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On the character himself, Shadow post SA2 I find to be at his best when he's just "the man on a mission" with a hint of cockiness here and there. He's better as the Batman to Sonic's Superman. He's focused and ready to get the mission done, not the most social guy but you sense that he cares. It's why his story was actually kinda ok in 06 and his partnership with GUN miraculously works. He's not actually that good as a direct rival to Sonic post SA2 because there's nothing compelling that pushes that rivalry. It feels done exclusively for marketing purposes now. When Sega tries to push his "rivalry" aspect like in Sonic Boom, the comics, or apparently Sonic Prime based on the teaser, it's just super boring to watch. He's just unpleasantly grumpy and becomes what everyone thinks he was on first impression. I honestly don't understand how Shadow has maintained his popularity.

Watching the video straight without choosing paths, and hitting the intros with Westopolis at each chapter, summons a post-traumatic stress I thought I'd never experience again.

One common misinterpretation of this game's story that always baffled me was the insinuation that Shadow's arc here was a shallow repeat of his arc in SA2, and I honestly can't fathom it. Shadow the Hedghog offers you a myriad of choices, a look into the possibilities that lay in Shadow's future. As you traverse the Hero path, Shadow begins having more visions of Maria, and becomes determined to fulfill her final wish. And as you travel the Dark path, Shadow drifts more towards Gerald, and becomes determined to fulfill his final wish. That's what Shadow is: a vessel for wishes. Hell, it's even the first thing he says when Eggman frees him in SA2. He didn't exactly have a character in that game though, and he was moreso obedient to whatever Maria wanted. This game however, presents us with an ending that cleaves Shadow from his past, and its the only canonical part of the game at that. As Shadow confronts Devil Doom, an ugly abomination that represents a hate for humanity not too dissimilar from Gerald's, he lets go of Maria, Gerald, and everything else that used to define him. The final shot of the game sees him tossing aside the photo with Maria, as he says goodbye to his old self. This is a story of growth, not of repetition as many seem to think, and I hope more people start to realise that.

I've always found Shadow to be a very 2000's interpretation of the character of Sonic. Whereas Sonic is a pure, unbridled representation of freedom while being this cool, power of friendship but anti-authoritarian somewhat aloof dude, Shadow is a very serious kind of cool. He takes himself deadly seriously, and his freedom is not something inherently given to him, but something he earns by breaking the chains of his past and becoming his own hedgehog/ultimate life form thing. Shadow is an incredibly sincere look at what "cool" was at the time of his conception, thrown right in the face of a Sonic who was just becoming "lame" for embodying a sense of cool that was out of date. We've seen Sonic go through his self-deprecating, self-aware phase already, and I feel like he's becoming a far more sincere embodiment of what he used to represent lately. Shadow's just a bit behind in that cycle, where writers still feel a bit insecure with him and double down on his loner brooding. I really do think Shadow's day is going to come again, as nostalgia and appreciation for his era grows in retrospect - what was cool becomes lame then cool, then vintage forever, happens with every pop culture era. "i'm the coolest" he said once after being hit in the face. I still believe it.

Anyway I rented Shadow the Hedgehog as a tween and did the dark path. Then I decided to follow the dark path's lesson and didn't return the game or go to blockbuster ever again, so it just kind of hovered as a dark reminder of my sin in the back of my collection. No idea what I actually think of the game anymore besides HEY SHADOW, LONG TIME NO SEE and not being able to find the last man to heal in the ARK, so thank you for reminding me of how much of a banger the soundtrack was.

I honestly love the Archie version of Shadow because while he was cocky and a bit serious every now and then he still respected his friends and his relationship with team dark was legitimately great. He was just a nice dude who ya took his job seriously but genuinely cared about others and his friends.

I’m quite a fan of the “Miracle of Love” path, as it’s called in the library.

In order to get that path name, you have to go pure dark up until Amy’s level and then switch to pure hero until the end of the game.

It’s a very nice sort of remembrance of Amy’s role in SA2, being the one who managed to clarify Shadow’s vision of himself and humanity.

And then they never interacted again because we can’t have nice things.

42:40, I would say that Gerald’s goal was originally using the eclipse canon to defeat the Black Comet. But that eventually went out the window when G.U.N killed Maria. He had nothing to live for anymore.

See, this is what I love about YouTubers like KingK: This isn't another lazy "Shadow has a gun, CRINGE" video, and it's not another weird "Here's why Shadow the Hedgehog is secretly GOOD" video, either: It's an honest analysis that tries to meet the game in good faith and discuss it in all aspects, good, bad, and otherwise.

