I could see a lot of ways they could remaster Sonic Battle. Movie, faithfully to new consoles, traditional 2D fighter. I really wish the game was more known, because it's story fucking rocks (aside from Amy flanderization), but the gameplay is complete ass.
God, Shadow's experience with grief and trauma felt like you could reach out and touch it. Amazing and clear communication of his thought process surrounding his family, friends, and Doom. I know Flynn doesn't decide the scenario but he wrote it amazingly. Also, gameplay is genuinely so good I cannot complain about it. Actual level design and redemption of several levels that didn't get to truly shine!
I think the most intresting thing about this game is the promise Maria wanted for shadow. Since Maria didnt know of this promise before Shadow told her about it in Shadow gens it sort of implies the promise to give everyone a chance to be happy is a promise with no true origin. Maria was told of the wish by shadow and then Maria goes on to tell this to shadows past self. In that sense the wish isnt just for Shadow to give others the chance to be happy but also to allow himself to have the chance to be happy as well.
Not necessarily. This is a Maria before she asked him to protect humanity. Also giving sonic generations it's safe to say we aren't under stable to loop logic.
That concluding statement was beautiful and pretty accurate. Shadow and his world basically has the skin of a Disney cartoon, the soul of Dragon Ball Z, but the spirit of a Greek tragedy
Shadow Generations really was a triumph in every possible way for me. It was incredibly polished in a way that Sonic games, even the great ones, usually aren’t. Probably my favorite 3D game since Sonic Generations.
Unironically I feel like Shadow needed this in order to feel complete. There are no more parts of who he is that he’s rejecting, he truly is all of himself.
I have seen very little of people complain about shadow generations conflicting with his development in th shadow ending, but it sounds like it was very likely a complaint from the crowd who think moving on from your past meaning you never think or care about your loved ones.
I didn't expect you to focus that much on the story, but I'm glad you did. My take on Shadow's behaviour in Generations is simply this: You can process or lock away your grief as much as you want...but when you actually get to meet your lost loved ones again, then no rationalisation will save you from falling back into grief and anger. Also, ShG is probably my favorite Sonic game. And it might even be my favorite title of 2024. Please keep this level of quality, Sonic Team.
I don’t…play Sonic games. I’ve never played a single one and the main thing is know about them come from your love of the series and this hedgehog specifically. However. This year I’ve had to grapple with unexpected and sudden grief for the first time and this video made me sob. It couldn’t have come at a better time. He wasn’t really a Maria for me, we weren’t even ever that close but… he did want everyone to be happy. That was his ultimate wish that he left with us. So…thanks for this the reminder, Nezumi. I miss him.
33:45 This song always gets me emotional. There are a lot of parallels here with Amy’s talk with Shadow in SA2. Your points about grief, progress in general not being linear are super salient. Living AND learning.
You put into words what I was feeling when I finished Shadow Generations. I recently lost a close family member myself and I found myself relating to shadow a lot more due to that. But I also relate to the found family message. Blood relation doesn't mean much if they can't treat you well and accept you for who you are.
Something i don't see in the vid and is pointing out that during that little vision of Shadow and Maria in the field of flowers is that in the games never really happens, since Shadow never got to Earth until after Maria's death. And with Shadow saying "That life was taken from me long ago", he isnt referring to just Maria, but the life he wanted to live with Maria on Earth. The chance to be on Earth and happy was taken from him long ago. (And before anyone misinterprets what I'm saying, no, i do not mean romantically)
I hope that Shadow Generations acts as the insight into Shadow's character the way that Shadow the Hedgehog was for others. Like yes, he's edgy, but with depth!
your way of discussing sonic as a franchise, with so much nuance and love always reaches me very deeply. i love your work and i knew this was going to be great to hear- i was super excited to hear your thoughts-, i didn't expect that it'd leave me crying from how you worded it all. i think this game really cemented in my brain how much shadow as a character means to me, but i think you've managed to make that fondness grow even more, if that's even possible. thank you for that! glad to be able to see another video from you, and extremely excited to see whatever projects you might have in the backburner!!
Yeah, I absolutely LOVE Shadow Generations story and how it concludes Shadow's story. It brought me to tears when the credits started to roll. I think you summed up the message of the story perfectly.
LET'S GOOO I LOVE THAT SILLY LITTLE HEDGEHOG Grief while autistic is quite... Odd, from my experience in a way I struggle to articulate. But by gods shadow generations really HITS Wonderful video will cry again !!
This is one of the two video essays that ever made me cry. I lost someone important this year and it's been hard, feels like no one really understands what im going through. I felt more seen in this little black animal than anything else in my own life. Thanks for this video, it got me up today.
This video was wonderful, and I hope and wish you the best in your emotional recovery. Loss is something that affects us all, but what matters is the way you keep the memory of those you love alive. Keep on keeping on girl👍
It's a delight to see you returning to making videos! Your quality of writing and humor's top notch as always. Looking forward to seeing you again in 2025!
The story details are basically what i think the story is meant to convey yes. The bosses and the story all go into exploring shadow, his past, his future, and story. Also, you made me cry putting it into words
A wonderful video about a wonderful game. Thank you and good job! Grief is such a complicated emotion to process for people, much less understand when its somebody else, so I guess thats why it was hard for others to really see what Shadow's deal is and what he was going through. I feel you did a great job at explaining, though! As always, wishing you and yours a great time and some peace of mind
wonderful video!! i’m not the biggest sonic fan in the world, but i really appreciate your discussion of grief and how grappling with it has no easy “solution,” which is okay. thanks as always for your work :)
Genuinely beautiful review of Shadow Gens. Ive been wanting to talk about this game for a bit because emotionally it shattered me in the best of ways. Shadow has always been a character ive related to and found so interesting and even more so feel hes developed so wonderfully this year through this project. I agree with so many points, especially his struggle with trauma and its overarching facet within his growth and demeanor towards relationships and healing. This was a great video!
gotta say that the statement near the end of the video really stung my heart in a fulfilling way, both for shadow and for me personally. my grandma passed a few weeks ago, and it's only now that i've felt sad and wanted to cry about it, and shadow's closure in this game made me bawl and resonate with it now. agh, his character makes me so insane,,, thank you so much for your words regarding your own grief, and i'm so happy that shadow's one of my favorite characters ;;v;;
I cried just as much this time as when I watched the Shadow 05 video, and when I played the game for myself a month ago. I'm still running away... I keep hiding away from everything that makes me me, I keep ignoring and forcing myself to forget who I am, even now that I'm closer than ever to remembering. I started HRT between the Shadow 05 video and now, and while it does so much good, it also opens up so much that I thought had gone away. Every little mistake, every little failure, every little hurt feeling, lost friend, broken heart; I see anything that reminds me of it and it's like I'm right there seeing it happen again. I finally get the chance to face it, and after this video I think I know how to. Thank you so much :))))
I love your Black Doom and Shadow skits. Best comedic moments in your videos right up there with your Tengan bits. Marcie really knows how to make funny old men.
