Is Shadow's Music Different From Sonic's?

[@TheAuthorStudios]

2:30 Another way to look at it is: Sonic is more interested in the jounrey than the destination, as the lyrics to It doens't matter and endless possiblity make it clear, he'll fool arround as much as he can before reaching the goal Meanwhile Shadow is all about results, he has no time for foolishness, if he can take the most efficient path foward by skipping a phew stones, he will.

[@thehermit8618]

Its always a nice way of representing their respective philosphies. Sonic is so fast he feels he has endless time to go at his own pace, he feels he'll always make it in time. Shadow, perhaps in his guilt for not being able to save Maria, feels he can never be fast enough; Shadow darts as if he's always late.

[@8pierrot89]

And here's the thing - I wouldn't say either philosophy is purely "right" or "wrong." I think that's what makes them so interesting as foils/rivals.

[@JeremyCardinal-tf5mn]

Shadow is at ALDI

[@AlexYardZone]

Yup, and a bit about that was on the table, but there were already plenty of bits in this video so it got cut lol. Maybe as a deleted scene youtube short.

[@BigOofs2213]

I AM, AT ALDI'S

[@RadeonGD]

my dad shops at aldi

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Shadow is Emo

[@P.CL33T]

@@shadowopsairman1583 Hot Topic or whatever

[@user-vz5jp6xg6p]

When Johnny Gioeli was doing signings at a con, I bought the Shadow the Hedgehog Soundtrax CD with me. He commented that he never really saw that one around -- hopefully a little more common nowadays, especially in the year of Shadow.

[@mdudegamer]

Is that admiration for the Shadow the Hedgehog game? On the internet? A fairly rare sight.

[@AlexYardZone]

I know, right? I'm gonna rescue this game's rep, it's a 10/10, though I don't know that I'd be as excited to play all 326 paths if I was playing with OG graphics on an original gamecube. Emulation is a world of difference!

[@SwerveStarEx]

@@AlexYardZone Peak recognizes peak I guess. Might wanna check out more of your stuff.

[@TheAuthorStudios]

"We've been on minor too long, we need some major once in a while" "Fine, but only Mixolydian. can't be TOO major" Metal music in a nutshell tbh.

[@BDSFormula1]

minors

[@BigOofs2213]

​@@BDSFormula1💀

[@anyapeanutlover]

Good lord, that wording. 💀

[@chomik172]

Yeah, and it goes unbelivably hard

[@TheAuthorStudios]

@@chomik172 i'm more of a dorian man myself, personally.

[@CharlieCreedonWells]

I’ve wanted to put words to the thematic importance of “Lost Impact” leading into “Final Haunt” for YEARS, and you nailed it! Awesome video!

[@vantablackecho]

Shadow with happy goofy chill background music in a random transitional middle level with few plot implications hits different

[@vantablackecho]

This also counts for why I like having Shadow use Sky Rail over Sonic. Dark dude deserves some breather levels.

[@jezd2223]

i hadnt seen maria being controlled so seeing her dropkicking an alien made me burst out laughing

[@Tea-Slurper]

You actually don't have to pause to change mission after running into a character. You can use d-pad left and right.

[@AlexYardZone]

Iizuka thought of everything!

[@virtualashez]

You can also use D-Pad down to go Neutral in ANY mission, including those which lack Neutral missions. This lets you hear normally unheard dialogue by Shadow.

[@eggymens]

today i learned

[@bakubread9308]

you can WHAT

[@Howardpower679]

​@bakubread9308 do you people even experiment while playing games ?

[@Kholdster]

The progression of key signatures throughout the game is so interesting

[@DarkshadowXD63]

As a fan of this game from day 1, it's truly a sight to see so many people finally give the game its flowers. I loved this game flaws and all 😂

[@AlexYardZone]

Hell yeah.....but, what flaws? I'm totally won over by this game, I can't find something I don't like.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

@@AlexYardZone Because of the way the game is laid out, many of the stories you get from the hundreds of possible routes can end up being a nonsensical mess of non sequiturs.

[@virtualashez]

@@AlexYardZoneI love this game too, my favourite Sonic game in fact. I will say there are flaws though. The English story is definitely translated badly. For example, at the end Shadow is supposed to say “Sayanora, Shadow the Hedgehog” but instead says “Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog” The controls can be slippery for some, but personally I didn’t have an issue. Some of the missions are pretty tedious, Lost Impact’s Hero being a good example of this. All of this doesn’t matter to me though, because I love the game! Definitely a blast to play!

