After several years of Shadow the Hedgehog being reduced to a brooding rival to Sonic, Sonic X Shadow Generations finally cements just who the anti-hero is in a unique campaign that's all his own. Players can experience the interactive history of the black blur in Shadow Generations, using Chaos Control to stop the in-game clock, help Shadow fight the literal demons of his past, and take on familiar yet different bosses from the Biolizard to Mephiles the Dark.
Just like the last several Sonic games before it, Sonic X Shadow Generations had three special animated episodes to advertise Shadow's new playable experience. These shorts were the first big example of just how deep the title would go into the character's emotions and past, making it very clear that everything that makes Shadow the Hedgehog so special would be included. Shadow's history is very important to his overall character arc, and everything about it is found in the story of Shadow Generations, including Emerl the Gizoid.
All Changes To Sonic's Side of Sonic X Shadow Generations Explained
Sonic X Shadow Generations puts two adventures in one game, and Sonic Generations has a few more touch ups than most remasters for a few reasons.
Sonic X Shadow Generations Brings Back Emerl, But Does Nothing With Him Afterwards
Emerl's inclusion in Sonic X Shadow Generations Dark Beginnings was met with surprise and excitement, as the robot hadn't been used in Sonic games since Sonic Advance 3. His lore expanded in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, which sits in a bit of a limbo situation as the new lore team at Sega re-establishes continuity. Known as just the Gizoid 50 years ago, Emerl is another one of the scientific endeavors by the late Gerald Robotnik, just like Shadow himself.
Including Emerl in Sonic X Shadow Generations Just Makes Sense
While Gerald didn't build Emerl personally -- rather, one of his sons found it on an archaeological dig and decided to research it -- both Shadow and Emerl share the weight of being designed by Gerald to buy time to continue searching for a cure for Maria's illness by acting as a countermeasure against the government's demands of the professor. It's this similarity that gives weight to a lot of their conflict in Sonic Battle, which gets further context in Dark Beginnings and Gerald's journal in Sonic X Shadow Generations. This history with the Gizoid deserves its place in the game as an important footnote in Shadow's past.
Due to Dark Beginnings and the game's Japanese website, players thought that an empty "coming soon" slot meant that the new prominence of Emerl would lead him to become a second playable character in Shadow Generations. These slots were eventually used to reveal Maria, Gerald, and Black Doom, leaving Shadow definitively as the only playable character in the new campaign, and once the game was put into players' hands, it was easy to find out that the Gizoid is nowhere to be seen within it. It begs the question as to why he was given such a focus in the first place.
What Emerl's Return Could Mean For the Future
It's true that the Gizoid is an important part of Shadow's past, and Gerald's journal reflects this while including the relevant Sonic Battle entries, so it's a bit strange to bring him back with such prominence and then do nothing with him. Emerl is still around as Gemerl in the Sonic IDW comics, but either using him for the ARK flashbacks is purely fanservice, or Sonic Team is working on more content related to him or the Gizoids.
With Sonic X Shadow Generations might say about Emerl, there are a number of routes that are open to explore the character further. Sonic Battle's place in Shadow's past and series lore is currently an inaccessible black hole, so now is a great time to rerelease it or possibly even remake it as a new fighting game, if a survey from the Sonic social media channels is anything to go by. Other Sonic games could go into the history of the Gizoid a bit more closely, or perhaps Gemerl might break from comic exclusivity soon. No matter which way Sonic Team decide to take future releases, Dark Beginnings certainly proves that there's creative potential in the Gizoid's possible return.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
- Engine
- Hedgehog Engine 2
- Franchise
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
WHERE TO PLAY
THE RETURN OF SHADOW
In this new standalone campaign, Shadow's nemesis, Black Doom, has reemerged and threatens to take over the world once again. Shadow must journey into his past, confront his painful memories, and unlock new dark powers to save the world.
SHADOW EVOLVED
Harness Shadow's new Doom Powers to battle hordes of enemies and tackle platforming challenges like never before. Surf on water, fly over obstacles, and stop time with the return of Chaos Control!
A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AND DIMENSIONS
Experience the ultimate showdown between Shadow and Black Doom in a new boss battle that will test your skills and reflexes. Use all of Shadow's abilities to defeat Black Doom and save the world!
EXPLORE THE NEW WHITE SPACE
Stretch your legs in an all-new hub world inspired by the open-zone gameplay of Sonic Frontiers. As Shadow gains new powers, he can explore further and uncover the secrets hidden throughout!
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
