Channeleven
5 reviews liked by Channeleven
Shadow the Hedgehog
2005
Sega’s attempt at a darker Sonic game, starring Shadow the Hedgehog and featuring guns. It also has a lot of words like “Damn” because they chose to not stretch as far as actual swear words. And the humans you shoot are all just wounded.
The structure of the game is a bit like Lylat Wars on the N64. Each mission, you pick between Dark/Normal/Hero objectives to get through six levels. Your choices will alter which mission you play, so you’ll need to play though the game multiple times to see them all. I actually really like this style of choices, and I think it works well for a Sonic game. The problem is that you have to get to each of the five final levels twice, picking a different choice at the end of each one, so a total of 10 playthroughs. This unlocks the end of the game with a final mission.
The story is also a bit of a mess. There are some interesting themes for Shadow, as he learns different parts of his past in different playthroughs (and then some random Shadow Android stuff in others), but each “ending” feels more like the build up to the final moments rather than an actual ending. The proper ending then doesn’t seem to fit any playthrough, incorporating elements from different ones. This could have been sold by tying them all together – some time convergence that causes people to remember things from multiple timelines.
The gameplay is enjoyable, but really rough. While there’s a lot of combat in the game, I don’t think I ever died through a lack of rings. I did die a lot form falling. Getting shot near an edge is pretty much instant deaths, and Shadow’s attacks can sometimes overshoot and send you tumbling to your doom. The missions are also things like “kill all enemies of X type”, and if you miss one early on, you have to use warp pads to try and explore the whole level again to find them. Another cause of frustration is that it’s difficult to target one type of enemy, you’ll end up killing the people who are supposed to be on your side. Sometimes you’re even forced to in order to progress (with the person helping you moaning about it). It works both ways, too, as both sides will attack you. If you’re helping the main villain, Black Doom, he will tell you off for killing his troops, even though his troops are trying to kill you.
That said, I actually quite liked my time with Shadow the Hedgehog. It has a ton of problems, but there’s a cheesy charm to it that was just fun.
The structure of the game is a bit like Lylat Wars on the N64. Each mission, you pick between Dark/Normal/Hero objectives to get through six levels. Your choices will alter which mission you play, so you’ll need to play though the game multiple times to see them all. I actually really like this style of choices, and I think it works well for a Sonic game. The problem is that you have to get to each of the five final levels twice, picking a different choice at the end of each one, so a total of 10 playthroughs. This unlocks the end of the game with a final mission.
The story is also a bit of a mess. There are some interesting themes for Shadow, as he learns different parts of his past in different playthroughs (and then some random Shadow Android stuff in others), but each “ending” feels more like the build up to the final moments rather than an actual ending. The proper ending then doesn’t seem to fit any playthrough, incorporating elements from different ones. This could have been sold by tying them all together – some time convergence that causes people to remember things from multiple timelines.
The gameplay is enjoyable, but really rough. While there’s a lot of combat in the game, I don’t think I ever died through a lack of rings. I did die a lot form falling. Getting shot near an edge is pretty much instant deaths, and Shadow’s attacks can sometimes overshoot and send you tumbling to your doom. The missions are also things like “kill all enemies of X type”, and if you miss one early on, you have to use warp pads to try and explore the whole level again to find them. Another cause of frustration is that it’s difficult to target one type of enemy, you’ll end up killing the people who are supposed to be on your side. Sometimes you’re even forced to in order to progress (with the person helping you moaning about it). It works both ways, too, as both sides will attack you. If you’re helping the main villain, Black Doom, he will tell you off for killing his troops, even though his troops are trying to kill you.
That said, I actually quite liked my time with Shadow the Hedgehog. It has a ton of problems, but there’s a cheesy charm to it that was just fun.
There's something so oldschool and uncanny about this game's atmosphere that I kinda love. This was one of the first games I ever owned, and I got lots of good hours out of it.
Playing this for the first time in my 20s, it's easy to see why many adore this game after playing it as kids - it's vibrant, it's got plenty to do, and hits many right notes for it to be a mainstay.
The cracks do show, however, as not every story route is made equal, and some of the level layouts are... Questionable (Red Mountain, anyone?), but more than worth a shot if you're curious about Sonic's past forays into 3D.
The cracks do show, however, as not every story route is made equal, and some of the level layouts are... Questionable (Red Mountain, anyone?), but more than worth a shot if you're curious about Sonic's past forays into 3D.
I know most people don't like the changes in the models, but I think they're beautiful. This version really has a wonderful experience to it, as well as the normal version of Sonic Adventure.
Sonic did not have a rough transition to 3D. Just like Mario 64, this game definitely shows it's age but it's still an enjoyable experience from beginning to end(minus playing as Big). Sonic did a good job at his first big jump into a 3D space!