[@AlexYardZone]

@@virtualashez It might be becoming my favorite 3D Sonic game, dethroning Heroes...Yeah, the slippery aspect is deliberate, and covered in the sopranos boat scene in this video. Holding R to strafe solves that problem in droves anyway. My spirit has yet to be broken by any particular mission's tedium. I suspect that a lot of people who dislike Lost Impact's hero mission only beat it once. Lost Impact was rough on the first couple of attempts, but now that I know my way around, it's a blast, I can get through it quickly and am even starting to skip past turns I know don't have Experiments. Maria's dialogue cluing you away from dead ends with no experiments is so cool. and I discovered that you can go faster on the rail guns by holding A, like with the flying sequences. The level becomes a brisk brisk and I love it! It also seems thematically relevant that Shadow needs to revisit this flashback multiple times and throughly explore it so as to come to terms with his purpose and comittment. I have not played much of the Dark End of the paths, so we'll see if any missions in there drive me nuts.

[@AlexYardZone]

@@imveryangryitsnotbutter That's hardly a "problem," on the understanding that there are Five core paths: Dark, Dark Lite, Neutral, Hero Lite, and Hero. And I would also say that having a scatterbrained sequence of cutscenes is a perfect result of illogically shifting allegiences to hero vs dark missions. I think I figured out early on that if I wanted the story to make sense I needed to commit to a set of missions with consistent allegience that similarly made sense.

[@KyndlingStoneCB]

Shadow The Hedgehog’s OST is incredibly underrated. I genuinely love just how much they fit within each stage. Shadow05 is overhated as hell and I see it’s flaws but overall I only see a fun experience.

[@Saturn5212]

I love how you can hear how much fun Alex was having with this video. This game resurfacing in a positive light is still incredible to me, someone who's been a fan of it since childhood. ❤

[@rtyuik7]

i thought this was gonna talk about SkyRail from SA2...i remember hearing once or twice that SkyRail was originally planned to be a Sonic Level, but it was changed into a Shadow one at the later stages of development, which is why its music 'fits' the upbeat poppy-rock of Sonic's Music, instead of the gothic industrial-techno that Shadow's Music used in that game...

[@SonicWasTaken]

Awesome video! Shadows music compliments his character really well, especially as he sees those burdened spinning barrels.. these videos are always such a treat to watch and give such a great perspective of the musics structure, with a character as deep as shadow it really highlights how much the background music can give context to his adventures..

[@AlexYardZone]

@SonicWasTaken thank you so much! I live for shadow coping with the barrels

[@lathell1233]

Omg i lost it when you mentioned Sonic Schoolhouse! I remember playing the bejesus our of that! Love this video thank you sir!

[@catscats5774]

That bit about the last levels is so interesting. And I never knew about that Live and Learn segment in I Am All of Me. And the reversal for Super Shadow is pretty cool. I once saw a claim that Crush 40's version of All Hail Shadow has elements from I Am All of Me in the last minute or so.

[@cubedtothex]

I’m so happy you pointed out the flipped motif when Shadow goes super!

[@sanglish18]

Actually you don't need to pause the game to change missions, you can just use the D-Pad to switch while playing.

[@AlexYardZone]

Oh snap!

[@ddmacc]

How did i not know this

[@METAL_HARBOR]

what an incredible video!!! sonic music analysis really makes my brain go whiiiirrrrrrrr in the best way possible. i was floored by the point re: key signatures and their relation to the different story paths... sonic sound team is really on another level

[@Tea-Slurper]

Shadow 05 GOES SO HARD

[@DarkshadowXD63]

The DOOM is one of my favorite tracks in the game, and one of my favorites in the franchise

[@jtg55]

13:30 In Sonic Channel's Otherworldly Comedy series, the anomaly turns Shadow into a J-Pop idol, with Infinite as his partner.

[@taterthot1109]

As someone whose favorite sonic game is Shadow (05), this is now my favorite video on your channel

[@paburo9618]

12:43 I haven't played Shadow the Hedgehog all the way through so this song is new to me, and hearing this part takes me directly to Sonic Heroes' Rail Canyon theme.

