The Horrors of Project Shadow - Sonic's Darkest Lore

[@chaomix]

Let me know what you think of Project Shadow! IMO, it's THE darkest plot point in the entire series and I kind of miss when Sonic games took it to this level with their stories. Also, huge thank you to Magic Spoon for sponsoring this video! Use my code chaomix5 to get $5 off your delicious, healthy Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: magicspoon.thld.co/chaomix5_0122

[@KavinCatastrophe]

Yeah i missed the Days where Sonic Game was Fun but wasn't afraid to get Semi Serious and Dark. It made me feel like Sonic was Growing up with Me.

[@jamiegioca9448]

Oi, CM, who is your favorite Shadow VA between David Humphrey, Jason Griffith and Kirk Thornton? Personally, I prefer Griffith Shadow because not only he sounds like Sonic at times, but I feel he's more fitting than Kirk and memorable than David

[@addsullivan1300]

I love it its very complicated with complex layers being enjoyed by casual and hardcore fans alike with hardcore fans being abld to dud through every inch

[@addsullivan1300]

I belive this and the solaris project are very dark

[@edwardrobinson5470]

This plot is good. Gun mistaken Gerald of building weapons before they go on a killing spree.

[@yes-j9r]

Government: Asks Gerald to create an immortal being. Gerald:-creates an immortal being- Government: *NOW WOAH THERE-*

[@portal-master-1023]

Like the real governme-OH SHIT I’M SORRY FBI! IM SORRY!!!

[@yes-j9r]

@@portal-master-1023 NOOOOOOO!

[@liamphibia]

They literally got what they demanded.

[@miniaddict4534]

@@liamphibia”No we didn’t” -Government

[@TigerSavage]

woah

[@ResidentHouse]

I hope Paramount doesn’t shy away from Shadow’s tragic past. They can easily make it appeal to kids while still holding true to Sonic Adventure 2’s lore.

[@theonionsystem7779]

I doubt they're ever going to let themselves put this story into the third film. They did justice to knuckles after years of him being done wrong but I seriously doubt they'd do the same for shadow

[@thetokutickler]

Well remember that a major part of the movies is that Sonic has an adopted human family. Meanwhile, Shadow lost his adopted human family. The themes actually fit perfectly and can make for an amazing story in my opinion.

[@akilbrazier1421]

Absolutely. If they’re going to bring Shadow in they gotta give us his whole backstory and do it justice.

[@arnahunas4048]

@@thetokutickler I’ve never picked up on that. That could play into their rivalry beautifully if done right.

[@ashtrayluke2531]

Without perfect chaos, the biolizard wouldn’t make any sense to have so I’m wondering how that’ll work

[@thunderbird7020]

I wouldn’t consider Gerald’s death an “execution” considering he didn’t get a trial. It was just outright murder.

[@MasterJunior93]

True, but GUN still gave Gerald his last rites before his execution. If they straight up murdered him immediately, Gerald wouldn't have been able to make that final recording to begin with. That video log was his last will and testiment.

[@Noname-gm5om]

@@MasterJunior93 I’m pretty sure it only happened because they were still using Gerald to work so even after they murdered his Maria they forced him to work for them and then killed him

[@CChuuyaNakahara]

Mhm

[@CChuuyaNakahara]

​@@MasterJunior93yeah

[@swisserty]

Fart crank or the foe jokes dow jones of the Sewcyute

[@sophitiaofhyrule]

I feel bad for the Biolizard. Imagine being this massive thing that can't move and you're being kept alive in a sealed room. What a miserable existence.

[@HeavyRaiden]

It is horrible, does the Biolizard has any thoughts or consciousness?

[@theswordthatsealsthedarkne9918]

no wonder he's so violent

[@theswordthatsealsthedarkne9918]

Also, pull me out of the pedestal please, I have chosen you as the third hero of Hyrule

[@flamingsocks1323]

brother i need you to stop trying to hit me brother

[@P1SSNUTZ]

Shadow and Sonic basically put the Biolizard out of its misery at that point.

[@TheMr.L01]

I think an important detail that was sort of lost in the translation is that Gerald altered Shadow's memories. That is why Shadow thinks Maria wanted revenge on humanity. He could only recall the actual message after Amy expressed a similar sentiment.

[@Shadamyfan-rs8xc]

I thought that was because after so long in stasis, his memories got fuzzy.

[@abelmoreno4836]

@@Shadamyfan-rs8xc No. in the original Japanese, in Gerald’s diary he says “his memories are completely under my control”

[@Shadamyfan-rs8xc]

@@abelmoreno4836 that is creepy

[@autobotproductions1244]

@@abelmoreno4836 and in the English dub he said he "designed his mind to be perfect. pure". could give the same context if you think about it

[@SonicSega0964]

@@autobotproductions1244 eh that’s reaching

[@ChaddyFantome]

Gerald gave Shadow a soul so that humanity would not abuse his power for monstrous acts. Little did Gerald know that in the end, he himself was still only human. It is fortunate for him that he truly was a genius, for his design allowed for his own act of madness to be stopped. For was it not for Shadow's capacity for emotion, Shadow would have become the very thing Gerald feared GUN would make him. A tool for destruction.

[@LilXancheX]

He’s still a weapon. But fights on the good side

[@GoldenPhaze]

you wrote this comment like you were it's anime girl lol

[@johannaledesma2850]

Zsw

[@myleswelnetz6700]

Dr. Eggman has also tried to use Shadow for that purpose from time to time.

[@captainyasopp154]

How do you give something a soul when a soul is just a non corporeal ethereal concept. I'm a religious sense we know what a soul is but in a a theistic sense soul means nothing and if we replace it with the human consciousness we still have no idea where it specifically comes from.

[@realsalu634]

I hate when people say Sonic shouldn't be dark and serious, when the series can do It well, i just wish that the new game has an good...the same goes to other franchises such as Mario

[@chi-wind8593]

Yeah, if Pokemon and Ratchet can tell serious stories why can't Sonic? People can be hypocritical sometimes.

[@PersTG]

@@chi-wind8593 When it's Pokemon it's badass, when it's Sonic it's cringey. What the hell, man.

[@inendlesspain4724]

@@PersTG Critics and some internet personalities have it against the Sonic series and will find faults in it that they won't even comment on for other series. I keep saying this and a lot of the times I get shit from fans of the newer games but it's true.

[@fnaf2isthegoat75]

@@PersTG when you realize critics are willing to allow a piece of paper to take itself seriously but not Sonic

[@PersTG]

@@inendlesspain4724 Exactly. I always see it, especially back in the early 2010s when Game Grumps was still big. Sonic was just a thing to shit on, and the fanbase was much younger and more immature. Kinda reminds me of the Persona fanbase. I bet in 10 years time they'll be more like how the Sonic fanbase is now.

[@albertodiaz9296]

I still think that the Gerald Interrogation is the creepiest and darkest moment in the hole series. Just seeing a tied and insane Gerald being interrogated by GUN, while the interrogation lights just in his face as he tells his dark and desesparate way he turn around, to the point that only vengance and destruction keeps him relatively sane. And the final touch is when the GUN agent says "is that all?" and then they probably shot him after the video ended.

[@matiosmenta]

For me the whole story of the Project Shadow is quite creppy and complex. If they ever do a remake of the adventures they will probably simplify and soften the tone of this story.

[@Mima_the_vengeful_spirit]

@@matiosmenta they better not. the story was dark, but that what made the Adventure 2 game have its charm

[@matiosmenta]

@@Mima_the_vengeful_spirit honestly I don't mind softening the tone, it's just knowing how to balance it well, and still keep the narrative for all ages. Secret Rings, Black Knight and Unleashed do this very well.

[@user_Sultang05]

@@matiosmenta I agreed. 저 역시 그렇게 생각합니다. 어드벤처 2보다 Unleashed의 시나리오가 이상적입니다.

[@shivansh3387]

In Sonic X (Japanese Version), that did happen. The soldier asks "Is that all?" to which Gerald says "yes" and then he commands the soldiers to Aim. Then camera turns towards Eggman and a gunfire is heard

[@FoxDemonMaster]

This story is exactly why Sonic X is my favorite Sonic show. Even the 4kids version of this storyline conveys the depth and sorrow of Shadow's story.

[@TheSultan1470]

Nice

[@SonicSega0964]

Hell yeah man, subbed

[@StevenJones851]

Sonic X did it pretty good

[@Dustfired]

Still I found it satisfying when Chris got punched in the gut by Shadow. The fact he literally stopped Sonic from returning to his world and he knew that if he didn't both their worlds would be destroyed and yet still did it anyway made me appreciate the punch more.

[@alicesacco9329]

​@@Dustfiredi don't know if that was fanservice (and very welcome since we all hate the brat). Shadow was cool with Amy but he lashed out toward rlthe brat in the very same context. I would have liked better the total absence of Chris and with Amy instead, like in Adventure 2, with Shadow maybe having some physical pain when his memories come back (headache and such).

[@ZorcTheDarkOnex]

One of the reasons i LOVED shadow the hedgehog is because it reminds you that Gerald was a good person at one point. The whole reason Gerald created the Eclipse cannon was as a fail safe against Black Doom, he knew Black Doom's return to Claim shadow was only a matter of time. Were it not for the Eclipse canon, Black Comet would have never been destroyed.

