Sega-quality Sonic X Shadow Generations mod pack is on the way, and you can play some now

It's no secret that fans of Sonic The Hedgehog have struggled with years of mixed critical reception—but community fangame and mod support has long been a strong point, and even the totally-unmodified releases of Sonic Frontiers and Sonic X Shadow Generations have marked a surprisingly positive turn in critical reception for the Blue Blur. Shadow Generations was a particular highlight of 2024 for long-time fans of the series, boasting the most polished level design of Boost-formula Sonic games since Sonic Unleashed, complete with unique mechanics leveraging Shadow's capabilities.

It makes sense, then, that Shadow Generations has seen an outpouring of mod support since its release, but the biggest highlight has been modder Shindash's work on an extended level pack replacing each Act 1 (3D) level of the game with stages that are often triple the length while still maintaining the high production values and player choice epitomized by the base game. These are not beginner-friendly levels by any stretch of the imagination, but they scratch an itch that arguably hasn't been handled by an official Sonic game since Unleashed, and the scale/complexity of the levels often evoke the beloved Sonic Adventure 2.

At time of writing, the only stage from Shindash's WIP level pack that can be enjoyed by the wider public is "Skyward Castle", but as the most-downloaded Shadow Generations mod that isn't a port of a stage from an existing game, it's been praised as one of the best 3D Sonic levels out there. For a mod, that's an astounding achievement, especially for a series where its most vocal critics are often its most discerning fans. As a long-time enthusiast of the platforming genre myself, I can't recommend Skyward Castle enough.

For readers who want an extended playthrough of levels in development for the mod pack, YouTuber Dolphin's Deck received an exclusive look at them and shared it in an extended live stream earlier today. Besides the stages, the mod pack also includes some physics and move set modifications to improve handling of the game, including a free roll akin to Sonic Adventure and improved momentum physics.

That said, Shindash's YouTube channel serves as the best ongoing development document for the mods and their level design. If you enjoyed Sonic Adventure 2 or Shadow The Hedgehog, I highly recommend a peek at the "Ark Rush" and "Digital Circuit" videos. Ark Rush's layout references several legacy stages only lightly touched upon in the base game, and Digital Circuit boasts a near-complete overhaul of one of Shadow's most frustrating levels, complete with a brand-new remix made just for the stage.

In light of Cyberpunk 2077's VR mod being struck down by CD Projekt Red dominating modding-related headlines, I thought it would be nice to highlight hard work from a modder intent on releasing transformative mods for free, particularly a mod pack that looks to double or triple the time I'll personally spend playing this game. [Though in parallel, fellow Notebookcheck writer spotted a promising Witcher 3 Online mod.]  Having already played "Skyward Castle" extensively, I highly anticipate the release of the rest of the mod pack, and particularly look forward to being punished by "Ark Rush". Plus, Sega's usually pretty cool about the Sonic fanbase's tendency to make fan games and mods like this, even hiring prominent community modders for the development of the critically-praised 2017 release Sonic Mania.