[@cat_dev_random]

Sopranos clips too? Okay, this is epic

[@SSJ22Terris]

I’m glad somebody mentioned Death Ruin’s music, I feel like nobody ever talks about it.

[@lunatechdesignsofficial]

good ol citypop in sonic games. you can almost hear Takanaka influence or katsumi horii project in it. especially in sega cd. great video btw! Thank you for uploading.

[@TheHangedMan]

I am unreasonably excited about the third sonic movie. They better play Live and Learn - WITH vocals - or we literally riot.

[@AlexYardZone]

I am just as excited. This is an original song from a Dreamcast game that is going to anchor a Hollywood movie that will make 200 million dollars. Year of Shadow people

[@SonicTheBlueBlur15]

I wish shadows theme in sa2 comes back

[@Dacstunes]

It's probably returning in Sonic X Shadow generations.

[@gabrielmayoral1761]

I mean it IS on Sonic Generations already when you stand next to him in the hub world

[@soundwavetheminiconcarrier]

It was referenced in forces ost in infinite’s beginning

[@woag4974]

throw it all away is such a banger

[@SonicTheBlueBlur15]

@@woag4974 fr

[@ProfesorPiper]

Another video knocked right outta the park, fantastic work as always

[@darkowl9]

I'm just imagining you at the concert not just listening to the performance but mentally dissecting it in real-time to explain why it's so damn cool :D

[@IZZYCHAN13]

Thanks for bringing up the Tripod Baby remix; I just discovered it (the full version from said commercial) and I'm in love lol

[@ivannn0222]

Dude the Boston show was so fun. Had no idea you were also in the crowd!

[@AlexYardZone]

@@ivannn0222 legendary event!

[@AlexYardZone]

@ivannn0222 Did you hear all the sonic 3 remixes on the speakers before the show started? Even Brad buxer's Ice Cap!

[@ashthedragon]

Excellent video! I would like to see a more close in analysis on Throw it all away ( or any shadow SA2 theme), I feel them are really unique both on this series and as music per se

[@DDRDAIKENKAI]

Casual Alex Yard W during the Year of Shadow-you love to see it.

[@thefuture269]

It's actually a pleasant sight to see someone enjoy this game so much. I always thought the music in this game was very underrated.

[@Crash-lm4zb]

The way the keys are layer out is genius

[@33pandagamer]

90% of what you said went over my head, but this still made me very happy. Shadow is so cool.

[@TwisterTH]

13:16 - My boi, thanks for opening the Pandora's Box! When I discovered Tripod Baby (thanks to Shadow the Hedgehog), I instantly became a fan of m-flo, that and the fact it brought back good memories in general. I just love this song (the original and Shadow Version) so much. Speaking of trivia about the game, how about: During gameplay, If you Pause the game and then HOLD the Pause button, the menu screen will disappear, but the game won't continue, unless you let go of the Pause button, makes an interesting mechanic to capture every baddass moment of the game, am I right?

[@AlexYardZone]

@@TwisterTH oohh didn't know about that function! And long live M flo!

[@Game_Hero]

That last sentence reminds me of that amazing disco remix of I am all of Me, complete with lyrics, he's going to boogey, baby!

[@zacharyjohnson9562]

I can’t listen to Final Haunt anymore without hearing SnapCube rap over it, it sounds like the complete version of the song 😅

[@AlexYardZone]

Cool, I'll make sure not to listen to it then, I appreciate the heads up. Some things you can't unhear.

[@WilliamWilliamWilliamWill]

I'm a complex man I see Alex Yard I click I click to enjoy my free time and have fun learning music theory!!

[@notlunalust]

I'm absolutely a massive fan of shadow, so seeing more Shadow Soundtrack Breakdowns would be amazing!!

[@DragonSkies0211]

I barely know music theory or read music as a resident vocalist, but BY GOD the undertale/deltarune fandom has taught me to sniff a leitmotif a dimension away.

[@thestickmansavioryt1941]

Can you see Aldi... Price tags for the groceries... Step inside, there's so much food to buy. 🥞🎵🎵🎵

[@sonicheartsfan09]

Love the videos! Could you do Kingdom Hearts next? Would be amazing to learn, and have more insight on how Yoko Shimomura composes her beautiful music!!!

[@thick4628]

Awesome video, PLEASE MAKE MORE SHADOW MUSIC VIDS!