[@shinigamisway1645]

I know Chaomix decided to leave out the lore of following games because of the muddiness and retcons , but I actually really enjoy that part of the lore added with shadow the hedgehog. That and the fact that that game confirmed that shadow IS the real shadow (from sa2) and not a copy or clone made by eggman I remember when that game came out everyone was like "aLiEnS iN SoNiC? ThAtS fUcKiNg StUpId" Yet those same people didnt bat an eyelash at Sonic Colors or Lost World Yeah . The game has a lot of flaws, but I've always love the final ending of Shadow the Hedgehog. I feel like it really added to the overall narrative.

[@AFeralTrout420]

​@@shinigamisway1645 same here, I think the Black Arms were a complelty necessary and worthwhile addition to his backstory. It makes a lot more sense, idk how tf it contradicts anything to his lore

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

​@@shinigamisway1645I think Shadow being part alien was what people found was weird.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

I thought BD wanted the Emeralds

[@Crimcomet]

​@@ChangedMyNameFinally69Shadow wasn't born on Earth, so he was already an alien per definition anyway

[@castform7]

Project Shadow is not only one of the darkest Sonic stories but also one of the most compelling and interesting ones. I feel like some don't really get into it's intricacies because it's a "black and red anthropromorphic hedgehog, it really shouldn't tackle these types of things" when that just limits what can be told with the right execution.

[@inendlesspain4724]

Happends a lot with Sonic, people would rather dismiss everything the series can be and has been in favor of their narrow view of what they think it should be.

[@maginary999]

@@inendlesspain4724 this. The perfect comment that basically represents how outsiders dismiss any story the games try to offer, even some fans do it(not to mention people who go "haha cheesy cause it hedgehog animal trying to be the serious".)

[@littenfire3563]

Yeah it's like those people forget that Sonic 3 onwards tried to make Sonic be more than just cartoon animal saves little animals

[@maginary999]

@@littenfire3563 even then sonic games still had deeper meanings with the environmental themes of CD and the first game lol, even Sonic 3 had a dense story really, so I don't understand those kinds of "purists" in the fanbase

[@gravitybeetle9593]

wait shadow cant die?

[@shadowfall4253]

The “Sonic should never take itself seriously” crowd just don’t know how to have fun

[@WaterKirby1994]

That crowd ruined the series because it should always try to take itself at least somewhat seriously or the stories will fall apart.

[@MaddRoxYu]

That whole argument that sonic shouldn’t take itself seriously kind of falls apart already when you realize that the whole plot of sonic is already taken pretty serious

[@justcallmekai1554]

@@MaddRoxYu Yup all the way back to Sonic 1. What's not serious about some doctor kidnapping and testing on animals as a power source for a robot army whilst destroying an entire island ecosystem just because he can?

[@cptsteele91]

@@justcallmekai1554 you kiddin that sounds hilarious

[@bluestreaker9242]

I've always said that "It's an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who runs at the speed of sound, how can you take that seriously?" But the second half of that would be, "Because the series takes itself that seriously: it's a series about environmentalism, showing the inherent dangers of an industrial revolution brought about by a black-hearted narcissist." Like, really, you'd think something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles doesn't take itself seriously because it just SOUNDS stupid, but it does. We know it sounds stupid, but that's half the fun: when they embrace the absurdity, it's not just on the precedent of "but it's fun", but also on the idea that "we're going all the way with this crazy road trip, and we ain't stoppin' for gas!" I mean look at Batman; yeah it's some rich dude who lost his parents going around punching clowns, scarecrows, crazy cat ladies, crocodiles, and plants, but look past the absurdity and you get something that is really brutally dark and savagely honest with itself. Same thing with Sonic; it's a series that knows it's dark, but it also knows it's kinda ridiculous, and just rolls (ha!) with it! I'd be a grumpy old boomer to decry the meta era as "not my Sonic" and call it shit, because honestly? It can be fun sometimes; I love the self-awareness of Sonic Boom as a TV show bringing about S-tier jokes, but I'd much rather the characters be allowed to be characters and not one-note comedy relief archetypes. I'm hoping that we get more of the Adventure style writing in the games to come, but I'm not holding my breath SEGA will be learning their lesson any time soon with the upcoming Sonic Frontiers. Still looking forward to the new Sonic movie, though; we need more of this and less of Boom's meta era.

[@Losaren]

The Project Shadow stuff is what makes Shadow (as he was originally written) such an impactful character. Like any good backstory, it explains why Shadow thinks and acts the way he does. And it makes him more than just a "dark version of Sonic". I'll always be bitter that Sega ignore his backstory these days. Shadow is not just some edgy cookie-cutter rival. He's traumatized, constantly manipulated, and he has little reason to trust anyone prior to SA2, but ultimately he changes his mind and helps save the world when someone who reminds him of his dead friend appeals to his empathy (and reminds him why he was created in the first place: to help people). I really love the story of SA2 and I miss when the games weren't afraid to be a little more story-focused These strange but heartfelt stories are what made Sonic stand out to me as a kid. Even the classics had this kind of thing (most notably S3&K). Removing the darker undertones the series has always had is, in my opinion, why some of the meta era games don't even feel like Sonic games anymore. You can't just ignore what draws so many people to the franchise in the first place!

[@chi-wind8593]

I feel the same, you are not alone

[@HOL457]

Well said

[@shcdemolisher]

Big agreement there!

[@danalynch118]

I agree but I see why they can’t. Nowadays some parents will act insane if they sense even a hint of a serious story in their child’s video games. Which is pretty annoying because it ruins franchises like sonic. I still find the games fun to play but still

[@aaronsarchive82]

Agreed. The Sonic games from this era has smarter storytelling and were unafraid to deal with mature themes. This definitely set the series apart from other platformers of the era. It's sad to think how later games like Black Knight and Secret Rings thought that keeping Sonic in storybook setting was the best route, or games like Lost World and Boom emphasizing cartooniness. It's like the developers thought that just because these games were for kids, they had to pander to kids. (No disrespect to those involved with above mentioned games though.) I'm hoping future games find a way to embrace the type of stories from SA1 and 2 while still being lighthearted. After all, the same game about wiping out an Echnida race also had you fish as a fat blue cat.

[@itsmeazzy4488]

Gerald Robotnik: I became a great scientist in search for great power in order to help mankind His grandson: I'M GONNA PISS ON THE MOON!

[@sarahalice7034]

Ahh Real Time Fandub, I love that so much

[@SerialDesignationVEternalDream]

Tetris dick

[@Justagammer]

lol 😂

[@MiguelPart1]

Nah more like: His grandson:*got drunk, puss in boots on the moon, cursed on Obama and tried to wipe out humanity in 24 hours before the puss in boots DROPLLEETTT hit the Earth.*

[@r_t1609]

Also his Grandson: HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL BEING COCKED BY A HEDGEHOG?!?!

[@Joseph-5154]

Knowing that Shadow was inadvertently based off of Sonic really changes my view of Shadow calling Sonic the real ultimate lifeform during the final battle, cause I originally thought that it was a random line solely meant to sound cool, so it’s cool to know that there was actual meaning behind it.

[@FujiMezu]

When did he say that?

[@notoriousbagel2486]

@@FujiMezuPretty sure it’s after you beat Shadow at the end of the hero story.

[@FluseNomany]

​@@notoriousbagel2486 Shadow will say it during the finalhazard battle if you wait long enough

[@notoriousbagel2486]

⁠@@FluseNomanyYou’re right. But I do remember Shadow saying something along those lines after you beat him in the hero story, but it’s been a while since I played. At least now I have an excuse to replay SA2 for the hundredth time!

[@FluseNomany]

@@notoriousbagel2486 Just started it over for the bajillonth time myself, cant wait for the new game

[@GBomberFlora]

The line by Professor Gerald, "You ungrateful humans who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair..." still chills me to my core to this day.

[@Aleph3575]

The way his voice distorts and echoes as he wheezes out the last part of that line will always stick with me. Like, just reading it, I can hear him saying it in game.

[@Dimumouto]

I can't quite remember the quote, but it goes along the lines of 'never incur a gentle mans wrath'. That's basically what GUN did with Gerald; he wanted to make advancements for the betterment of humanity, so him being a kind and gentle person can be inferred. Ripping away his chances of doing so along with his granddaughter pushed him to a breaking point.