Beautiful video, really puts into perspective how meaningful this game and its story are for a lot of people. Shadow is a very important character and this video does him and those who identify with him so much justice.
Your words are beautiful!! 😭😭😭 I’m here tearing up at everything you said about grief, and the whole analysis of Shadow’s situation in Generations recklessly pulled at my heartstrings. I must say, the editing in this video is really good, and I particularly loved your choices in background music throughout it, *especially* during Shadow Gens scenes where you removed the OG music; I never played the games from the 2000s and I understand some of their OST was recycled as a callback in this game, but…. A handful of highly emotional cutscenes or even Shadow’s story recap were in dire need of dedicated pieces, to truly get those punches to land more effectively. I don’t think I cried as much during my actual playthrough as I did now watching the same cutscenes in your video, that’s excellent. Hell, I’m pretty sure all(? of the tracks you picked are Sonic music too, there IS pre existing fitting score for scenes like this XD Anyway, wonderful work all around ❤ Edit: forgot to mention, when you also left in the sound effects while showing accompanying gameplay footage, I don’t think I’ve noticed something like that in other videos at all, that attention to detail and care put into presentation is truly remarkable
Some of the emotional pieces are Sonic tracks, yes! But some are also from other sources (namely Higurashi, Umineko, and Yume 2kki!) Thank you for noticing the work I put into the sound design, though! I was very happy with how that aspect came out. :3
This was an amazing video! I love the music choices, and your views on the writing were super eye-opening as someone who absolutely loves the little things in a story. Please keep up the good work!
21:29 i had a heart attack because i thought you said "when he comes out as trans" asdfnksfbhgkadsjfhgf. GOOD FOR HIM THOUGH. OR HER??? GOOD FOR SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG
This. You put my every thought into words. Shadow changed my brain cemetery as a kid, and I've never been able to get over how much I've always connected to him.
Not me getting sad over Shadow the Hedgehog! Not me getting sad over him!! Oh no!!! Not the compartmentalization and the self-loathing!!!! Not the crisis over grieving and not knowing how to move forward!!!!! I knew about Shadow’s history since I’ve always been fond of Sonic t. Hedgehog and the silly stories (hell I cried over fucking Sonic Underground don’t @ me) but man when the writing hits it HITS. My little guys. My silly cute binguses.
I really love the moment when Gerald first approaches Shadow in White Space, and Shadow's eyes go wide and he almost starts to back away. Without having to say anything directly or make Shadow confront a Gerald that has yet to commit the sins of the one he's familiar with, it shows us how complicated his feelings are towards him quite effectively, I think.
That last conclusion was beautiful, I really enjoyed the video and even found myself tearing up at some points, always appreciate all the love and care you put into these :D
watching this on the 8th year death anniversary of when my mom died...i still struggle with it...there are good days and bad...but we keep living, keep shaping ourselves, keep growing. I've grown so much since she died and I'm sad that theres things in my life she isn't here for...but I still have to try to keep moving forward. Thank you for this video, I needed it today.
Absolutely amazing video! Wish I could’ve watched it sooner but I needed to actually play the game first 😅 Can’t wait to see what you have planned for the future!
"When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother 'What will I be? Will i be pretty? Will I be rich?' Here's what she said to me 'Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que sera, sera.'"
This video's script was beautiful, and that ending got me all teary eyed... Wonderful watch, thank you for such an earnest and respectful analysis of the character and for wording the themes at play in this game (and Shadow's many other appearances) so beautifully
Aside from many of the details, this is how I saw this game's story. Shadow took moving on to the extreme and needed to find balance. It's also super well presented with the animation and voice acting.
Okay hold up hold up I read that journal entry and totally missed what it was setting up Maria had a sister? If she's alive that would make her another Eggman relative. And given how much Frontiers focused on Eggman developing a relationship with a loved one... are we going to meet her in the next game?
i was in love with knuckles and the weird band AU sonic tv show as a kid and played the sega game but then never thought about it again (unless it was in context to sonichu, im so sorry) but i watched your frontiers video a lot as a comfort video and finally got around to play it and am truly awakening my love for sonic again. 2025 is gonna be my sonic-arc and i cant wait to binge the movies and then your sonic-content - now with more context added. I truly love your channel, your videos and everything you do. Seeing people truly being themselves and creating content they really love gives me so much hope and comfort u cant imagine
God that ending cutscene always breaks me whenever I see it. I love what this game did for Gerald and Maria. Its such wonderful development. Also god hearing about how bad things were for Maria breaks me. It shows just how strong of a character she is.
I became attached to Shadow because at the time SA2 was released and later on was available at Blockbuster videos to rent, a few years later my father was diagnosed with cancer. Even though it's been years, I still relate to Shadow because of the emotional trauma he shares from the death of Maria. The pain dulls overtime but certain things trigger memories and emotions here and there. I broke down one Christmas at work over seeing a coworker who almost looked like my father while Christmas music was playing ( my father's birthday was December 15th) ugly cried when I got home even though at that time it had been 15 years since his passing at the time. Even though this character is fictional, it did help me understand things that at the time I was 13 did not.