[@eggymens]

fantastic video by the way. i love this. it goes over my head but nonetheless one day perhaps it won’t

[@Pickyjonez]

This was a great video idea Alex

[@Gecenin_Imparatoru]

THANKS for the subtitles. :D

[@skeletorgrind0082]

The Doom is my favorite music. Sounds so soothing, and somewhat sad.

[@mikkelbirmingham1053]

Those tritones really like to throw everyone off balance

[@virtualashez]

I’ve always loved Shadow 2005’s OST, it’s so heavy sounding and I’ve always been fond of it. Genuinely my favourite OST from the franchise.

[@virtualashez]

I should also mention that this game is my favourite Sonic game of all time, due to how “edgy” it is. I love it.

[@danlad5467]

great video man loved it

[@ladypriere]

Glad this game AND its soundtrack are finally getting the recognition they deserve 😎

[@tomhossain2099]

Wish you could compare the two versions of “all hail shadow” (personally I prefer the magna fi version)

[@YujiUedaFan]

10:11 "You have to manually pause to switch back to the hero mission." Not true. You can just use the D-pad to switch back.

[@SmokyJungleFrog]

It's almost as if shadow was deigned to be sonics shadow. sonic is shadow if sonic had a bad day and lost a friend. My God look at sonic in sonic X when he saw Chris hurt. Imagine if tails died? He'd become something worse then shaodw in sa2 or Eggman. I love the for true story theme. It's both of their styles clashing together. Shadow was never an edgelord. Just a quiet Interverted individual that has some trauma of losing the only person that didn't see him as a weapon.

[@AwkwardSegway95]

There's also a similarity between the stage clear theme in Shadow and the one in Sonic 1 and 2 (unless I'm just crazy and am hearing a similarity that's not actually there).

[@Weirdcko]

If you told me a day ago that Johnny Gioeli sang Endless Mine I would not have believed you

[@finallaugh8721]

I learned earlier this year that M-Flo did a Shadow the Hedgehog song. WHY did it not hit the streets in the international community??

[@madladlane2947]

I'm interested in making music but feel kinda ignorant. I am deeply obsessed with video game history and how they work. This is the perfect bridge to learn a little about music while still being fun. Thanks for your workA

[@AlexYardZone]

Not to self-promote, but, for $1 per month on patreon, I have a start-from-scratch music theory 101 course, in a 14 video lecture series with follow up exercises! Just sayin..... Thanks for the kind words!

[@Sanjixoxo]

Mr. Yard is BACK NEVER LEAVE US AGAIN

[@AlexYardZone]

I never left - three livestreams per week, and regular video schedule updates for patrons!

[@Spiderpig2398]

Oh, this is great! There's a lot of good songs in Shadow the Hedgehog, and this isn't even all of them. I don't think anyone would object to getting more of this game's songs in the future.

[@UgandanPrinc3]

Hey I was at the Boston show too, that’s wild

[@AlexYardZone]

It was unforgettable!

[@keithmorrison8373]

Another thing that guitar reminds me of is nine inch nails aside from circus park it all sounds like nine inch nails especially the percussion and the errie noises heard in the background of many tracks

[@tylerherr4288]

really wish they expanded on that all of me and live and learn mix imagine that but as a full song

[@wasssimmons3255]

I love the coverage of the 3d sonic games

[@lukescrew1981]

One of the best sonic games that unfortunately get too much hate

[@b3nzayizkoolyo]

Shadow's music was created by Trent Reznor

[@AlexYardZone]

lol Yup and so was Sonic Riders' intro music

[@Crow_Rising]

Sonic's mind is always racing and his preferred state for his feet is on the move. He's a free spirit who goes where the wind takes him and beats it to his destination, all for the thrill of adventure. Shadow on the other hand is heavily introspective and retrospective. His mind doesn't race, it calculates. He constantly questions whether he's still on the right path or if somewhere along the way he may have gone astray, and expertly takes corrective measures when necessary to ensure that he remains the ultimate. He is steadfastly insistent on keeping his promises, and knows how to compensate to get back on track to his intended destination/outcome when he makes a mistake. Though, his pride would lead him to be unable to admit that he truly made a mistake to begin with. What the two hedgehogs have in common is that their viewpoint of the world is morally grey, though for entirely different reasons. Sonic doesn't concern himself overly much with whether his actions make him the hero or the villain in the eyes of others. He does what feels right in the moment and rides the thrill of adventure, and if that causes more harm than good in the long run he'll worry about that when it comes to it and make amends. Shadow on the other hand is actively aware of the ambiguous nature of morality and is unapologetic for his actions not because he's unconcerned with whether he's in the right or wrong but because he's so careful and analytic that he has utter confidence and resolve in his own choices. Shadow doesn't so much as twitch without careful consideration and deliberate intention behind it, and so he's always five steps ahead of anyone who might take issue with his actions.

