The “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” movie is releasing soon, and a huge inclusion to the cast is Shadow the Hedgehog. While you can watch the movie on Dec 20, without any knowledge of who Shadow is, you might also want to look into Shadow’s history before his appearance in the movie, just like actor Keanu Reeves did before voicing Shadow. Here’s a list of the three games to feature Shadow’s story and his character, from least to most important

#3: Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) (Gamecube, PS2, Xbox)

In Shadow the Hedgehog’s first game with him as the protagonist, players control Shadow by running, jumping, and shooting with firearms, which is new to the franchise. It has multiple branching paths in its narrative, and serves to explain the story behind Shadow and his creation.

I played this game a few months ago, and while it’s fun to play, it is a very messy game, requiring a minimum of 10 playthroughs to unlock the true finale. Shadow may be too slippery to control for some, however it still has very important details about Shadow’s past, so if you want to learn the story behind Shadow this is the game.

Because of the branching paths, Shadow has a wide range of possible characterizations. In the two endings for the most heroic route, Shadow serves to help the people of the world get rid of the invading alien force, The Black Arms, or ally with them in order to prove he’s the strongest hedgehog, but in the two endings for the most evil route, he either joins the black arms in taking over the world or rebels against them at the last minute in order to control them himself. 

His best moment has to be the end, where he transforms into his super form to defeat Black Doom’s true form, Devil Doom.

How relevant will this be to the movie? I would say it’s a 2/5. The several branching paths are good for understanding his character, but some may get confused due to all of the different characterizations of Shadow.

#2: Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) (Dreamcast, PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

Shadow’s first appearance in the series portrays him very differently compared to the rest of the series due to his memories being manipulated, and throughout the game, you face off against Shadow as Sonic twice in the Hero Story, however by the end of the game, Shadow resolves to protect the planet like his friend Maria wished for, even if it costs him his life. 

“Sonic Adventure 2” seems to be directly referenced in the story of the upcoming movie, with characters like Gerald and Maria and the locations like the Eclipse Cannon making appearances in the film, so those who want to understand the source material should play it first. However Shadow himself isn’t playable for very many stages in this game, only being playable 9 times in the game with 5 being boss fights, with 2 being fights against Sonic which are also seen in the Hero Story, keeping this game from the #1 spot, however he does have some very good stages in the game.

Shadow’s best moment is during the Last Story, when Shadow remembers Maria’s true promise and goes to help Sonic and the others stop the Eclipse Cannon from activating, shedding a tear in the process.

How relevant will this be to the movie? I’d say 5/5. There are key story elements in the game that already show up in the trailer, however you may end up spoiling yourself for the finale, if it’s the same as the game.

#1: “Shadow Generations” (2024) (Ps4, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS5, PC)
“Shadow Generations” is the second game all about Shadow and a pseudosequel to the 2005 game, it follows up on plot points from the game but isn’t a full sequel. “Shadow Generations” is a game that I’ve reviewed before, that deals with Shadow fighting against Black Doom, to prevent the resurrection of the Black Arms and to avoid becoming Black Doom’s ultimate weapon. For more information, read my review.

“Shadow Generations” controls very well and is an all around good time, it’s also the most recently released game of the bunch, and is probably the most fun one to play, as it doesn’t have the slipperiness that might impede people in the 2005 game, and Shadow is playable for longer than in Adventure 2.

Shadow’s best moment in the game is definitely at the very end of the game, however, in the interest of not spoiling the game, you’ll have to play for yourself. However his second best moment is when he restrains himself from using his Doom Powers on Sonic, proclaiming that he would either beat him on equal terms or not at all.

How relevant to the movie is it? I’d say 4.5/5 because of how it delves into Shadow’s character, and there is a DLC stage based off a scene from the movie set in Tokyo.

Keep in mind that you do not have to play all of these games before the movie releases, you could choose to not play any of them if you wanted to, the decision is up to you, however if you really want to, then you could play any of these.