8 Gritty Reworks Of Video Game Characters That Fell Flat

There are a few characters in video game history that have always been divisive amongst fans. Shadow the Hedgehog is one of them.

Introduced in Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow was portrayed as an anti-hero, who would do whatever it took to achieve his varying goals. This put him directly at odds with series protagonist Sonic, and was directly intended by creators Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa to be his rival of sorts. Instead of being made to appear cool in subsequent games, Shadow quickly devolved into something comical.

The character's eponymous spin-off game only increased this sentiment. Terrible game design and a hard-hitting rock soundtrack, coupled with a hilariously-produced gritty tone, somehow made Shadow even more infamous than he already was. He came across as unnecessarily moody, as he attempted to figure out his role in a world he isn't quite familiar with.

Imagine trying to make a new character, in the vein of Sonic, but removing all the optimistic and fun parts about him in favour of applying a brooding, gritty identity? That's what Shadow inherently is, as he scowls his way across various settings, shooting up everything and everyone in sight. Charming.