I was on the verge of tears by the end, holy shit this video basically summed up everything why I love this game and more... Honest to god you are an amazing writer
i loved this video to pieces! i always enjoyed shadow and his character, his backstory, his trauma- and this game, your video, really strengthened that! and towards the end of this video on dealing with grief and trauma, it really hits close to home and gave me a few tears. you did incredible work, marcie! 🖤✨️
As someone who only recently got into sonic through playing through the adventure games some time last year, Shadow generations has cemented my place as a Sonic fan. This is an absolutely beautiful analysis tbh
Shadow generations is a game I love so dearly. The story truly felt like a very clean progression on what came before, as I was never all that satisfied with how shadow treated his past in previous games for precisely the reasons you talked about. But it’s also one of the best gameplay packages the series has ever seen. A friend of mine who’s always been a “haha sonic LOL” kind of person got to play Sonic X Shadow because of steam family plan, and they genuinely enjoyed it. It is really funny how shadow generations makes sonic generation look pretty Bad by comparison. What a world we live in huh?
as someone who only has a very passing interest in the Sonic series as a whole (my feelings on it are pretty positive as a whole, it just never grabbed me in the same way others have) you really do a great job of making these videos worth watching even for those like me who don't have the "full" context, thank you so much for the hard work you do as always!
Oh my god, the "You've prevented me from even existing!" "Skill issue." took me OUT. On a more serious note, though, what an incredibly moving video. Excellent work as always!
I spent like 36 hours on just shadow Generations, i absolutely loved it and fully completed it, every s rank, every collectible and every achievement, it was a blast.
What a beautiful review of the story, I love this game, it made me come back to sonic franchise after a lot of years, and re confirmed why I love shadow so much, I love your explanation of the story, it’s full of empathy and I too recently stumble upon grief and I felt the same ❤
man, Shadow's entire lore and past and relationship to himself and Maria is SO GOOD I'm really really happy they are tackling it again with the depth and level of detail and care it deserves Just hearing about everything brings some tears to my eyes, which is saying quite a lot since I can rarely cry I am not exactly pleased with the fact Shadow was brought back from SA2 because I do feel his arc was quite well rounded and complete and they did a lot of a mess with him afterwards, but the whole story that begun in Shadow the Hedgehog and is now being followed up on Shadow Generations stands a lot on its own and is a very good drection, now thankfully backed by a really solid game in general instead of muddled by poor execution like last time
i love this game its really awesome and as a shadow the hedgehog fan this game gave me everything i ever wanted which makes me so happy to see my favorite character get some love again. :)
If I had a nickel for every time a video game villain voiced by Ben Diskin manipulated the hero down a specific path with the goal of possessing them and using their body as a vessel, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice
For some time, I had wanted to make a video discussing my frustration with Shadow as a character, as I felt he was so bland and meaningless to the plot for years, but honestly, they did the impossible... the crazy bastards made me care about Shadow as a character for the first time in nearly two decades. I don't know if they'll keep up this level of writing, but this was a breath of fresh air for me, and it honestly makes me.ponder if I should make that video, since they fixed Shadow... maybe
Preemptive apologies for the ensuing textual chonkiness. Exceedingly deep-cut reference to my comment posted on the prior Shadow video, however my postulations of infinite dimensionality and potential and whatnot actually proved rather pertinent to this release, both insofar as its optimization of the original game's thematics, and Maria's subsequent plea for Shadow to truly perceive all that his life had become. To integrate his memories and the love defining them as a tool of liberation from trauma, one of constructing a future once considered impossible. In that sense, I unequivocally concur that Shadow's struggle as presented serves as the ideal encapsulation of his nigh-pathological repression, his failed reconciliation with the loss and abandonment of which his despair was symptomatic further perpetuating his confinement to the past, a cage born of his memories and, symptomatically, his futile yearning to return to them. Paradoxically, this stringent acquiescence to how Shadow believes he ought to live constrains the identity he innately desires, alongside precluding the actualization of his promise to Maria. Through the stasis in which he is immured as time ceaselessly marches forth, the sentiment of their relationship is perverted, engendering a cyclical metamorphosis of memories which further begets despair. Regrettably, much of contending with trauma, loss, and anything of that nature is predicated upon cognizance of how these cycles can become self-amplifying, our very humanity decaying alongside the agonizing past we cannot escape. And yet, it is not merely anguish. Moreover, memories can indeed be beautiful things, transient though they are. Though life is. Despite this, the lives we live and those who define them ARE us. To defiantly, triumphantly embrace them is the construction of a true 'Self', and fundamentally, of 'A Life Worth Living'. 'Transcending' loss, decay and oblivion through love and self-actualization is itself the very foundation of being human. Personally, I feel there exists an almost inconceivable resonance to tales of humanity entering 'Tomorrow'. Learning to live once more in the pursuit of constructing a better world, by means of confronting and defeating the suffering seemingly endemic to the human condition. Perhaps that much explains why it is I myself employ such concepts within my own work, endeavoring to answer precisely the sort of queries I here posed. Thus, there exists an ultimate, maddening uncertainty with which we each must reconcile; Is true healing and progress, true 'Evolution', conceivable for humanity both microcosmically and at large? For all our boundless potential, are we capable of such things? Are we simply preordained to struggle, to progressive spirals of abject self-destruction, of conflict and decay, all due to an eternal inability to 'Understand'? And, as Maria may lament, can we be happy? What awaits us beyond that shining horizon of hope and potential, if not yet more isolation and adversity? Why connect, why feel, why be human, when unimaginable suffering appears intrinsic to life, destined to befall those fool enough to care? To discover and furthermore provide answers to the aforementioned via creation is my fundamental pursuit, my reason to live, and my newfound preoccupation with Shadow likely betrays his grappling with these very subjects (He is. Ludicrously thematically akin to the protagonist of my primary project lol), and his eventual confrontation of this perpetual struggle - this simultaneous 'Curse' and 'Miracle' of human emotionality - is pretty much my literary proclivities made manifest. 'One must consider Shadow happy', I suppose. Perhaps he is. To that end, this effort ironically signifies that very potential of which I spoke. That which lay beyond the horizon was unveiled as a very good Sonic the Hedgehog game, one adept at depicting the ascent of the franchise's undisputed greatest character. It exemplified all that Shadow is and could be, breaking free of the cage of memories to construct something earnestly wonderful, whilst employing the past's beauty to provide its value. A fully integrative evolutionary process, befitting the 'Ultimate Life-Form'. This was. A great deal of effort to expend for a comment none are likely to happen upon, and even less likely to enjoy should they do so. You are legitimately one of my absolute favorite creators on this entire wretched platform, and I eagerly anticipate any future work. Take utmost care, this was exceptional
for the last 10 years at least, sonic generations has been my favorite video game of all time. when i beat shadow gens, i instantly knew that sonic gens' reign had come to an end. shadow gens is now my favorite video game of all time and honestly it's not very close
I had an idea regarding a certain plothole in Gerald's actions; why try to destroy the world when the Black Arms will do it for him? Answer: I don't know about Maria, but I think Gerald remembers these events, and he's working with limited information. In the future he's glimpsed in White Space, it seems as if Black Doom is, well, doomed to failure, and Shadow becomes a hero, instead of an angel of vengeance. If Gerald wants revenge, he'll have to change that future. The Black Arms will fail, which means he'll have to set things in motion himself.