[@chi-wind8593]

Joker:”All it takes is one bad day”

[@eniryuuoke7446]

Ikr!? The only other line in a sonic game that immediately comes to mind is eggman telling tails to run along before he “makes minced meat” out of him(SA1 final boss fight at the end of Tail’s story) Both of these lines leave an imprint on my brain but Gerald’s will always break my heart a bit 💔 SA1 had E-102’s story and death… SA2 had Gerald/Maria’s/Shadows story and deaths… both of which left imprints on our minds and still make us feel a little something each time

[@Lakadaizical]

I feel so bad for him :(

[@TheKaiyash]

The fact that GUN STILL uses those canister things in their present day tech. Still using Gerald's tech even after they took everything from the man So brutal

[@MyDude._.]

reverse ratio

[@joeplayzgames2625]

@@MyDude._. non failed ratio

[@xangelxal4855]

Realizing that Gerald made shadow's soul based of Maria, makes me feel more bad of how Sonic team portrays him now days (and back in the shadow the hedgehog game)

[@tigerlowe5002]

Except that he was never ment to be kind, caring or heroic like Sonic in first place. He's always been selfish to an extent, feels conflicted (his promise vs experience with humans, as seen in Battle) & doesnt see himself as a hero nor wants to be one (as he says in Battle, X & his Sonic channel story last year) The point of his character is, that despite all the bad/questionable things he does (for the right/understandable reasons) & starting off as/ looking like a selfish, intimidating villain/bad guy who could easily kill you, he is a good guy deep down, if you look under the surface. That's why I also think fans misunderstand Shadow too, especially when it comes to STH (& act like Battle, X & many other games/media dont exist). The game, while being a mess & kinda "ruining" SA2, explains so much about Shadow's character & his feelings towards humans ! (especially in the recaps (also in SA2) & the japanese version; and Battle too) It seems to me that the very same fans do the same thing with STH, like Sega & the people who know nothing about Shadow. Just look at the cover, take things out of context cuz Shadow doesnt like humans (for good reasons) & go "Ah yes. Guns, aliens, swearing, explosions. Edgelord ! Jerk !" STH Shadow is not nearly as bad as modern Shadow ! (& while I hate modern Shadow, I still dont 100% agree on everything fans say)

[@superhydra8873]

@@tigerlowe5002 he was meant to be kind and to some extent heroic you can clearly see his personality before it becomes corrupted after Maria's death

[@A.R.T.4]

@@tigerlowe5002 he was never meant to emulate Sonic because he came decades before him. But Shadow was always meant to be a good-coded character in lore. Maria even named him Shadow because “a shadow shows you the way to the light.” Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 was the beginning of his character assassination because that game forgot about his whole arc from SA2 to Heroes. Sonic Heroes has him questioning if he’s real or a copy and by the end of the game he comes to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter if he’s real or not because his ideals and beliefs are real and that’s all that matters. So why in STH are we going right back to him questioning his past and asking if he’s real when he literally decides that doesn’t matter the game before? Why is he calling humans pathetic when his whole arc in SA2 was to be a guardian of humanity? Sonic 06 did him extreme justice but unfortunately that was eclipsed by the game itself.

[@tigerlowe5002]

Shadow saved humans in SA2 for Maria, NOT because he cared about the very same people, he almost destroyed all of sudden. He was hellbent to fulfill Maria's promise. Whatever it might be. - And almost died doing so. That's it. And WHEN the heck did he let go of the past in Heroes ? He went after Eggman because he wanted answers. I hear everyone say it lately. Let me guess. You all saw Character In Dephs video & now take it as THE prime example how Shadow should be ? He did NOT say "screw the past, I dont care who I am anymore." He said: "You're going to regret this doctor. Even if I am not real, I am still the ultimate life form, Shadow the hedgehog." He said that whatever the truth is, robot or not, he is still the same Shadow, it's still him. I really dont know why fans love to interprete things & just want to hear what they want ? While ignoring so many other things. Shadow remembered some things in Heroes. Of course he'd remember more & want to know who he is. People also act like he doesnt have amnesia in Sth & HAS TO help humans, there & always. Oh boy, where do I even start ? That's one of the many things why people misunderstand him in Sth. Fans love to take things ouf of context. They are like the people who only saw the cover art & go "haha edgy hedgy." Shadow has his reasons for all his actions, the game explains SO MUCH, he has his heroic, selfless moments too. And is not nearly as "edgy" in the japanese version or the recaps. People just dont like when Shadow does not always care & help everyone & isnt the hero they want him to be 24/7. There's SO MUCH I could say about Sth but I've been already to the moon & back Sometimes I wish nowadays he stayed dead or still had amnesia. Maybe then fans woudnt yell every 5 mins "But Maria ! It's his "duty" !" Shadow is not Knuckles or Blaze ! Can fans actually talk about Sth for once & stop acting like Shadow only appeared in 4 games & is his kind, selfless gentleman who can do no wrong ?

[@superhydra8873]

@@tigerlowe5002 you ignored me point.

[@TheVoidRose]

I hope the sonic movie writers recognize the absolute genius of this story line and bring it to the big screen.

[@adrianlopez7934]

Do you think it would be too dark for a kids movie?

[@scarletnight4554]

@@adrianlopez7934 they didn't think it was too dark for a kid's game

[@epsilonalphaargo1948]

@@adrianlopez7934 Kids like death, destruction and disaster.

[@TeeTop_]

@@scarletnight4554 or kid's show, though I don't remember how much of it was included in Sonic X.

[@eloyseverino]

in this era and based on the previous movies, i think they will shy away or ruin itt 😢

[@Lvestfold4143]

It would be interesting to see how much of this plot line gets adapted in Sonic 3.

[@Lvestfold4143]

@AyoCali you didn’t see Sonic 2 did you?

[@Naiobia]

@AyoCali ...You didn't stay for the after credits?

[@Sage942]

@AyoCali then ur brain doesn't have the ability to think

[@DeterminedTorres]

@AyoCali Clearly, you did not watch Sonic 2’s post-credits scene.

[@starstrukc]

I so hope they get him right

[@zackanderson7440]

across all of sonic media I’ve noticed one message can be taken: Don’t try to play god. From project shadow or the chaos crisis from the games here, Enerjak from Archie, Doomsday from satam,The metarex saga from sonic x, The origin from fleetway. And many more. One message is clear throughout all of this: trying to fully control fundamental forces such as chaos with Impure intent will only lead to disaster.

[@thebatmanwhorulesoverall4659]

Trying to harness a power beyond your control and end up making everything worse, is a very reoccurring theme the franchise has.

[@KYRA_RISING]

A message that Eggman will clearly never understand

[@g.masterlordoftheg-force4770]

I mean, if you think about it, it wasn't the power of chaos itself that caused the tragedy, just some bad guys (the government). If GUN didn't step in, chances are nobody would have died. There is still the issue of the Black Arms though.

[@jaredpatterson1701]

Jeremiah 10:23 "man cannot direct his own steps" makes for great tv & games though ✌😎

[@rickyronny4019]

@@KYRA_RISINGyeah. This will eventually lead to Eggman’s downfall, not that it hasn’t been the reason behind his many defeats 😂

[@___8241]

Can we please go back to this level of story-telling again? This type of stuff will forever be apart of the brand's identity whether or not SEGA wants to ignore it. Biolizard to this day is one of the coolest Sonic bosses to me and Shadow's story is a story remembered by many. Sonic doesn't always have to be dark, but it doesn't always have to be light either. There's a magic to be found by balancing both and that's what made me stick around as a fan.

[@kin5922]

Well said.

[@phootaphan9166]

DMC has helped fill some of the void left by the Adventure era Sonic games for me. I just feel like the Sonic series needs to get comfortable again with the kind of fun edginess it was known for when it started. Cheesiness can work out perfectly fine if you just lean into it and have fun with it. Infinite's theme song was awesome because it basically did just that. I feel like Forces' music team is like the smart kid in the group project who shows up with his part done, then realizes the rest of his group slacked off all week and didn't do anything 🤣

[@gamejitzu]

@@phootaphan9166 That's actually a pretty good analogy for current Sonic, lmao

[@kevin_kevinson]

Sonic didn't carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain sometime After Sonic heroes.

[@shcdemolisher]

Yeah considering how self sabotaging and egotistical the heads of Sega are. Which I always felt that Sonic should be owned by people who just want to make good Sonic games without any of that shit from the top.

[@CoriSparx]

The question I always wonder about is, did Eggman _know_ about all of this from the start? Everything that happened to his grandfather and sickly, dying sister? Everything the government did to his family? If that's the case then it's no wonder he wants to take over the world so bad! Look at what the people who are _already_ in charge of this series' world have done! If you were a super-genius with an IQ of 300, and you were haunted by the memory of being just a little kid - probably around the same age as Maria herself - when the government's military industrial complex tore your family apart along with everything your beloved grandpa had ever accomplished all because of their ignorance, cowardice and greed, chances are you'd also be completely convinced that you'd be able to do a better job running things than they ever could. This actually would explain why Eggman has so many childish characteristics despite being a grown man - since people who have experienced severe trauma as children often carry on childlike traits well into their adulthood to cope with the fact that the innocence of their childhood was cut short. It makes the concept of his "Eggmanland" amusement park SO much more tragic when you think about how it's probably a manifestation of the final drops of a traumatized child's innocence seeping through the cracks of an angry, bitter and broken old man's rampage of revenge against a world that wronged him and his loved ones so brutally, suddenly and pointlessly that he lost his goddamn mind. Project Shadow is not only the darkest part of the Sonic franchise's lore because of the sheer bleakness of its narrative events, but also because its implications recontextualize everything we'd seen in the series up to that point.

[@LostFilms32]

Maria is his cousin not sister

[@CoriSparx]

@@LostFilms32 Ohh my bad. Either way, my point still stands

[@KilosFoxo]

eggman probably was told about a research experiment gone wrong but knew something was up due to knowing how smart and cautions Gerald is with his experiments and also eggman having a similar iq and likely did went snooping -as usual- around g.u.n databases and Geralds old diaries for an explanation however never found a complete explanation but knew there was a coverup of sorts and went to take revenge on the world for taking gerald and maria from him whilst combing through multiple sources to gain any insight on what it may be that caused the incident 50 years ago and to gein potential ideas for world domination which lead him to go into researching chaos and kicking off adventure 1 and eventually finding the ultimate lifeform at the end of the diaries and starting off adventure 2

[@arcanestoryteller7645]

It would explain Eggman.

[@sybils-butler-bentley]

That just blew my mind, holy moly.

[@lurkzie]

Anyone else here to brush up on Shadow's history after seeing him revealed at the end of the Sonic 2 movie?

