KOCHI: I played the latest edition of the Formula 1 series earlier this year. It’s a game that, if nothing else, simulates very realistically the experience of driving the fastest cars on earth. So it feels rather odd for me to tell you that ‘Sonic x Shadow Generations’ is the only game I’ve played this year that forced me to confront the thrills and the dangers of speed.
These two games are quite different from one another, although they both involve the idea of racing. F1 is about being incredibly accurate and finicky about specific movements and tracks you make on the race course. In Sonic, I just play as a hedgehog that is sent hurtling through a trail.
It’s one thing to steer your way through a track and overtake other players, but it’s a whole other experience to feel like a coconut being dragged by the current of a river.
The Sonic games are very much the latter, and the absolute lack of control makes things a lot more exciting. But it can be all too much when you’re playing the series for the first time ever, like I did.
There is always so much happening in Sonic. Where do I start? There are two acts in each level - the second act has the three-dimensional, modern take on the hedgehog. He talks and looks like what you would imagine any normal hedgehog teenager would look and sound like. The first act is more traditional, the game looks like a platformer, and the hedgehog is a quiet, 2-D version of himself. But when I say that a lot is happening, this introduction doesn’t quite cut it.
Regardless of the “Act”, I feel like I am back at the old videogame arcade. A hundred different things around me, in bright shiny colours, vying for my attention. There’s loud music playing. There are the precious “rings” on the screen that I need Sonic to run towards. The speed increases as he goes on a downward spiral. But look - there’s rings above the platform and even more below. I can’t take both the paths.
I can’t choose between them. The hedgehog’s speed has now reached a feverish height. I’m confused. I stumble. A robot throws a fireball at me. As I fumble around collecting my rings before they disappear, I mindlessly crash back into the robot. It’s all over. I have to replay the level again from the last checkpoint. And there’s the time counter now, flashing the numbers in front of me. The same mistake with the fireball and the lane choices for the 12th time? It seems to ask.
But that’s sort of the whole point of Sonic isn’t it? The repeated crashes on the course make you realize that the game is mostly about smoothly hitting the movements. Speed boost, jump, speed boost again, hit the robot on its head. You learn only by failing - a “crash course” in every sense of the word. Eventually, maybe after a couple of years, I will clear a level with an “S” rating.
If you’ve been considering a Sonic game, and never played the series before - I would recommend Shadow Generations. None of the Sonic games are simple, so it’s not worth looking for a beginner-friendly version. The level progression in this latest game is smooth, it looks amazing, and I left the game feeling like I’ve developed ultra-human reflexes. There’s a lot to do outside of the main missions too!
Strangely enough, one of the best parts of the game was a strange one-off pinball minigame on the map. It might just the best version of pinball I’ve played. When you eventually get to it, the game also unlocks a whole parallel campaign with Shadow as a playable character. Sonic x Shadow Generations is available across consoles - including the Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PlayStation, and the PC. Make sure you use a controller if you’re playing the game on the PC version!