Once he starts putting his revenge plan in motion, he's obviously not thinking clearly; I doubt he considered everything, I doubt he even remembered about the Black Arms at that point: all he wanted was to take revenge, with his own hands.
Wonderful video!!!! Agree 100% except I do think rail canyon works cause it’s where shadow first questioned his authenticity when he saw the destroyed shadow android
I love Shadow generations because it kinda finally shows to the broader public that characters like shadow the hedgehog have a place in the sonic canon and the gameplay finally makes me hopeful for the franchise. Hell the whole reason I fell in love with the series was for not only the gameplay but also for the character the franchise had. Unleshed, Secret Rings, Black Knight. Easily the best in terms of character writing. Hooked me in immediately but from there the writing tanked... but the gamplay was still nice all the way up until lost world which was mediocre but still alright and then Boom happened. Obviously seeing the news of this made me not buy the game and subsequently I didnt buy forces either. Eventually i would visit the adventure games and come to learn why people liked them. They litteraly just took classic sonic and made him 3d. Now here we are off the back of the movies, frontiers, and now shadow gens. If Sonic keeps refining and innovating off of what they have I have genuine hope for the future of sonic.
I remember this game being announced and I was super skeptical. I essentially got PTSD from Episode Shadow from Sonic Forces... So I didn't expect anything major. Then more and more information was shown and I got excited. And then the game came out... And now it's my favorite Sonic game EVER. Like, PERIOD. It's deadass the perfect Sonic game to me. I love every single thing about it. It's the best Sonic game ever. And I will die on that hill lmao
Marcie, I see you with the WTC music in there. ;) I think the game I'd like to see a remaster like this of would be Sonic Heroes. I personally didn't like that game, but there's a lot of potential there, and its fanbase is quite significant. I'd love to see that formula revisited with more modern design sensibilities.
I never thought of this as a ‘regression’ to his character, because character arcs don’t have to be linear One of my favourite character arcs is Miles Edgeworth in Ace Attorney, (mild spoilers ahead) who I think is kinda similar to Shadow. Not just because his nice dad was killed, he went down a path of vengeance, got beaten by a spiky blue nerd and overcame the influence of his other, more evil dad But, after Edgeworth accepts his past and starts moving forward, he still feels guilt over his actions. And he knows he’d be a very different person had his dad not been killed. And when he meets people who knew his dad personally, they still see Von Karma’s influence even though Edgeworth himself has long-since renounced him The fact he doesn’t just instantly become an emotionally well-rounded person after AA1, that he disappears, considers dying, larps as a defense attorney and has anxiety attacks around earthquakes are what make him feel real
Rail Canyon is a stage I've wanted Sonic Team to revisit for a very long time so I'm pretty happy to see it even if something from Shadow's game would have been better for that slot thematically... ...although, I think the challenge if they did that is whatever stage they pick they'd have been de-canonizing any pathways through that game's story that didn't include it.
(39:15) Maybe not.... According to Rouge's hub world dialogue before you face off against Black Doom in the end, she says something about there being a "good chance" of the Black Arms finding a way to revive themselves again. Which I honestly think is really cool, because SEGA could've easily just "permanently killed off" Black Doom again, but instead left open the 'possibility' of Shadow getting to have his own "Eggman," essentially. Remember in Shadow '05 before Black Doom "dies," Black Doom actually does call himself "The Immortal Lifeform," which like Shadow's own title, "The Ultimate Lifeform," isn't just words, but may actually *mean* something (I.E. Black Doom knows how to "cheat death.").
13:53 why not sadx with the dreamcast conversion pack? plus you get an entire extra 30 frames per second, that's basically twice the video game if you think about it.
I don’t think there are any Sonic games I’d want to see remade or expanded on, but I do love the idea of a more character development based game in the future with some of the more complex characters like Silver & Blaze or somethin
Pinned comment question: What Sonic game would you like to see get an expanded remaster in the future?
Honestly, They should make another storybook game and package it with secret rings and black night.
Sonic Spinball
Sonic Forces
I could see a lot of ways they could remaster Sonic Battle. Movie, faithfully to new consoles, traditional 2D fighter. I really wish the game was more known, because it's story fucking rocks (aside from Amy flanderization), but the gameplay is complete ass.
@@ratfink2079 Sonic and the Sketchy Thunder King?
God, Shadow's experience with grief and trauma felt like you could reach out and touch it. Amazing and clear communication of his thought process surrounding his family, friends, and Doom. I know Flynn doesn't decide the scenario but he wrote it amazingly.
Also, gameplay is genuinely so good I cannot complain about it. Actual level design and redemption of several levels that didn't get to truly shine!
I think the most intresting thing about this game is the promise Maria wanted for shadow.
Since Maria didnt know of this promise before Shadow told her about it in Shadow gens it sort of implies the promise to give everyone a chance to be happy is a promise with no true origin.
Maria was told of the wish by shadow and then Maria goes on to tell this to shadows past self.
In that sense the wish isnt just for Shadow to give others the chance to be happy but also to allow himself to have the chance to be happy as well.
Not necessarily. This is a Maria before she asked him to protect humanity. Also giving sonic generations it's safe to say we aren't under stable to loop logic.
That concluding statement was beautiful and pretty accurate. Shadow and his world basically has the skin of a Disney cartoon, the soul of Dragon Ball Z, but the spirit of a Greek tragedy
17:22 Ian Flynn did in facelt confirm that that is indeed how Black Doom returned
Didn't even know, haha. Good to know I was on the right track there.
