Shadow the Hedgehog is peak Sonic, he's always been peak Sonic, and after 23 years I can't bury the truth any longer

(Image credit: Sega)

With Knuckles cemented as Sonic’s ally, the hedgehog hero needed a new rival come the big tenth anniversary game, Sonic Adventure 2. Enter Shadow The Hedgehog. Originally sealed away by Dr Robotnik’s own mad scientist grandfather, when he’s freed he works with the doc to fulfil Robotnik senior, Gerald Robotnik’s, posthumous destructive machinations.

But it’s not evil for evil’s sake. Nor is Shadow really working for either Robotnik. His real goal is to avenge Maria Robotnik, who he was raised alongside on the orbital Space Colony ARK. While these events are expanded in later games, what we see in Sonic Adventure 2 through flashbacks are confusing and distressing.

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle — Mistaken identity plagues the Blue Blur in SA2, but Shadow doesn’t love the comparison either. (Image credit: Sega)

When the colony was raided by the government, she was gunned down as she helped Shadow escape. Shoved into an escape pod, he can only press himself against the glass, powerless to help. As a result of the chaos (control?), his memories of her final words are muddled – but the event isn’t. The extrajudicial war crime literally occurs in a Sonic game. It adds a lot of depth to the ‘dark’ half of the game, and builds out Shadow as a tragic figure, yet one with his own agenda, neither a perfect foil for Sonic nor a simple henchman for Robotnik. He’s a full ’hog in his own right.

Lone Hog

Shadow's third appearance was in the self-titled Shadow The Hedgehog in 2005. Besides Knuckles Chaotix on the Sega 32X, Shadow's the only Sonic character to helm a mainline console spin-off (Tails' were on Game Gear).

Yet it’s revealed that Gerald Robotnik played them all from beyond the grave. Shadow wasn’t the true ultimate lifeform, and the doc’s secret orbital laser has been programmed to destroy both itself and Earth. Gerald's strange creation and his true ultimate lifeform, the Biolizard, waits within the hidden chambers of the space station to ensure the plan is enacted. Taking a back seat as the others try to stop it, Shadow is prompted by Amy to remember Maria’s real final words: “For all the people who live on that planet… give them a chance to be happy… let them live for their dreams.”

Springing into action, he helps save the day, and sacrifices himself in the process. It’s the perfect conclusion to his character arc in the game. (Will Sonic The Hedgehog's third movie live up to it, I wonder?) Perhaps so much that while I love his reappearances, they undermine a game that manages to toe the line between heightened action and genuine sincerity.

Sayonara, Shadow The Hedgehog.

This article originally appeared in PLAY Magazine #41, which is no longer printed. You're welcome for uploading it here! Looking for more from the SSU (that's what I call the Super Sonic Universe)? Check out our best Sonic games! For what it's worth, Shadow co-creator Takashi Iizuka thinks Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is a "really, really good movie".

Games Editor Oscar Taylor-Kent brings his years of Official PlayStation Magazine and PLAY knowledge to the fore. A noted PS Vita apologist, he's also written for Edge, PC Gamer, SFX, Official Xbox Magazine, Kotaku, Waypoint, and more. When not dishing out deadly combos in Ninja Gaiden 4, he's a fan of platformers, RPGs, mysteries, and narrative games. A lover of retro games as well, he's always up for a quick evening speed through Sonic 3 & Knuckles or yet another Jakathon through Naughty Dog's PS2 masterpieces.