| Shadow Generations | |
| Developer: | Sonic Team |
| Publisher: | Sega |
| Director: | Katsuyuki Shigihara |
| Producer: | Takashi Iizuka |
| Series: | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Engine: | Hedgehog Engine 2 |
| Genre: | Platformer |
| Released: | October 25, 2024 |
| Modes: | Single-player |
is an upcoming platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It follows Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) as the second Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature Shadow the Hedgehog as the protagonist. The story, which runs parallel to the events of Sonic Generations (2011), sees Shadow face his archenemy Black Doom. It will not be available as a standalone game, instead being bundled with a remaster of Sonic Generations in It is set to be released on October 25, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
Shadow Generations is a platform game that shifts between side-scrolling and 3D gameplay. Being included in Sonic X Shadow Generations, players can switch between Shadow Generations and a remaster of Sonic Generations (2011) at will. The events of Shadow Generations take place alongside those of Sonic Generations.[1] The plot follows Shadow the Hedgehog as he faces his archenemy, the alien Black Doom, who has returned following his defeat in Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and plots to take over the world.[2]
Shadow serves as the player character and controls similarly to Sonic, but can stop time to freeze objects and access alternate paths.[3] He can also use "Doom Powers", power-up transformations granting him new abilities. These include attacking enemies with spears, launching enemies, transforming into a monster to traverse over terrain, flying, and surfing on water.[4] Unlike Sonic Generations side-scrolling hub world, the hub world in Shadow Generations is 3D and features open-world gameplay similar to that of Sonic Frontiers (2022), and players use it to become accustomed to Doom Powers.
Shadow Generations levels, like those in Sonic Generations, are drawn from previous Sonic games, such as Sonic Adventure 2 (2001), Sonic Heroes (2003), and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).[5]
| Levels | Bosses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Original game | Boss | Original game | |
| Space Colony ARK / Radical Highway | Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) | Biolizard | Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) | |
| Rail Canyon | Sonic Heroes (2003)[6] | Sonic Heroes (2003)[7] | ||
| Kingdom Valley | Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)[8] | |||
| Sunset Heights | Sonic Forces (2017)[9] | |||
| Chaos Island | Sonic Frontiers (2022)[10] | |||
Shadow Generations is part of "Fearless: Year of Shadow", a Sonic the Hedgehog marketing campaign centering around Shadow the Hedgehog. Katsuyuki Shigihara, one of Sonic Generations
Sega announced Shadow Generations alongside a remaster of Sonic Generations on January 31, 2024, during one of PlayStation's State of Play livestreams.[12] The two are scheduled to be released in Sonic X Shadow Generations for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows on October 25, 2024.[13] Video Games Chronicle compared this to Nintendo bundling the Super Mario game Bowser's Fury (2021) alongside a rerelease of Super Mario 3D World (2013) in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Preorder bonuses include a skin based on an early Shadow design and a booklet detailing Shadow's in-universe creation from the perspective of Gerald Robotnik.
A three-episode animated prologue miniseries, Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings,[14] animated by Studio Giggex and written by Ian Flynn, is set to be released in late 2024.[15]
Sega collaborated with Limited Run Games to produce a collector's edition including the soundtrack, an art book, a keychain with Sonic and Shadow's shoes, Chao figurines, a statue of Sonic and Shadow standing on a Dreamcast, a steelbook case, and a mock Dreamcast jewel case. The collector's edition is available for order between August 19 and October 6, 2024, and is scheduled to ship in July 2025.[16]