Hell yeah! Something to watch when I get home from top surgery!
hell yeah, that's awesome
I hope it went well!!
Woo! Congrats!
HELL YEAH!!!!!
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Shadow Generations really was a triumph in every possible way for me. It was incredibly polished in a way that Sonic games, even the great ones, usually aren’t. Probably my favorite 3D game since Sonic Generations.
@@poof346 ironically cause has gens on the same package
Budget from frontiers going to good places
@@poof346 It's my favorite 3D Sonic full stop.
Unironically I feel like Shadow needed this in order to feel complete. There are no more parts of who he is that he’s rejecting, he truly is all of himself.
Couldn't agree more.
I have seen very little of people complain about shadow generations conflicting with his development in th shadow ending, but it sounds like it was very likely a complaint from the crowd who think moving on from your past meaning you never think or care about your loved ones.
More just seems to be from people worried that ending was being ignored.
I didn't expect you to focus that much on the story, but I'm glad you did. My take on Shadow's behaviour in Generations is simply this: You can process or lock away your grief as much as you want...but when you actually get to meet your lost loved ones again, then no rationalisation will save you from falling back into grief and anger.
Also, ShG is probably my favorite Sonic game. And it might even be my favorite title of 2024. Please keep this level of quality, Sonic Team.
[When the premiere starts:]
HERE WE GO, BUDDY,
HERE WE GO, BUDDY--
Watched it. Made me cry. 10/10.
I don’t…play Sonic games. I’ve never played a single one and the main thing is know about them come from your love of the series and this hedgehog specifically. However. This year I’ve had to grapple with unexpected and sudden grief for the first time and this video made me sob. It couldn’t have come at a better time. He wasn’t really a Maria for me, we weren’t even ever that close but… he did want everyone to be happy. That was his ultimate wish that he left with us. So…thanks for this the reminder, Nezumi. I miss him.
33:45 This song always gets me emotional. There are a lot of parallels here with Amy’s talk with Shadow in SA2. Your points about grief, progress in general not being linear are super salient. Living AND learning.
You put into words what I was feeling when I finished Shadow Generations. I recently lost a close family member myself and I found myself relating to shadow a lot more due to that. But I also relate to the found family message. Blood relation doesn't mean much if they can't treat you well and accept you for who you are.
Something i don't see in the vid and is pointing out that during that little vision of Shadow and Maria in the field of flowers is that in the games never really happens, since Shadow never got to Earth until after Maria's death. And with Shadow saying "That life was taken from me long ago", he isnt referring to just Maria, but the life he wanted to live with Maria on Earth. The chance to be on Earth and happy was taken from him long ago.
(And before anyone misinterprets what I'm saying, no, i do not mean romantically)
I hope that Shadow Generations acts as the insight into Shadow's character the way that Shadow the Hedgehog was for others. Like yes, he's edgy, but with depth!
your way of discussing sonic as a franchise, with so much nuance and love always reaches me very deeply. i love your work and i knew this was going to be great to hear- i was super excited to hear your thoughts-, i didn't expect that it'd leave me crying from how you worded it all. i think this game really cemented in my brain how much shadow as a character means to me, but i think you've managed to make that fondness grow even more, if that's even possible. thank you for that!
glad to be able to see another video from you, and extremely excited to see whatever projects you might have in the backburner!!
Yeah, I absolutely LOVE Shadow Generations story and how it concludes Shadow's story. It brought me to tears when the credits started to roll. I think you summed up the message of the story perfectly.
LET'S GOOO I LOVE THAT SILLY LITTLE HEDGEHOG
Grief while autistic is quite... Odd, from my experience in a way I struggle to articulate. But by gods shadow generations really HITS
Wonderful video will cry again !!
This is one of the two video essays that ever made me cry. I lost someone important this year and it's been hard, feels like no one really understands what im going through. I felt more seen in this little black animal than anything else in my own life. Thanks for this video, it got me up today.
This video was wonderful, and I hope and wish you the best in your emotional recovery. Loss is something that affects us all, but what matters is the way you keep the memory of those you love alive. Keep on keeping on girl👍
It's a delight to see you returning to making videos! Your quality of writing and humor's top notch as always. Looking forward to seeing you again in 2025!
The story details are basically what i think the story is meant to convey yes. The bosses and the story all go into exploring shadow, his past, his future, and story.
Also, you made me cry putting it into words
A wonderful video about a wonderful game. Thank you and good job!
Grief is such a complicated emotion to process for people, much less understand when its somebody else, so I guess thats why it was hard for others to really see what Shadow's deal is and what he was going through. I feel you did a great job at explaining, though!
As always, wishing you and yours a great time and some peace of mind
wonderful video!! i’m not the biggest sonic fan in the world, but i really appreciate your discussion of grief and how grappling with it has no easy “solution,” which is okay. thanks as always for your work :)
Genuinely beautiful review of Shadow Gens. Ive been wanting to talk about this game for a bit because emotionally it shattered me in the best of ways. Shadow has always been a character ive related to and found so interesting and even more so feel hes developed so wonderfully this year through this project. I agree with so many points, especially his struggle with trauma and its overarching facet within his growth and demeanor towards relationships and healing. This was a great video!
gotta say that the statement near the end of the video really stung my heart in a fulfilling way, both for shadow and for me personally. my grandma passed a few weeks ago, and it's only now that i've felt sad and wanted to cry about it, and shadow's closure in this game made me bawl and resonate with it now. agh, his character makes me so insane,,, thank you so much for your words regarding your own grief, and i'm so happy that shadow's one of my favorite characters ;;v;;
I cried just as much this time as when I watched the Shadow 05 video, and when I played the game for myself a month ago. I'm still running away... I keep hiding away from everything that makes me me, I keep ignoring and forcing myself to forget who I am, even now that I'm closer than ever to remembering.
I started HRT between the Shadow 05 video and now, and while it does so much good, it also opens up so much that I thought had gone away. Every little mistake, every little failure, every little hurt feeling, lost friend, broken heart; I see anything that reminds me of it and it's like I'm right there seeing it happen again. I finally get the chance to face it, and after this video I think I know how to. Thank you so much :))))
I love your Black Doom and Shadow skits. Best comedic moments in your videos right up there with your Tengan bits. Marcie really knows how to make funny old men.
