The year of Shadow the Hedgehog is going strong and Sega shows no signs of slowing down. With the new movie set to be in theaters this November or December and the release of Sonic Generations, there is much to celebrate for the Sonic fandom. As most are aware, the new version of Sonic Generations will feature a brand-new story campaign all about Shadow, effectively doubling the size of the original game. Leading up to the release of Sonic X Shadow Generations is an animated prologue like they did with Sonic Colors Ultimate and Sonic Frontiers. However, unlike past games which only had one video, we get three this time. Now that all of Dark Beginnings is out, let’s take a look.
Shadow and Maria
Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings starts with Shadow trapped in his memories of his time with Maria on the Ark. We get to see Maria’s fascination with Earth and Shadow’s uncertainty about his purpose in life. Just as things start to feel tender, we get a cameo from Emerl, a robot who only appeared in Sonic Battle. Other games have explained that there was more to Emerl’s origins and possibly others like him. However, Emerl has only been mentioned in the comics as part of Shadow’s story. This addition quickly shifts expectations and understanding of what happened for most game-only Sonic fans.
As Shadow and Emral fight, reality shatters and glitches. This builds up to the climax where Shadow the Hedgehog acknowledges that everything is wrong and snaps out of a trance. Convinced by this vision, Shadow feels that danger waits for him on the Ark.
Finding the Way
The second episode of Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings is short but effective. We get to see more of Shadow’s inner turmoil and feelings of shame due to his origins. As the memory fades, Shadow storms Eggman’s pyramid base to steal his space rocket and travel to the Ark. Unexpectedly, Rouge and Omega are there for their own reasons. Rouge agrees to help Shadow so long as he attends Sonic’s upcoming birthday (the opening premise of Generations).
To the Ark
The finale of Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings differs from the first two. The episode primarily features combat scenarios and less insight into Shadow’s feelings and past. Although fun to watch, it’s not rewarding. It feels really crammed. It tries ineffectively to include ominous foreshadowing from Abraham, the leader of G.U.N. As Shadow’s rocket approaches the Ark, he has another moment caught in his trauma about Maria before quickly snuffing it out. He tells himself to focus on the task at hand, and then the credits roll.
Final Thoughts
The three episodes are beautifully animated and it’s nice to see Shadow getting so much content. But the story feels rushed. Roughly fourteen minutes of content recaps everything we’d already know about Shadow the Hedgehog from previous games. Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings is aimed at newcomers who haven’t played older titles. It’s a wasted opportunity that could have been used to add depth to Shadow’s character. At this point in the story, he’s regained all his memories, learned his true origin, and supposedly made peace with who he is. Returning him to his dark, brooding personality where he’s still scared feels repetitive. Since this is the first time Shadow is relevant since his 2005 solo game, I worry he’ll be trapped in this loop. Every story about him will be resolving trauma with Gerald Robotnik, Maria, and Black Doom. Only to then be rendered null and voided until Sega feels like using him again.
That said, the few questions the narrative raised ramp up the anticipation for Shadow’s new story. I’m excited about the possibility of seeing Emral’s inclusion for the first time ever since his game introduction. I’m also ready for Sonic X Shadow Generations. Shadow is long overdue for an upgrade in personality and relevance.
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Knuckles the Echidna received much love in Sonic Frontiers and even more so in the second movie, so much so that he went from being a character I couldn’t stand to being one I adore! Now, I’m the proud owner of a Knuckles Nendoroid Figure, currently in stock on JBOX.
