2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog game is a fever dream to look back on because of its dark tone, a striking departure from Sonic series norms. It included swearing in its dialogue, had its titular antihero use vehicles when it would have been faster to run, and most infamously had him using firearms to take out baddies (and good guys, depending on which paths you took). Sonic X Shadow Generations, the enhanced remaster that includes a new campaign starring the black-and-red hedgehog, pays tribute to the 2005 game, but notably, we’ve not seen Shadow pull a Glock out. That’s because he doesn’t need weapons this time around, according to Sega.
In an interview with VGC, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka explained that, in the team’s mind, Shadow used firearms and vehicles out of necessity for the situation. But Iizuka also says that he doesn’t actually “need” a gun because he’s powerful enough on his own. So there’s a bit of conflicting messaging about whether Shadow used guns in the 2005 game because he had to or because he wanted to.
“Yeah, in the games Shadow did use a gun,” Iizuka said. “But when we talk about Shadow, he would use whatever he needed in the moment to get the job done. So he would pick up a gun or ride a bike in order to get the job done – he’s that kind of character.
But he’s also extremely powerful on his own and doesn’t really need a gun or anything because he can do it himself – he is a weapon. So as long as there’s no need for Shadow to use a gun, he will probably not use one.”
Shadow’s levels in Generations do include a ranged attack in the form of his iconic Chaos Spear energy blast, and it functions similarly to how firearms did in the 2005 game. In a sense, it lines up with what Iizuka’s saying here because Shadow doesn’t need a weapon when he’s able to create those attacks himself. But ultimately, let’s just call Shadow’s arsenal in 2005 what it was: a very mid-2000s attempt at creating an edgier tone. It’s fun to look back on, but maybe not something we need to prioritize when looking back at Shadow’s history and recreate in the here and now.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on October 25. The game is one part of Sega’s Year of Shadow initiative to pay tribute to the character, all culminating in his appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 live-action film voiced by Keanu Reeves.
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