Highlights

  • Sonic X Shadow Generations' new story mode explores Shadow's backstory, potentially setting a precedent for future Sonic remasters.
  • Sonic Team adds a lot of value to the game by introducing a completely new perspective on Sonic Generations' story.
  • Future Sonic rereleases should consider including side character stories to enhance the gameplay experience.

Despite how the last few years have seen some rather sizable releases, another game is just around the corner for Sonic fans: Sonic X Shadow Generations. While the title may be a rather interesting name for a Sonic Generations remaster, Sega swears the rerelease is actually two experiences in one, with the second part being titled "Shadow Generations" and starring the titular black hedgehog. The key new content is a dedicated story mode for Shadow the Hedgehog himself.

There's quite a lot of potential waiting in the new story mode for Sonic X Shadow Generations. The last time Shadow had a story to himself may have been Sonic Forces, but that was over five years ago, and the franchise has taken quite a big shift in terms of its focus in the time since. Now with a bigger emphasis on continuity and lore, led by a brand-new lore team within Sega, Shadow is being made to face his worst fears, all thanks to how Sonic Team seems to be embracing its past. If this new Shadow story in the rereleased Sonic Generations is well-received, then it should serve as a precedent for any future Sonic remasters.

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Sonic X Shadow Generations' Extra Side Character Story Should Be the New Standard For Sonic Rereleases

What Sonic X Shadow Generations Brings to the Table

When it comes to potential side content in Sonic Generations, it's easy to see that Shadow is the one who deserves the spotlight. Shadow is one of the most popular characters in the history of the franchise, and he himself has a rather interesting history that doesn't match up with Sonic one-to-one. With the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie starring Shadow coming out this year, taking advantage of this popularity to expand on the lore of Sonic Generations with Shadow is an incredibly wise move on Sonic Team's part.

Sonic X Shadow Generations' Extra Story Walks Into Shadow's Mystery

Since the remastered Sonic Generations was announced, the project has been ironically quiet, leaving fans with impressive visuals of what might be cutscenes and boss fights. What's known, though, gives off the impression that the story will deal with Shadow's side of the Generations storyline, which deals with running through the past to save the future, and Shadow's past is interesting in and of itself. This would help answer just where Shadow came from, since in the original story, he just pops into existence and demands to fight Sonic.

Future Sonic Rereleases Should Include Side Character Stories After Sonic X Shadow Generations

SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS - Announce Trailer shadow

No matter if "Shadow Generations" answers the questions that the original game left when it came to Shadow, the idea of a remastered Sonic game coming with a playable story about another character is incredibly clever. There aren't many titles in the series that need to be rereleased; many didn't understand the point of remastering Sonic Generations at first glance. However, the ones that do could benefit from a new story mode. Sonic Unleashed is a shining example of such a game.

Side Stories in Rereleased Sonic Games Have Almost Unlimited Potential

Compared to what many of Sonic games were like when they launched, adding additional side stories and playable modes to a fair number of titles might fix what Sonic Team accidentally broke. For a time, many fans wished to play as just Sonic, but those opinions have been replaced with passionate requests for Sonic's friends to be playable characters again. With Sonic Frontiers breaking the Sonic-only tradition and Sonic X Shadow Generations being the beginning of it being a trend, there's no telling which one of Sonic's friends will get an unexpected piece of the limelight yet, and Sega would do well to make the best of it.