Sonic is one of the most iconic characters in the history of video games who, like Mario, never tires of starring in platform adventures that are still as fun as they were several decades ago. The next time we see SEGA's blue hedgehog it won't be in a completely new title, since it is actually about a remastering from Sonic Generations.
With the name Sonic x Shadow Generations, this game will actually be a kind of two in one, since it will include two different campaigns. We already know one of them and another will be new created for the occasion, so I have had the opportunity to try both thanks to a trial version that was available at the Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, so I am going to tell you what they seemed to me
Shadow returns to action with his own unpublished chapter
Starting with what debuts in this new installment of the saga, the plot of the so-called Shadow Generations presents a campaign that takes place during the events of Sonic Generations and which in turn could be defined as a sequel to the classic Shadow the Hedgehog, which did not go very well with very negative opinions in general. However, do not expect a proposal that is similar to that of this chapter that was published almost 20 years ago.
Starting from this base, the story tells the return of Black Doom, Shadow's archenemy, who has returned and now plans to take over the world. I also couldn't delve much deeper into the plot because the two levels I was able to try were focused entirely on gameplay in order to see what the general game will look like.
The first of them planted me in a completely 3D scenario, like the ones we have been accustomed to seeing for a long time in most Sonic video games. In this sense, you can expect paths through which you move at full speed, loops, accelerators, bumpers and enemies that you can hit by jumping with a spin, so in general it feels as if you were playing an adventure of the kind. lifelong.
What made this phase special is that it seems that Shadow He's trapped like in an altered dimensionbecause he kept going from one stage to another of some of the most popular ones he has visited in the past, be it Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes or Sonic the Hedgehog, among others. All this with a very frenetic pace in which the action does not stop for a single moment, something that is also more than understandable, but the truth is that I had a great time and I was left wanting to play some more screens of this type .
Regarding the second part of the demo, it focused on a fight against a final boss that I recognized instantly, since it was a renewed version of The Biolizardone of the last enemies you have to face in the mythical Sonic Adventure 2. In fact, the combat started exactly the same, having to dodge his movements and climb the cables on his back in the form of rails in order to hit the core on his back.
However, to make it even more challenging, The fight had several phases., so the mechanics of this mechanical creature in the form of a giant lizard were changing. It didn't seem overly complicated to me until I reached the last one, in which Shadow was able to shoot some rays to destroy the dozens of harmful spheres that were moving towards him at full speed, so the screen became a bit chaotic when having You have to be so aware of so much detail around you.
The finishing touch was placed by a giant sphere, in the purest Genki-Dama style from Dragon Ball, which the only way to avoid was to use Shadow's ability to execute Chaos Control, which paralyzes everything for a few seconds. A very valuable time to stop the impact and thus finish off the final boss with one last blow that put an end to this demo that I found very entertaining in general.
The best classic and modern Sonic are back even better
The other part of this trial version that I was able to play was also made up of two other phases, although in this case they corresponded to the Sonic Generations original, so there was nothing new beyond its renewed graphic section. Regarding this, I have to say that he has made all the stages look wonderful with very vivid colors that make everything a spectacle from which you do not want to take your eyes off at any time.
This is where one of the biggest differences with Shadow's solo adventure is also noted. While this one opts for a darker and more serious tone, Sonic's levels opt for more cheerful and friendly colors, which matches perfectly with the personalities of both characters. For the rest, he will play revisit the same phases in 2D and 3Dwith the classic and modern Sonic respectively, which we already saw in 2011.
To give you an idea, if you didn't get to play the original title, the classic Sonic levels are those scenarios through which you move like a bullet and in which you hardly have time to react or see everything around you due to the dizzying speed that the blue hedgehog is capable of reaching.
For its part, the 3D phase was not short either, but here it gave more time to know where you were going. I also recognize that this was a minor challenge because it was practically advancing in a straight line and hitting a few enemies along the way, although in general I enjoyed it more because I found it more impressive, with constant plane changes and in a scenario in which things kept happening in the background and during the route full of jumps and loops.
As a first contact, Sonic x Shadow Generations I found it to be an essential game for those who did not play the original version. On the other hand, if you are not new, we will have to see if the Shadow campaign, despite having left me with very positive feelings, is amazing enough to deserve its purchase just for it, because the remastering of Sonic Generations It is not that it is an abysmal change on a visual level, which does not mean that it is wonderful.
Sonic x Shadow Generations Release Date
SEGA has already established the date on which Sonic x Shadow Generations will go on sale in all stores and will be the October 25 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. The other option is to purchase its Deluxe edition, which includes a few extras and the possibility of playing three days before its official launch.
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