Michael Beckwith 
The newest trailer for Sonic X Shadow Generations has unveiled the first real details for Shadow’s new Doom Powers.
Sega and Sonic Team confirmed the existence of Doom Powers during the Summer Game Fest trailer in June, with Shadow sprouting alien wings. It was suggested Shadow would boast multiple abilities like this in his campaign, but Sega and Sonic Team otherwise kept mum about the Doom Powers and how they’d work.
While there are still a few questions, an August 20 trailer appears to have revealed the full lineup of Doom Powers and how Shadow can acquire and use them. On top of that, fans have been given glimpses of more levels to speed through and another returning boss fight; Metal Overlord from Sonic Heroes.
How do Shadow’s Doom Powers work in Sonic X Shadow Generations?
Shadow will unlock his Doom Powers while exploring the White Space hub world.
These powers appear to be derived from Black Doom, Shadow’s alien arch-enemy from the 2005 Shadow the Hedgehog game. Black Doom had a hand in creating Shadow, so it seems like he’s awakening these powers within Shadow.
The trailer also confirmed the return of the Black Arms aliens as regular enemies, with them appearing in levels and the hub world. Surprisingly, Sonic X Shadow Generations will see a new level based on Chaos Island from Sonic Frontiers. This means locations from games that came out after the original Sonic Generations from 2011 are fair game. In fact, some fans have suggested the trailer has hints of at least one level based on 2017’s Sonic Forces.
The trailer concluded with a teaser for a boss fight against Metal Overlord, who was originally the final boss of Sonic Heroes from 2003. Shadow did take part during that fight, though the final phase of the battle had players control Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. This time, Shadow will be facing Metal Overlord one-on-one.
Plus, the fight is entirely original, taking place on water rather than in the sky. It also shows how Shadow’s new abilities can be used in creative ways against familiar foes.
All of Shadow’s confirmed Doom Powers
Shadow has five confirmed Doom Powers in Sonic X Shadow Generations that can be used for both attacking enemies and traversing the world. Here’s the full lineup of confirmed Doom Powers and how they work:
- Doom Spears – An upgrade of Shadow’s Chaos Spear technique that allows him to fire multiple bolts of energy at once. It can be used to destroy several enemies in one go
- Doom Blast – A rapid combo attack Shadow can use to knock enemies away. He can angle the trajectory of the attack so he can send an enemy into another target
- Doom Morph – Shadow transforms into a squid-like creature that can stick to walls and ceilings, not unlike the Pink Wisp power from Sonic Colors. Shadow can still boost in this form to reach high speeds and stick to grapple points to swing over gaps
- Doom Wing – Shadow grows wings to soar through the air. He can still boost in order to take out enemies
- Doom Surf – Shadow summons a manta ray looking creature he can ride to cross over water. It appears to have a spin attack that can change Shadow’s trajectory and dodge enemy attacks
In an interview on the PlayStation Blog, Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka explained these powers “give [Shadow] new ways to attack enemies and traverse the world, giving our team more to build upon in each stage’s level design.” They’ll also be tied into the game’s plot, but that’s something for players to find out for themselves.
It’s unclear if players can activate these powers whenever they want, if a special meter needs to be filled, or if they can only be performed during certain sections. It’s also possible there are more powers Sega hasn’t shown yet but, for now, it can be assumed this is the full line-up.
Regardless, it’s a good time to be a Shadow fan, with the character factoring heavily into both a mainline game release and the upcoming film.