Beautiful video, really puts into perspective how meaningful this game and its story are for a lot of people. Shadow is a very important character and this video does him and those who identify with him so much justice.
Your words are beautiful!! 😭😭😭 I’m here tearing up at everything you said about grief, and the whole analysis of Shadow’s situation in Generations recklessly pulled at my heartstrings. I must say, the editing in this video is really good, and I particularly loved your choices in background music throughout it, *especially* during Shadow Gens scenes where you removed the OG music; I never played the games from the 2000s and I understand some of their OST was recycled as a callback in this game, but…. A handful of highly emotional cutscenes or even Shadow’s story recap were in dire need of dedicated pieces, to truly get those punches to land more effectively. I don’t think I cried as much during my actual playthrough as I did now watching the same cutscenes in your video, that’s excellent. Hell, I’m pretty sure all(? of the tracks you picked are Sonic music too, there IS pre existing fitting score for scenes like this XD Anyway, wonderful work all around ❤
Edit: forgot to mention, when you also left in the sound effects while showing accompanying gameplay footage, I don’t think I’ve noticed something like that in other videos at all, that attention to detail and care put into presentation is truly remarkable
Some of the emotional pieces are Sonic tracks, yes! But some are also from other sources (namely Higurashi, Umineko, and Yume 2kki!)
Thank you for noticing the work I put into the sound design, though! I was very happy with how that aspect came out. :3
This was an amazing video! I love the music choices, and your views on the writing were super eye-opening as someone who absolutely loves the little things in a story. Please keep up the good work!
21:29 i had a heart attack because i thought you said "when he comes out as trans" asdfnksfbhgkadsjfhgf. GOOD FOR HIM THOUGH. OR HER??? GOOD FOR SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG
As someone who’s going through grief themselves right now, what you said at the end about Shadow, is spot on.
This. You put my every thought into words. Shadow changed my brain cemetery as a kid, and I've never been able to get over how much I've always connected to him.
Not me getting sad over Shadow the Hedgehog! Not me getting sad over him!! Oh no!!! Not the compartmentalization and the self-loathing!!!! Not the crisis over grieving and not knowing how to move forward!!!!!
I knew about Shadow’s history since I’ve always been fond of Sonic t. Hedgehog and the silly stories (hell I cried over fucking Sonic Underground don’t @ me) but man when the writing hits it HITS. My little guys. My silly cute binguses.
YEAH I FOR SURE STARTED TEARING AT THAT GOOD-BYE SCENE AAAUGH THAT’S AUGH IT’S VERY WELL-DONE
Sonic Underground mentioned!!!! 🎹🎸🥁
I really love the moment when Gerald first approaches Shadow in White Space, and Shadow's eyes go wide and he almost starts to back away. Without having to say anything directly or make Shadow confront a Gerald that has yet to commit the sins of the one he's familiar with, it shows us how complicated his feelings are towards him quite effectively, I think.
Geralt Robotnik: Shadow? it's been GENERATIONS since I've seen you!
That last conclusion was beautiful, I really enjoyed the video and even found myself tearing up at some points, always appreciate all the love and care you put into these :D
Black Doom: I JUST LOVE RADICAL HIGHWAY SHADOW
watching this on the 8th year death anniversary of when my mom died...i still struggle with it...there are good days and bad...but we keep living, keep shaping ourselves, keep growing. I've grown so much since she died and I'm sad that theres things in my life she isn't here for...but I still have to try to keep moving forward. Thank you for this video, I needed it today.
finally watched this video! always happy to see you and your imput on franchises that mean a lot to you and others :]
Absolutely amazing video! Wish I could’ve watched it sooner but I needed to actually play the game first 😅 Can’t wait to see what you have planned for the future!
Thank you so much!
"When I was just a little girl,
I asked my mother 'What will I be?
Will i be pretty? Will I be rich?'
Here's what she said to me
'Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.'"
This video's script was beautiful, and that ending got me all teary eyed... Wonderful watch, thank you for such an earnest and respectful analysis of the character and for wording the themes at play in this game (and Shadow's many other appearances) so beautifully
Aside from many of the details, this is how I saw this game's story. Shadow took moving on to the extreme and needed to find balance. It's also super well presented with the animation and voice acting.
What a great video. I really wasn’t expecting to cry but your wording and how you handled the themes was fantastic!
Okay hold up hold up I read that journal entry and totally missed what it was setting up
Maria had a sister?
If she's alive that would make her another Eggman relative.
And given how much Frontiers focused on Eggman developing a relationship with a loved one... are we going to meet her in the next game?
She’s the girl from that TailsChannel vid
this was a brilliant analysis of the characters in this game and it genuinely made me appreciate this games story even more. amazing work
i was in love with knuckles and the weird band AU sonic tv show as a kid and played the sega game but then never thought about it again (unless it was in context to sonichu, im so sorry) but i watched your frontiers video a lot as a comfort video and finally got around to play it and am truly awakening my love for sonic again. 2025 is gonna be my sonic-arc and i cant wait to binge the movies and then your sonic-content - now with more context added.
I truly love your channel, your videos and everything you do. Seeing people truly being themselves and creating content they really love gives me so much hope and comfort u cant imagine
God that ending cutscene always breaks me whenever I see it. I love what this game did for Gerald and Maria. Its such wonderful development. Also god hearing about how bad things were for Maria breaks me. It shows just how strong of a character she is.
this sounds silly but thank you for making videos. your content has meant a lot to me this year
I became attached to Shadow because at the time SA2 was released and later on was available at Blockbuster videos to rent, a few years later my father was diagnosed with cancer. Even though it's been years, I still relate to Shadow because of the emotional trauma he shares from the death of Maria. The pain dulls overtime but certain things trigger memories and emotions here and there. I broke down one Christmas at work over seeing a coworker who almost looked like my father while Christmas music was playing ( my father's birthday was December 15th) ugly cried when I got home even though at that time it had been 15 years since his passing at the time. Even though this character is fictional, it did help me understand things that at the time I was 13 did not.
Ouuuuhhh, I cried again. Thank you Marcy and your amazing writing...
I was on the verge of tears by the end, holy shit this video basically summed up everything why I love this game and more...
