After several years of Shadow the Hedgehog being reduced to a brooding rival to Sonic,Sonic X Shadow Generationsfinally cements just who the anti-hero is in a unique campaign that’s all his own. Players can experience the interactive history of the black blur inShadow Generations, using Chaos Control to stop the in-game clock, help Shadow fight the literal demons of his past, and take on familiar yet differentbosses from the Biolizardto Mephiles the Dark.
Just like the last severalSonicgames before it,Sonic X Shadow Generationshad three special animated episodes to advertise Shadow’s new playable experience. These shorts were the first big example of just how deep the title would go into the character’s emotions and past, making it very clear that everything that makes Shadow the Hedgehog so special would be included. Shadow’s history is very important to his overall character arc, and everything about it is found in the story ofShadow Generations, including Emerl the Gizoid.
Sonic X Shadow Generations Brings Back Emerl, But Does Nothing With Him Afterwards
Emerl’s inclusion inSonic X Shadow Generations Dark Beginningswas met with surprise and excitement, as the robot hadn’t been used inSonicgames sinceSonic Advance 3.His lore expanded inSonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, which sits in a bit of a limbo situation as the new lore team at Sega re-establishes continuity. Known as just the Gizoid 50 years ago, Emerl is another one of the scientific endeavors by the late Gerald Robotnik, just like Shadow himself.
Including Emerl in Sonic X Shadow Generations Just Makes Sense
While Gerald didn’t build Emerl personally – rather, one of his sons found it on an archaeological dig and decided to research it – both Shadow and Emerl share the weight of being designed by Gerald to buy time to continue searching fora cure for Maria’s illnessby acting as a countermeasure against the government’s demands of the professor. It’s this similarity that gives weight to a lot of their conflict inSonic Battle, which gets further context inDark Beginningsand Gerald’s journal inSonic X Shadow Generations.This history with the Gizoid deserves its place in the game as an important footnote in Shadow’s past.
Due toDark Beginningsand the game’s Japanese website, players thought that an empty “coming soon” slot meant that the new prominence of Emerl would lead him to become asecond playable character inShadow Generations. These slots were eventually used to reveal Maria, Gerald, and Black Doom, leaving Shadow definitively as the only playable character in the new campaign, and once the game was put into players' hands, it was easy to find out that the Gizoid is nowhere to be seen within it. It begs the question as to why he was given such a focus in the first place.
What Emerl’s Return Could Mean For the Future
It’s true that the Gizoid is an important part of Shadow’s past, and Gerald’s journal reflects this while including the relevantSonic Battleentries, so it’s a bit strange to bring him back with such prominence and then do nothing with him. Emerl is still around as Gemerlin theSonicIDW comics, but either using him for the ARK flashbacks is purely fanservice, or Sonic Team is working on more content related to him or the Gizoids.
WithSonic X Shadow Generationsmight say about Emerl, there are a number of routes that are open to explore the character further.Sonic Battle’s place in Shadow’s past and series lore is currently an inaccessible black hole, so now is a great time to rerelease it or possibly even remake it as a new fighting game, ifa survey from theSonicsocial media channelsis anything to go by. OtherSonicgames could go into the history of the Gizoid a bit more closely, or perhaps Gemerl might break from comic exclusivity soon. No matter which way Sonic Team decide to take future releases,Dark Beginningscertainly proves that there’s creative potential in the Gizoid’s possible return.
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!