[@pikachufrankie]

“Shadow… the promised time will soon be here.”

[@water594]

I like your funny words magic man.

[@JinjoJinjoJinjo]

6:05 i thought the answer would be that one bowser theme cause it sounds just like that 😅

[@ChrisWilliams-ur7fn]

"Maria has been playable since 05"

[@realyungjoe]

I WAS AT THE BOSTON SHOW TOO IT WAS AWESOME

[@AlexYardZone]

@@realyungjoe wasn't johnny great? Didn't know he would be there until day of the show

[@SIDEKICKDUSTY]

Mistah Yard, any chance we'll ever get some analysis of songs from Nights into Dreams or Burning Rangers?

[@chuchu9649]

I can't help but think of Sonic x Shadow ship fanart whenever you play the scenes of them together 😂 Twitter has ruined me

[@Nic_2751]

It arguably goes harder

[@FanaticChain]

I’m so hyped for this video

[@Scarface_1b]

What about Shadow's OG theme. Throw it all away?

[@mushroomdude123]

14:08 How am I just now finding out you can strafe??

[@geminimaxxim]

Today I learned you can strafe in Shadow 05. I've got hundreds of hours in that game O3O

[@AlexYardZone]

Seriously.....when I discovered it I was like "omg thank god I learned this now....are there any other game changing moves I'm not yet aware of?"

[@michawhite7613]

Lion King 9 was a funny line, but where did the other four movies come from? I've only counted five.

[@AlexYardZone]

@michawhite7613 Lol yeah I just kinda picked the biggest single digit. Sequel fatigue.

[@alexanderjackson9239]

Shadow is one of the coolest characters in the series

[@JezElectro13]

Can you do a video on Sonic.exe Eggman Stage theme? (I know this suggestion is random but I'm not joking... I think)

[@CaptainMangles]

Somebody here really likes the Sopranos

[@ballthatbounces626]

Awe yeah, hurry to the olive garden.

[@SaddieMoon]

1:55 Actually, this hasn’t been confirmed. (Yet) I hope Gerald’s Diary for Shadow Generations confirms this to be true. And it makes so much sense within the lore of Shadow. And it could potentially establish that Sonic is truly the real Ultimate Lifeform.

[@AlexYardZone]

Yeah, I've kind of extrapolated inferred details lol it hasn't been explicitly confirmed but the narrative presented a scenario that leaves that plausible possibility relevant.

[@sethmoses6279]

Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait...You can actually play as Maria with a second controller?

[@AlexYardZone]

You sure can. Most characters you pair up with are playable with a second controller, with the exceptions of black doom, eggman and charmy. Hilariously, the clip in this video of Maria attacking a GUN solider, wasn't actually player2, that was just the AI-controlled Maria lol

[@hallow-oda]

TRIPOD BABY MENTIONED

[@AlphaAurora]

Anything from Sky Troops?

[@BlueAmpharos]

12:16 Are those thumbnails real? Why is there a Darth Maul kid in the next Avatar?

[@AlexYardZone]

They sure are. Avatar 3's big gimmick is "This time.....RED NAVIS." When I saw that the Avatar 3 thumbnail essentially has a Baby Shadow I laughed my azz off.

[@SonicWasTaken]

Omg!! The ultimate life form!!

[@williamhumes7332]

Hey Shadow, it's me, the devil.

[@amandamakin1542]

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 competing against Mufasa? Not actually even a challenge to be honest, especially after you see how Lion King fans dislike the idea of that Mufasa film.

[@therandomvideochannel8589]

11:27 isn't this a chromatic walkdown? not pentatonic?

[@normalabsolutely7240]

Yes.

[@MayorOfLuckyBoyNV]

Something feels wrong but not technically wrong about referring to Sonic and Shadow as "Creatures"

[@AlexYardZone]

@@MayorOfLuckyBoyNV They are animals and humans are part of the animal Kingdom for that matter.