Sonic x Shadow Generations review - brilliant new campaign leaves the blue blur overshadowed

After years of experimenting, Sega has now established two types of 3D Sonic level. The first are the open zones of Sonic Frontiers that give the hedgehog the space and freedom to unleash his speed, the sort of wide open design only possible (just!) on modern hardware. The second are the tightly-focused, mostly linear stages that evolve the side-scrolling original games into 3D rollercoasters with dizzyingly shifting perspectives, a design first popularised in the Sonic Adventure games.

It's the latter style that Sega has absolutely nailed with the brand new Shadow campaign in Sonic x Shadow Generations. These might just be the best 3D levels in a Sonic game to date - and the blue hedgehog is barely to be seen.

Sonic x Shadow Generations is predominantly a remaster of 2011's Sonic Generations, but now - to celebrate the Year of Shadow and his appearance in the forthcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film - Sega has tacked on an all-new campaign for Shadow the Hedgehog that runs in parallel. It's also releasing DLC to tie into the film, though that's not available until December. Just as Sonic was sucked into White Space to relive his past in both Classic and Modern guises in the original release, so too has Shadow in his own, entirely separate, story.

That means a rehash of plot points from previous games (Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic '06 mostly) as Shadow confronts Black Doom and his tragic origin story. But more so, it's an excuse to revisit and enhance maligned stages from the past in modernised form.

These new levels are intense, breathtaking thrill rides filled with set pieces and constant motion that never lets up. One moment Shadow is riding rails through space and punching missiles, the next he's flying down waterfalls, being chased by killer trains, and corkscrewing through a warped metropolis of bending skyscrapers. Stages are, as ever, split into two acts, with the first being fully 3D and the second side-scrolling (though there's no Classic Shadow model, unlike Sonic), with the latter being a vast improvement over last year's Sonic Superstars and its attempt to capture past glories.

Yet beyond the spectacle of both acts, stages are crucially designed to maintain momentum and flow, if you've got the skills to pull it off of course. Rare are moments where Shadow stops moving; he's always running, or leaping to the next grind rail, or charging towards a switch or enemy. Enemies are also smartly placed to keep the rhythm going, rather than offbeat interruptions. And while focused, levels are designed with multiple paths that reward exploration and experimentation with Shadow's new moveset.

Those moves are powered by bad guy Black Doom and are unlocked gradually throughout the campaign's story, but usable in previous levels. Shadow gains the ability to surf over water, fly through the air, or shoot spears to stun enemies. My personal favourite is Doom Blast: a dramatic uppercut that not only allows Shadow to launch enemies but then teleport to them, often opening new shortcuts. These are in addition to his iconic Chaos Control move to slow time, used for both dodging enemies and forming pathways with moving obstacles. Extra side challenges also provide an opportunity to practise with these abilities in remixed, standalone stages, though these quick hits can sometimes frustrate. In all, the Doom Powers are mostly optional, but they add an extra layer of complexity that's relevant to Shadow's character, raises the required skill level, and boosts him beyond his blue nemesis.

More importantly, Shadow's basic moveset is a joy to handle. Sega made the smart decision to give Shadow a double jump and move his homing attack to a separate button. It may seem like a small change from Sonic, but it gives players so much more control over the character and, coupled with a generous lock-on, puts an end to sloppy targeting and infuriating confusion between jumps and attacks. For Sonic fans, Shadow is a dream to handle - and that's a relief to be able to write here, after so many misfires. It just feels right. For the first time in a long time I don't feel like I'm fighting the controls, or on edge about to glitch through the environment. It's like Sega's ideas have at last clicked into place.

It's not all linear levels, though. In a nod to the Open Zones of Sonic Frontiers, Shadow's version of White Space is a fully explorable hub world that's slowly unveiled as the story progresses. It doesn't provide quite the same sensation of speed, but it does add platforms and rails without all the pop-in. What's more, it's full of treasure chests unlocked with icons gathered in each level, which add art, music and more to the collection. Occasionally reaching these chests and collectibles requires the sort of careful platforming the controls aren't really attuned for, but it's forgivable when the main stages are such a marvel.

Where Sonic Generations drew upon 20 years of nostalgia as a celebration of the series up to that point, Shadow doesn't have that same luxury, with only a handful of starring roles (in fact, one level is based on Sonic Frontiers, in which he doesn't appear). As such, his campaign is more of a re-introduction of the character that's tacked on to an existing game. Perhaps, after his previous failure as a headliner, Sega felt Shadow just isn't strong enough on his own to carry an entire game. So while Sonic Team has delivered an outstanding addition with Shadow, his campaign still only exists alongside Sonic's. He deserves more.

That's where Sonic x Shadow Generations, taken as a complete package, starts to fall apart. Side by side, the two campaigns invite comparison and Sonic, quite frankly, cannot compete. Where Sonic Generations was originally a culmination of previous games, now it's simply an unfavourable reminder of a past I do not wish to return to.

As a remaster, Sega has handled Sonic Generations with a light touch. Visually it's all been sharpened for modern standards, but textures and character models lack detail. Just comparing Shadow's boss model in Sonic Generations with his character model in his own campaign, the difference in quality is abundantly clear. Cutscenes in Sonic Generations are also stiff by comparison, with awkward line delivery and repeated animations, where Shadow's scenes are dynamic and exciting. Sonic is gratingly chirpy and cheerful; Shadow is all grunts, grim looks, and action hero poses. He's more fun to watch, more fun to play as, and just… cooler! No wonder Keanu Reeves, of all people, is voicing Shadow in this year's film.

Diving into the Sonic Generations levels, meanwhile, brought back all the old frustrations Shadow has lept beyond. Aside from the striking Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone recreations, Sonic's levels fall into the old traps of instant fails, bad targeting, annoying enemy placements, and awkward camera work. But of course they do - they're old! I remember playing these levels before and loving them, but now they leave me cold. Where Shadow's levels I've played on repeat to relish the action, Sonic's levels I've raced through to get them over with. The more I played Sonic's half the more I began to question: is this just not good by comparison, or was it ever good to begin with?

It's so dated, it's surprising Sega combined the two campaigns into such an inconsistent package: a reminder of an infuriating past next to a future that seems so sublime, even if purely by juxtaposition. With this two-in-one approach, Sonic Team has simultaneously shot itself in the foot with an unnecessary look backwards and proven how far it's come in the past 13 years. At the very least, Sonic makes Shadow look good.

Yet even independently, Shadow's campaign really does deliver on the pure promise of a Sonic game, with its high-speed thrills and level design that ensures a keen sense of flow. After the success of Sonic Frontiers, Sega is finally on a roll - as long as it keeps its forward momentum.

A copy of Sonic X Shadow Generations was provided for review by Sega.