Although theSonicseries has not handled Shadow the Hedgehog gracefully, to put it lightly, he remains one of its most iconic and popular characters. Fans usually rejoice whenever Sonic Team includes Shadow in a new game, especially since the character has made scant few appearances in recent years. Naturally, Shadow fans have wondered for a long time if the self-serious hedgehog makes an appearance inSonic Frontiers, whether it be a cameo or a larger role. Now that the game has come out, players and news outlets have definitively confirmed that Shadowdoes not show up anywherein Sonic’s latest outing.
This does not mean, of course, thatSonic Frontiersignores Shadow’s existence outright. Much of the game’s dialogue includes specific references to past entries, and some of those references include events that involved Shadow in some way. In terms of an in-game appearance, though, fans will have to go back and watch or playSonic Forcesif they wish to see Shadow’s latest mainline appearance.
Not exactly a surprise
The Sonic Team head, Takashi Iizuka,actually confirmedShadow’s absence inSonic Frontiersover a week ago inan interview with Shacknews. However, he did express a willingness to incorporate Shadow into future games, so we may get to see or even play as him again in the next installment.
Notably, back in September,an interviewwithSonic Boomwriters Greg Hahn and Alan Denton revealed that Sega enforcesincredibly strict rulesregarding Shadow’s portrayal in recentSoniccontent, often making it difficult for the writers to include him at all.Sonic Frontierswriter Ian Flynneven quote tweeteda snippet of this interview, so it seems that including Shadow in anySoniccontent these days remains a constant challenge for the series’ writers. With this in mind, fans should probably not be surprised if Shadow continues to be used sparingly in future installments.
Daniel Pinheiro
Daniel is a Contributing Writer who has been with PC Invasion since June 2021. A recipient of a master’s degree in Community Journalism from the University of Alabama, he holds a deep passion for the gaming medium and the impact it can have on our lives. He is open to all kinds of genres, but has a particular affinity for platformers and beat ‘em ups (or brawlers, or hack and slash, or character action, or whatever else you prefer to call them). In his spare time, he loves playing franchises like Mario, Kirby, Zelda, Tekken, and Devil May Cry. He also loves to travel and listen to multiple hours-long video essays back-to-back.