[@BorgAssimilator]

Yupp :)

[@sea2656]

Same to me!

[@Sage942]

Exactly

[@OfficialEdwardNewgate]

Yep lmaoo

[@ad0nis924]

facts

[@pengeibro7548]

You know, if you look at it in a certain way. Shadow vs the Biolizard in SA2 could be seen as Maria vs Gerald.

[@BurningFlamesofDivineDragon]

Interesting catch.

[@Prep_Time_God]

Gerald's inspiration from the mystic ruins goes so far that in the sonic section of Cannons Core there's part where you slide down water tubes and it's almost identical design layout to the part from Adventure 1's Lost World level.

[@spectre1atv693]

I noticed that as well

[@starstorm4077]

It's easily one of my favourite touches that they added to reference his research of the island. I love when people realize this.

[@InfernoCleric384]

I'm sure that some of Gerald's experiments, like the Biolizard were based on the Perfect Chaos mural in Lost World.

[@undeadbatman9762]

@@InfernoCleric384 Yup and Shadow was inspired by the Super Sonic mural and possibly the sculptures that seemingly predict Sonic’s exact appearance. Looks like Shadow really is the faker.

[@AAhmou]

He is also an anthropologist... At least when it came to Echidna.

[@tntsonic7482]

This is why shadow is my favorite sonic character. He has so much to him and his backstory. Hes a deep character with many angles to him.

[@RamielEdits]

And those angles are what makes him edgy! *does fingerguns as he walks out*

[@tntsonic7482]

@@RamielEdits True...

[@gabrielaj2066]

@Christmascliffe what how? His own game was epic!!

[@brwntwn123]

@@gabrielaj2066 No it was cringe

[@gabrielaj2066]

@@brwntwn123 the only thing about the game I hate is that it has a lot of chapters and it’s really annoying

[@KavinCatastrophe]

They could have given a Origin story for eggman with this Story. Gerald robotnik was considered a Great Scientist that use his genius to help people but the government for whatever reason arrested him. Since eggman didn't get the full story his Hero was basically betray by the very people he choose to help so if the world isnt going to appreciate your genius why help them. Not to mention this event basically ruin the Robotnik name. Eggman who want to prove his genius and his family name to world chooses to conquer it. Eggman would later use the Dairy from his Grandfather to start many of his evil plans. We see Gerald know who Chaos is as he has experiments in the ark that look like him. And guess who Eggman choose to free in Sonic Adventure...... Chaos. Eggman would attack an area that had a lot Depiction of a Powerful Hedgehog that Gerald would Base the Ultimate Life form on...... Angel Island. Gerald and Doom had a Plan to make a Hedgehog collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds. And who Eggman force to collect the Chaos Emeralds for him Sonic. The Actions of G.u.n had basically created the world greatest villian. And I believe that is what you call Irony.

[@fnaf2isthegoat75]

Also they're could have been origin story for Sonic to with the whole "ultimate life theory".

[@undeadbatman9762]

That would perfectly tie in to the theory that Sonic is the true ultimate life form. Shadow’s line in the final hazard boss admitting that Sonic may be the actual ultimate life form would make sense.

[@mastercontrO]

@@undeadbatman9762 But then if that's true what is Sonic the Hedgehog's true Origin?

[@undeadbatman9762]

@@mastercontrO He’s either a naturally born avatar of chaos (the force, not the god of destruction) or the descendant of an ancient alien hedgehog species who happen to have good skill with chaos energy.

[@ravio5868]

Dairy

[@RedTheWeeb]

I have a feeling the algorithm is gonna love this video after the new movie

[@Danphones]

I know right! ;D

[@raftlack4326]

boy, you have no idea

[@sonnyyoung867]

This is probably the best explanation of Project Shadow I've seen. Thoughtful, concise and simple to follow. Good work.

[@awkwardfreakinperson7936]

I still can’t believe this was actually in the movie

[@BonitoJoe111]

I unironically love Sonic lore But it makes me wonder, are they going to keep this Project Shadow history and intergrade it into future Sonic Movie sequels? If so, how will they do it, and what kind of changes will they make without butchering what made Shadow so memorable? We know Shadow being in the Sonic Movie Universe is very likely, because we know GUN is going to be in it. If there's a GUN, there could be an ARK, Gerald Robotnik, Maria, and by proxy... Shadow.

[@33pandagamer]

Shadow in the Sonic movie universe would be so cool! I would love to see my favorite character on the big screen. (Especially if they do it right)

[@valemontgomery9401]

I have a feeling more might be retained than we might think. It's clear that the people behind these movies love Sonic and there are people old enough to have played Sonic Adventure 2 and work in the industry. Whichever movie Shadow appears in, I think we might be in for a fantastic treat!

[@oneandonlysound99]

I mean, it kinda seems like we going to mostly cover Sonic lore of 2, 3, and Sonic+Knuckles. So we have to basically be getting to that point off of film 3, though I think we'd see like metal sonic first and maybe something else, some way to introduce another character like Amy (or my preferred wish Sally acorn because she's not annoying tbh). I think a film about Shadow as a spin-off just like there was the game might be the best way to go, and THEN go full on with him in a sonic film. I feel like it's a lot to dump into one film without being forced or having to cut too much out. So maybe we have a spin-off and a Sonic 4. Maybe they stop after that given they'd have covered most of the best, OR we get some kind of continuation that basically fixes Sonic 06 into "Sonic Adventure 3" but in film form minus the eh, final fantasy type stuff. So of course enter Silver and Mephiles. They might never touch that last one though, or use time travel and silver but use one fo the other villains they seem to love to tease is some form of mephilles but not directly constantly just "chaos in another form over and over." Maybe the film franchise ends saying they can not truly elimate chaos, but they can always fight on to stop it.

[@sonicsucks20]

^Shadow is the most popular character in the franchise after Sonic, They be idiots not to include him in the next one after sonic 2 the movie.

[@captainobvious1475]

@@sonicsucks20 Exactly they would also be idiots to put a boring ass robot in movie 3 like Metal Sonic instead of Shadow

[@chi-wind8593]

Sa2 showed me that Shadow was probably one of if not most human character in the sonic series . Seeing him cry in Sonic x is something that I will never forget.Shadow was a victim and lost family due to fear of what he could do. And seeing his story follow through and turning into super shadow was one of the most memorable moments of my childhood. Project shadow will always be one of the most tragic stories and important in the franchise. Sonic games are not like Mickey mouse or bugs bunny. They are well meaning stories that have dark themes. Project Shadow will always prove that Sonic can tell dark stories and succeed.

[@jerzydomza3310]

"Sonic games are not like Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny". Yeah, tell that to the modern games...

[@chi-wind8593]

@@jerzydomza3310 I’m praying that frontiers does better and Sega learns but I don’t know. I’m not trusting them until their actions prove me wrong

[@WaterKirby1994]

Sonic Adventure 1 had a girl watch as the creature that she had become best friends with, committed genocide against her race in response to the actions of her father. All in addition to Sonic & Tails failing their overarching goal throughout the entire game in that last story as Chaos destroyed Station Square in its perfect form. Besides Project Shadow gets much darker when the stuff from Shadow's Game is added to it. Sonic was supposed to be Shonen Anime not the silly cartoon series it has been treated as during the entire 2010s Decade.

[@woobgamer5210]

Sonic X had many a tear jerking moment (especially the japanese airing). From, the SA2 retelling, to the death of Emerl (yes, there was a Sonic Battle saga, and yes Cream crying is a painful sight), to that one random female gun soldier dying in front of Shadow and Rouge, and... *the big moment of season 3* .

[@chi-wind8593]

@@woobgamer5210 Cosmo and Tails at the end made me cry. That's one of most heartbreaking scenes in the franchise.

[@nicoheroesdx]

What I really like about this plot is, that it really makes sense now, that the Biolizard's Roar sounds like the one from Perfect Chaos. And in addition to that, the fact that Shadow's spikes resemble the ones from Super Sonic is really cool knowing that Sonic was really an inspiration

[@JustDuckiest]

I sincerely hope the third Sonic movie doesn't shy away from the darkness of Project Shadow

[@kinghyperheart1571]

By the looks of the first Sonic movie 3 trailer, it isn't! Get hyped, my friend!

[@JustDuckiest]

@@kinghyperheart1571 I'm hyped!!! Although it looks like they didn't show space colony ark, but I'm sure they could do the story justice just on earth

[@HeavyMetalHero115]

SA2 needs to be the main story focus/adaptation for the third movie. It’s pretty much perfect.

[@xUnino2001]

Yess

[@Ummmmm12712]

GUESS WHAT-

[@chillguygaming420]

@@Ummmmm12712what

[@gamertypeawesome]

​@@chillguygaming420they want you to guess

[@RSA-zv9hd]

Out of all the Sonic characters in the series Shadow is the most broken and traumatized and probably the best developed in the early years. Having to suffer from the trauma alone and being the one who knows what really happened on the ark breaks his heart. Shadow is strong the sense of how he still fights the good fight.

[@jayjalloh3631]

His ability to cope with trauma and moving on is what makes him admirable.

[@RSA-zv9hd]

@@jayjalloh3631 truly even if he doesn’t show it in his emotions you can see his actions

[@lovleybones1921]

Him and E102 have the best character development within the series.

[@sonicsucks20]

@@jayjalloh3631 he never copes after Maria's death as hes still a dick to sonic.

