Top 10 Best Levels in Shadow the Hedgehog

Seeing the factions going to war, jumping between sections on a mech, and flying on a black hawk through a storm - this stage breathes spectacle. It results in one of the best stages in the game.

This level has it all: fast-paced running, platforming, vehicle sections, a blend of large and small enemies, the works. The Hero mission involves taking out the 5 power jewels that keep the temple floating, while the Dark mission involves taking out 5 of Eggman's ships (ironically, Eggman is the Hero in this scenario).

The platforming sections with the walker are really fun, as is the bit where the weather turns stormy and you have to ride on a Black Hawk to get across to the other side. All of this is backed by an awesome music track as well.

Just an all-around fun level.

This level is perfection. Branching pathways, an interesting level gimmick involving rising lava, and a S-Tier soundtrack cap it off.

Eggman's final stronghold lies in an underground bunker with pools of lava that are an instant-kill. The Hero mission involves you and OMEGA getting the Chaos Emerald, but the Dark mission is where things get interesting. You have to activate all 5 of Eggman's volcanic defense machines that cause the lava to rise.

This makes going through the level more tricky as the platforms disappear under the lava. This forces you to adapt and play the level in a different way than before. Also, the A-rank is one of the more challenging ones.

Another level where the route you take depends on the mission you choose. The Hero mission involves you and Sonic reaching Black Doom, with Sonic being particularly useful in defeating bigger enemies. The Dark mission, on the other hand, has you activating force fields that alternate the paths, preventing you from completing the Hero mission.

With its treacherous areas and a unique gimmick involving the vacuum gun, this level ranks as one of the most memorable in the game.

A level set in a floating GUN air fortress where the President is making his evacuation. The Hero mission has you and Tails taking out all the Black Aliens, while the Dark mission has you targeting the President's flagship. This flagship isn't a regular enemy. It's built like a tank and requires a lot of bullets to bring down.

What makes this mission so fun is the challenge it provides, along with some secret areas packed with ammunition. Additionally, it puts your platforming skills to the test.

The very last mission in the game involves Shadow chasing down Black Doom. Similar in design to Final Haunt, this level is just as perilous, with many tricky enemies along the way. There are certain areas where you can't progress unless you fill up your Hero gauge by defeating enemies and using Chaos Control.

The stage's music is also epic and really emphasizes the race against time.

One of two cyberspace-themed levels, Mad Matrix is, in my eyes, the more unique one. The Hero mission involves you and Espio activating all of the power terminals, which can be found in the Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red towers. The Dark mission involves traveling around the circuits that connect the towers and destroying all 30 bombs (it's easier once you realize the circuits are in perfect symmetry with one another).

The only real annoyance is that if you're doing Espio's mission, you can't defeat any of Eggman's robots, as he keeps implying that it's a stealth mission.

One of the game's most non-linear levels, with an attractive color aesthetic, this stage is indeed a memorable one.

Of all the city levels, I like this one the best. The Dark mission involves escaping the city and grabbing the Chaos Emerald, while the Hero mission involves you and Sonic chasing down the Black Aliens' spaceship and shooting it down. This is one of the levels that best implements speed, and it's more hazardous and interactive than something like City Escape.

This is also the only level (to the best of my knowledge) that has the bike (which is pretty much useless). Another great aspect of this level is the music, which perfectly complements the speed of the stage with its funky guitar groove.

A level aboard the Space Colony Ark. The Hero mission involves racing Sonic to the Chaos Emerald (if you want to do the Normal mission, you have to lose to him on purpose). The Dark mission involves taking a slightly different route to take down 6 of the Ark's defense units.

What makes this level interesting is the constant switching of gravity, one of my personal favorite platforming mechanics if done right. You might have a hard time trying to find your footing (or head, for that matter), but once you get around that, this level is loads of fun.

This level takes place in Eggman's carnival-based theme park (what is that guy's obsession with theme parks?). The Hero mission involves you and Tails collecting 400 rings, an ordeal that would've been hell in the previous games. However, here, getting hit only takes away 10 rings as opposed to all of them, and there are more than enough opportunities to get rings with balloon mini-games and rings of fire. The Dark mission involves assisting Eggman in taking out all the GUN soldiers.

This mission very much feels like a breather level where you can just have some fun and games, and it's not too frustrating. Ironically, it's one of the tougher levels on Expert mode.

Getting to go back and explore this area again after the explosion in SA2 was cool. The rivers of toxic waste were kind of challenging to navigate, but fun.

The unique presentation of this stage and the branching pathways mean revisiting this stage is always fun.

The whole flashback idea and getting to explore the ARK was pretty cool. The aesthetic design of this level was cool too, especially the green transport energy beam and the architecture.

The fast-paced sections in the light-speed circuit are fun, and the missions in this level are straightforward enough but still provide a decent challenge.

Completing the Dark mission in Westopolis brings you to this quirky level, featuring exciting sections of platforming and fast-paced action in the light-speed circuits. Avoiding the firewalls to keep hold of rings makes this level extremely unique. Rouge the Bat also makes a welcome appearance!