Sonic X Shadow Generations announced, releases Autumn 2024

My main problem with the level design is the same problems that Forces and Frontiers had: The level geometry, while in this game fit the aesthetics of the level better than the previous games, don't mesh more organically as they did in Generations. The rectangular flat platforms and tubes detached from each other don't look nearly as visually interesting as the background elements of the levels--it really makes the levels feel more barren than they should. I'd rather run around the ark, not the floating pieces of level geometry surrounding it.

Generations handled it far better, making levels like Speed Highway and Seaside Hill feel way more organic than their original appearances.

 

At least in ARK it makes sense to be so geometric, not like the original StH or SA2 stages were super organic with their level design either, but it does look pretty blocky. The Radical Highway snippet looks a fair bit more organic, but we really need to see more stages in action to get a bit better of an idea of things.

 

Isn't that Final Chase's whole shebang, though..? I even checked some SA2 gameplay to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but it really sounds like you're asking a cake out of a bagel here. It really seems like Sonic Team had an idea here; judging from the gameplay provided, Shadow has to go through transitional portions as a lead up to the Biolizard boss. Only makes sense they'd use the major establishing shot of a location to indicate where he's going, y'know?

 

I'm inclined to agree in general, though I do feel like (currently) Kingdom Valley & Rail Canyon feel as fleshed out as they were originally. For Rail Canyon, might end up being more fleshed out than the original.

 

Yup, that is definitely 3D Sonic gameplay alright.

 

Reviewing the footage, I really like the little animations for extra flair. Shadow rolling at 5:16, leaning his turns down the building at 7:08, the landing at 8:40. The animation work in general for cutscenes are way above what we've seen in the games in years. They're letting the animation team cook.

 

New interview.

Spoiler

Sonic Unleashed remaster mention jumpscare.

 

The irony is how little the third dimension is used. It's like a glorified Sonic Dash.

 

Lmao what?

 

That's a terrible comparison because MOST of Forces had just as bad level design, even 15 stages into the game. The best levels were probably Metropolis and Mortar Canyon. And the Shadow DLC stages.

 

The level design on offer in Shadow Gens looks like a lane runner most of the time, same as Forces and Colours and Cyberspace. Unleashed and Generations mostly manage to avoid it by having a lot more going on.

 

A questionable at best summation of the VGA gameplay, and after I've seen the level in full, it's just objectively not true lol.

 

Here's a Reupload of the Ark Act 1 - Shacknews

 

From my point of view Unleashed is glorified Sonic Dash

It literally invented the three-lane gameplay lol

 

Hot take: Unleashed's boost gameplay has way more in common with Forces' boost gameplay than a lot of people are willing to admit. In fact, I'd say more than Colors and Generations, because in those games you actually have to stop boosting a lot more often. Forces is Unleashed without the flashy set pieces, length, and difficulty that made those levels enjoyable.

 

Honestly not even a hot take, remember the initial reaction to Cyberspace level footage before people realized they were recreations? "Oh no its forces again", but it was Unleashed level design. I'm pretty sure people just say "its like Forces" for games they don't like lmao

 

Wow. I know everyone's talking about if the Level Design is good or not, but what I'm most impressed by is how smoothly the game transitions between cutscenes and gameplay. Sonic games so often fade to black between the two, this one just flooows.

Also, that is a seven minute level.

Yes, I know the guy was not playing very well, but he wasn't playing so poorly that he made a 2 minute level take 3.5x longer than a good player would.

 

There's a lot to be said for the set dressing in Unleashed/Gens vs other boost games. The big hill at the start of Windmill Isle 1 is uneven, and forms part of a larger environment. The same hill in Cyberspace 1-1 is flat, has random stacks of crates instead of natural rocky outcroppings and is just chunk of level floating in space. That kind of visual difference counts for a lot in terms of how a level feels, and it's one of the biggest issues that I have with the Colours-esque boost games. And as mentioned, the uneven terrain in the Unleashed version makes for more interesting movement.

 

The creator of Sonic Forces Overclocked has an entire Twitter thread about this. It's an interesting read.

 

Forces' level design was so remarkably bad that every single time people are scared that something "looks like Forces". It happened to Frontiers, it's happening to Generations and it's surely going to happen to whatever the next 3D Sonic game will be.