Honest to god you are an amazing writer
Your discussion of ignoring grief stuck with me. Thank you
This was such a great game, and man did I adore the story. I loved hearing your thoughts, thans so much for taking the time to share!
i loved this video to pieces! i always enjoyed shadow and his character, his backstory, his trauma- and this game, your video, really strengthened that! and towards the end of this video on dealing with grief and trauma, it really hits close to home and gave me a few tears. you did incredible work, marcie! 🖤✨️
As someone who only recently got into sonic through playing through the adventure games some time last year, Shadow generations has cemented my place as a Sonic fan. This is an absolutely beautiful analysis tbh
Shadow generations is a game I love so dearly. The story truly felt like a very clean progression on what came before, as I was never all that satisfied with how shadow treated his past in previous games for precisely the reasons you talked about.
But it’s also one of the best gameplay packages the series has ever seen. A friend of mine who’s always been a “haha sonic LOL” kind of person got to play Sonic X Shadow because of steam family plan, and they genuinely enjoyed it. It is really funny how shadow generations makes sonic generation look pretty Bad by comparison. What a world we live in huh?
as someone who only has a very passing interest in the Sonic series as a whole (my feelings on it are pretty positive as a whole, it just never grabbed me in the same way others have) you really do a great job of making these videos worth watching even for those like me who don't have the "full" context, thank you so much for the hard work you do as always!
As someone having a difficult time with grief at the moment thank you so much for this video
Fantastic video as usual!
Oh my god, the "You've prevented me from even existing!" "Skill issue." took me OUT. On a more serious note, though, what an incredibly moving video. Excellent work as always!
Sonic was something that passed over me. But the idea of going fast/flow state is always so appealing now that I'm older.
This video made me cry. Love your work you deserve all and even more views you get.❤
17:02 Unexpected Homestuck reference!
I spent like 36 hours on just shadow Generations, i absolutely loved it and fully completed it, every s rank, every collectible and every achievement, it was a blast.
What a beautiful review of the story, I love this game, it made me come back to sonic franchise after a lot of years, and re confirmed why I love shadow so much, I love your explanation of the story, it’s full of empathy and I too recently stumble upon grief and I felt the same ❤
man, Shadow's entire lore and past and relationship to himself and Maria is SO GOOD I'm really really happy they are tackling it again with the depth and level of detail and care it deserves
Just hearing about everything brings some tears to my eyes, which is saying quite a lot since I can rarely cry
I am not exactly pleased with the fact Shadow was brought back from SA2 because I do feel his arc was quite well rounded and complete and they did a lot of a mess with him afterwards, but the whole story that begun in Shadow the Hedgehog and is now being followed up on Shadow Generations stands a lot on its own and is a very good drection, now thankfully backed by a really solid game in general instead of muddled by poor execution like last time
i love this game its really awesome and as a shadow the hedgehog fan this game gave me everything i ever wanted which makes me so happy to see my favorite character get some love again. :)
Another great video. Good job, and stay Fearless!
If I had a nickel for every time a video game villain voiced by Ben Diskin manipulated the hero down a specific path with the goal of possessing them and using their body as a vessel, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice
For some time, I had wanted to make a video discussing my frustration with Shadow as a character, as I felt he was so bland and meaningless to the plot for years, but honestly, they did the impossible... the crazy bastards made me care about Shadow as a character for the first time in nearly two decades.
I don't know if they'll keep up this level of writing, but this was a breath of fresh air for me, and it honestly makes me.ponder if I should make that video, since they fixed Shadow... maybe
you should read the july 2021 sonic channel short story, it's good
Preemptive apologies for the ensuing textual chonkiness.
Exceedingly deep-cut reference to my comment posted on the prior Shadow video, however my postulations of infinite dimensionality and potential and whatnot actually proved rather pertinent to this release, both insofar as its optimization of the original game's thematics, and Maria's subsequent plea for Shadow to truly perceive all that his life had become. To integrate his memories and the love defining them as a tool of liberation from trauma, one of constructing a future once considered impossible.
In that sense, I unequivocally concur that Shadow's struggle as presented serves as the ideal encapsulation of his nigh-pathological repression, his failed reconciliation with the loss and abandonment of which his despair was symptomatic further perpetuating his confinement to the past, a cage born of his memories and, symptomatically, his futile yearning to return to them. Paradoxically, this stringent acquiescence to how Shadow believes he ought to live constrains the identity he innately desires, alongside precluding the actualization of his promise to Maria. Through the stasis in which he is immured as time ceaselessly marches forth, the sentiment of their relationship is perverted, engendering a cyclical metamorphosis of memories which further begets despair. Regrettably, much of contending with trauma, loss, and anything of that nature is predicated upon cognizance of how these cycles can become self-amplifying, our very humanity decaying alongside the agonizing past we cannot escape.
And yet, it is not merely anguish. Moreover, memories can indeed be beautiful things, transient though they are. Though life is. Despite this, the lives we live and those who define them ARE us. To defiantly, triumphantly embrace them is the construction of a true 'Self', and fundamentally, of 'A Life Worth Living'. 'Transcending' loss, decay and oblivion through love and self-actualization is itself the very foundation of being human.
Personally, I feel there exists an almost inconceivable resonance to tales of humanity entering 'Tomorrow'. Learning to live once more in the pursuit of constructing a better world, by means of confronting and defeating the suffering seemingly endemic to the human condition. Perhaps that much explains why it is I myself employ such concepts within my own work, endeavoring to answer precisely the sort of queries I here posed. Thus, there exists an ultimate, maddening uncertainty with which we each must reconcile; Is true healing and progress, true 'Evolution', conceivable for humanity both microcosmically and at large? For all our boundless potential, are we capable of such things? Are we simply preordained to struggle, to progressive spirals of abject self-destruction, of conflict and decay, all due to an eternal inability to 'Understand'? And, as Maria may lament, can we be happy? What awaits us beyond that shining horizon of hope and potential, if not yet more isolation and adversity? Why connect, why feel, why be human, when unimaginable suffering appears intrinsic to life, destined to befall those fool enough to care? To discover and furthermore provide answers to the aforementioned via creation is my fundamental pursuit, my reason to live, and my newfound preoccupation with Shadow likely betrays his grappling with these very subjects (He is. Ludicrously thematically akin to the protagonist of my primary project lol), and his eventual confrontation of this perpetual struggle - this simultaneous 'Curse' and 'Miracle' of human emotionality - is pretty much my literary proclivities made manifest. 'One must consider Shadow happy', I suppose. Perhaps he is.