I have come to report that Sonic X Shadow Generations redeemed Shadow.

I like Pariah’s take on Shadow’s character post-SA2.

Shadow really did die after that game; where this “new” Shadow is a different character entirely.
He has amnesia, meaning his body is still Shadow, but his mind is completely different… a whole new persona.

The end of Shadow the Hedgehog (game) is New Shadow finally tossing aside anything that bound him to the Old Shadow, so he could finally move on and be who he wants to be… not what others tell him he is.


This is similarly brought up in Kingdoms of Amalur, where a couple of key characters remark that the player’s character is nothing like the person they were before they died; as if they were a completely different person.

It's ironic that post SA2 my favorite showing of the character was in '06, being the most infamous Sonic Game. In that game Shadow felt not like some edgy bastard but the more focused more no-nonsense hero to contrast to Sonic's more care-free attitude. I liked that he had meaningful relationships with Rouge and Omega, I liked that his goals were saving the world even if it wasn't convenient, I liked that when told that he'd be made a scapegoat he'd "fight as [he] always has" but not abandon his ideals. Seriously for all its problems '06 felt like the one game that got the idea of what Shadow should be post SA2 actually right.

The soundtrack in this game is ridiculously underrated, and not just the vocal tracks. Prison Island, Final Haunt, GUN Fortress, Sky Troops, Black Comet, and Lava Shelter are some of my favorite songs in the series. This game is a guilty pleasure of mine, and while it isn't perfect or even that great, the music absolutely kicks ass.

This is my biggest "guilty pleasure" game by far. Yeah, I know it's widely agreed that it's not a good game, but I've always loved it ever since I played it when it first release. I honestly never minded the gameplay, especially with the use of the secret keys, and the story is just so ridiculous that I can't help but crack up at the cutscenes. Even if my older self can acknowledge that it sucks, it'll always have a special place in my heart.

One of the best things about this game's legacy is that an actual firearm manufacturer made the intro's pump-action SMG a real thing.

I rented this game multiple times to get all the endings. I was fulfilled with a weird mix of regret and satisfaction.

This video was an interesting experiment that confirmed something I've suspected for a while now. However broken, janky or frustrating the game is, or initially uninterested I am in the source material, hearing someone talk fondly of something, highlighting the good parts and putting the spotlight of what makes a game unique, is to me, at least, infinitely more interesting than pointing out a games flaws. This is also a mindset I've been trying to maintain recently, not giving up in my initial gut reaction, but stick to it and try to find the good parts, be it the atmosphere, music, writing, interesting mechanics or the sheer absurdity of what I'm witnessing.
It's so much easier to appreciate things in life with this mindset, and I'll continue to deploy it.

I have a LOT of thoughts on this game, and I think your breakdowns of GUN Fortress and Lava Shelter really hit the nail on the head with its main issue: It needed to be more deliberate with its story paths and give actual motivation for tugging Shadow toward either side. I think rather than an OutRun map, having two parallel lanes of Good and Evil, or "Fight the Aliens" versus "Learn about your past" would have made each stage a more compelling choice. A stage like Glyphic Canyon can either br about defending an ancient piece of history from invasion (Sympathy with Knuckles being there) OR Shadow realizing this Black Arms temple may hold the keys to who he is. It's not interesting to have Shadow randomly flipflop between Hero or Villain based solely on what the player thinks - it IS interesting to have Shadow himself have motivation for considering whatever action he's taking to be "the right one".

Another thing: I really love the existence of the Last Story. The entire game is about an amnesiac Shadow frantically trying to find out what he's supposed to be based on his old legacy, an effort that never really ends satisfyingly. Because the best way to move forward is to let go of the past – to Never Turn Back if you will – and forge your own path free of baggage. It's pretty special, and solidifies this Shadow as his own character seperate from the one who died in SA2.

I have a lot of funny stories about this game. How my mom thought it was too violent for my fragile young mind and tried to return it, only for some based Best Buy employee to tell her its not that violent. How I tried to learn I am All of Me the first year I started playing guitar and failed hilariously. How I spent my first year with this game only playing the true neutral path. But I think my favorite is how my silly love for a game no one else liked, and for Sonic in general, got me talking to my best friend in college. We both attest our friendship to freakin' Shadow the Hedgehog, and it means a lot t me in that way.

The section about Cosmic Fall is fascinating; I'd never have considered how perfectly the theming and story match. That's the weird thing about Shadow as a character. I'm not a huge fan of his so part of me wants to say he's garbage and get just rid of him, but there are these nuggets of genuinely compelling story and characterization that make it a harder sell than I feel like it should be.