[@RSA-zv9hd]

@@lovleybones1921 true that

[@BlueRainbow101]

I absolutely love the ARK in general. There's so much to explore with the concept. Like how the failed experiments might've looked like (considering Black Arms' influence), what life there was like for everyone or just... seeing more of Shadow and Maria spending time together, slice-of-life style. I wish we knew more about her.

[@thelognerrator]

I love the Project Shadow story, imo series that are "meant for kids" can still have dark storylines or lore, Sonic is no exception, just because it's a series about a blue hedgehog doesn't mean we can't have compelling stories.

[@epsilonalphaargo1948]

Kids like death, destruction and disaster. Gerry Anderson understood this and this is why his shows like Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds are still enjoyable to this day. SEGA and Sonic Team would do very well to understand this.

[@rico4315]

Take avatar the last airbender as an example, it was a kids show with many mature and darker elements but they managed to handle it well. It was enjoyable for both younger and older audiences.

[@Netherwolf6100]

About time someone talked about this in detail. My favorite part is, Shadow's design is based on the Prophecy of Super Sonic. In otherwords, Shadow almost owes his existence to Sonic in every way. Ironic. Also it seriously annoys me that everyone depicts Shadow calling Sonic "Faker" when Sonic was clearly the first one to use that term to describe Shadow. Also, the reason why Shadow looks the way he does is partly because of Super Sonic (The spiked up quills and shape of his being) but also due to Gerald coming into contact with Black Doom during his experimental processes, who offered up his immortal alien DNA in order to create Shadow. That's why Shadow looks like Black Doom and its why he's immortal while being able to channel the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Gerald's agreement with Black Doom is ultimately the reason why GUN shut down the project, sealed Shadow and killed Gerald. Aiding and abetting an alien of unknown origin who may attempt to use the research to attack Earth (later proven to be correct) is the reason why GUN stepped in.

[@AFeralTrout420]

So Black Doom was the true antagonist of SA2 LOL 😂

[@johnnygyro2295]

It's trippy that Shadow is debatably a Sonic copy but was made before Sonic was born.

[@animeg1452]

Wow. I knew about Project Shadow and what happens in this story overall, but I never realized how deep, tragic and dark this video game is. I’m really curious how the Sonic 3 movie is going to pull this off.

[@InMintCondition13]

I hope they give it the care it deserves. If they can make swear puns and imply bikini waxes, they can absolutely make this work.

[@Kradch1]

While I did know how dark it was, this video showed something I didn't know: the whole thing with Sonic 3 mural.

[@TheRoomforImprovement]

"All of you ungrateful humans Who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair!" That line haunted me When i first played the game as a kid. It's sad how far Gerald fell from his intentions. Like Chaos, he was driven insane by rage, grief and the cruelty all people (and echidnas) are capable of.

[@berry_cakeisgood]

I feel like the most saddest part is that the last thing shadow saw before he goes to sleep for like 50 years was his best friend, family member etc got shot

[@isabellahenry9745]

Shadow needs or at some point will need therapy let's be honest here he has had his whole world turned upside-down in less than 24-hours. Also he is never going to die so he will never see meria again or when the time comes Sonic ,Tails...ect when they die he will just have to keep on living. Sonic's personality/presents may be annoying to Shadow but I can't see him going a million years with out missing him at least a little bit.

[@rickyronny4019]

@@isabellahenry9745true

[@TheSonicShow]

Epic video! This is one of the things I've always been curious about since there's only been hints in games and I've never dug deeper. I think leaving out most of the story Shadow's standalone and heroes made it more cohesive, and less unfocused and sporadic. Plus solves dealing with story conflicts. Great job!

[@megamaggotman7025]

Oh the sonic show😳😳

[@StaySwaggin]

The #1 source of sonic news

[@Banana807]

@@StaySwaggin theres some other channels that dig deeper in the lore

[@Chopper_fr_fr]

Same

[@StaySwaggin]

@@Banana807 that’s not the lore channel, it’s the news channel

[@mimictear6788]

My favourite aspect of this storyline is, when taking into consideration the events of the True Ending of Shadow The Hedgehog, this means not only did Gerald manage to secretly reprogram two organic lifeforms and a Space Station from the confines of a cell without anyone figuring his plot out while also setting up the events which would ensure his plot would even have a chance to begin, he also was in a heated intellectual battle with his own split personality, who was pulling a similar level of shenanigans to ensure not only that his own revenge plot would fail, but that the thousand-year plans of an interplanetary parasite would also be undone entirely.

[@langadube9611]

I'm glad the Sonic movies seem to be adapting this story as seen with the end credits of Sonic 2

[@SemekiIzuio]

They better, it's one of the better stories in the entire franchise

[@Daviyah_yisrael]

@@SemekiIzuio the real question will they adapt the horror backstory of shadow and Maria in the next movie because it may be to dark for kids

[@SemekiIzuio]

@@Daviyah_yisrael that's a good point. They havent shown anyone like die yet. And Maria is also a preteen so it might be more reason not to kill her off. Hm I dont think they will then. They may bring Shadow in a different story

[@chancecarlson2023]

@@SemekiIzuio maybe, but they did show knuckles backstory and his entire race being eviscerated for the most part

[@Jaykeduzthings]

I’d like to see shadow have a flashback to this but they might not well other things for kids have been dark I just want a dark grim movie that would be sick

[@Officialencode]

I dont think Shadow the Hedgehog (video game) takes away from the impact of this at all. The eclipse canon was secretly built to fight off the Black arms when the return to collect geralds debt. i seriously think his conspiracy with and against the black arms shows the lengths he was willing to go to save Maria. This man was under A LOT of pressure. Further, the parallels of the promise he made to maria, and the debt to the black arms is resolved at the end of StH when he ultimately decides he wouldn't hold on to those things anymore and he won't let them define him. AND it really speaks to his antithetical nature to sonic despite being a roundabout copy of him; he wasnt free like sonic, he wasnt carefree like sonic, he had the weight of so much slowing him down and that's why when he was being evil he was losing. The theme of his whole story is that holding too tightly onto the past limits and restrains you. You only get that when you include StH.

[@lugiamastero13]

That's basically what I thought but idk exactly what the guy means when he says that the game retconned stuff from SA2

[@prufan]

@@lugiamastero13 I don't think he knew what he was talking about with that one

[@chuckingreaper8654]

@@prufan He might not have seen the true ending to Shadow the Hedgehog.

[@AdeptKing]

Didn’t he make his plan to defeat the aliens before GUN messed everything up? If I recall, Maria was still alive when he made the recording for Shadow. Seems to line up just fine with his change. He was still kind when he did that but when GUN destroyed his life and family that all went out the window.

[@kauanjos3199]

Yeah it doesn't retcon anything Gerald just got mad after Maria death, before her death the eclipse canon was going to be used to take out the black arms but he changed his mind it just makes perfect sense, and also it's kinda foreshadowed with Eggman quote at the end of sa2

[@blasttothemaxthesecond502]

Sonic as a franchise is weird for me. It revolutionized storytelling for Edgy 2000s 3D Platformers with the Adventure section of games, the connected lore made the series overarching stories feel natural, and media outside of the games (like the Fleetway and Archie comics) were using the universe to put the characters in increasingly dark situations. But despite all of this, most of the fans want the series to stay a light-hearted platformer, and feel as though Sonic going darker was a mistake.

[@AAhmou]

They somehow managed to tie the seriousness of the plot to the quality of the game.

[@sosoponk7085]

I don’t get it either…

[@lawrence3185]

it's not like any other child friendly video game franchise was trying to have a serious story am i right? kirby and megaman so why not sonic do this too?

[@donnie_duckling]

Honestly, a lot of both the Adventure and Dark Era products were amazing imo. Of course, not all of them are equally as good due to problems inside the company after the disappearance of the console market for SEGA, but in general the plot of most of them not only brought memorable and deep characters to the franchise, but also gave some incredible stories too! Blaze, Silver, Chip... As everything, it wasn't perfect, but if it was changed to be done with the time and love that the games required, all would've been masterpieces...

[@prufan]

"most of the fans want the series to stay a light-hearted platformer, and feel as though Sonic going darker was a mistake." you couldn't be more wrong, the fans love the darker sonic stories, it just needs to be written well. I bet you loved the meta era

[@fastboi2390]

Absolutely perfect. You even included the bit about the Prophetic Mural in Hidden Palace inspiring Shadow's look. I can't find any fallacies in this. Well done man!

[@revelare_xvii6269]

I still can’t believe we’re gonna see this backstory adapted on the big screen, and with THE John Wick playing Shadow.

[@97dusk]

Man, I'll never forget how Shadow the Hedgehog tried to retcon certain details; such as wanting to remember Gerald fondly. The same man that nearly destroyed the entire planet from beyond the grave due to being driven mad with grief. No, I played Sonic Adventure 2, I'm not forgetting what he did.

[@AFeralTrout420]

The video he made in Shadows game was BEFORE Gerald went insane, not after. How did Shadows game retcon anything.

[@Moleoflands]

I mean, contacting hostile aliens for help was pretty sketch

[@johnnygyro2295]

​@Moleoflands It is, though, if Gerald had explained that was what the Eclipse Cannon was for, a lot of tragedy might've been prevented.

[@rickyronny4019]

How is that a retcon. The game tried to show how good Gerald was before he went insane. Remember he only turned evil cuz his granddaughter was killed

[@nicoheroesdx]

Don't forget: Project Shadow is a secret government project and the only hints that still exists are on the PlayStation 2 Game Shadow The Hedgehog.

