Light spoilers for Sonic X Shadow Generations ahead, and full spoilers for most of Gerald’s journal.
Sonic X Shadow Generationsmakes it a point to divulge Shadow’s past and future. For the black hedgehog, however, this means that the story ofSonic X Shadow Generationsdeals with Black Doom, Maria, and his creator, Professor Gerald Robotnik.
The role Professor Gerald plays inShadow Generationscan’t be understated as he not only serves as a character in White Space Shadow can interact with, but players whoobtain the day one edition ofSonic X Shadow Generationswill receive a physical book of the Professor’s journal that can be found in-game. This is one of the best pre-order bonuses long-termSonicfans could have ever asked for, as Gerald’s journal has been an important piece of series history sinceSonic Adventure 2. It serves as motivation for Eggman, Shadow, and eventually the entire Last Story, while also appearing in games likeSonic BattleandSonic Rivals 2.
Gerald’s Journal in Sonic X Shadow Generations Explained
Due to how long Gerald’s documentation of his research and his life have beena prominent piece ofSoniclore, being able to read it for themselves may feel surreal to some fans. The journal most certainly delivers one of the key pieces to the franchise’s history without a doubt. It goes into heavy detail about what led to the creation of Shadow, other known experiments, and even key history of the Robotnik family line. Some details within the professor’s writings aren’t new, but all of them tied together paint a picture of the ARK incident never seen before in any otherSonicmedium.
One of the first things in the journal reveals that while Gerald has visited Angel Island, he’s never seen the muralinSonic & Knucklesthat fans believed led Shadow’s design to be inspired by Super Sonic, but it explains why the Space Colony ARK’s core looks like the Master Emerald’s shrine. G.U.N is soon named as one of the investors of the ARK project, and Gerald surmises early on that they’ll eventually force him to develop weapons, when he’d much rather advance science to improve the lives of people like Maria, who’s diagnosed with neuro-immuno deficiency syndrome shortly into Gerald’s life in space.
Maria is takenaboard the Space Colony ARKto treat her disease despite protests from her birth parents, and its low gravity environment helps keep her from suffering too much. However, G.U.N soon begins their demands for weapons, all while disapproval from his loved ones and a president asking for the key to immortality is added to the obstacles in the way of Gerald’s more hopeful scientific endeavors.
Professor Gerald’s Repeated Attempts to Earn More Time
Almost all the iconic known aspects of Gerald’s research are described from conceptualization to completion - or as close as they’ll get - in Gerald’s journal, such as the Artificial Chaos robots, Emerl the Gizoid, Chaos Drives, the Biolizard, and of course,Shadow the Hedgehog himself. The entries reveal that “Project: Shadow,” the initiative that created the titular black hedgehog, was originally meant to give G.U.N and the president status updates on a project he saw as impossible to fulfill. The Artificial Chaos enemies were originally made to satisfy G.U.N’s craving for weapons, and the Chaos Drives were the start of Gerald trying to pursue immortality for the president. None of these projects satisfied the investors - and Maria’s family were growing angry that she had been gone for what had been years at that point. With the people keeping the ARK running and his loved ones demanding progress, Professor Gerald finds himself in desperate times when he barters for Black Doom’s DNA.
What Truly Happened on the Space Colony ARK
Professor Gerald may have created the black hedgehog, but Maria has been revealed to be the one who named Shadow. The journal also says that Maria was the one who helped designShadow’s inhibitor ringsand “air shoes” to quote Shadow inSonic Prime. With G.U.N still demanding super weapons, Gerald showcased what would be Emerl inSonic Battle(including the game’s own entries) to the militia. Shadow was nearly complete with hopes that his DNA could be a cure for Maria. In theDark Beginningsshorts, the process to create this cure required Gerald to ask for even more time, so, he created the ARK’s Eclipse Cannon.
The Eclipse Cannon was unfortunately Gerald’s way of killing two birds with one stone, creating it with the idea that Shadow would use it in the future to stop theBlack Arms returning inShadow the Hedgehog, calling it a “gift to him in a battle he never asked for.” Shadow and Maria are fast-friends once Shadow is awakened, but details in the journal entry make it clear that Gerald feels like his family has abandoned him and Maria. He says that he needs to get them back and cure Maria with Shadow being the key. By this point, it seems that the professor, his granddaughter, and his creation are almost the only family the three of them have.
As shown in Dark Beginnings, (and the journal) the Gizoid goes on a rampage, and the Artificial Chaos monsters go berserk shortly after. This was seen in Lost Impact inShadow the Hedgehog, but the rival’s solo title didn’t reveal that the events led to an SOS distress signal being sent to GUN automatically.Sonicfans know exactly what’s next, andfamiliar passages fromSonic Adventure 2follow afterward. The journal ends with a photo of Shadow, Maria, and Gerald smiling.
Gerald’s journal gives fans the clearest picture of what happened on the Space Colony ARK, connecting multiple pieces of Shadow’s past while re-introducing Gerald and Maria to players in great detail. After many years of having the more traumaticparts of Shadow’s pastcensored, it’s rather chilling to see it heavily implied with Gerald’sAdventure 2entries saying volumes about his downfall.
The way that it encompasses all the events on the ARK, as well as Gerald’s stresses that led him to make desperate moves to continue to help his granddaughter and better the world, gives such a prominent moment sincere and real weight after only being spoken of and borderline censored in multipleSonicgames, and it’s best to read it before restoringSonic Forces' stage Sunset HeightsinShadow Generations.With the truth about Gerald and Maria fresh on their minds, Shadow’s story is much easier to sympathize with, which will only heighten the game’s experience as a whole.
Sonic X Shadow Generations
WHERE TO PLAY
THE RETURN OF SHADOWIn this new standalone campaign, Shadow’s nemesis, Black Doom, has reemerged and threatens to take over the world once again. Shadow must journey into his past, confront his painful memories, and unlock new dark powers to save the world.
SHADOW EVOLVEDHarness Shadow’s new Doom Powers to battle hordes of enemies and tackle platforming challenges like never before. Surf on water, fly over obstacles, and stop time with the return of Chaos Control!A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AND DIMENSIONSExperience the ultimate showdown between Shadow and Black Doom in a new boss battle that will test your skills and reflexes. Use all of Shadow’s abilities to defeat Black Doom and save the world!EXPLORE THE NEW WHITE SPACEStretch your legs in an all-new hub world inspired by the open-zone gameplay of Sonic Frontiers. As Shadow gains new powers, he can explore further and uncover the secrets hidden throughout!
