Which 2005 Sonic game stars Shadow as the main playable character?

Shadow the Hedgehog is the 2005 Sonic game starring Shadow as the main playable character. It is a spin-off centered on the black-and-red hedgehog’s search for answers about his past.

The story begins with Shadow suffering from amnesia while an alien invasion unfolds. Players guide him through missions that can follow heroic, villainous, or neutral paths, creating a branching structure with multiple possible story routes. The game also added firearms, vehicles, and third-person shooting to the series’ familiar platforming and ring collection.

Shadow first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001 and returned as a major character in Sonic Heroes. Sega Studios USA then gave him his own game to explore mysteries surrounding his creation by Professor Gerald Robotnik and his connection to Maria.

Sonic Heroes and Sonic Riders feature Shadow, but neither is the 2005 solo-focused title. The game released for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, not Nintendo’s handheld systems.