[@redinahedge3073]

“This game! It’s non-fiction! It’s telling the story of Shadow’s life!” “It’s time you knew the truth.. *I’m Shadow the Hedgehog.”*

[@michaelcarlton1484]

@@redinahedge3073 That line hit harder than it ever should have.

[@Whocares158]

You don't say? 🤔

[@WaterKirby1994]

I thought Shadow The Hedgehog was developed for GameCube the entire time & then PS2 got a poorly made port of it, while Xbox got a somewhat decent port. The same thing happened with Sonic Heroes. Almost makes you wonder if Sonic 06 would have played best on GameCube had it not been rushed onto 7th Gen Hardware?

[@agipson101]

@@WaterKirby1994 it wasnt rushed on to it..sega decided that they wanted profit over quality..rushed development

[@certifiednobody]

As flawed as Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 is, at least it does explain why the Eclipse Cannon exists. And personally, I prefer the revised version of Maria's death from Shadow and Sonic X in which she is only shot because she tried to rescue Shadow.

[@rankrodent2772]

I love that game shamelessly, it’s pretty fun

[@sonicroachdoggjrraven3263]

@@rankrodent2772 me too man

[@NYCKZ360]

I guess. The execution plan was more dark. Just has a creeper feel to it.

[@flowerzforsaturn]

This reminded me of why I love the sonic franchise, despite being aimed at kids it didn’t shy away from more serious and darker concepts I wish sega goes back to deeper storytelling but they seem to not want lore anymore in order to aim towards a wider audience which sucks. I wonder how the 3rd movie is gonna adapt this storyline since it’s pretty dark

[@cedarskull]

I consider myself a huge Sonic fan, and especially for SA2B. I watched this figuring it would be a fun recap, but I was surprised that I learned a lot of small details about Shadow's story! Thank you for digging deep on this topic, Chaomix!

[@slateoffate9812]

Hypothetically, Shth could be retconned as the source of Shadow recovering his memory. I remember the ending cutscene of Sonic Heroes having Shadow remark "some things never change," after Rouge wonders about stealing the Master Emerald, implying him starting to remember the events of SA2.

[@justasimplemanworkinghiswa1569]

Shth retconned alot of stuff and it shall not be talked about.

[@AlexSmith-tp7xu]

@@justasimplemanworkinghiswa1569 shth...honestly I like the ideas it had, I just wish they pulled it off better than what they did. JUSTICE FOR BLACK ARMS!

[@jersont.3339]

Shth is the after of sonic heroes, in heroes is where his memories start to appear, you can even see at the start of Shth that his memories are coming back since before, it was never a retcon because it was implied to be like that since the beginning

[@Breakaway-ic5gj]

@@jersont.3339 But, Shadow the Hedgehog didn't need to exist at all. You can retcon it, and then just say Shadow's friends fucking told him what happened, and segway perfectly into sonic 06. Shadow the hedgehog only brings most inconsistencies, like why the hell is Shadow acting so edgy, he was chill in sonic heroes. Like from the very first dialogue in the game they've broken character "Pathetic humans." And then Shadow is willing to deal with a literal devil, but not ask Sonic or Rouge, Rouge he was clearly friends with. From the very first few lines of dialogue, Shadow the Hedgehog's plot is completely torn apart, logically it should not exist within the universe. But I do know how that can be fixed

[@Breakaway-ic5gj]

So, if Shth wanted to have an actual logical premise, such as Shadow looking for his memories, I know how that can be fixed. Two Shadows. The one from Sonic Heroes remains, he acts like the way he did and is part of the group, although quieter (but not grumpy) and acts like a constrast to Sonic. Sonic being more reckless and not thinking through, and pissing off enemies with his one liners, while Shadow is quiet and thinks more logically. They don't antagonize each other aside from friendly roasts. Then there's the other Shadow, the one from SA2, make him a seperate character and have Black Doom rebuild him, showing empathy for his blood. Then this design can be as edgy as you want to be, cyborg, eyepatch, demonic and resembling black doom. And this Shadow would act like the game, he starts with Black Doom, but Black Doom has little control over him. An inconsistency solved, and more potential. Since there are two Shadows, maybe one of them canonically dies. I liked the ending where Shadow committed suicide after learning because of him GUN raided the Ark and killed the commanders family, maybe make that canon but the Sonic Heroes Shadow remains because he wasn't on the arc

[@BradyToons]

🤔I feel like after Sonic 06's failure (and the critics initial reception of Unleashed) Sega's been too nervous to return to this level of story-telling and character development to focus on more positive and simple stories. I really wish this weren't the case, they really had something going for them here. This is better than most stuff we get from movies nowadays, they *REALLY* made stories that withstood the test of time. No wonder people gravitate towards the adventure series. Sure some of it's corny but it really gave the player a reason to progress through the story instead of just "going fast".

[@kimberlyyancey4303]

Well said!

[@luishernandezsoto]

@Joe Mama So do I in some degree.

[@jda7667]

@Joe Mama same also liked mephiles

[@crowland1129]

I've said before, 06 would be better if you took out the romance or made Elise an animal, that's the only issue I have witht the story

[@jda7667]

@@crowland1129 agreed

[@notevenflight8806]

One detail I really liked was how Shadow's Super Form was different from Sonic's. Super Shadow's fur turned into a light creamy kind of color, further signifying that his soul was pure as Maria's, and I love it.

[@hankunis2051]

Now that people know sonic movie 3 is going to have shadow in it, this video is now racking up views. Not as crazy but still good.

[@bige4567]

And they called it progect shadow

[@florntlaze810]

The video had 185k views befor the movie came out Edit: Before*

[@PurrloinQueen]

You can meme on Shadow for being an edgelord or emo or grumpy or whatever but he’s an incredibly in-depth character and probably one of the Sonic franchise’s best.

[@Austroid]

SA2's story just never gets old! Even now, just seeing those background pans across the empty ARK hallways and Gerald's prison cell gets me feeling uneasy. No other Sonic game has really come close to having that level of eeriness since then.

[@jamiegioca9448]

"Ha-ha-hah, Sonic! I think I've discovered what the true ultimate lifeform is, it might be you!" - Shadow the Hedgehog 2001

[@dreamcastshadow2970]

Man DSH was the best.

[@shadowg3017]

This is why sa2 needs a remake so bad they way you told it made it sound so cool and interesting but the way it’s told in the game is confusing to a casual player it should really be remade with cutscenes explaining it

[@lpfan4491]

It's officially confirmed that Shadow's backstory was cut short because the game was rushed. So maybe.

[@doomdabot392]

Sa 1 too need remastered

[@raptorzeraora2632]

@@doomdabot392 remake*

[@umeinui]

Whoa is 2022 like the year of Shadow or something? I just randomly decided to search Shadow and there's so much new and good content posted within the last year across multiple channels. Although I played this game religiously as a kid, the way the plot was explained in this video almost had me tearing up. Awesome story telling! I'll be checking out your Aftermath video next

[@KnoxCarbon]

Naka: "Okay guys, we're hemorrhaging money and this might be the last Sonic game ever. What should we do?" Iizuka: "Let's go all out! Have an epic and serious story about good vs. evil, with this cool dark counterpart to Sonic we made!" Naka: "Okay, I love it-" Iizuka: "Also a little girl gets shot!" Naka: "-Wait, what?"

[@scientistservant]

I miss this stuff in the Sonic series so much. The Adventure games are my absolute favorites, and I'm extremely hopeful now that the writers from the "meta era" are gone we can get back to themes like this. From what little we've seen of Sonic Frontiers, it looks promising in that department.

[@sometf2player752]

Yeah and ian Flynn is writing the next sonic story

[@kusogakirenfir]

I really hope Ian takes this direction again with the newest Sonic game, and it turns out great. If it does and people end up loving it, I'm certain it would encourage Sega and the higher ups to continue to pursue more Sonic games down the line with this manner of storytelling. Sonic's core demographic will always be for kids, but they also have to acknowledge that there are many fans who have grown up with the series, and appreciated the darker plot lines that games from Sonic Adventure 1 to Sonic 06/Unleashed told. Reaching a middle ground for both demographics would be a recipe for success for the series.

[@dcvmu]

Even though it's not told quite the best in the actual game, I think the plot itself is great and feels like a natural step after Sonic Adventure, which also felt like a natural step from 3&K. A lot of people say that it "went too dark," which I do get, but I feel like Sonic has always been a great contrast of serious and lighthearted ever since the first game. The contrast between the colorful nature and the dark, toxic Scrap Brain Zone. Sonic 3&K established that there were tribes at war with each other for the power of the emeralds. It's not like there hasn't been dark elements to them in the classics. Fantastic video, Chaomix!

[@PersTG]

*Scrap Brain Zone. And yeah I agree with everything you say.

[@dcvmu]

@@PersTG Oops, fixed it. Thanks!

[@lpfan4491]

Sonic2:"The seventh Chaos Emerald was sealed away by divine entities because their combined power made a tribe vanish basically overnight." People:"Sonic is not meant to have serious lore!"

[@dcvmu]

@@lpfan4491 Wait really? What's the source on that? I wanna learn more!

[@lpfan4491]

@@dcvmu Japanese manual, according to people. I can't read japanese myself, so I just trust everyone's word on it. It also technically states that all emeralds were sealed in the special stages of the area iirc, but the other ones were in Sonic1, so yesn't.