To that end, this effort ironically signifies that very potential of which I spoke. That which lay beyond the horizon was unveiled as a very good Sonic the Hedgehog game, one adept at depicting the ascent of the franchise's undisputed greatest character. It exemplified all that Shadow is and could be, breaking free of the cage of memories to construct something earnestly wonderful, whilst employing the past's beauty to provide its value. A fully integrative evolutionary process, befitting the 'Ultimate Life-Form'.
This was. A great deal of effort to expend for a comment none are likely to happen upon, and even less likely to enjoy should they do so. You are legitimately one of my absolute favorite creators on this entire wretched platform, and I eagerly anticipate any future work. Take utmost care, this was exceptional
commenting to support!! woooooo gonna watch this in a few mins
All I can say is: Thank you, and great video.
This was an excellent video!
for the last 10 years at least, sonic generations has been my favorite video game of all time. when i beat shadow gens, i instantly knew that sonic gens' reign had come to an end. shadow gens is now my favorite video game of all time and honestly it's not very close
this video made me cry
Marcie hype! Great video!!
I had an idea regarding a certain plothole in Gerald's actions; why try to destroy the world when the Black Arms will do it for him?
Answer: I don't know about Maria, but I think Gerald remembers these events, and he's working with limited information. In the future he's glimpsed in White Space, it seems as if Black Doom is, well, doomed to failure, and Shadow becomes a hero, instead of an angel of vengeance. If Gerald wants revenge, he'll have to change that future. The Black Arms will fail, which means he'll have to set things in motion himself.
Once he starts putting his revenge plan in motion, he's obviously not thinking clearly; I doubt he considered everything, I doubt he even remembered about the Black Arms at that point: all he wanted was to take revenge, with his own hands.
After this, I really want a sonic heroes remaster or remake. Hell I’ll take a shadow the hedgehog remaster. I am so proud of how far Sonic has come.
Wonderful video!!!! Agree 100% except I do think rail canyon works cause it’s where shadow first questioned his authenticity when he saw the destroyed shadow android
NEZUMI VIDEO ESSAY?! WE ARE SO BACK!!!! ❤❤❤
Hi NuzmiVA I love this and I hope you have a good day and you are awesome.
I love Shadow generations because it kinda finally shows to the broader public that characters like shadow the hedgehog have a place in the sonic canon and the gameplay finally makes me hopeful for the franchise.
Hell the whole reason I fell in love with the series was for not only the gameplay but also for the character the franchise had.
Unleshed, Secret Rings, Black Knight. Easily the best in terms of character writing. Hooked me in immediately but from there the writing tanked... but the gamplay was still nice all the way up until lost world which was mediocre but still alright and then Boom happened. Obviously seeing the news of this made me not buy the game and subsequently I didnt buy forces either.
Eventually i would visit the adventure games and come to learn why people liked them. They litteraly just took classic sonic and made him 3d.
Now here we are off the back of the movies, frontiers, and now shadow gens. If Sonic keeps refining and innovating off of what they have I have genuine hope for the future of sonic.
I remember this game being announced and I was super skeptical. I essentially got PTSD from Episode Shadow from Sonic Forces... So I didn't expect anything major. Then more and more information was shown and I got excited. And then the game came out... And now it's my favorite Sonic game EVER. Like, PERIOD. It's deadass the perfect Sonic game to me. I love every single thing about it. It's the best Sonic game ever. And I will die on that hill lmao
I LOVE the song for Chaos Island Act 1!!! Its probably my favorite Shadow Generations song!!!
Marcie, I see you with the WTC music in there. ;)
I think the game I'd like to see a remaster like this of would be Sonic Heroes. I personally didn't like that game, but there's a lot of potential there, and its fanbase is quite significant. I'd love to see that formula revisited with more modern design sensibilities.
I want.... nay, NEED, to hear your insane ramblings of the master koko trials
I was surprised with Radical Highway! Both zones are fully 3D!
I never thought of this as a ‘regression’ to his character, because character arcs don’t have to be linear
One of my favourite character arcs is Miles Edgeworth in Ace Attorney, (mild spoilers ahead) who I think is kinda similar to Shadow. Not just because his nice dad was killed, he went down a path of vengeance, got beaten by a spiky blue nerd and overcame the influence of his other, more evil dad
But, after Edgeworth accepts his past and starts moving forward, he still feels guilt over his actions. And he knows he’d be a very different person had his dad not been killed. And when he meets people who knew his dad personally, they still see Von Karma’s influence even though Edgeworth himself has long-since renounced him
The fact he doesn’t just instantly become an emotionally well-rounded person after AA1, that he disappears, considers dying, larps as a defense attorney and has anxiety attacks around earthquakes are what make him feel real
Rail Canyon is a stage I've wanted Sonic Team to revisit for a very long time so I'm pretty happy to see it even if something from Shadow's game would have been better for that slot thematically...
...although, I think the challenge if they did that is whatever stage they pick they'd have been de-canonizing any pathways through that game's story that didn't include it.
(39:15) Maybe not.... According to Rouge's hub world dialogue before you face off against Black Doom in the end, she says something about there being a "good chance" of the Black Arms finding a way to revive themselves again. Which I honestly think is really cool, because SEGA could've easily just "permanently killed off" Black Doom again, but instead left open the 'possibility' of Shadow getting to have his own "Eggman," essentially.
Remember in Shadow '05 before Black Doom "dies," Black Doom actually does call himself "The Immortal Lifeform," which like Shadow's own title, "The Ultimate Lifeform," isn't just words, but may actually *mean* something (I.E. Black Doom knows how to "cheat death.").
25:51 mans letting his goro Akechi come out
Our favorite characters shadow and our favorite songs is i am all of me.
Nice video :D
13:53 why not sadx with the dreamcast conversion pack? plus you get an entire extra 30 frames per second, that's basically twice the video game if you think about it.
I don’t think there are any Sonic games I’d want to see remade or expanded on, but I do love the idea of a more character development based game in the future with some of the more complex characters like Silver & Blaze or somethin