In a new interview published today, the development team behind Sonic X Shadow Generations shared insights into the technical and creative process of remastering Sonic Generations, including a glimpse at animation tests that were ultimately cut from the final game.
The team experimented under “character expression that has never been seen before,” with a custom Maya and UE5-compatible vertex shader that allowed for dynamic squash-and-stretch effects independent of bone structure. These animations could stretch characters, twist them into spirals, or create wave-like deformations, offering a more expressive, stylized movement across both halves of the game.
While the team was excited about the possibilities, the features were ultimately scrapped, likely due to technical or stylistic constraints. “Maya is highly customizable and allows artists to create a variety of visuals, and I realized the depth of their hearts,” said lead cutscene artist Koichi Shibuya, reflecting on the collaboration between technical artists and programmers during the prototype phase.