[@ibitejawbreakers61]

The Sonic X implication that both Sonic and Shadow were ejected from the colony that day broke my brain as a kid. And then Shadow during the final fight in SA2 will sometimes say "Sonic... I think I know what the ultimate life form is.... it might be... you!" I felt like a conspiracy theorist piecing it all together back then

[@ceylancobalt3117]

"Sonic X" had no such implication. The ultimate life form is Shadow, period. The theory about Sonic being the ultimate life form is purely fan made and has no proof in canon. Check on "Shadow the Hedgehog" game and "Sonic Battle".

[@chancecarlson2023]

No, shadow is still the ultimate lifeform. They both use chaos as their source of power but shadow is more in sync with it, it's why he can do so much with just a single emerald. Albeit, sonic learns how to do chaos control with a single emerald he's still not as powerful outright

[@totallyhumanproductions1349]

I think Project Shadow would make a great analog horror series.

[@richieosborn2639]

I definitely agree

[@christopherrossel5466]

The fact that this is part of the movies is kinda awesome

[@Sansic8]

I can’t be the only one who cried watching this.. right? I miss the one true Shadow, who suffered through all this only to be all “friends make you weak and grrr humanity sucks even though I still protect them be cause apparently Maria doesn’t exist anymore.”

[@DemonDethchase]

Thankfully Sonic and Tails R remembered who Shadow really is, with Jason back voicing him. It was easily the best Shadow has been written and sounded in years, being more than some bad Vegeta parody.

[@Sansic8]

@@DemonDethchase I miss Jason so much. He was the superior voice for both Shadow and Sonic. I didn’t know Sonic and Tails R existed, so imma go watch it.

[@DemonDethchase]

@@Sansic8 dude get on it! It's got Ryan back voicing Sonic and Mike at the top of his game voicing Eggman, unhindered by those talking geometric pieces of junk he's had since the start of the Meta Era. Also speaking of the Meta Era, it doesn't exist here. Black Knight is far along the time it goes because when Emi Jones, one of the top people behind the radio drama and the voice of Tails, was asked by Chaomix: Anything from the meta era writing you try to avoid when writing for Sonic & Tails R? This was her answer "Uh, all of it." Emi Jones Sunset City podcast episode 21

[@Sansic8]

@@DemonDethchase You are so right! I’m already on episode 6 and I feel like I’m in heaven. Shadow is done right! Eggman is goofy yet threatening. JASON AND RYAN ARE VOICING SHADOW AND SONIC AGAIN. All of it has me bouncing off the walls. The writing is prime. The only thing I have a slight issue with is how cocky Silver is. Sure he’s cocky, but he also is way over his head, and usually is a bit nervous when doing it, like in his first saga in Sonic Universe.

[@DemonDethchase]

@@Sansic8 I thought Silver seemed abit dorky with his cockiness, as if unlike Sonic, it wasn't something that came as natural to him, but he could still totally back it up. Also I think it's fair to say that within the first 30 seconds of the first episode, Tails does more than he did in the whole of Forces, unshackled by that bad tribute act with barely enough personality to fill a sandwich and even less of a reason for being there. Also I did like his speech about fighting Eggman at Station Square, when Sonic was no where to be found, showing that there is no courage without fear, but that's only the beginning for what's in store for him.

[@emilie8356]

“His soul was based of Maria’s” ok this game never stops amazing me

[@t.dmattocks6119]

That part is from Sonic Battle I think.

[@lpfan4491]

The purpose of it is to both establish Shadow as closer to us than to the other anthro-characters and to reflect his storyline in the game itself. In a way, Emerl is to Shadow what he was to Maria. Just that who dies at the end of the story is reversed.

[@sosoponk7085]

I know that it probably was not a good idea to bring him back, but it makes sense when you think about ( ya know, because he’s immortal!).

[@Squishito]

Contrary to what a lot of people believe, Shadow coming back was done really respectfully to his character too, with him having his memories removed. His memories he was toiling over in SA2 were all fakes ones programmed into his head by Gerald to send him on a murderous rampage, him being free from those nightmares gave him the chance to restart his life as his own person, instead of the weapon Gerald tried to make him into last minute. It's the nicest thing to do for his character at that point, and we got the more complete and developed Agent Shadow and Team Dark out of it.

[@El_Mince]

Damn, the Adventure games had such deep and interesting lore

[@samanthakelly718]

Damn I never realized how weirdly well-written Sonic Adventure 2 was.

[@gameringly8916]

The "to catch a shadow" theory is a really fun read about how it's possible that sonic may be the original ultimate life form created on the ark and shadow is his copy created on prison Island with his memories manipulated for Gerald's revenge. There's a suprising amount of evidence but some of it is a little far fetched.

[@melon6444]

Ngl I always hated that theory. It conveniently ignored a lot of canon lore about sonic himself in favor of making shadow's character arc even more tragic than it already is. I believe that Sonic the "real" ultimate lifeform in that he's the naturally born creature shown in the echidna prophecies, but i don't see how exactly one could come to the conclusion that he was created on the ARK.

[@justcallmekai1554]

@@melon6444 I think that idea came from certain dialogue like Shadow's line during the final boss and the game keeping it ambiguous on who the ULF really is. Shadow says it alot but this is from a guy who's mind was manipulated and not right. Sonic X had 2 Capsules release from the Ark as well. I personally dont subscribe to that theory in particular cause for it to work, we have to ignore entries after Sa2 and redo or recontextualize events during and before Sa2. With reworking, it can be a nice orgin story for Sonic since he rarely has anything noteworthy to mention. But as it stands, it's a bit of a stretch to think Gerald created Sonic or something.

[@undeadbatman9762]

Honestly I more or less subscribe to the theory that Sonic may be the descendant of an alien hedgehog species from another place that could harness chaos energy very greatly. This would explain Sonic’s natural proficiency with chaos energy, why a hedgehog was chosen to replace the “ultimate life form” (Gerald probably theorized that hedgehogs are “sacred” by seeing the murals of Sonic and his super form, which is why he modeled Shadow after a hedgehog) and why other hedgehogs like Amy and Silver have special powers. Amy is explained with a different reason but I won’t go there. There’s an entire Reddit post about it.

[@midnight_horizen8184]

I believe Sonic is the Natural Ultimate Life form and Shadow is the Artificial Ultimate Life Form. Shadow says himself as the end of SA2 "Sonic... I think I've figured out who the Ultimate Life form is... It's you!"

[@kongthornton780]

@@justcallmekai1554 well the sonic movie technically gave him a good backstory the echidna tribe learned Sonic had the ability to naturally harness Chaos energy, hunted him and killed his caretaker

[@trumpeterjen]

Great video! It's so convenient to have this all clearly laid out in one place. I get uneasy whenever I think too deeply into what those "experiments" precisely were. On one hand, you have this immortal being you just created, and you have to prove he's immune to chronic, incurable diseases like NIDS...and you're testing this on something that'll live forever, potentially with the horrifying effects of these illnesses for the rest of his eternal life?! What did they do, just cross their fingers that they got the immunity part right? Shadow already has a tragic backstory, but the more you look into it, the more unsettling it gets. With how humans have treated him, from this incident to the bad future of Sonic 06, I think Shadow's the best hero in the franchise. No matter what they do to him, he *still* fights for them.

[@TheDarkWallChris]

I agree on it being one of the best plot lines in sonic. I liked how the adventure era and back took itself seriously, got slightly dark but was for the most part like power ranger levels of serious. I think it was a good level of maturity for the series. I feel like unleashed and on took it too far in the kid friendly direction however, likely as a reaction to 06

[@superhedgehog6447]

Honestly Unleashed to me has a nice balanced tone between being lighthearted and serious. Colors and onwards is when they took the kid friendliness too far.

[@syzorst]

I hope the Sonic 3 movie will use this storyline.

[@HeavyRaiden]

They definitely will, at least, use certain elements of it like they mentioned Gerald in the movie and we already got GUN, i doubt they would ignore this. Other than that, they will probably censor Maria's death.

[@sarahalice7034]

The post credits scene already confirmed the name Project Shadow, so it certainly will be interesting to see what aspects we get in the movie.

[@chisha8415]

Bro this is the apex of story writing and story telling

[@coldplay109]

Sonic Adventure 2 is the apex of everything Sonic in my eyes tbh, SEGA raised the bar so high they won't get there so easily anymore 😢

[@treythornton19]

My thoughts on Project Shadow is a true/horror story, and it’s science. I like how the story begins with Dr. Gerald created projects featured Bio Lizard & Shadow, Shadow had soul purpose to Maria, space colony ark got invalid by G.U.N to stop the experiments from Gerald before Sonic Adventure 2. Shadow The Hedgehog is my favorite. 👍🏽

[@Berryboi63]

Man sonic games where so dark back then imagine playing sonic 1 and then after playing sonic adventure 2 my god this game is incredibly amazing and these cutscenes where amazing projects shadow is such a dark story in the game but a cool one too that’s why I like shadow ark in this game

[@Flamecreeper677]

I had that happen to me I played the classic games then sa2 was my first game on gamecube.

