I'm not sure which type of hub world I appreciate more based on how each game approaches its specific hub world.

It's not to say that Shadow's Hub World is an unsightly stain upon such a tremendous title; I would just prefer a more streamlined approach to get me into the main levels faster. Moreover, the wholly unnecessary Challange Acts do little to excite, merely feel like a bloat on an otherwise streamlined experience, and only further add to the time between the monumental adventures to be had elsewhere. It's the kind of audible sigh-inducing additive which, in fact, subtracts - the worst kind.

Sonic X Shadow Generations - Steam Deck Performance

The technical experience between the two halves of Sonic X Shadow Generations is wildly different, too, considering that Sonic's section is a polished-up re-release and Shadows is entirely new and updated.

The Sonic Parts:

The Sonic portion is much simpler, with the game outputting an impressive and stable 60 FPS, regardless of how much was happening on screen. The low wattage was equally remarkable, often falling between the 11W-13W range, resulting in around 6 hours of estimated battery life.

Display settings-wise, there's little to alter, although nothing needs to change to achieve the stable 60 FPS here. Shadow Quality (high or low), Framerate Limit (60 or 30), Anti-aliasing (FXAA or off), and Bloom (on or off) round out the binary settings available. Still, they're all best left well alone. Sonic's portion will run beautifully from the get-go, with no configuration required, and look fantastic on the small screen.

The Shadow Parts:

Shadow Generations is a different beast entirely. With no changes, you'll find the experience bouncing between 40 FPS and 60 FPS from moment to moment, leaving it feeling wildly unstable, with an immense 20W+ draw on the battery. Thankfully, more options to dial in your graphic-facing settings now exist. With a higher framerate ceiling of 120 FPS available and the option to enable or disable both ambient occlusion and local reflections and set not only bloom but volumetric lighting, too, you can hone your settings to how you see fit. Despite the vast array of settings available, there are two avenues to take should a stable framerate be your goal, each with clear advantages.

Quality Settings - 60 FPS Target:

The first is more straightforward, merely turning the shadow quality from high to low. This, in turn, grants a near-stable 60 FPS immediately, with minor fluctuations of but a few fps occurring for the odd second here and there. Ideally, a Sonic game, or Shadow, in this case, wants to have as high a framerate as possible to capture the feeling of unbridled speed, but this method still foregoes that sweet, sweet battery life. The 22W draw on the battery is still very much present, equating to a sub-2.5-hour battery life expectancy. It's not ideal, but it's a trade-off for the smoothest experience.

Battery Settings- 40 FPS Target:

The latter relies on setting the frame limit to 40 FPS within the performance settings on the Steam Deck. Keeping the settings as they were above but making this one simple change reduces the wattage to between 13W and 15W, increasing battery life expectancy to between 3.5 and 4 hours. The smooth feeling that is ever-so-crucial in such a title is sacrificed, and one that I'm not sure is worth it, but it ultimately depends on how able and/or willing you are to sit near an available charger. There's very little outside of amending the frame limit that can drastically reduce wattage, too, with the more extensive suite of in-game display settings doing little to alleviate when appropriately fiddled with.

Whichever of the two recommended routes you take has advantages and disadvantages, and I believe they are entirely situational. If you're out on the go, do whatever you can to afford yourself some more battery life, letting you experience such a stupendous title for as long as possible. If you're at home, set the shadow to low, remove the frame limit, and marvel at its fast-moving beauty.

Accessibility

There are but a few settings to tweak regarding accessibility within Sonic X Shadow Generations, and it's very much the standard affair found in the vast majority of games nowadays. A standard assortment of camera controls and the like allow you to tweak to your heart's content, and subtitles can be toggled on or off. Disappointing, to be sure, but not surprising.

Conclusion

Given my surprise and cynicism when Sonic X Shadow Generations was first announced, what we have in our hands is truly one of 2024's best games. It's as simple as that. Expertly and meticulously crafted levels boastfully display Sonic Team's growth and learnings over the years, and a proper understanding of the fanbase and what they require and deserve from a story-telling perspective is exemplary. The latter may seem a given, but with the many well-documented shortcomings that have come before, the expectation for Shadow's portion may not have always been there.

It's still a game of two halves, with Sonic's 2013 re-release still relying on the nostalgic draw that Shadow's sections may not have to draw from, but the difference in quality between the two outside of that is night and day. And with the earlier two titles already being one of Sonic's best, it speaks for itself with how good the overall package is.

Our review is based on the PC version of this game.

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