Shadow the Hedgehog (game)

Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Shadō za hejjihoggu?) is a 2005 third-person shooter video game developed by Sega Studio USA (the former American division of Sonic Team) and published by Sega for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox consoles. It was released on November 2005 in Western nations, while Asian releases followed a month later. The PlayStation 2 version was then digitally re-released for the PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network in Asian countries in 2013.

Although it is a 3D platform game as with the more recent Sonic Adventure games, the game's levels each feature up to three different missions (Hero, Dark, Normal) that the player may choose to complete. The game's plot depends on which mission is completed as well as subsequent playable levels. The game stars Shadow the Hedgehog and his quest to recover his memory, a goal he has been pursuing since his debut in Sonic Adventure 2, while an evil alien race known as the Black Arms is invading the planet.

The game received mixed reviews; it has been criticized for the addition of weapons into Sonic gameplay and other dark themes (such as swearing) although it was praised for its replay value.

Plot[]

After the events of Sonic Heroes, Shadow has abandoned Team Dark to uncover the truth of his past.

The story begins with Shadow standing on a hill next to a tree outside the city of Westopolis. A newspaper with the headline of celebrations taking place now that the "Black Comet" has come back after its fifty year cycle blows by in the breeze, catching on Shadow's leg, then blowing off into the distance. Fighting with his amnesia, Shadow struggles to remember who he is and constantly thinks back to "that gruesome image" which is the one memory he seems to have left: Maria Robotnik getting shot dead by G.U.N. soldiers right before his eyes.

As Shadow ponders his past, a gaping hole opens up in the sky over the city. Strange black and red creatures descend from the clouds and begin to cause pandemonium in the city. Shadow turns to leave, not caring about the humans' fate until someone calls out his name. A large floating figure, known as Black Doom, appears and tells Shadow to bring him the Chaos Emeralds "as promised" before disappearing in multiple explosions. Fueled with desire to seek out his past and find the truth behind Black Doom's words, Shadow speeds off into the city.

The story's progression then depends on the player's actions of deciding the path Shadow takes by choosing which missions to complete in each stage. Some scenarios will reveal certain information about Shadow's past including flashbacks to the Space Colony ARK and Maria and the connection of the events on board the space colony to others, such as the Commander. All of the story paths have their own unique endings depending on how much Shadow aids the protagonists and GUN forces or Black Doom and the Black Arms:

If Shadow chooses to aid the Black Arms in their conquest of the planet, then he will either become a servant of the Black Arms, defeat and kill Dr. Eggman or even betray the Black Arms and claim the universe for his own. In the Darkest scenario, Shadow vows to destroy the planet with the power of the Chaos Emeralds.
If Shadow chooses to remain neutral to both parties, then he will become convinced he is simply an android copy of the original Shadow and then kill Eggman.
If Shadow chooses to aid the protagonists in combating the Black Arms, he will either become the protector of the ARK, become convinced that he is nothing more than an experiment gone horribly wrong and thinks he should never have been created, or fight with Sonic to proclaim himself the most powerful hedgehog in the world. In the best Hero scenario, Shadow defeats Black Doom and vows to destroy the Black Arms and keep his promise to Maria.

However, all of the aforementioned endings are actually distortions of the truth. The true story of Shadow's past is told in the Last Story, which can only be unlocked by obtaining all ten endings.

In the Last Story, Shadow is confronted by Black Doom after gathering all of the Emeralds. Black Doom commands him to give up the Emeralds so that they can begin the 'Ritual Of Prosperity'. Sonic and the others (including Eggman) then arrive and tell Shadow not to listen to the alien leader. After it is revealed that Black Doom wishes to harvest humans as an energy source, he takes the Emeralds from Shadow and uses Chaos Control to warp the Black Comet down to the surface of the planet.

Black Doom then explains that he helped Professor Gerald create Shadow, but only in return for the Chaos Emeralds, which were needed to bring the comet down to the surface. This reveals that Shadow was actually created using Black Doom's DNA. As Eggman is in disbelief that his grandfather would betray the planet just for research and helping the Black Arms, Black Doom paralyzes everyone with a special gas being emitted from the comet and leaves them to be devoured by his alien offspring. As the end seems near, Shadow suddenly hears Maria asking for help and he breaks through the paralysis. Black Doom flees, leaving behind Shadow, the only hope for the planet.

Shadow catches up with Black Doom, and suddenly is attacked by mind control. Black Doom tells him that he can control him as they have the same blood running through their veins. Shadow refuses to believe it as the scene switches to the ARK, where Charmy Bee, Vector the Crocodile, and Espio the Chameleon race to hack data disks that they found earlier in the game. This room seems identical to the one where Gerald's first video in Sonic Adventure 2 is activated. They finally get inside, and Charmy activates a film showing a sane Professor Gerald Robotnik. He refers to Shadow as his "son" and tells him that he is the only hope for the planet. It is revealed that the only way to defeat the Black Arms is to destroy the Black Comet using the Eclipse Cannon, a powerful weapon built into the ARK. As the video ends, Maria steps into the frame and gives Shadow the inspiration he needs to break through Black Doom's control. Black Doom escapes and prompts Shadow to use the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Shadow and fight the alien leader. Black Doom (now in his Devil Doom form) fights Shadow and is defeated.

Shadow then uses a super-powered Chaos Control to warp the Black Comet back into the planet's orbit and tear it apart with a blast from the Eclipse Cannon. Everyone below in Earth cheers in joy as the alien threat is destroyed forever. In one final scene on board the ARK, Shadow looks at a picture of Maria and Gerald before tossing it away, remarking "Goodbye forever... Shadow the Hedgehog".