[@pengeibro7548]

While we're on the topic of Shadow's backstory, here's what I've been wanting for a while: A slice of life short from Tyson Hesse that's about 20 minutes long just with Maria and Shadow (Having Gerald not be the focus gives us more development with these 2 and keeps Gerald a little more compelling in Adventure 2, maybe have him show up a couple times). Having light-hearted moments and a little comedy with these 2 imo would really make Adventure 2 more impactful for people and make people realise what Shadow is asides from "edgy the hedgy" lol. Doubt this would happen since they seem to only ever make shorts to promote games but just something small like this I think would do wonders. Plus it'd be interesting to see Maria in Tyson Hesse style? I think so at least.

[@valeriechern]

Oh, that would be wonderful! I would love to have a glimpse into Shadow's happier days, and I agree, maybe it would help fans to see this complicated character under a different angle.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Well SaltyDKDan made a cute comic about it. That counts for something

[@EditKingdumb]

Paramount needs to watch this if they do a Shadow the Hedgehog Arc.

[@rumbleroller2154]

Phew. I can't wait for them to show THIS story in Sonic 3, the movie...

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

Chaomix, i can't thank you enough for this video! Not a lot of people really know the entire story of Project Shadow (heck i kinda learned somethings here) so i applaud you!

[@Crowtenzz]

This game's story really makes this my favorite game, not counting the all amazing gameplay and Chao Garden

[@vladc137]

I would disagree that the future games really "retcon" or take away from the story of SA2. I've only ever seen it as an expansion of the mystery. Aliens were a natural step to take Shadow in. It makes sense that Black Doom's DNA would be the cheat code Gerald needed, and Emerl offers an additional layer of tragedy to the story.

[@t.dmattocks6119]

Yeah I don't really have a problem with the addition to the lore added by other games. The game the details are from suck but the idea that Gerald made a deal with evil aliens to make Shadow and set them up to be shot by the eclipse cannon never bothered me. It felt kinda weird omitting those details. The second one even makes the eclipse cannon make more sense to me.

[@AlexSmith-tp7xu]

Justice for black arms! They deserve better than what sega gave them!

[@jersont.3339]

@@t.dmattocks6119 yeah makes you think why would gerald want a giant laser beam?

[@michaelcarlton1484]

I really want to know if G-Emerl has any memories of his time on the Ark and if he feels bad for what happened to Shadow as a result...

[@jersont.3339]

@@michaelcarlton1484 i doubt it even when he was emerld he barely had any kind of memories and only when all his powers were unlocked at the final battle, and g-emerl is just a reconstruction with some of the original parts

[@akiro7640]

Recently, I have watched sonic movie 2 last week. I'm super hyped up when shadow appears in the post credits scene, and this gives me the ideas of how sonic 3 story/plot goes on, and maybe we'll even see Gerald robotniks arc on the indevelopment movie, and probably live action maria, that will appear by shadows flashbacks 2 years later* Wow this aged well i think

[@xbubblexbusterx8813]

This is the comment that I was looking for! I watched it to and I was super excited at the fact of introducing more new characters and more details of the story. But with Jim carry going into retirement idk how they’re gonna use him in the 3rd movie unless they make some tweaks.

[@Melanatedhatervibez]

I just finally watched and finished both movies today. They got me back into Sonic since 2004 😂

[@PokeMasterKelly]

rly hoping sonic 3 pulls from this dark backstory but then again i have doubts that paramount would adapt a story that will def make u hate the government

[@kaaluha]

bruh this dark backstory already makes you hate the government

[@Thedragonlover95]

Its ok for Sonic to sometimes have serious and more storytelling.

[@SweaterSwagg]

We damn sure don't get stories like this anymore. Unfortunate, I really miss caring about these characters, what they do, and why they do what they do.

[@Ronan34753]

And people still try to say SA2's story isn't good? I guess only the sad-dad sims can qualify in the games industry... Honestly though, great video as always. This part of the Sonic series goes insanely under appreciated, and isn't talked about nearly as much as it should be. Maekawa really struck something with this story, that I've never felt for any other game. And I think the story elements around project Shadow, remind me why that is.

[@lpfan4491]

SA2 has a few minor inconsistencies and one relevant plothole. All things considered, it's very solid when I can pull at least the same amount of issues from more acclaimed story-games. But people decide to leave their suspension of disbelief at home, not factor in secondary lore(Which isn't required, but then they can't nitpick about minor nonimportant details being unexplained), decide to ignore everything not directly stated(I thought people like to sort through implications? What gives?) and then also use the english localisation as basis, which has translationerrors. Basically, 99% of people who say they give the game a fair shot are lying. And I really mean that.

[@Ronan34753]

@@lpfan4491 What's the relevant plot-hole, if you don't mind me asking?

[@lpfan4491]

@@Ronan34753 That they don't directly find out about the ARK somehow and then go to the desert because of a clue and then somehow know where to drive the rocket to. It was created in the editing-process of the script(Game was rushed and scenes were cut), originally Tails was going to explain the ARK before Knuckles appears.(So them tracing back the call was more in the hope that Eggman was using a base as middle-man for the video-livestream, not to find him.) It's not an insanely harmful plothole, but it is relevant enough. The good part is that it's easy to fix, a remake would just have to revert it back to the earlier draft.

[@Ronan34753]

@@lpfan4491 I didn't know about this change, so thanks. But looking at the events without knowing that change, I still feel like it's not a plot-hole per se. They may have heard about GUN staking out Eggman's pyramid base, and went there to see if they could find any spare space-crafts for them to travel on. But admittedly, the former draft's take is more self-explanatory, I'll give you that. I guess I can forgive minor plot holes, if the story itself that's being told, delivers. To me that's generally the most important aspect. I mean there were SO many plot-holes in the recent Sonic movie, that even I noticed (and I never usually notice). But a lot of the people who give SA2's story a hard time just for plot holes, didn't care all of a sudden. I guess that wouldn't be the last time we'd see the double-standard in treatment * Colors Ultimate being atrociously buggy like SADX & 06, yet given a free pass *

[@lpfan4491]

@@Ronan34753 I didn't watch the movie yet(Will do shortly before the second one releases), so I will just take your word on that for now.

[@lilbasenji1]

Thanks for making this. I hope that some of the backstory makes it in the movie. Also interesting enough based on biology using a lizard for project Shadow was doomed to fail. Reptiles continuously grow throughout their lives so unless Gerald figured out how to stop growth the biolizard would grow for eternity. To support their growth it would need a lot of food (even more if the biolizard was a herbivore) and sunlight to remain healthy. Also unless the species had adaptations to support a large body it wouldn’t survive. So either Gerald didn’t know this or was so desperate for results that he chose whatever animal that could survive living in space (or looked the closest to Chaos).

[@GiftOfKnowledge-np9vg]

One thing I like about this lore that was once pointed out to me is how it informs Dr. Eggman’s actions. Like, Eggman’s smart, we all know this, and we can tell from a lot of levels throughout the series that are Eggman-controlled residential/business districts that he really does want everyone to be happy. Between those factors, and the event that killed his grandfather and...cousin?...sister?...well you could see where he’d get the idea that everyone would be better off with him in charge rather than the existing governments.

[@razorionxvii638]

Maria’s condition is interesting. What I wonder, is there a real world counterpart?

[@chi-wind8593]

I remember someone saying AIDS but, I don’t recall

[@kingjiggle4th789]

@@chi-wind8593 Yes it's based off of AIDS

[@t.dmattocks6119]

Aids. Not joking. Even the words that make up the acronym are similar. Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome Neuro Immuno Deficiency Syndrome

[@hattoripool1533]

There’s one question I always had about Project Shadow and that is if the Biolizard is truly the only prototype/early version of Shadow to exist because it always bugged me how Gerald Robotnik was basically able to perfect project Shadow on only his second try like assuming that the Biolizard was also Black arms related you would think that there would be other early versions of Shadow that exist. I would imagine that each of these early versions would slowly look more and more like a humanoid hedgehog with the first version probably looking like a cross between the Biolizard and Shadow showing the process that Gerald made. Would an idea like this work in a Sonic Game like I would imagine it would be a similar situation to Eclispe the Darkling but I would also want to see another person’s take on the idea of there being more prototype life forms after the Biolizard

[@Gigadriller]

The other prototypes probably have been scraped

[@hattoripool1533]

@@Gigadriller I know but wouldn’t it have been interesting to see more prototypes appearing in a Sonic game interacting with Shadow. I can imagine that they would be more sentient than the Biolizard

[@GANONdork123]

In the cutscenes showing Shadow's creation and Gerald's collaboration with Black Doom in Shadow the Hedgehog, there are capsules in the background that show failed attempts at creating Shadow. Unfortunately they're kept mostly out of camera view and obscured by the game's intense bloom filter. By opening the level data in a level editor though, you can get a better look at them.

[@hattoripool1533]

@@GANONdork123 do you think this idea could genuinely work in a Sonic story because I imagine the prototypes wouldn’t be aggressive but have some flaws and slowly build up a friendship with Shadow as time goes on

[@GANONdork123]

@@hattoripool1533 I'm not sure. The prototypes I mentioned appear as though they died before they even finished developing to begin with, as they lacked limbs and facial features and looked more like organic blobs that weren't finished growing into a full hedgehog.

[@sheacorduroy5565]

On a much brighter note, reminder that Shadow is canonically Eggman’s Uncle.

[@abdelali9279]

"My God, Project Shadow".

[@GoldGollum]

If Paramount can pull this off with the Biolizard, Dr. Gerald Robotnik’s plans and his pain loosing his granddaughter as well as Shadow being deeply affected by this… we may very well have a unique story adapted on screen. Possibly one of the best videogame movies… but only time will tell.