Sonic X Shadow Generations Switch 2 Review – Platforming Delight

With Mario too busy go-karting to go about on one of his adventures, it falls to his age old nemesis Sonic (as well as Sonic’s compadres) to hold up the platforming fort for the Nintendo Switch  2 launch. Happily for all involved, the Sonic game that is headlining Sega’s initiatives for this launch is Sonic X Shadow Generations, last year enhanced remaster of one of the more beloved 3D Sonic games, alongside a special added dose of everyone’s favorite ultimate life form in Shadow the Hedgehog. 

Sonic Generations was already a fairly good game (though it holds up less well today than it did at launch), but the addition of Shadow Generations – which can lay a claim to being the best 3D Sonic entry this side of the Adventure saga – really elevates the whole offering, and provides platforming fans with a substantial and good entry in the genre right at the Switch 2’s launch.

"The Switch 2 release sees an improvement across the board. Sonic Generations now runs at a locked, blistering 60 frames per second."

Sonic X Shadow Generations launched last year on every system, including Nintendo’s own Switch, which means it’s a known quantity. The 2011 Sonic game, which was widely viewed as one of the best 3D entries in the series at the time of its release, paired with Shadow’s first headlining adventure since the ill-fated Shadow the Hedgehog, are both available in this package. Compared to the Switch version, the Switch 2 versions run significantly better – the Switch versions of Sonic and Shadow Generations ran at 1080p and 720p respectively, but more than the resolution, the big hit came via the frame rate, which only targeted 30fps. 

The Switch 2 release sees an improvement across the board. Sonic Generations now runs at a locked, blistering 60 frames per second, as a platformer, particularly a platformer about one of the speediest creatures alive, should. Of course, Sonic Generations is also a 14 year old game, so it running well on a brand new machine in 2025 isn’t inherently surprising (although the improvement over the original Switch version is most definitely welcome). Rather, the point of interest here is Shadow Generations, which was already running worse on Switch than even Sonic Generations, and which, as a brand new 3D game, was more challenging on the hardware.

With Shadow Generations too, thankfully, there are improvements. There is a performance mode that locks the frame rate to 60 frames per second (which is excellent, and exactly what it should be), although for those who prefer the image clarity and legibility that a higher resolution image can provide, there is a Quality Mode available as well, which bumps the resolution while locking the frame rate to 30fps.

"I am merely happy to have the ability to play the game on 60fps, as a platformer should be, hardware permitting."

The quality mode isn’t one I would personally ever use or even recommend for a Sonic platformer; nonetheless, it is a good thing that the option is available for those who prefer it. I am merely happy to have the ability to play the game on 60fps, as a platformer should be, hardware permitting. 

Other than the graphical upgrades, however, there’s no other upgrades to this version of the game. Both Sonic Generations and Shadow Generations are the exact same games they were last year, on the Switch and on every other system – they are simply looking and running better. Inherently, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that – as I have repeatedly specified, Sonic Generations is still fairly good, even if it has lost its lustre a little, and Shadow Generations is the best a 3D Sonic game has been in almost two decades.

Both of those are excellent platformers, featuring strongly designed levels that lend themselves incredibly well to repeated playthroughs, as you try to find secrets or shortcuts, or you try to shave off time from your completion and bump your grade higher. The arcade score attack style mentality that pervades the design of a Sonic game is still here, and with the level design and character movement both being as great as they are, continually replaying these levels comes almost naturally, without the game having to do anything to induce the player to do so.

However, this being a straight port of a reasonably straightforward re-release means that it inherits a lot of the flaws of those other releases too. These are most evident with Sonic Generations, which suffers from feeling a bit too dated sometimes, particularly with some of its 2D “Classic Sonic” levels, which can be almost too simplistic. Additionally, both Sonic and Shadow Generations suffer from a relatively uninteresting hub world, particularly compared to some of the series’ own previous highlights in these areas.

"Overall, then, this is a great version of a great couple of games, and the Switch 2 version has very little of the obvious cutbacks and compromises that made the Switch version so hard to recommend last year."

The story of Sonic Generations particularly is also far more streamlined and simplified than a lot of the blue blur’s more popular adventures, which tend to have fairly elaborate and overwrought stories. Personally, as someone who doesn’t particularly care about the storytelling in Sonic games, I don’t mind a simple story that stays out of the way, but I also recognize that within the Sonic fanbase, there is a huge cadre of fans that does care about the story and mythos of the franchise. For them, Sonic Generations may still prove to be disappointing on this front. Thankfully, however, Shadow Generations taps in a lot more into the exact kind of storytelling that Sonic Generations eschews, so even for more plot oriented Sonic fans, this package has a lot to offer.

Shadow Generations benefits over Sonic Generations in a bunch of other ways besides. The core design for the levels is significantly better here, making the levels inherently a lot more fun to play. Shadow also feels better to control on a base level, with the added Doom Powers that he slowly unlocks over the course of the campaign further adding to his moveset, and surprisingly enough, doing so without interrupting the flow or pacing of the levels or encounters. 

Shadow Generations also, obviously, has a great soundtrack – though this is an area where Sonic Generations is no slouch either, because what Sonic game has ever truly disappointed when it comes to music? None of them, and it isn’t about to start here either.

Overall, then, this is a great version of a great couple of games, and the Switch 2 version has very little of the obvious cutbacks and compromises that made the Switch version so hard to recommend last year. Sonic X Shadow Generations on the Switch 2, rather, can stand side by side with the PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game (though as should be obvious, it’s running at lower settings than those builds of the game do). If you are a Nintendo owner who hasn’t played through this already, or doesn’t own it on Switch, and you have a hankering for a good platformer, this is an easily recommended purchase.

If, however, you did own the Switch version of the game already, the calculus becomes a lot more complicated. You see, Sega, in their infinite wisdom, are not allowing Switch 1 owners to upgrade their existing copies of the game. Unlike so many other first and third party games, Sonic X Shadow Generations on Switch cannot be upgraded to the Switch 2 version for free or even for an upgrade fee; instead, you need to buy the whole game again. Doing so does allow you to import your Switch save over to the Switch 2, so you at least don’t have to start over, but it’s extremely disappointing that there’s not even an option for a paid upgrade being offered.

"Whatever the situation may be, however, don’t let the pricing decisions take away from the ultimate takeaway – Sonic X Shadow Generations is good."

That unnecessary sour note in how the release has been handled aside, however, anyone who does get Sonic X Shadow Generations is in for a treat, with a surprisingly great new game in the guise of Shadow, and a beloved fan favorite that manages to hold up mostly well in Sonic. If you haven’t played it yet, and are interested in platformers, then the Switch 2 version is as easily recommended as the PC, PlayStation, or Xbox versions are; if you do already own the game on Switch itself, it’s a lot harder to recommend you having to by the same game again. 

Whatever the situation may be, however, don’t let the pricing decisions take away from the ultimate takeaway – Sonic X Shadow Generations is good. And with the Switch 2 version bringing the performance and visuals of the game back in line with the other versions, this is the best version of the best batch of Sonic games available to Nintendo players.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2.